Seth Anandram Jaipuria Model United

Nations

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER

UN Information Center

For India And Bhutan

This year at SAJMUN, we simulated a setting which enabled delegates to

explore the intricacies of geopolitics and international relations besides

providing an experience that gave the delegates a valuable insight into the

functioning of the United Nations and its subsidiary organs. We further

accentuated this enriching experience for delegates by simulating an

environment that propelled the use of diplomacy, honed leadership qualities,

promoted consensus building, necessitated quality research and above all- laid

the foundation for the eventual transformation of an Indian civilian into a global

citizen. With a collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre for

lndia and Bhutan and support of the noble HeForShe campaign, we ensured that

the emphatic voice of the youth does not go unheard, rather it successfully

reaches the highest echelons of our society- the United Nations itself. At

SAJMUN 2019, we organized seven committees which aimed at highlighting

diverse topics-the world finds most essential to discuss-ranging from matters of

historical importance to current issues. The committees did not only test the

delegates’ research, diplomacy and oratory skills but also provided them with an

unparalleled educational experience. They displayed their talent of diplomacy

and ingenuity at a level where they faced immense competition. At our annual

MUN conference this year, we witnessed the participation of more than 280

delegates and more than 25 schools with talent meeting diplomacy and

enthusiasm reaching its acme. We hope to give you an insight to the same biting

and gripping extravaganza with our official newsletter — “THE SAJMUN

TIMES".

Happy reading!

The major objective of any Model United Nations is to

lead the thought process of its participants from narrow

nationalism to wide globalism by providing them with a

kaleidoscopic view. Our young leaders are free to put forth

their views across number of issues presented before them,

giving them the opportunity to explore the complexities of

geopolitics and international relations. For the students, of

the students and by the student is our motto that further

pushes us to deliberate their views in order to see the

world at the represented pace.

-Mrs.Shikha Banerjee,Principal

Seth Anandram Jaipuria model United Nations came

into having in the year 2015. Model United Nations

conferences aim at widening the mindset of the

students and at putting their decision-making skill to

test. These conferences serve as an apposite platform

for the holistic development of the students. This year

at SAJMUN, the delegates came well-prepared and

active participation was witnessed in all committees.

Swami Atmashraddhananda was the guest of honor for

the conference. The experience was extremely

informative, educative and stimulating for the

delegates.

-Mrs.Kavita Ojha Tiwari, HOD, Social Science

My Vision was to make SAJMUN a forum where

delegates achieve an unparalleled learning

experience that motivates them to take the world to

new heights.l envision SAJMUN as a platform

where every delegate, whether inspired by the

Secretariat, the EB, or even a moderated caucus on

a particular issue in committee, takes the

opportunity and passionately pursues it. After two

days of intense debating and ruminating, I can say

that what envisaged came true.

-Mehul Rastogi, Secretary General

This year at SAJMUN 2019, it is my belief

that we achieved in providing the delegates

the holistic experience that the Executive

Board and the Organizing Committee

aimed for. The committees were a success

when it came to delving into the

international community about agendas

and conflicts that are deeply rooted in

history, and are shaping our lives today.

Our theme for this year’s conference was

Gender Equality and Equality of

Opportunity, which is gradually coming

out into the open and is being addressed on various platforms. In the end, I knew

that we had successfully Conceived, Concurred, and Convinced.

-Adwiti Singh, Director General Each year, SAJMUN transcends to a new level by bringing about

dynamic changes in the

organization of the conference and the committees that are simulated.

This year too, in a bid to save humanity from being butchered by

us, humans, we decided to

deliberate on agendas like the Kurdish Conflict, mobocracy in

India, the 9/11 attacks, etc. in order to sensitise the participants

to such issues and concurrently

draft solutions for the same. The theme for this year’s conference was “Gender Equality” , in the wake of which, we

designed a form named “Viva La Resistance” in order to delve into the conditions

undergone by the victims of gender discrimination and curate methods in order to nip the cataclysmic issue from the grassroot level.

Thus,it was nothing short of true honor serve as the Director General of such a noble conference.

