eensecasses

Shaken by the rising incidence ofsexual violence in India, Sydney's Manjula Rao is doing her bitto help

BY JYOTISHANKAR

he2012 Nirbhaya rapecase in Delhishook theworld with its brutalityand callousnessof its perpetrators. News ofsuch incidentsn,akeusangryand sad, butrarely does thecon1mon man feel empowered to doanythingabout the situation.

Notso for SydneysiderManjula Rao.

"The Nirbhaya case shookn1e to n1y core, and l felt l had to do what I could," shetoldIndian Link.

1-Iertwo school-agedgirlshappened to be learningTaekwondo atthat timeand this planted the seedin Manjula's1nind.

"Forn1ygirls,itwasjustaregularsport, butl startedtoconsiderTaekwondoforits potentialasaself-defensetool,"Manjulasaid.

She decided to teachchildrenin Indiato defendthemselvesand toprotectothers.

Manjulachoseto start hertnissionin Bhamavillage ofMadhya Pradesh, not farfro1nherancestral ho1ue."Ittookus some timetofind a teacher. I then spoke to thesarpanch ofthevillagewhogave ustwo rooms in aschool, andwe started training," sheexplained.

Theprojectstartedwithonevillagein 2014andsoonasecondvillagejoinedin. ThroughtheNGOshesetupwithher husband SudhindraRao,called Luxmy Samiti,Manjulaensuredeverychildwho enteredthecoursegotanewunifonuwith allthesafetygearrequiredsuchashelmets andguardsforelbow,kneeandchest.Today everySundayforthreehours,overahundred childrengatherforself-defenseclasses.

Manjula confesses thatthejourney wasn't assmoothas this sounds. "Initially

I had to speak tothevillagersto convince them aboutrapebeingonthe rise,about the importance ofself-defense."

In2019,the NationalCri1nesRecord Bureau (NCRB) reported over 32,000 casesofrapeinIndia,whichamountsto over88 cases perday.

When asked howtheii-childrencould protectthemselves, thevillagers' standard responsewas 'Bhagwankebharose'(we leaveittotheAln1ighty). Tothat, Manjula countered, "Yes,wearealwaysunderthe guidanceofthe Lord,buttherearesome thingswe'vegottodoourselves!"

Visitingthevillages,oftenfourtofive timesayearbeforeCOYIDstruck,speaking inHindianddressinginlndianoutfits, Manjulahassubtlygainedthetrustand establishedarapportwiththevillage folk.

The numberofenrolments increased graduaUy.

"Girls are afraidnomore,and theboys learn howto respectgirls. Ina society wherethere isnoplace aboycantalkto agirlwithout astigma attached toit, we have openclasseswhere thegirlsandboys traintogether."

Littletouches such as teachingthe childrentogroombetter, furtheradded totheii-confidence. Manjula observeda change in bodylanguageaswell.

"Beforetrainingtheywalkedwiththeir headsbentandshouldersstooped,butthe confidencegainedfromlearningmartial artshasmadethesechild1·ensophisticatedin themselves,"shereportedwithpride.

Twooftheirgirl studentshave already wonmedalsatTaekwondo competitions. However, Manjula asserts that thatmedals and famearenotwhatsheencourages.

"GoldmedalsworkforyouindividuaUy,not forsociety. Iwantoui-studentstobeconfident andbeanexampleforothers.Competition deviatesfromactualtraining.Theymusttrain toprotectthemselvesandprotectothers."

What makesherhappyis to see her childrengettheirblackbelts, whichfour girlsand threeboyshave achieved already.

Sheseesthefruitsofhereffortsinmore waysthanone. "Ifthegirlsseea boy harassingsomeonenow, theyspeakout. Peoplein thevillagehave cometoknowthe Taekwondochildrenand respect them."

Thecourseissopopularnowthatgirls fromothervillages askManjulawhenshe will start lessons for them. Unfortunately, the project islimited by resources,and shehopes formore like-minded people in Australia tojoin her in this mission. HerNGO LuxmySamitiwould love more volunteers andfinancialpatronswho wouJdlike to sponsorchildrenandenable theorganisationtogoout tomorevillages.

"Myworkwill notstop, but this n1ission could do with abit 1nore speed, more momentum," Manjula said.

Inculcating thetenetsofTaekwondo - courtesy, integrity,perseverance, selfcontrol andindomitablespirit - ineach child,iswhattheprojectaims toachieve.

