Indian women counter rape with martial arts training

[GeneChing]

Bihar to train one million schoolgirls in martial arts (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/Bihar-to-train-one-million-schoolgirls-in-martial-arts/articleshow/18992415.cms)
IANS | Mar 15, 2013, 08.33 PM IST

PATNA: The Bihar government has decided to train one million schoolgirls in karate so that they can use the martial art to protect themselves from sexual harassment, an official said Friday.

"Martial art training (karate) will be given to 10 lakh schoolgirls in 20,000 middle schools across the state," Rahul Singh, the director of the Bihar Education Project Council, said.

The programme will be undertaken as part of the National Programme of Education for Girls at Elementary Level, and reach 10 lakh girls by 2014.

"At present, 1,500 girl students of 150 middle schools are being given martial art training," he said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has repeatedly said in the last few months that girls should learn martial arts like judo, karate and taekwondo. These skills are necessary for physical strength and greater alertness, and would enable girls to defend themselves in case they were harassed by men, the chief minister maintains.

"Martial art training is a must for girls. It would work as a deterrent to molesters," the chief minister said last month.

Last week, Nitish Kumar announced that 10 lakh self-help groups (SHGs) for women would be formed in the state over the next five years. He said these would help women become economically more independent.

The Bihar government was the first in the country to provide 50 percent reservation to women in civic bodies, including gram panchayats.

The government, in 2007, launched an ambitious scheme to provide cycles to schoolgirls, in a bid to encourage them not to drop out of school and finish their education, even if schools were some distance away from their homes.

The more I look at this particular thread, the more I come to the following conclusion: India has got it right. ;)

[GeneChing]

I should really peal the Indian rape news out of this Bollywood thread and create something independent. It is a topic that deserves a stand-alone thread. I will someday when I have a little more time...

Jyoti Singh: Indian women train in martial arts to fight back against rape culture (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/jyoti-singh-women-fight-back-1794444)
31 Mar 2013 00:02

http://i4.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article1793617.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Red-Brigade.jpg
POWER: Young women train in martial arts to confront abusers POWER: Young women train in martial arts to confront abusers
Gethin Chamberlain

A GROUP of women are fighting back against the sickening culture of rape which they say infects India.

Fifteen determined females – all victims themselves – have trained in martial arts and are prepared to hand out rough justice if no one listens to their complaints.

And the movement, called the Red Brigade, is growing rapidly following the gang rape and murder of medical student Jyoti Singh Pandey that horrified the world.

In a nation where a woman is reportedly raped every 20 minutes, the group’s leader Usha Vishwakarma said: “We are fighting back – and the boot is now on the other foot.”

Member Sufia Hashmi, 17, said: “We’ve caught a lot of men recently. I joined because men always used to pass comments on me and touch my body but now we beat them and they run.”

Like the other members in the northern city of Lucknow, 25- year-old Usha has first-hand experience of the daily dangers women face in the huge nation – a teacher tried to rape her when she was 18. She said: “He grabbed me and tried to open my trousers. I kicked him in the crotch and ran.”

Usha complained to staff but they told her to forget it and allowed her attacker to carry on teaching.

She said: “Many parents tell girls to quit school so there will be no sexual violence. But we said no – this has to stop. We decided to form a group to fight for ourselves, not just complain.”
http://i2.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article1557571.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/father%20of%20Jyoti%20Singh-1557571TRUTH: Jyoti's father, Badri, bravely identified his daughter after she was gang raped by six men


The Red Brigade, formed two years ago, wear red shirts for danger and black trousers for protest.

Dozens more have joined since the death of Jyoti, 23, who was bravely identified by her dad Badri, 53, in the Sunday People. Four men and a juvenile are on trial for rape and murder in Delhi.

Abusers who fall foul of the Red Brigade can first expect a warning. Sometimes the girls ask police or parents to get involved, but if that fails they act.

Usha’s sister Pooja, 18, said: “A boy was taunting the girls, saying he could have sex with them whenever he wanted. We told him to stop but he didn’t.

“One day he did it again, so we grabbed him and hit him with shoes and fists. His friends were terrified and ran off.”

Afreen Khan, 16, added: “Before joining the Red Brigade men abused me. Now they leave me alone.”

[TaichiMantis]

I should really peal the Indian rape news out of this Bollywood thread and create something independent. It is a topic that deserves a stand-alone thread. I will someday when I have a little more time...

I hope they take more names and kick more ass!:cool:

[jesper]

or they could get a gun. much quicker solution

[FullPotentialMA]

Rape and sexual violence are a serious issue worldwide, and self defense training can and does help.

Shocking statistic: The United States Government's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a bi-annual survey of sexual violence in the USA. A whopping 17% of women in the United States are subject to a violent sexual assault in their lifetime. Among college students, one of three women will be subject to a sexual assault while attending a US university. This is shocking.

This is totally preventable with some basic training.

[Samwise85]

Agreed. Its a really sad state of affairs but I know I definitely want my little sister to get some self defense training before she heads off to college.

[pazman]

Rape and sexual violence are a serious issue worldwide, and self defense training can and does help.

Shocking statistic: The United States Government's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes a bi-annual survey of sexual violence in the USA. A whopping 17% of women in the United States are subject to a violent sexual assault in their lifetime. Among college students, one of three women will be subject to a sexual assault while attending a US university. This is shocking.