-Harleen Narang, Director General

SWAMI ATMASHRADDHANANDA

This year, we had the honour of having Swami Atmashraddhananda as the

Guest Of Honour for our conference. The enlightened mystic, Indian Yogi and

author is a monastic member of the Sri Ramkrishna Math and Mission. The

renowned being has been serving as the guide for Vivekananda Study Circle at

llT Madras for the past nine years. He is also the editor of Vedanta Kesari, a

cultural and spiritual monthly of the Ramkrishna organisation. Known far and

wide for his adeptness and excellence in his oration, he's honoured a lot of

prestigious institutions from around the world with his presence. A fount of

spiritualism, he delivers sermons on Upanishads and allied subjects. His

sublime insights into the human mind and the world, in general have garnered

him recognition throughout the world.

His extensive knowledge of philosophical subjects, aided by years of

impeccable experience left the delegates enthralled.

PRESS CORPS About The Press Corps

The Press Corps aims to deliver a first rate newsletter for the reading of the

delegates and the Secretariat. Each reporter has examined specific committees

and council activities where articles have been disseminated to all councils

throughout the conference via the daily newsletter published by the Press Corps

and the Secretariat.

Standing: L-R

Anandi Mehrotra Vrinda Tulsian Vansh Bhatia

(Asst. Head of Journalism) (Head of Journalism) (Asst. Head of Photography)

Priyansh Bhatia

(Asst. Head of Journalism)

Sitting: L-R

Divya Shroff Harleen Narang Omansh Agarwal

(Head of Caricature) ( Editor-In-Chief ) ( Head of Photography)

From the Executive Board For the Press Corps at SAJMUN 2019, we had exceptional reporters,

photographers and caricaturists alike. The photographers were rife with raw

talent and cutting edge skills. The journalists exhibited acuity and their articles

embodied the spirit of invincible verity and the caricaturists produced

masterpieces with dexterous strokes of their brushes. The combined effort of all

the Press Corps members is reflected in this newsletter and while all of the

participants still have a long way to go, they all did shine brilliantly at this

conference.

In a conventional news-agency simulation, the reporters would typically adopt

the perspectives and styles of classic editorial reporters. At SAJMUN,we had

decided to simulate a form of an associated press, in-house from United Nations

that would have, despite all liberties of thought and expression, an unbiased

fashion of reporting. Therefore, Press Corps members were not supposed to

write in-character for any news agency of nativity, but as International Press.

The reporters exhibited exemplary documentary propensity and sterling

scrutinizing skills during the simulation hours. Their quintessential debating

skills were also revealed when they were faced with a crisis. The reporters met

our premier standards and climacteric deadlines with acute robustness.

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

AGENDA: Briefing of the Uri to the Prime Minister and strategizing

the future course of action with special emphasis on the need of a

Surgical Strike.

“The Fates with traitors do contrive.”

The committee commenced with the round of speakers which entailed an

expression of the views of the delegates on the Uri attacks. The delegates

deliberated and discussed the need for a surgical strike to end the war on

terrorism once and for all. Meanwhile, a number of crisis updates surfaced,

simultaneously. Two plans of action were introduced and notwithstanding that

they failed, they proved to be quite controversial. In the interim, the Law

Secretary, in a bid to take charge, suggested the bombing of the bunker in which

a terrorist was taking refuge. He proposed the use of Apache missiles of French

origin, which are customarily used for stealth performances and are among the

top contenders in weapons of mass destruction. The proposal proved to be

unpragmatic as those missiles are not suitable for the bombing of a small

bunker; besides, their production had not been materialized then. The Defence

Secretary observed two minutes of silence and sang the National Anthem

offering his condolences to the martyrs but, while this was being effectuated, an

army base was attacked and around 43 army personnel lost their lives. As a

result of these impetuous suggestions and proposals, the Law Secretary, the

RAW Secretary and the Defence Minister were gagged for a time period of 30

minutes, as they were collectively held responsible for the mounting numbers of

fatalities pertaining to the lives of the innocent and valiant Indian soldiers that

had been lost solely owing to negligence. To sum up, the session proved to be

quite enriching, leading to a cogent conclusion and instilling the love for our

nation in the hearts of the delegates.

Article by: Priyansh Bhatia

Assistant Head of Journalism

TIMELESS TERROR

Deafening noise and fastened heartbeats,

Chaos and bloodshed all over the streets.