Today,Manjulahasmanagedtoenter thetightinnercirclesofthe villages and laid thefoundationforthis societalchange, butitwas adifficultandlongjourney.She wantstotake thisfurthertoensurestronger en1powermentofwomeninruralIndia.

Whileitistruethateducationisthewayto makefar-reachingchangesinsociety,perhaps empoweringindividualsthroughself-defense classesisonecrucialsteptowardsgiving themcontrolovertheirownsafety.

'Slut Walks' around the world to fight the notion thata woman's appearance orclothinghas anythingtodo with their sexual assault. (In thefirsteverSlutWalk organised in Melbourne in 2011, no less than 2,500women participated.)

We all standtolearn something by biting our tongue the next time we're tempted to comment ona woman's appearance.

Myexposed knees and I sure would appreciate it.

BY RHEA L NATH

ndian politicians have been known to publiclysharesome bizarreopinions over theyears,butwon1en across the countrywere stu1npedby the latest iterationlastweek: that rippedjeans somehow pave the wayfor 'societal breakdown'.

Merelyweeks into his newoffice, Uttarakhand ChiefMinisterTirath Singh

Rawat raised eyebrows with hispeculiar stance, suggestingripped jeans imply loose morals and were a bad influence on theyouth.

Within hours the hashtag #RippedJeanswas trendingon social media, embracingtheassociation of denim with self-expression that has pervaded since the 1950s.

Rawathassince clarified he meant to en1phasise respect forIndian culture and traditionsover Western traditions, but his co1nmentswere enough torub 111any people thewrongway. Fortoo long, both men and womenin oursocietyhave felt the need topassunsolicited comments on awoman's body and clothing. The rise ofsocial media has made iteven easiertoleavearude commentwith no second thought on the consequences.

It's timeforthis to stop.

Startingasearlyas our school days, girls are taughttodressinawaythat doesn'tdrawattentionor 'distract'.

Manyschooldress codes drawonthese oddprinciples, goingoutoftheirwayto covergirls up without applyingsimilar rulesfor the n1ale population. How many girlscan recall beingpulledupfor their shortskirts?Or shirts that 111ight showa hint ofunintended cleavage? ln high society fashion, it's perfectly fine forcrop topstobe paired with lehengas. But when 1natched with jeans, however,they'rean exampleof 'Westernised' women showingofftheir 1nidriff. In such instances, manyIndian familieswillhaveleaped inwitha rebukeorajacketin an innocent-enough gesture toprotecttheirgirls.

Unfortunately, itall boilsdownto a culture ofpolicingwomen's bodies to avoidtemptation, as ifmen have no selfcontroltoan exposed kneeora stray bra strap. Itaffectsthe wayweinteract witheach otherandgo aboutourdays, and ultimately, thewayinstitutions are structured.

Forthosewhothink that this culture existsonlyin India - we'reseeing its implications inworkplaces, and inthe government house,hereinAustralia.

Acrosstheglobe,womenare tired of beingtoldwhattodowiththeir bodies.

Itseen1sall advertisingisgearedto improvingusin so1neway,tomakeus thinnerorthicker, fairerortanned anythingbutwhatwe already are.

Sowhile it'seasytochuckleatthe n1inister's comments, there's alarger storytobe considered. Swati Maliwal, Chairpersonofthe Delhi Commission forWomen, stirredfeatherswhen she suggested these kindsofcomments advocaterape culture - butis she wrong? Inthe last decade, thousands ofwomenhave ralliedtogetherfor

Myjob title

My primaryjob is related to the IT industry,whereas mypassion and secondaryjob is beingagroup fitness instructor.

I've been in thisjob for Three years.

HowI became afitness instructor "Jaadya" isa Marathi word forsomeone whoisobese/chubby. [ lived all n1yteenage life hearingthisword, and the humiliating re1narkstrulyhurt me.

Just after J completed myBachelor's degree, J had six1nonthsoffree time before startingata universityin Sydney. That's when l gotinto fitness. Thegym [ joinedalsoconducted a Zumba fitness class and my curious 1nindwanted to try it, but J wasafraidofwhatpeoplewould thinkofme.

Verysoonl wasdancingmyheartout andenjoyingeverysecond! l beganfeeling motivated andconfidentinmyownskin, andit'soneofthe bestfeelingsI'veeverhad.

One 1nonthin, theinstructorasked me, "Why don'tyoubecome an instructor?"It was aninstantYESfromme. J registered fora trainingcourse (thoughitwasn't easy convincingmyconservativeparents).