This is totally preventable with some basic training.

Comparing the situations of college women in the US to that of women in India is like comparing apples and oranges. Suggesting that sexual assault is "totally preventable" with some "basic training" is BS.

[David Jamieson]

This is totally preventable with some basic training.

Indeed. A proliferation of education and gender respect at kindergarten age and up will prevent rape culture from spawning and perpetuating.

To this day, you can go to any school and find teh same taunts and attitudes about women, females in general, gay folk etc. there isn't much change going on anywhere outside of social media groups etc.

there is next to nothing to promote egalitarianism in a real sense in schools and quite frankly, society hasn't caught up to all the ideals we preach at each other.
strange how that works.

I mean, I've been called a fairy today as if that is a hurtful insult. It is pretty diminishing for gay folk though and it comes from ignorance. It is still well entrenched in our society and it really needs to go.

[GeneChing]

10,000 girls in Patna? Sure Patna is a capital city, but even in our capital cities, imagine getting 10,000 girls to train.

Martial arts get popular among Patna girls (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-12/patna/38490982_1_martial-arts-self-defence-belt)
Parul Pandey, TNN Apr 12, 2013, 03.35AM IST

PATNA: The increasing incidents of crime against women has made training in self-defence the need of the hour for the fairer sex. That's why more than 10,000 young girls as well the grown-up ones across the city are taking lessons in different styles of martial arts.

"It is high time we girls should not only stand up to speak against the mischievous acts of the roadside Romeos, but also learn techniques to give a serious blow to them," says Kaavi Sharma (16), a yellow belt in karate. The city-based instructors of various forms of martial arts have now increasing number of women and young girls enrolling for a course.

Avinash Kumar, president, Lee Martial Arts Academy, says, "Five years back, only 10% of the students taking martial arts classes were girls. But, now, the ratio is 50-50."

Nalin Kumar, president, Sports Karate-Do Association of Bihar (SKAB), said, "In Bihar, more than 50,000 persons are learning martial arts and around 500 have black belts."

In Patna over 20,000 persons take martial arts training. Not only private martial arts academies are imparting training but also various schools and colleges across the city have started physical training classes in self-defence.

Guardians, now, want their wards, especially daughters, trained in self-defence. "Giving martial arts training to my daughter is the only option to keep her safe as I can't stay with her all the time," said Aman Jha, father of a girl attending martial arts classes.

Pankaj Kumar, general secretary, SKAB, who also gives free training to girls, says, "If the girls start teaching a lesson to antisocial elements by hitting them back, it would send a strong message that they should not be taken lightly."

The 4th Dan black belt, Kumar says a well-trained girl can defend herself against two men with ease and with a weapon she can tackle six to seven men. "We give training to girls in using items available in the surroundings as weapon to protect them. We give them basic tips besides training in some advance techniques with which a girl can teach a lesson to man 10 times more than her weight," said Kumar.

Avinash, a 4th Dan black belt, says, "It takes almost three years for full training." It starts from 9th Kyu level and students earn belts of different colours till they complete the 1st Kyu. Black belt is the ultimate in martial arts, though even that has different levels (1st Dan to 10th Dan).

In view of the increasing popularity of martial arts classes, many instructors have also designed special short courses of about ten days to three months duration to teach women the basics of self-defence. "Many parents whose daughters are going to other cities to study come asking about crash courses," says Kumar.

Neha Sinha, who is going to Delhi for graduation this year, says, "I have started learning martial arts. My parents encouraged me. It proved useful when hooligans tried to sexually harass me while I was returning home from tuition."

Not only college girls and school students, even married and working women are coming forward to join such classes. Nidhi Khaturia, a housewife who usually goes out daily to get groceries and takes her kids out for an evening stroll, says, "Even people sitting at home can be a victim of violence. After joining the self-defence course, I realized that I can use even a safety pin or a dupatta for self-defence." I had to look up dupatta. Now I'm curious what sort of self-defense moves they are teaching with those.

[GeneChing]

I only really posted this because I was amused by the chief minister's name.

Dik**** for martial arts training for girls (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Dik****-for-martial-arts-training-for-girls/articleshow/20052689.cms)
IANS | May 14, 2013, 09.41 PM IST

In the wake rising crimes against women, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dik**** Tuesday announced her government was willing to introduce training in martial arts for girls in all its schools.

"The government would like to offer this sort (martial arts) of training in more and more schools at the earliest in order to cover all government schools in a phased manner," Dik**** said here.

She also said the government would also like to sanction nutritional support for the girls who would be trained in martial arts.

"The girls studying in Delhi government schools have become more competent as they are being imparted training in different martial arts initially in 60 government schools," she said.

She was speaking at a function in Thyagraj Stadium where students Tuesday displayed their martial arts skills.

[mawali]

I have a plot for a new movie, whether Hollywood, Bollywood or Chollyhood!
Young girl on pilgrimage to Sikkhim (a monastery, obviously) encounters some bad and disgusting fellows but she happens to escape an finds and old sadhu who teaches her kalari. She hunts them down, bashes their heads in, then she starts a new school for women teaching kalari and associated arts.

[Lucas]

I only really posted this because I was amused by the chief minister's name.

that guys name is beyond awesome

[GeneChing]

that guys name is beyond awesome If you follow the link, there's a pic. Sheila is a girl's name, even in India.

