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weekend ZESTviiiTHEFREEPRESSJOURNAL SUNDAY | MAY 29, 2011

Social Media's secret weapon - Email: by Fred Wilson.http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2011/05/social-medias-secret-weapon-email.html

A Long-Wave Theory on Today'sDigital Revolution:An interview with historian Elin Whitney-Smith instrategy+business. http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00074?gko=e0cf7&cid=TL20110519

Social Protection for a Chang-ing India: A World Bank report.http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64187835&piPK=64187936&theSitePK=523679&siteName=WDS&menuPK=64187283&callBack=&report=61275

The perfect state:from Pragati. http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2011/05/the-perfect-state/

Illusions of Democracy:by Esther Dyson. http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/dyson32/English

EMERGIC

RAJESH JAIN

Weekend reading

WRITE TO: Ketan Tanna, Feature Editor, FreePress Journal, Free Press House, First Floor, 215,Free Press Journal Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai- 21. Telephone: 022-22874566. E-mail: features@fpj.co.in ● Reg. No. MH/MR/SOUTH-105/2009-11

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he school's location: Setrawa vil-lage, 110 kilometres from Jodhpurin western Rajasthan. The stu-dents: Around 70-80 girls, all agedeight years and above. The teach-ers: Two young Canadians, AmeliaSteteman (23) and JenniferCarlisoe (22). To many, this mayappear to be a strange classroombut it's a regular feature at theSetrawa School, which is run bythe Sambhali Trust.

Here's what a typical day at thissmall school, set up in 2007, is like:At 11 am sharp, a gaggle of enthu-siastic girls from nearby homeswalks in. They brush their teeth,take a quick wash and change intoclean clothes. For the next hour-and-a-half, they are taught thebasics of English and Hindi. Afterschool, they attend a workshoporganised especially for them - itcould be on anything from dra-matics and general knowledge tohealth and art.

If any of the girls displays thepotential for higher education, theTrust takes on the responsibility ofgetting them admission into a localprivate school. It also takes care ofthe school fees along with theexpenses for books, stationery anduniforms - approximately Rs 8,000a year is needed to put one childthrough school. The only catch:

Parents have to sign an affidavit inthe presence of village elders thatthey will send their daughter toschool at least until she completesClass X and that they will notmarry her off before she turns 18. Asmall price to pay for a free educa-tion? Unfortunately, not in themale-dominated Rajasthani ruralsociety, especially in the westernpart of the state, where sendinggirls to school is still frowned upon.

But the Sambhali Trust has man-aged to bring about a change inthis attitude, at least to someextent. "In last four years, we haveput 35 girls - 10 from Setrawa - inprivate schools in Jodhpur. Theyoungest one is in Prep while theeldest is in Class X," informsGovind Singh Rathore, founder ofSambhali Trust. Besides providingeducational opportunities, theTrust also promotes economicindependence among womenthrough vocational training andhelps them develop social skills.

The Setrawa School providesbasic education to girls who can'tafford traditional schooling andsupplements the schooling ofthose who can. "We also deal withthe issues of caste and encouragefree interaction between childrenof different castes while condemn-ing prejudice and discrimination,"

Rathore says. Helping the school to successfully

fulfill its mission is a passionategroup of foreign volunteers. Ameliaand Jennifer are part of the groupthat forms the backbone of Samb-hali Trust's work. "Each year, werecruit 25-35 volunteers on long-and short-term basis. The volun-teers are asked to do reporting forthe projects, write proposals, helpwith fund-raising, advertise volun-teer possibilities and conduct

workshops. They are also requiredto work at the Setrawa centres forat least a month. They live withlocal families, teach girls at theschool, organise community work-shops and awareness activities andconduct creative courses in artsand craft," explains Rathore.

South African Kerry Kisbey-Green, 18, who conducted thedrama workshop at the Setrawaschool last month, gives a glimpseinto a volunteer's experience. Shesays, "Living in Setrawa is chal-lenging. The simple life and facili-ties are easy to get used to, but Ihave found the language barrier

extremely isolating at times. Thefamily I live with is incredibly kindto me; they really make me feel likeI belong here, although our con-versations are limited by their lim-ited knowledge of English and myfew words of Hindi."

