One Billion Rising: Global campaign against violence against women

Eve Ensler, founder of the One Billion Rising movement. Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian.

The well known feminist activist, playwright and actor Eve Ensler has given a call for One Billion Rising campaign that aims to mobilise and bring out one billion people on streets across the world on February 14th, 2013 against violence against women, and in celebration of women’s power (One Billion Rising on Facebook).

Noted women activists from all over South Asia, including Kamla Bhasin of Sangat, OBR’s South Asian coordinator, were at the launch in Nepal. (Photo: WFS)

This, writes Ensler, “is a call to the billion women who have been violated and the men who love them, to the women who have been beaten and raped and mutilated and burned and sold and who know the destruction of the female species heralds the end of human kind. A call to walk out of your homes, your jobs, your schools and find your friends, your group, your place and music and dance” (‘One Billion Rising: Together we can end violence against women’, op-ed in The Guardian). Continue reading

Dekh zinda hoon mein – Malala’s response – A poem

malalah-ka-jawab-e1515555118701.pngA poem for Malala by Shariq Ali, received via email, transliterated below, with English translation, by S. Ali Jafari, son of the well known satirical poet S. M. Jafari.

TRANSLITERATION OF THE URDU SCRIPT

Dekh zinda hoon main
Humla awar mere
Dekh zinda hoon main!
Meray Rab ki raza
waqt ka faisla
Dekh zinda hooan main!

Ik teri soch hai
teergi ki makeen
Korh main mubtila
Haath main aslaha
Munh chhupaaey huay
Begunaahon pay tu
chhup kay hamla karay
Ye tera hausla!

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