[Syn7]

There is this new anti rape device that is sort of like a rigid female condom type thing that is barbed on the inside. So you go in quite easily. After that removal is a surgical procedure.

And of course some people feel this is inhumane. Yes, you read that right. Some feel it is inhumane to maim a rapist.

I love the idea, but how would you not notice the thing?

If I come across the link I'll throw it up.

[Sihing73]

There is this new anti rape device that is sort of like a rigid female condom type thing that is barbed on the inside. So you go in quite easily. After that removal is a surgical procedure.

I am having trouble imagining this...........I am picturing the rapist now being attached to his victim..............both stuck together kind of like when dogs do it.......if this is correct then I am not sure this would be a good thing for the victim as they would be stuck with their attacker till surgery :eek:

Of course, if it is somehow removable by the victim and stays stuck on the attacker then that would be another story. Imagine having to walk around with this thing stuck on you until you could get to a hospital. :D

[yutyeesam]

I only really posted this because I was amused by the chief minister's name.

That's funny it's spelled that way. I've seen Dixit (as in Madhuri Dixit), which is pronounced that way.

[Syn7]

I am having trouble imagining this...........I am picturing the rapist now being attached to his victim..............both stuck together kind of like when dogs do it.......if this is correct then I am not sure this would be a good thing for the victim as they would be stuck with their attacker till surgery :eek:

Of course, if it is somehow removable by the victim and stays stuck on the attacker then that would be another story. Imagine having to walk around with this thing stuck on you until you could get to a hospital. :D

Of course it doesn't stay in the woman. Think of it like a plastic test tube that is smooth on the outside but barbed on the inside. They push in easily enough, and when they pull out the whole thing goes with them. And then they have a decision to make. Take their chances with their tool box or go to the hospital and explain themselves.


Like I said before, not sure how a guy would not notice this thing, but it seems to have some promise. Again, if I come across the article, I will post it up.

That whole medieval torture angle appeals to many. If anyone deserves it...

In the US a rapist would sue the victim. :rolleyes:

In India, walking into a hospital would be far more preferable than dealing with an angry mob who found out. Often the accusations are made but they just deny it and that's that. Ain't no denying it when they have this thing stuck to them. So not only does it employ a sort of swift retribution, but it also functions like a dye pack. Marked! Even if they get it off, they still have to explain the unique wounds. So while it's main purpose is defense, it does act as a device for creating some pretty strong circumstantial evidence.

[Sihing73]

Okay, that sounds cool and appropriate.

I have three dogs and one just went into heat so the image of two being stuck together was in my head already. LOL

[Syn7]

Okay, that sounds cool and appropriate.

I have three dogs and one just went into heat so the image of two being stuck together was in my head already. LOL

lol :D

That would be absolutely horrible. Being stuck to your rapist by some badass contraption that hurts you both. Not a good look. :p

[GeneChing]

Neetu’s petition to make martial arts compulsory for girls
Hiren Kotwani, TNN Aug 25, 2013, 12.00AM IST

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo/22027016.cms
(Neetu Chandra )

In the wake of the recent gangrape of a 22-year-old photojournalist in Mumbai, actress Neetu Chandra has filed an online petition asking the Government of India to make martial arts training compulsory for girls from classes 4 to 12.

Neetu is a 4th Dan black belt in Taekwondo and has represented India at the Asian level twice. The actress, who is supported by an NGO in this cause, asserts that martial arts training will "give our girls self-confidence, a sense of security and the willpower to fight back instead of surrendering meekly when shown a knife or a gun."

The petition states, "It might not train them to use a gun or carry a knife, but it will certainly give them the voice to scream, teeth to bite and limbs to pack a punch on the face of her tormentor, and bounce back when he is trying to force himself on her."

She adds, "It's time we unite to affect a change in people's mindset and get the authorities to act seriously."

Neetu Chandra is someone to watch.

http://media.santabanta.com/gal/event/Neetu-Chandra-at-Taekwondo-Competition/Neetu-Chandra-at-Taekwondo-Competition-7.jpg
http://media.santabanta.com/gallery/indian%20%20celebrities%28f%29/neetu%20chandra/neetu-chandra-58-m.jpg

http://love2rate.com/hot/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/05/neetu-chandra-hot-stills-049bedec.jpg

[GeneChing]

There's a video there that is well worth your attention.

The World Before Her: women learning to kill or wear a bikini in India - video extracts (http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/sep/12/world-before-her-women-india-video)

Extracts from award-winning film-maker Nisha Pahuja's new feature-length documentary, The World Before Her. Pahuja's film examines the contradictory realities between a Hindu nationalist training camp where girls are trained to kill in self-defence and the bikini-clad women of the Miss India pageant. Tradition and modernity are on collision course


Source: Docbeat
Length: 5min 48sec
theguardian.com
Thursday 12 September 2013

[GeneChing]

love the language in this article


Learning self-defence, this time the martial arts way (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/learning-selfdefence-this-time-the-martial-arts-way/article5282559.ece?homepage=true)
STAFF REPORTER
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/01634/HY-29-MARTIAL-ARTS_1634264f.jpg

The Hindu Students participating at self defense training camp for girl organised by A.P.Balala Hakkula Sangham in association with Indian Academy of Martial Arts in Hyderabad. -- PHOTO: G. RAMAKRISHNA

Martial arts experts share tips with girls of Mahbubiya Govt. School on self-defence

If someone tries to grab you from behind, do not panic. Just wait for the opportune moment and go for the solar plexus located below the chest and above the stomach with maximum force that you can muster. This will ensure that you have stunned and knocked the wind out of the attacker. Take a quick punch at the throat or the eyes of the attacker which will buy you some time. Be aware of your surroundings and do not get bullied by anyone.