AfterI con1pleted the course, my instructorasked me to coverforherone day.There were 12peopleinthe class and I wassupernervous,sweatingevenbefore we started. Butl thinkI didwell, as Iwas asked to come back again!

Whatthejob entails 90percentof1nyjob ispreparationfor whatI will be teaching. You mightspotme dancingand creatingchoreographieswhile waitingattrafficlights!

Overtheyears J'veundertaken training fordifferentformats. Today l teach Zun1ba,StrongNation, StepAerobics and Bollywood Dance Fitness classes,and l hope toadd othertypesverysoon.

Ona usualdayofclass, J walkinto the studiowitha bigsmile,greetthegroup andchatforawhile.This makesthem feel morecon1fortableand knowthatweare all there tohave fun,enjoythemusic, and sweat! Classesareanhourlong, andina typicalZu1nbasession,we endup dancing to 16 songs. l knowthatfeelslikealotbut onceyou are in theclass, tin1ejustflies.

Challengesregardingmysexualityor Indianbackgroundatwork

NO JUDGEMENTS! Thisisthe tagline ofthe FitnessClubl workfor. Neitherthe managementnormymembershave ever shown anydiscriminationforn1ebeing Indian orgay.

The situationwould'vebeen very differentifI wasinIndia. Peoplein Australiaareconsiderate; I feelhappythat I moved to thisbeautiful country.

Oneofmyn1embersusedtobringme home-cookedfoodeverylesson,andyes,there havebeen instanceswheremymembershave triedtohookmeupwiththeirgayfriends.

Whatis hard aboutmyjob

I amdoingsomethingI love,you will never see mecomplainabout myclasses

HowCOVID-19 hasaffectedmywork

I've been fortunate because I actuallyhave added more classes post COVID. The three months oflockdownweredifficult but since June 2020, ithas nowgone back to normal. Let's keepourfingers crossed and hope forthe best!

Positive aspectsofmywork

Thebestrewardisthehappyvibes Iget from themembers-itjustlifts n1y mood. Agreat benefitalsoisthat Istayfitwhile working.

Howmyjob haschangedmylife

Workingin the fitnessindustry hasgiven me the confidence to bewho I am. I love instructingso much that there is not a singleday in the weekwhen I'm notat the gym, takingaclass.

Advice forotherswhowantto pursue acareer in fitness

Be kind, be polite and be hu1nble. Regardless ofyourknowledge and training,you must be willingto learn fromyour members. You'll learn 1nore from hands-on practice than textbooks and articles. Always remember, communication is the mostin1portant training toolyou have.

Also, don'thave high expectations. Dependingon thelocation(whetherit's ata bigboxgymorco1nmunitygyn1), buildingacommittedclientbase will take time and effort.

And lastbutnot the least,beyourself, try nottocopyson1eoneelse'sstyle.

As told to BageshriSavyasachi

'Sarsrr"k41,myhulcpuppy�rds,'calledBhatwan,nro'klnJ.1 his•�n1ficcn1whiskco,u.hrJumpeddownfrom1ht!w•�on A' YOU-rHtvie,•• S,uSriakol,Bh-1™>111 Whathaveyougotforustodil>?' :iskedAnnie. 'Wh:ndorouwuh fur,myprincl'ss?Ihavemanywondrou1 -

1hm,,hom1hdo"«ommohhee�oh•

and

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

nniecouldhearBh.ag1,11an Singh's wagon before she could seeit. Itjingledandjangled with itspotsandpansas itcame down thetrack.

The early Sikh historyofAustralia, unearthed in the last decade orso, has fascinated usendlessly.

Nowthere's achildren's picture book about it.

Written by Adelaide-based author Jane Jollyand illustrated by Di Wu, Starof Anisewas released by the National Library ofAustralia in Februarythisyear.

In it, little Annie and herbrotherArthur areenthralledby aSikh traderwho comes by frequentlywith hiswagon filledwith wondrous wares.

WatchingBhagwan Singhcookhis dinner, theylearn abouta secret spice star anise.

"Smell,"instructedBh.agwan.

Anniehelditto hernoseandsniffed. It smeltofliquoriceandbarkandfaraway lands.

Warm and fuzzy, thebookdrawsyou in to thekids' enchantment asthey take in the new experiences.

"I had read about the hawkers, cameleers and Sikh traders n1istaken for Afghans, and thoughtthere'sa bookin this," writerJane Jollytold Indian Link. "It's abit ofour history thatfewpeople knowabout."

She sentoffa 1nanuscripttothe NationalLibrary, and theylikedit.

"Thebookis formany and varied age