Some of them are also movedlooking at the kind of difficultieswomen and girls face here, espe-cially at the hands of abusive hus-bands and alcoholic fathers. Talk-ing about it, Djamila Eliane Furth-müller, 23, a student of Interna-tional Relations at Geneva, Switzer-land, says, "I am very touched bythe difficult situations and strug-gles they have to face every day,but I am also amazed to see howwell they deal with it and the dif-ference the Trust's work has madeto their lives."

The literacy programme of Samb-hali Trust started as an offshoot ofthe three empowerment centresthe organisation runs - two inJodhpur and one in Setrawa - forwomen and girls, where they aretaught vocational skills like textileproductions, block printing, screenprinting, embroidery and tie anddye. The finished products, such asscarves, handbags, cloth toys andtablecloths, are sold throughSambhali India, a sister company.The company returns 75 per centof the profit from sales to thosewho produce them.

Rathore, who has not studiedbeyond Class X himself, got theinspiration to set up this life-changing Trust from within hishome. "I was 14 when my father,an alcoholic, died of heart failure.My mother asked me to drop outof school and run the family guest-house (in Jodhpur's Raika Baghlocality)," he recalls. "I had a terri-ble childhood. I witnessed all kindsof violence on women in myhouse. My grandmother was 12when she got married to a manthrice her age. My mother was 15at the time of her marriage. Acousin committed suicide afterdelivering a girl child, her fourthdaughter. I ran the guesthouse forabout 10 years and then decided Ihad to do something for uneducat-ed women, like my mother andgrandmother, who suffer silently inour patriarchal society. That's whyI founded the Sambhali Trust inJanuary 2007." His mother andwife now run the family guest-house and contribute some of itsprofits to the Trust. Rathore alsooperates tours to help sustain thiswork.

It all started with the JodhpurEmpowerment Project for Dalitand underprivileged women andgirls aged between 15 and 22. Atwo-year course, running six days aweek between 11.30 am and 3 pm,

was initiated to help them becomeindependent. A second project,Payal Sewing Centre, teaches dif-ferent sewing techniques. Today, 30women not only learn sewing butare given English lessons in theafternoons. Next came the Setrawaempowerment centre, and theschool was started some time later.There's also a mirco-creditscheme, the Sheerni Project.

The Sambhali Trust conductsother interesting events as well,like a photography exhibition thatit staged recently in Jodhpur, whichshowcased the result of a photog-raphy workshop that English pho-tojournalist Rowan Lange had con-ducted for 10 girls at the Jodhpurcentre. She had given them cam-

eras and trained them to use it.Meanwhile, work is also on at thePayal Sewing Centre to put up amodern theatre show after Ger-man theatre professor HeideroseLange, 68, and German filmmakerVerena Jahnke conducted amonth-long theatre workshophere.

Ultimately, this is about educa-tion, not mere learning. By impart-ing education and life skills, theTrust has helped transform manyyoung girls into bright, confidentwomen who can stand up forthemselves, have the capacity tofulfill their dreams and who arealso conversant in English. Girlslike Sonia Pandit, 19, who haslearnt sewing at an empowermentcentre in Jodhpur.

She smiles as she says, "I wantto become the son of my mother.I earn around Rs 3,000 everymonth at the sewing centre. Withmy first salary, I bought myself agold nose ring and a pair of silveranklets."

RAJASTHANIGIRLS LEARN ABOUT LIFE WITH A LITTLEHELP FROM THE WORLD

RENU RAKESH WRITES ABOUT TWO YOUNG CANADIANS,AMELIA STETEMAN (23) AND JENNIFER

CARLISOE (22) TEACHING DESERT DAMSELS.

T

Five-year-old Sneha, shy andrecluse with deadpan looks, liv-ing on the streets of Mumbaijust outside Churchgate station

has undergone a tremendouschange in her personality in thelast two months. She's now chatty,participative and expressive,thanks to the Dance MovementTherapy (DMT) provided byHumara Foothpath NGO with thehelp of Dilshad Patel. "The dancemovement therapy sessions haveworked wonders with her. Earlier,she would be sleeping in class, notspeak a single word and never takepart in activities. And now, sheprances around with enthusiasm.It feels so good to see her involvedlike this," says Nupur Shah, co-ordinator of Humara Footpath

NGO. DMT is, however, not just forthe underprivileged who seek reliefby boogieing. It is also popularamong housewives, senior citizen,specially-abled individuals,sportspersons, corporates and theyouth.