Such instructions on self-defence from martial art experts came thick and fast like the fierce punches thrown by girls at Mahbubiya Government Girls High School on Monday. The school campus echoed with the intense shouts of over 150 girls, who learnt a few tricks on how to land a punch with strength and power onto the attackers.

The enthusiastic girls quite eagerly lined up to learn the tricks to fight and defend. “They told me that if I learnt self-defence techniques, I would not get intimidated by strangers, and that it would also enhance my self-confidence. Such classes should be a regular affair in schools,” says Fathima Begum, a class IX student.

Hyderabad District Education Officer (DEO) Subba Reddy, who inaugurated the self-defence training camp organised by Balala Hakkula Sangham, assured girls that he would strive to include martial arts in the curriculum. “Such training camps on self-defence should be organised in all parts of the State,” he said.

Some trained girl students presented slick karate moves for the uninitiated. “I am planning to join karate classes as I think it will make me more confident in dealing with tough situations. It will be easier for us if they organise such programmes in our schools,” said T. Padma, another student. A.P. Balala Hakkula Sangham president Achyuta Rao said efforts were on to organize such camps throughout out the State.

[GeneChing]

Anyone know anything about Tolpar?


Akshay in favour of martial arts training for kids (http://www.niticentral.com/2014/04/29/akshay-in-favour-of-martial-arts-training-for-kids-217622.html)
Niticentral Staff29 Apr 2014

http://img.niticentral.com/2014/04/akshay-inside.jpg

Actor Akshay Kumar who is known for his stunts and action feels that training of martial arts should be made mandatory in all the schools, as self defence is important for everyone.

“I urge the Government to make it compulsory for boys and girls. I look forward to that day where every student compulsorily learns martial arts in schools for at least three years and martial arts becomes more famous than cricket. It is my dream,” Akshay said during a workshop on Russian knife fighting system called Tolpar.

In China and Singapore, martial arts training is a must and after the programme, a certificate would be handed over, recalled Akshay, who has appeared in more than 100 films in Bollywood.

In association with Mumbai Police and a team of Russian martial arts experts, NGO Mukti, founded by Smita Thackeray, organised a one-day Tolpar training event at Naigaon police grounds in central Mumbai on Monday.

As many as 35 female police constables and Mukti’s 12 female marshals, who guard Western Railway locals, underwent the day-long fighting technique using a small knife.

“It’s a very big initiative by Mukti foundation. A woman should take care of herself. I think for knife fighting you do not need power but you need to be intelligent to tackle the situation. I am sure this technique will be helpful for those undergoing training,” the actor said.

He also spent time with the Tolpar experts and practised moves with them, learning the nuances of the art.

Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad chief Himanshu Roy extolled the initiative saying “Each woman should stand up for herself and not fear offenders. This specialised training empowers her and we would like every woman to train to be empowered to protect herself.”

Smita Thackeray said, “Tolpar training aims at empowering the female personnel, that is both the cops and our NGO marshals, whose task is to take care of women.”

“The Russian Tolpar experts work on empowering police and army, the globe over. When Mukti marshals got this opportunity, we wanted the women cops to benefit from it and are glad the Mumbai Police agreed to the same,” she said.

[David Jamieson]

Sadly, as many of us know, it's 1 person in 100 or more that can actually develop a viable skill and it takes time.
While I like the idea that martial arts is being promoted, is it an effective defence for a woman against multiple rapists?
Not as much as having children learn the value of another human being or young men being actively taught to be protective instead of abusive of those who are weaker in society.

I don't see this story as much more than feel good stuff that is not going to work in reality in any viable way towards a solution to the issue of rape.
It hasn't worked here in North America, or anywhere else for that matter and it keeps getting trotted out.

Teach your children well. That is the solution. Give us the boy, we give you the man. That's the way forward with this issue in my point of view.
a 120 pound girl will not karate chop a group of criminal thugs. It ain't gonna happen, it only happens on TV or in movies and the evidence to show it's ineffectiveness is staggering and the size of a mountain. Rape is a real problem since the dawn of time and we seem to stupidly visit the well of fire vs fire over and over again. I don't get it.
:( :confused:

[GeneChing]

Honestly, I see a lot of martial artists get so wrapped up in themselves - martial myopia I like to call it - that they lose perspective. The ol' multiple attackers issue - frankly, anyone can ramp up a street scenario to something that's a no-win. It's like the Kobayashi-Maru in Star Trek (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?33187-kung-fu-star-trek-people). What if you're attacked by a hundred zombies? Will your ground fighting save you then? It's preposterous. That being said, there are some decent martial-arts-based self defense programs for women, stuff like Model Mugging, which are reality-based and useful. They aren't going to build any MMA champs, but they do teach basic skills that can work on the streets. Heck, I teach basic self-defense for emergency medical response and I've had plenty of students come back to me and say "I got to use that. It worked!" Keep it simple. It's a start.