Bombing all over the city,

Over in a minute but felt like an eternity.

Their houses were gone in the blink of an eye,

They witnessed their loved ones and dreams die.

No food and no place to go,

Their disbelief in humanity started to grow.

Agony and fear evident in their eyes,

So loud were the bombs that they silenced their cries.

It was not their fault,

Still they became the victims of this heinous assault.

The attack left the whole world devastated,

Not being able to find the perpetrator made everyone frustrated.

So many lives were lost,

But at what cost?

Terrorists are the demons of our time,

Every second they commit a crime.

They are truly sadistic in every sense,

Not even humanity, what they only know is offence.

The victims withered in pain,

The attack left them insane.

We urgently need to stop the terrorists’ rise,

Otherwise they would lead us to our demise.

Poem by:Divya Srivastava

Press Correspondent of Xinhua

ALL INDIA POLITICAL PARTIES MEET

AGENDA: Discussing mobocracy and lynching in India with

emphasis on dissemination of misinformation through social media

platforms.

“BJP vs Congress: none for the win.”

In the midst of purposeless debates on “Mandir-Masjid” and “Chowkidar-

Gandhi”, democracy has lost itself in the dirty hands of mobocracy who

has fed on bloodsheds and war, whose ideas of lynching destruct the

speech of truth. The word “secular” has lost its meaning, thus, every war is

a supposed consequence of ‘Islamic Territories within the Nation’ and

Hindu-Muslim enmity is no longer a British strategy to divide and rule but

our very own political strategy to be divided and ruled, not lead.

On the afternoon of the 21st of April, the delegates of the All India

Political Parties Meet gathered together in the conference room to discuss

about mobocracy and lynching in India with emphasis on dissemination of

misinformation through social media platforms because of the rising-fall

of the democracy and clean politics due to religious and gender

discrimination in the society following the Parliamentary rules of

procedure.

In the hullabaloo of the Religious Propagandas being discussed, it was,

faintly visible.While the delegates could be seen in their own rhythms,

Modi ji served a lot on the platter. Not disregarding the acumen-rich

answers to absolutely any questions asked in the committee, Nitin Gadkari

proved how easy it is for BJP to overcome crises and leave the Opposition

Party in perplexity which was well witnessed by the audience.

The committee revolved around certain delegates while the others

continued to amuse the Executive Board in some way or the other.

The AIPPM was a well choreographed chat show.

Article by: Floraa Dixit

Press Correspondent of El Mundo

Shourya Singh Ishan Gupta Anmay Khemkha

(Deputy Moderator) (Moderator) (Deputy Moderator)

UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL

AGENDA-Right To Self-Determination Of States with special

emphasis on the Kurdish Conflict.

“An Unsettling War”

Kurds is the name of an ethnic group hailing from Western Asia in the

neighboring areas of Kurdistan. Most of them reside in Southeastern

Turkey, Northwestern Iran, Northern Iraq, and North Syria accounting

to a population of nearly 50 million. And as the areas suggest, the most

widely practiced religion among Kurds is Islam. Nearly 98% Kurds in

Iraq have been identified as Sunni Muslims, while the rest stand

recognized as Shia Muslims.

Owing to the fact that the Kurds have been facing a lot of oppression

and violence, they are demanding an independent nation.

Since they raised their voices, unimaginable atrocities are being

afflicted upon them. More than 5 million people have been killed,

displaced or forced to leave their homes. The support by the US

government is dwindling and the war seems perpetual.

To put a halt to the banality, the Executive Board ushered in a

crisis. The delegates rose to the occasion and handled the crisis with

perspicacity.

Article by: Meenakshi Chugh

Press Correspondent of The Independent

Yuvraj Kapoor Akshat Agrawal Anushka Chib

(Co-Vice President) (Co-Vice President) (President)

UNITED NATIONS COUNTER TERRORISM COMMITTEE

AGENDA:Effective implementation of Security Council

Resolution 1373.