Atmavishwas Sybil, trustee at theAtmavishwas vocational centre foryouth with mental disabilities,finds DMT to be a very effec-tive medium of expression. "Isense a lot of difference inthe behavioural patterns ofall the children here. Theyare much more calm andeasier to handle. It has alsomade them communicative,which is good as it helps usunderstand them better;thereby improving our inter-personal relations. One ofthem is spastic and her condi-tion was deteriorating but themusic and movement sessionsseem to have a pleasant effect onher," Sybil beams.

Dance has always been closelyassociated with celebrations andhappiness. So it is no surprise thatdance therapy practices have comeabout with an aim to help tackleone's inhibitions, see oneself in adifferent light altogether and mostimportant of all, overcome depres-sion. "But mind you," Patel - adance instructor, therapist andwellness consultant - emphasises,"this is not choreographed dance.It is an allied, supervised, alterna-

tive health profession, whichinvolves connecting the client'smovements with his/ her thoughts.It's a psychotherapeutic techniqueby which the body and mind are

brought into sync using certainmovements and gestures, whichare then moulded to create anoth-er set of thoughts to induce a feel-ing of wellness deep within."

In layman terms, dance move-ment therapy is a combination ofmodern dance and psychoanalysis,which works on the principle thatmind and body are interrelated. Ituses therapeutically guided move-ments to enhance one's personali-

ty by treating various psychologicalhitches of the person.

As a well-known therapist whohas been working closely with dif-ferent populations and one who'sbeen a student of Harkness DanceCentre, New York, Patel asserts thatapart from good health and fitnessit also develops one's personality

by increasing self esteem,imparting confidence and

reducing stress. She says,"Many of my students arecorporate executives whocome to beat the stress andrelax. It can be, withoutbeing overtaxing, a sooth-ing and fun experiencetoo." Agrees her student

Kejal Mehta - a 32-year-oldhousewife, "My mother and I

attended her dance lessons in2009 and it was total fun. I did-

n't do it as therapy, but because Ienjoy dance as it allows free move-ment."

So, how does it work? To beginwith, one does not require beingproficient in dancing. The therapistencourages free movement, watch-es them, and analyses them togauge the physical presence of theperson, gesture, posture and cre-ativity. It can be either a group orindividual session depending uponthe need of the person.

The healing process, then, occursover a period of time, with thetherapist guiding their movementsuch that it reflects the inner state

of the person and triggers a feelingof awareness with the surroundingand general well-being, easing thevoid between their conscious andsub-conscious. The person is madeto connect the guided therapeuticmovements with his/her thoughts,thereby improving cognitive skills.

It has been observed that it helpsrestore peace of mind and over-come depression by conqueringthe lowly state of mind one other-wise dwells with. 52-year-old Man-jula (name changed), a practisinglawyer by profession, has experi-enced it all. Having lost both, herfather and brother, to heart attackin a span of two hours, Manjulawas in a state of depression. "Butnow, I feel better to some extent.The therapy is mind-relaxing andwhen the music starts, I forget mysorrows and the tension eases byitself," she reminisces, of her sixtherapy sessions.

The cricketing world, too, has hadits share of DMT owing to unavoid-able on-field stress, fatigue andgame pressure. The Rajasthan Roy-als Development Academy, whichlooks up new recruits, conductedDMT sessions with Patel last yearfor the ongoing IPL season. MontyDesai, coach of the Rajasthan Roy-als says, "With mounting pressureon players and constant on-groundactivity, we opted for DMT." Desaifeels that the visualisation tech-nique along with various othermodules showed positive resultsand helped understand their limi-tations and abilities by noting co-ordination levels from their move-ments. “Dilshad's DMT has defi-nitely helped to bring all of them insync with one another," he adds.

DANCE,WHICH WAS CONSIDERED AS AN ARTFORM IN THE PAST, ISNOW INCREASINGLYUSED AS THERAPY TOCOMBAT DEPRESSIONAND OTHER AILMENTS.RADHIKA GANGADHARREPORTS.

ON A HIGH

Dance to your well-being

REVOLUTION

Pic: Sandeep

Takke