Women Turn to Martial Arts for Self-defence (http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Women-Turn-to-Martial-Arts-for-Self-defence/2014/05/08/article2212139.ece)
By Santhosh Christy - PERINTHALMANNA
Published: 08th May 2014 09:35 AM
Last Updated: 08th May 2014 09:35 AM

Onlookers were stunned to see a 12-year-old girl attacking a 60-year-old woman with her skills in martial arts. More surprising was the 60-year-old defending each attack with the same martial arts techniques. Anyone passing along the Government Girls’ High School here cannot miss the view of a group of women practicing martial arts.

Around 400 females in the age group of 12 to 60 are learning martial arts techniques under the woman empowerment project of Perinthalmanna Municipality here. The project titled Jagrata, started around a year ago, has a huge response from the target groups. Municipality has introduced the project to empower women to defend themselves against physical offenses and make them emotionally strong.

“We had conducted a survey in all the wards under the municipality to collect data about sexual abuses and domestic violence faced by women. The data was shocking. The municipality decided to prevent these recurring incidents of violence against women. That is how the project started last year,” K Vinodini, coordinator of the project, said. Winner Sports and Martial Arts Academy here is providing training in Wushu for the women. Girls from different schools in the Municipality, housewives and working women are getting the training. The publicity given to the project is attracting more women than expected.

“My confidence has improved after learning the martial arts. It is giving me physical and mental strength. My mother, aunt and cousin sisters have started learning martial arts after I encouraged them,” Surya Sankara, a trainee here, said.

The housewives have the opinion that it has improved their energy level and working women feel that they are able to better manage household work and their profession with the energy they have secured through the training.

“We are providing martial arts training along with psychological counselling for the women here. Through the training, we are trying to improve the health and mental strength of the women,” trainer Shereef said.

Municipal chairperson Nishi Anilraj said that the municipality had started such a project after they realised that women empowerment cannot be achieved through awareness campaigns alone. Municipality claimed that it was for the first time a municipality in the state was introducing such a project.

[David Jamieson]

Honestly, I see a lot of martial artists get so wrapped up in themselves - martial myopia I like to call it - that they lose perspective. The ol' multiple attackers issue - frankly, anyone can ramp up a street scenario to something that's a no-win. It's like the Kobayashi-Maru in Star Trek (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?33187-kung-fu-star-trek-people). What if you're attacked by a hundred zombies? Will your ground fighting save you then? It's preposterous. That being said, there are some decent martial-arts-based self defense programs for women, stuff like Model Mugging, which are reality-based and useful. They aren't going to build any MMA champs, but they do teach basic skills that can work on the streets. Heck, I teach basic self-defense for emergency medical response and I've had plenty of students come back to me and say "I got to use that. It worked!" Keep it simple. It's a start.

I suppose, perhaps I do look at the end quality of a martial artist.
But, the sheer physical mismatch between men and women is not a ramp up so much as a simple matter of fact in the majority of cases.
From my perspective, the problem of rape is solved with the perpetrators being educated in formative years to behave and be conscious of their behaviours as they go through life. The installation and instilling of a higher morality and strong ethics will supersede the need to physically train the potential victims.

[GeneChing]

I think everyone should know some martial arts, DJ, but I'm biased here, of course. I also think everyone should know basic first aid. Why aren't these aren't taught in middle school like Algebra? I've almost never had the opportunity to apply Algebra in the real world.

Martial art expert Yajness wants to train students in self-defence (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mangalore/Martial-art-expert-Yajness-wants-to-train-students-in-self-defence/articleshow/38455202.cms)
TNN | Jul 16, 2014, 05.35 AM IST

MANGALORE: After the brutal gang rape of Nirbhaya that shook the entire nation, several state governments and the Union government came up with measures to ensure women's safety. However, women in the country still feel unsafe and many of them have taken to martial arts to be ready to defend themselves in dire situations. Lending them a helping hand is Chitah Yajness Shetty, who has trained over two lakh women in martial arts across India.

He said that he wants to start martial arts training programmes in schools and colleges in the coastal city.

"I have already spoken to several schools in Mangalore and many of them have agreed to commence martial arts training programmes. If everything goes as per plan, courses will be introduced in schools in the next academic year," Shetty told TOI.

"The Nirbhaya incident was a wake-up call to women. After that they have started taking martial arts seriously. I have so far trained two lakh women under the Nirbhaya Women Empowerment Training Programme. I am also training underprivileged children in martial arts," said Shetty who has trained several Bollywood actors including Dilip Kumar and Karishma Kapoor.

Honouring his services International Martial Arts Council of America Board of Directors has conferred him with the 2014 United States Martial Arts Hall Of Fame Award.

He is also the recipient of the Most Valuable 2014 Jeet Kune Do Instructor Award.

He was presented with the award at a ceremony held in the US.

[Pipefighter]

Native American (Indian) combat training: Lacrosse

Women are better runners than men. Can often climb through smaller spaces more quickly. Lacrosse teaches excellent sprint speed and endurance running. It also teaches how to continue running while being hit with sticks and shoulder checked. You also are used to running through a group of people who are attacking you as much as possible while you are planning your best route to your intended goal. Gives confidence, helps timing, makes for very fast eyes and feet, and you at least learn how to throw a shoulder strike and keep moving, create space and explode through.

I have had a number of Indian coworkers who tell me about the increasing rate of violent crime there because of population increase. I hope they can do something to protect/empower the oppressed. i would not recommend taikuando, or how ever you spell it. Beyond personal exposure, watch how many times tkd guys fall down in fights trying to kick. That's not even with a guy bum rushing them.