“In the Shadow of the 9/11 Attacks”

History is laden with belligerent leaders using humanitarian rhetoric

to mask their own selfish geopolitical aims. History also shows how

ill-informed 'moralism' often ends up doing more harm than good. In

the aftermath of the terror attacks that sent shockwaves throughout the

United States of America and the rest of the world alike, the first ever

session of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee

commenced on the 28th of October, 2001. The international

community discerned the gravity of the situation and decided to

prepare a framework that would carefully define the extent and

measures that would be taken to ensure effective implementation of

resolution 1373.

As the committee moved into formal session, the delegate of Ukraine

defined terrorism and its manifestations, whereas the delegate of

Russia called for a joint campaign against terrorism by the global

community, while placing emphasis on the fact that the campaign

should be within the rules that have been enshrined in the United

Nations Charter. The delegate of USA claimed that terrorism would

be eradicated under President Bush’s leadership but failed to answer a

simple question about improvement of security on airports put up by

the delegate of Russian Federation. The committee outlined some of

the critical causes that had fuelled the rapid spread of terrorism over

sustained period of time, but contrary to the concept of “fruitful

discussion” that was being floated around, the discussion in the

committee hardly bore any fruit due to the enormous discrepancy of

opinions on the topics that were being brought up in the committee.

The delegates finally found common ground when they decided to

take up Resolution 1373 sub-clause by sub-clause, with the Achilles

Heel of terrorism, i.e. Finance being the first topic of discussion. The

delegate of Canada put light upon aspect of terrorism financing-

terrorists receive funds in numerous small transactions.

Article by: Ishatva Rajeev

Press Correspondent of The Guardian

That's How We Do It in Mother Russia

Winter has well and truly arrived in Russia. But alas, Nazi Germany

still hasn't.

Ten years after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics, the Russian Federation is finding its feet in as a major

balance of power to the United States of America in the international

community.

Excerpts from an interview with the delegate of Russian

Federation:

Interviewer (The Guardian): How does border control in your country

prevent the movement of terrorists? How do your procedures for the

issuance of identity papers and travel documents support this?

Interviewee (Delegate of Russian Federation): In accordance with

sub-paragraph 2 of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001)

specifying that terrorists and terrorist groups should not be allowed to

move freely in its territory, the Federal Border Service of the Russian

Federation has established effective border control in the case of

persons who have been properly denied entry into the country.

The Federal Border Service receives its instructions from the law

enforcement agencies conducting intelligence investigations of

persons who have been prohibited from entering and leaving the

Russian Federation in the manner established by the laws of the

Federation.

TG*: What legislation or procedures exist for the denial of a safe

haven to terrorists, such as laws for excluding or expelling the types

of individuals referred to in the aforementioned subparagraph?

RF**: The Federal Act “On procedures for leaving and entering the

Russian Federation” establishes that alien and stateless people are

denied entry into the Russian Federation due to reasons of national

security or if during any previous stay in the country they were

sentenced under Russian legislation for the commission of serious or

particularly serious offences, which include terrorism. In accordance

with articles 2 and 5 of the Federal Act of 28 July 1996 “On

refugees”, terrorists cannot be recognized as refugees.

TG: What measures, if any, have been taken to prevent and suppress

the financing of terrorist acts in addition to those listed in response to

questions on sub-clauses 1(b) to 1(d) of resolution 1373?

RF: An inter-departmental working group on measures to prevent the

financing of terrorism has been set up in the Ministry of Finance of

the Russian Federation. It is composed of representatives of the

Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs, the Federal Service of Tax Police, the Foreign

Intelligence Service, the Bank of Russia and the Procurator-General

of the Russian Federation. During the period when the Committee of

the Russian Federation on Financial Monitoring was being set up and

starting its actual work, the following questions were referred to this

working group:

– Interaction with overseas partners in the suppression of financing of

terrorism;

– Coordination of the activities of law enforcement agencies and

oversight organizations;

– Interaction with the Federal Counter-Terrorist Commission

*TG- The Guardian

**RF: Russian Federation

Interview by: Ishatva Rajeev

Press Correspondent of The Guardian

Don’t you hear, don’t you see?

Terrorism spread everywhere,

People have become callous, lacking humanity and care,

A gory sight with streams of blood,

Carcasses to be buried in mud,

How sinister can you be?

Don’t you hear, don’t you see?

The kind of havoc that you wreak,

Evil quite at its peak!

