Teens capture their neighbourhood

July 2008 was memorable for Mani, Saraswathi (Sarasu for short), Santhosh and their friends. Teenagers from Sudarshan Layout in Gurupanpalya, a very low income neighbourhood in southern Bangalore, they had inaugurated the Ambedkar Community Computing Centre (AC3) near their homes. Teaching themselves and children around them about the immense possibilities of free software, they aroused the curiosity of its pioneer, Richard Stallman. After hearing about them at a free software conference in Thiruvananthapuram, he visited AC3 in December 2008. Committed volunteers with Stree Jagruti Samiti, AID-Bangalore, Free Software Movement Karnataka and Ambedkar Yuva Sangha who have been assisting them throughout, catalyzed this. (Geeta Menon, Balaji Kutty, Senthil Sundaram, Pulkit Parikh, Aravind Rajaram, Nitin, Ravi et al are among those who started a tutoring centre with the kids which grew into AC3.) Read more

Earlier this year, the children responded eagerly to the idea of photographing their world. Learning the basics, they caught on camera their realities and that of others (especially in their area) over two months. Knowing their enthusiasm and abilities, I was delighted to see these children Born into an UnEqUaL World present their creations during the National Conference on Free Software held in Bangalore on 20th and 21st March 2010.

"Each picture tells a tale of a child caught in the limbo of the now and the tomorrow. They are beautiful yet starkly contrasting, innocent yet riddled with hard experience, bleak sometimes but hopeful mostly", summed up Lavanya Devdas who has contributed her might to this initiative along with Balaji, Senthil and others.

Sarasu, in the bottom right frame (of the second photo), is a nineteen year old undergraduate studying Commerce. When she is not at college, she divides her time between household chores and managing AC3 which she co-founded. Exuding confidence and often guiding and helping younger kids, she has broken the gender barrier to independence and education that existed in her family.

Asha (with some of her work below), a seventeen year old pre-university student was always interested in photography but never had access to a camera. She loved this opportunity and plans to continue clicking if possible. "I was keen on depicting how we cope with minimal water supply. I also want to portray the lives of children forced to work", she said. She was excited when I suggested to her to try shooting moving objects to challenge herself and better her skills. Arumugam, a nineteen year old, dropped out of school in his early teens and works in a shoe factory. Although he take did not take too many pictures, he enjoyed participating in this project.




Mani, an eighteen year old high school student draws and paints by hand or using software like GIMP. A co-founder of AC3, he inspires the young and old moving around deftly in his wheelchair or with his friends' help. He has been exhibiting and selling his paintings (like the ones at the end) at conferences that focus on promoting open source software, the politics of copyright, developmental issues, etc. Interestingly, he usually donates his earnings to the AC3 or children in need, despite his own financial constraints.

Infinite work, indefinite pay - some facts from the informal economy

International Women's Day, 2010 – the centenary of the idea’s evolution. The words “Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition” make me wonder: should women seek a distinct identity or basic acceptance as human beings? Incidents that I have been seeing and hearing over the years are convincing me that the former may be possible only with the latter. And one that I witnessed on 8th March this year is horrifying yet hopeful. Read more



The venue: Bangalore Press Club. The speaker - Usha Thopna, a twenty year old girl who had recently escaped two years of physical torture and hard labour, the shocking reality of many domestic workers. Narrating how a young, well healed Bangalore based couple, Sandeep and Roski Vats abused and harassed her, Usha seemed confused and scared. The Vats' had allegedly paid Rs. 10000 as advance to a placement agency in Delhi (where Usha had gone to find domestic work for a temporary period) to hire her. Slogging everyday from 5 am to 10 pm on household tasks such as cleaning, cooking and childcare with minimal returns, Usha was attacked with scissors, hot irons and knives. Further, Roski Vats constantly watched her preventing any external interactions. New to Bangalore and knowing no one else, Usha felt completely helpless and vulnerable.

However, on 4th March, the Domestic Workers’ Rights Union (DWRU) and the NGO's Stree Jagruti Samiti and the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM) helped Usha escape her bondage. The police arrested the couple but released them on bail, later. Usha is currently undergoing counselling from Stree Jagruti Samiti which is helping her trace her poverty stricken parents in Assam and plan her next steps.

As we know, very few women, especially in the unorganized sector, are as courageous as Usha has been. They are engaged as contract labour in garment, electronic, chemical or other factories, or as janitors, security staff, etc., in the private sector, or as sweepers, garbage collectors/disposers, cleaners/manual scavengers in government departments/offices, hospitals, banks, etc. Toiling in inhuman conditions, they often face health hazards, sexual discrimination and abuse and are grossly overworked and underpaid. Additionally, they experience violence in their parental and marital families although they contribute to or are the sole income earners. And they are not safe in public places like parks, roads or buses either, undergoing rape, acid attacks and other horrendous gender specific crimes. Some like Ammu or Renuka (garment workers in Bangalore) even die or disappear mysteriously at home, the workplace or elsewhere.

Most such cases are rarely registered, investigated or solved by our overloaded and insensitive police and courts, encouraging the perpetrators to continue and others to indulge in such heinous deeds. And many news media organizations prioritizing sensationalism and commerce, forget these hapless women after initial 'breaking' reports. While non-profit groups, social activists, etal strive to help such women, their reach is sometimes limited.

Amidst all these challenges, workers collectivized under the Garment and Textile Workers' Union (GATWU), DWRU, Karnataka Domestic Workers’ Union (KDWU), Karnataka Sex Workers’ Union (KSWU) have succeeded in registering themselves and getting identity cards, even as they struggle relentlessly for  fair wages and benefits (as per the Minimum Wages Act), safe work environment, paid leave, etc. These are inspiring and significant developments in the tough and endless journey of the working woman’s movement…

Pushpa Achanta
(The author is a freelance writer, a Fellow of Citizen News Service (CNS) Writers' Bureau, and a community volunteer based in Bangalore, India)