[Pipefighter]

From my perspective, the problem of rape is solved with the perpetrators being educated in formative years to behave and be conscious of their behaviours as they go through life. The installation and instilling of a higher morality and strong ethics will supersede the need to physically train the potential victims.

India is a religious country. It's cast system, which they are in part doing away with, has a low class that is considered to be the reincarnated souls of no good middle class people (yes that is a very broad and simplified retelling). The Dalit group are the extreme low class. The upper classes are taught to look at those people as deserving their bad life because they are suffering to pay for the evils they did in a past life. What ever bad happens to that group of people, whether rape, abuse, starvation, murder, it is looked at as fair karma repayment. So many people are "conscious of their behaviors" and taught to be. They simply have a much different outlook on fairness, and good/evil.

But that is not at all the main problem on the larger scale. There are evil people out there. People who feel enjoyment out of the suffering of others, or who care only about themselves. As long as they feel the consequences for whatever action will not reach them, they will do damage to whom ever if they can see a benifit for themselves. Kidnapping is a huge problem there. I know a man there who became a christian and went back as a missionary. He and his brother were beat over the head with a stick in a city while they were riding a motorcycle, then taken to a very large kidnappers camp and held for ransom. The kidnappers were essentially a small army or large gang. Basically a group of men who had figured out their own method for living in the difficult situation that is India. They made their money from ransoms. Got their sexual relations by force or abduction. There are many men like this in India, and Africa, and Croatia, and... Well think about it. Everywhere!

I have never seen a person who is truly selfish at their core be educated out of it. If their personality type is selfish, that seems to be a permanent condition. All a selfish person needs to begin to do evil to others, whether THEY think of it as evil or not, is the absence of recognized real consequences.

There has never been a society in the world who could eradicate evil. I would say the most evil societies in history were the ones who came the closest to eradicating everything that was in philosophical objection to their views of good/evil.

I prefer to spend my time helping the innocent or oppressed rather than formulating concepts to eliminate evil from the world.

[Faruq]

Somehow, unless you ship 'em out to some place like Indonesia where quite a few women have been known to defend themselves successfully to apprentice under some serious teachers for 10 - 15 years, I doubt martial arts training is going to make a difference....

[GeneChing]

Rani Mukherjee: 'Indian girls should learn martial arts' (http://www.digitalspy.com/bollywood/news/a590740/rani-mukherjee-indian-girls-should-learn-martial-arts.html#~oNiSAEXa58Mjaq)
By Steven Baker
Friday, Aug 15 2014, 3:49pm EDT

Rani Mukherjee has said that girls should study martial arts as a means of protecting themselves.

The Mardaani star has suggested that Indian schools should provide self-defense classes as a part of the curriculum.

http://i1.cdnds.net/14/17/618x446/bollywood-temptation-reloaded-concert-rani-mukerji.jpg
Rani Mukerji speaks during a press conference ahead of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's "Temptation Reloaded" concert
© PA Images / AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim
Rani Mukerji

"There is a need for women power to come forward in all fields," stated Mukherjee.

"Girl students - who are symbolic of shakti - should be given martial arts training besides their regular studies, so that they can protect their pride and honor."

The actor, who plays Shivani Shivaji Roy, an officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch unit, in Mardaani, will be seen performing the martial art Krav Maga in the film.

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, the Yash Raj Films project releases August 22.

I suppose this could have gone on our [URL="http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48576-Bollywood-Kung-Fu!!"Bollywood-Kung-Fu!![/URL] thread, but that forum is one of our most active while this one can always use a little mo' luv.

[simondo]

Please check out the link below on the "Action breaks silence" group headed by Debi Stevens from Uk. Teaching Under privelidged women/children self defence/protection. Also search for Debi and the group on youtube, I feel this deeply inspirational and very worthwhile. The material Debi presents and teaches is very basic and workable!

http://www.actionbreakssilence.org/about.htm

Thanks for your time

Simon

[GeneChing]

'eve-teasers' should really cross over to the U.S. vernacular.


Updated: September 2, 2014 09:58 IST
Noida women cops to be trained in martial arts (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/noida-women-cops-to-be-trained-in-martial-arts/article6372223.ece)
Damini Nath

Policewomen of Gautam Budh Nagar district will soon be trained in martial arts and then deployed at busy markets, shopping malls, metro stations, and outside girls’ schools .

Superintendent of Police (Crime) Sunita Singh held a meeting with women constables on Monday. She will launch a 10-day judo and karate training session this week.

“We have six personnel who are experts in judo and karate. They will train our 139 women personnel for 10 days and after that they will be deployed in plain clothes at busy spots across Noida.”

She added that the plan was to “put the fear of the law” into the minds of eve-teasers and stalkers.

Ms. Singh said she and other senior officers would also take rounds.

The district police have been increasingly battling crimes against women and this initiative is expected to make women feel safer.

“The presence of police at these places will act as a deterrent and we have chosen women personnel for this because women will feel comfortable in talking to them,” explained Ms. Singh.

She will be meeting Sub-Inspectors and Inspectors on Tuesday to chalk out a plan for the training and deployment.

The district’s sole mahila thana will also be part of the initiative.

Senior Superintendent of Police Preetinder Singh added that teams of four or five women constables will step in if they see women being harassed. The teams will be accompanied by a male constable.