Dear man, what are you gaining by taking innocent lives?

Don't you think about the soldiers being missed by their loving kids?

Poem by: Vanya Jalan

Press Correspondent of The Wall Street Journal

Rajveer Singh Adwiti Singh Samriddhi Gupta

(Chairperson) (Chairperson) (Vice-Chairperson)

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL AGENDA:Discussing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda of

Sustainable Development with regard to gender equality.

“The Only rights you have in this world are the ones you are willing

to fight for”

The committee was highly strung after the crisis according to which

ICE, the department of immigration of the United States was

allegedly accused of torturing the Mexican immigrants along with

twenty seven cases of rape and murder. This led to a riotous march in

various cities for consolidation of rights of female immigrants. In

response, The President of Brazil delivered a highly controversial and

misogynistic speech supporting the United States of America.

Eventually, a protestant movement in St. Petersburg was quashed

with tear gas along with a few protestors being held captive. After the

presidential addresses given by USA, Brazil and Russia; Tunisia,

Mexico, China and a few others, completely agitated with the

countries turned against them criticizing them for their callous, brutal

and quite uncouth remarks. Austria blamed the Russian Federation for

being so sinister that they were ready to rape and murder the

immigrants since they seemed quite “unprofitable”. On a similar note,

Columbia expressed lugubriously that one cannot bring the dead back

and now they should take grave actions against the shameful incident.

A consensus was reached regarding the fact that the government

officers who committed this heinous crime should be publicly

executed. All in all, the committee went on with the debate

swimmingly, taking into account all the accusations with USA,

Russia and Brazil quite on the knife-edge.

Article by:Vanya Jalan

Press correspondent of The Wall Street Journal

Divi Kaya Akshita Gupta Shreeya Goenka

(Vice-President) (President) (Vice-President)

SPECIAL POLITICAL AND DECOLONIZATION AND COMMITTEE

AGENDA: Resolving the issue of ‘Non-self-governing territories’ with

special emphasis on the 73rd and 74th article of the United Nations

Charter.

The committee commenced on a positive note discussing measures for resolving

the issue of non-self-governing territories with special emphasis on the 73rd and

74th article of the UN Charter. Qatar, in its laconic speech elucidated on the

meaning of self-governing territories giving its own example of attaining self-

government on 3rd September, 1971. Belgium enumerated the seventeen non

self-governed territories while Nigeria targeted corruption for being the root

cause of poverty in these territories. The delegate of Germany proposed how the

non-self-governing territories have diversified problems pertaining to economic

and social platforms which are in dire need of solutions. The United Kingdom

vehemently protested saying that United Kingdom has affable relations with all

the territories it administers and has taken every possible measure to protect

them and preserve their interests at large. Also, it was in favor of a referendum

being held in all those territories if they were not satisfied with autocracy. Qatar

raised a motion to enter into a moderated caucus to discuss sustainable

development goals taken up by countries to improve conditions in the non-self-

governing territories. The United Kingdom suggested to increase the economic

sanctions being given to the non- self-governed territories. Russia explained

how the non-self-governed territories are vulnerable to various calamities and

catastrophes, having been colonized for years. It aimed at preservation of

human rights, however, it concluded by saying that in the course of achieving

self-determination, the interests of the citizens should be taken into

consideration and the essence of humanity should not be lost. The situation in

the committee was tense with all the delegates debating on the pros and cons of

self-government, heading towards a better future.

Article by:Meha Shukla

Press Correspondent of The New York Times

Suryansh Agarwal Abhishri Swarup Vatsal Lahoti

(Vice-Chairperson) (Chairperson) (Vice-Chaiperson)

Viva la résistance The history is not black or white. It is interspersed with hues

of grey.

For too long, men, women and LGBTQI have remained

victims to a propaganda, simulated by man himself.

For too long, the shackles of Gender inequality have barred us

from becoming true judges of character.

For too long, women have silently suffered all over the world.

Some, from behind the door, and some, in a corporate room.

For too long, masculinity has been glorified as the ruler of

mankind, and men have been influenced into believing that

they need to obscure all vulnerability.

For too long, have people been forced to hide their identity,

for the fear that the society might not accept them.

We are not free, until the time our silence crowds our ears.

