The onus of responsibility to create the instauration of ‘gender just’ values and condition the raw minds of children rests with the parents and teachers. They start the show of life for a child, developand evolve him/her as a responsible citizen. Looking at the current scenario where society plays the blame game with parents and teachers that they are amenable for the deeds of children, prioritizing the importance of their roles; DJJS team, moving ahead on its ‘walk through villages’, stepped into a special school named Mook Badhir Vidhyalaya in Meerut cant., for children with speech and hearing impairment, coming from various sections of society.
In a state like Meerut where gender based discrimination as well as gender based violence is at its peak; if a girl is born with such disability, the society makes her feel like she is a curse.
A sensitizing talk was held on 16th June 2014 with the teachers and parents of such children to discuss about how they look after the children with low morale due to the disability. A woman from the attendees raised her hand and shared her experience that how difficult it was for her to enrol her daughter in school where, because of societal pressure, she was asked by her husband's family to kill her daughter.Views of teachers were no less shocking. They told that some parents did not use to come to take their daughters after school. Saying that thesegirls were no more wanted by their families is perhaps stating the obvious.
Sadhvi Lokesha Bharti Ji delivered an empowering lecture to inculcate in them, a sense of satisfaction and not complaint with what they have. “It is necessary for the mothers and teachers to first have a gender just outlook and then support the daughters to make them lead an independent life” said Sadhavi Ji. She highlighted the success stories of the beneficiaries of DJJS Gender Equality Program – Santulan as well as the program for physically challenged and visually impaired – Antardrishti run by the sansthan, manifesting the substantial service to masses. The principal of the school, being one of the beneficiaries and a peer educator, is doing her bit by motivating teachers to work dedicatedly for these children with limited available resources. In spite of these hurdles, she ensures that motivational workshops for students, co-curricular activities, counselling sessions with parents etc. are conducted at regular intervals.
Pamphlets outlining Santulan’s view of gender just society were distributed to the attendees. After the program was concluded, a group of 5 women came up to the gender team of DJJS to join the drive in support of the vision of women empowerment.
DJJS, with its vision to establish world peace through its distinct spiritual tools, is working ceaselessly in various fields, holistic education, drug abuse eradication, gender equality, environment conservation to name a few. The organization, through the aforementioned social initiative called Antardrishti, is working actively for such people, where we call them, not disabled but differently able.