[TaichiMantis]

I wonder if I will ever see articles where an Indian woman/girl has successfully prevented rape by using self defense training...

[GeneChing]

Whether or not martial arts will actually work to reduce rape in India, it is an epidemic perpetuated by their traditional culture. At the very least, these token efforts are a start to raise awareness there.



'Boys Will Be Boys' (http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/08/13/boys_will_be_boys_india_uttar_pradesh_rape_dalit)
In India's largest state, a misogynistic family-run political dynasty wants to pretend a rape epidemic doesn't exist.
BY Ankita Rao , Vivekananda Nemana
AUGUST 13, 2014

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/files/imagecache/860x/images/uttar_pradesh_8-13.jpg

On the morning of May 27, villagers in the Badaun district in India's Uttar Pradesh state found two teenage girls, raped and murdered, hanging from a mango tree. The girls had disappeared the night before, never returning after wandering into the fields near their home to go to the bathroom. The attack came days before a series of brutal assaults across the state: Four men gang-raped a 17-year-old girl, and another group of men beat the mother of a different rape victim after she refused to withdraw an official complaint. On May 30, reporters confronted chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in the state capital of Lucknow about the recent wave of sexual violence.

But the 41-year-old leader of India's most populous and arguably most lawless state was unrepentant. "Aren't you safe?" Yadav shot back, standing amid a gaggle of microphones, his aides smirking behind him. "You're not facing any danger, are you?"

The remarks were consistent with what has become a disturbing party line. Yadav is one of the leading politicians in the Samajwadi Party ("Socialist Party"), a left-leaning group that has built a reputation as one of the most anti-women parties in the country. In April, Yadav's father, party head and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, opposed capital punishment for rape, citing that "boys will be boys ... they make mistakes." Just days later, Abu Azmi, the head of the party's Maharashtra state branch, argued that if men were hanged for rape, then women should be hanged for having premarital sex. In July, Mulayam sparked controversy again by claiming that out of all Indian states, Uttar Pradesh had the most people but the fewest rapes -- a blatant lie. (Reached through a party spokesperson, Yadav and his father declined to comment.)

A combination of uneven development, a flawed judiciary, and systemic police corruption have made Uttar Pradesh among the most difficult places to be a woman in India. The state -- with a population of roughly 200 million, enough to make it the fifth-largest country in the world -- reported over 32,500 incidents of gender-based crime in 2013, ranking second only to the admittedly less populated Andhra Pradesh. Of those, 3,000 were rapes -- more than a 50 percent rise from the year before, according to the Ministry of State for Home Affairs, which oversees the national police service. Yet these numbers don't tell the whole story; rape carries significant stigma in India, and can often lead to abuse directed towards the victim, causing sexual assault to go widely underreported.

The scale of gender-based violence in Uttar Pradesh is likely much worse than the already disturbing figures suggest. That is not the way the party sees it, however. "This whole thing about violence against women -- this is propaganda," Rajendra Chaudhary, a Samajwadi Party cabinet minister and spokesman, told Foreign Policy. "These incidents are unfortunate and we're trying to fix them, but this is a social problem. We can't say that this is happening because of government."

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party has resisted efforts to reform rape laws, refused to reserve a portion of seats in its parliament for women, and opposed increased penalties for sexual crimes after the now-infamous 2012 Delhi gang rape, where a young woman was brutally -- and fatally -- assaulted on a bus in the capital. In Uttar Pradesh "violence against women," said activist Kavita Krishnan, who runs the All India Progressive Women's Association, a women's rights organization, "seems to be a feature of governance."

While the state's leaders have long presided over an inept administration that enables widespread sexual violence, the younger Yadav was supposed to be different. Australia-educated, well-spoken, and charismatic, Yadav ran as a reformer who could fix Uttar Pradesh's corrupt and sclerotic bureaucracy -- and, in turn, upend the state institutions that had abetted impunity for criminal perpetrators. But two years later, he has done little to distinguish himself from the party's old guard; sexual assault remains pervasive in his state. It's a product of a systemic rape culture, according to Krishnan, that very much still "flows from the top."

continued next post

[GeneChing]

* * *

Mulayam, the sitting chief minister's father, founded the Samajwadi Party in 1992, after his first short stint as chief minister ended the year before. Allied with the Indian National Congress -- the center-left party that dominated national politics until its dramatic defeat in this year's general elections to the center-right Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Narendra Modi -- the party pushed a grassroots, socialist platform in Uttar Pradesh, promising to boost welfare spending and reservations for minorities. But Mulayam, a former wrestler, asserted power through patronage. He forged coalitions with local strongmen from Muslim communities and with members of his own caste, who could drum up votes in exchange for favors. He also courted khap panchayats -- powerful councils of men that often rigidly enforce outdated, patriarchal traditions, including threatening couples who marry across caste lines or restricting young women from carrying cellphones.

The chief minister even supported the political careers of gangsters like Munna Bajrangi, a contract killer (now in jail for the 2005 murder of a BJP assemblyman) who also specialized in securing government contracts. "The problem with the Samajwadi Party is the whole party structure is basically built on local mafias," said Badri Narayan Tiwari, a columnist and political scientist at G.B. Pant Social Science Institute, a leading university in Allahabad. The mafias dominate the local levels of the party, he added, "so when they come into power, they become free from any punishment."