In keeping with the theme of this year’s Model UN

conference-“Gender Equality” and successive support of the

HEFORSHE campaign, we drafted a survey (google form)

that entailed objective questions regarding ‘gender

discrimination’ that people of varying age groups and

different genders face in the daily walks of life. The aim of

this Mass Research Programme was to selectively curate

methods so as to how we can build a discrimination-less

society amongst us, necessarily focussing on the grassroot

levels of the problem.

Viva la résistance: ANALYSIS

In figure: Age Group Statistics

The following age groups are the ones that Viva La Resistance was

able to reach out to. Our maximum responses are from the age group

of 16-20.

In figure: Responses of people on whether they felt we have attained gender equality

A large majority felt that gender equality still has a long way to go.

Out of the multiple responses that have faced discrimination of the

basis of sex,

38.3% have faced discrimination at ‘home’

58% have faced discrimination at ‘school/college’

33.3% have faced discrimination at a ‘public place’

9.9% have faced discrimination in ‘other’ places

Out of the multiple responses about the person by whom they were

discriminated against,

38.3% have faced discrimination by a ‘Family member’

38.3% have faced discrimination by a ‘teacher’ or a ‘mentor’

22.2% have faced discrimination by a ‘friend’ or an

‘acquaintance’

27.2% have faced discrimination by a ‘relative’

In figure: Chart depicting the frequency of discrimination

In figure: Chart depicting the fractions of people who have faced

discrimination on the basis of gender\

FEMALE:

10.4 % of the women felt that they were not encouraged to

pursue sports in school or beyond

13.4% were looked down upon by associates for indulging in

sports related activities

11.9% were influenced to choose arts/ biology due to the

societal notions associated with the subjects; 4.5% were

discouraged from choosing STEM Subjects

38.3% were harassed for their complexion, body figure, height

34.3% were criticized on the basis of clothing worn

6% were asked to not report cases of domestic violence

6% felt that cases of sexual harassment were not taken seriously

7.5% were not considered for authority positions

6% faced high pay gap

17.9% were not offered the equal employment opportunities

10.4% were subjected to harsh living conditions as a result of

traditional beliefs

19.4% responded that they faced discriminatory comments due

to the stigmas and myths associated with the menstrual cycle

19.4% responded that display of feelings was wrongfully

blamed to be the after-effect of Pre Menstrual Syndrome (PMS)

and was not taken seriously

13.4% were treated harshly for talking with their male

counterparts (colleague, friend)

31.3% were expected to not be frank in their speech

37.3% were refrained from doing tasks that require strength

32.8% chose the ‘any other’ option

MALE:

16.7% were expected to be inclined towards jobs having societal

notions of being 'male oriented' e.g. Armed Forces, Engineering,

Information Technology, Sports (cricket, football)

16.7% were expected to take the responsibility of their entire

household

33.3% were wrongfully alleged of a crime/indecent act by

another gender

41.7% were asked to not express their emotions openly

33.3% were subjected to corporal punishment whereas the same

mistake was ignored for the female counterpart

16.7% were looked down upon for wanting to pursue certain

carriers/interests (fashion designing, cooking, dance, etc.)

16.7% were expected to be naturally inclined towards sports

8.3% were expected to be naturally good at STEM Subjects

OTHER:

33.3% were not given recognition by parents & relatives

regarding sexual orientation

33.3% were denied public accommodation (buying or renting

houses and/or properties)

100% were mentally, physically and socially harassed by

associates/employers/relatives

66.7% faced sexual assault

We would love your suggestions and your opinions. Let us all

contribute to a safe space for all genders!

Correspond with us at sajmun4equality@gmail.com

Analysis by: Adwiti Singh

Our 18 commandments for making the world a safe space

for women:

Charity begins at home. Make sure you are not endorsing double

standards, or stereotypes. The people who live around you must see you

as an enforcer of equal rights. Inspire us!

Encourage wide horizons to all girls vis-a-vis education

STEM(Science,Technology,Engineering, Mathematics). These subjects

might appear daunting at first, but it is only because years and years of

overburdening patriarchy has created the notion that girls are required to

be ‘perfect ‘ in everything they do , rather than being brave. Educate

people who endorse this toxic notion.

The Era of the Resistance

Make your workspace a place of mutual respect, and equality.

Employment criteria in public places must include the concepts and

guidelines about gender inequality, so that the workers can educate

themselves about their rights and duties to a safe atmosphere.

Identify and educate your friends, and colleagues whenever they are

displaying double standards or enforcing gender stereotypes

Request your mentors to check themselves from enforcing a biased

outlook.

Speak up against rampant discrimination. The frequency of the bigotry

increases if it is not pointed out the first time

Sports and physical activities should neither forced upon women nor

should they be discouraged to pursue them.

A woman’s career must not be defined by others, and most importantly, it

shouldn’t be limited to ‘easy’ choices

Personal space and privacy should be respected

Societal adherence to orthodox standards of ‘beauty’ and external

appearance must be discarded, if we are to accept each other’s

individuality.

Cases of harassment must be given primary importance. They should be

reported to the right authorities and strict action must be taken against the

perpetrators.

‘Equal pay for equal work’ is a concept.

Equal consideration for employment

Discard traditional beliefs associated with menstrual health and hygiene

We must not correlate the feelings of a woman with the onset of with Pre

Menstrual Syndrome. Generalizations such as these are responsible for

the establishment of a toxic atmosphere that allows gender insensitive

remarks.

Upto a certain level, our society expects women to curb their ambitions.

Women are often looked down when they are frank or straight with their

speech.

Toxic masculinity is a problem that must be addressed by men and

women both. This must not transcend into male-bashing, but women (and

men) should no longer tolerate this acerbic behavior. ‘Toxic masculinity’

is also addressed ahead in the report.

What women want

We want to flaunt that red dress and don it without shame, we don't want someone to tear it from our chest and call us names.

We want to talk to men and hang out with our friends,

we don't want someone to surmise that we are under Cupid's spell.

We want to be independent and live with our head held high,

we don't want someone to tell us that we'll share Icarus' fate and plummet to the

nadir from the blue sky.

We want to be pretty-pretty brilliant and pretty at heart,

we don't want someone to call us too fat, too skinny or too dark.

We want equality of status, of opportunity and of prize,

We don't want someone to be strangled by the sex depicting "frailty", for

believing otherwise.

Poem by: Vrinda Tulsian

Toxic masculinity is a problem that must be addressed by men and women both.

This must not transcend to male-bashing, but women (and men) should no

longer tolerate acerbic behaviour. But what is toxic masculinity? Where does it

have its origins? For long, thinkers and philosophers have pondered over this

question itself. When John Locke gave his ‘Blank Sheet Theory’, a deep insight

into the human mind- the world knew. If a human being was the result of only

his experiences and was not defined by their role in the heirarchy, if the mind

was just a blank sheet, jotting down what is passed on to us by our

surroundings, then isn’t inequality just a social custom that is being passed

around through generations to benefit the perpetrators’ mindsets? A mindset

that portrays feminity as weak, and masculinity as superior. A mindset that

indulges in and endorses stereotypes. A mindset that does not allow the creation

of a physical and mental safe space around it. That, is what toxic masculinity is.

When Gender Equality is not a privilege, but a right, everyone benefits. If we

raise our sons and our daughters in a similar manner, teaching them the values

of ‘consent’ and ‘sensitivity’ and ‘mutual respect’, this world can indeed be

made a beautiful place to live in. Godspeed.

Article by: Adwiti Singh

TEAM Viva la résistance

Adwiti Singh Vrinda Tulsian

adwiti02@gmail.com vrinda.vt@gmail.com

Harleen Narang Gesna Sonkar

narangira13@gmail.com gesna01@icloud.com

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are indebted to Gesna Sonkar-our tech whiz- without whom this

newsletter could not have been published. We must extend our

heartfelt gratitude towards Adwiti Singh for furnishing us with an

exemplary analysis of Viva La Resistance. We are also thankful to

Ishan Gupta and Suryansh Agarwal for helping us in designing the

layout for the newsletter.

Lastly, we would like to thank ma'am Kavita Ojha Tiwari for her

guidance and unwavering support and Ma'am Manisha Dwivedi for

her warmth and co-operation.

-Team Press Corps

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