Mulayam served a total of three stints as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and as national minister of defense in the 1990s; he remains one of the most powerful politicians in northern India. The political environment he fostered during his most recent run as chief minister, from 2003 to 2007, sheltered criminals from law enforcement. By the 2012 state elections, nearly half of the Samajwadi Party's 401 candidates had criminal records. With a graft-ridden justice system and power decentralized among patriarchal, local-level strongmen, accountability for sexual violence was rare.

Still, the younger Yadav, then an MP, built support for his campaign by promising a clean break from the corrupt, inefficient governance that characterized the tenure of both his father and the then-ruling Bahujan Samaj Party, a socialist party focused on the traditionally marginalized Dalit caste. His campaign promises included free laptops for students who passed 12th grade, greater health care spending, and investment in the education of young girls. He even publicly denounced his father's friend, D. P. Yadav, a powerful mafia don and liquor bootlegger.

In that March 2012 election, his Samajwadi Party nabbed 224 seats in the 403-seat state assembly. At the age of 38, Yadav took office as India's youngest chief minister. "In a country where the public hunger for change is palpable, yet where politics often seems unchangeable, Mr. Yadav is suddenly, unexpectedly, a symbol of a new generation," a New York Times profile read.

But that euphoria was short-lived. In his two years in office, Yadav has done little to dismantle the architecture of official corruption his father built. Mulayam, his father, maintains significant control over the state bureaucracy, often reappointing officials with a history of corruption to high-level positions in the administration.

Yadav's first cabinet had 47 members, allegedly handpicked by his father; 12 of them faced serious criminal charges like murder, rape, and assault. In December 2012, Uttar Pradesh's highest court ordered the administration to remove Rakesh Bahadur, a former chairman of Noida, one of New Delhi's satellite cities, who was implicated in a roughly $820 million real estate scam; this July, Bahadur became the chief minister's top advisor.

Critics say that Yadav has simply been unwilling, or unable, to challenge the old guard that continues to profit from state institutions. "It's a typical traditional Indian feudal family: Whatever father says is law," said Sharad Pradhan, a journalist and political analyst who has tracked both father and son through their political careers. Yadav "lacks [the] will and determination and grit that [he] demonstrated during the campaign."

Yadav's failure to tackle corruption has serious implications for the women in his state. In what remains an unprofessional and inept justice system, impunity for sexual violence is the norm. And like his father before him, Yadav empowers local, male-dominated councils that employ problematic tribal law as a means to counter sexual assault. Meanwhile, Yadav's party has opposed provisions that would advance the status of women, campaigning against tougher anti-rape laws passed by Parliament after the 2012 Delhi rape.

Sexual violence is particularly pervasive against Uttar Pradesh's Dalits, a historically marginalized group of roughly 35 million that ranks low on India's caste system hierarchy. Part of this could be a revenge tactic, activists say, since the former government under Mayawati, a Samajwadi Party rival and a Dalit woman herself, invested specifically in Dalit leaders, fueling tension among the other castes, like the Yadavs, the chief minister's caste (and namesake).

According to Askari Naqvi, a human rights lawyer based in Lucknow, sexual violence is often also a statement of caste power and revenge. "Although you voted for [a certain candidate], don't you dare think you are equal or anything," he said. "The dominant castes are feeling very, very powerful. So they are trying to show Dalits that they cannot claim some kind of equality. Especially with these hangings," he said, referring to the highly publicized Badaun case in May. The Yadav-caste police officers in the village initially refused to register the murder case, allegedly even threatening to murder the Dalit girls' family members, according to local media reports and investigations from human rights groups. "Because she was born as a Dalit she doesn't have a right to say no to rape or the use of her body or violence against her body," said Vimal Thorat, a leader of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, an advocacy group that fights against caste discrimination. "And if she raises her voice she will be killed."

* * *

Chief Minister Yadav's inability to stem pervasive sexual violence in his state seems born more out of weakness than malice. With no concrete efforts to clean up law enforcement, build judicial capacity, or combat the caste system that divides communities across the state, his efforts seem to address the symptoms and not the disease. "The chief minister needs to set an example, to say we are ending this now -- we are absolutely not going to make any more excuses" for sexual violence, says Krishnan of the All India Progressive Women's Association.

Yadav's party offers little hope for a more effective and humane public debate on rape, insisting instead that the state has been made a scapegoat on the national scene. "This is a problem for everyone in the society, but this doesn't mean we're worse off," said Chaudhary, the Samajwadi Party spokesperson. "People want to make this political instead of social. There is investment from the government on this but every time it gets sidelined by politics."

Yadav has at least begun to acknowledge that violence against women is a problem in his state. After a 38-year-old woman was gang-raped in June, he told AFP that "the government must sincerely work to make sure such incidents do not happen." He has made small efforts to support women, establishing a safety hotline for women to directly reach law enforcement without leaving their homes and proposing a martial arts program for girls across the state. But until the costs of inaction outweigh the benefits of his half-hearted approach, little is likely to change for women. "The challenge is to create an alternative discourse that makes it politically costly to be sexist," Krishnan says. In the Yadavs' Uttar Pradesh, that will be very difficult.

Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR
I won't claim to understand India at all, but I lived there for a two months and while there, my wife was constantly harassed by eve-teasers. :mad:

[SteveLau]

I wonder if I will ever see articles where an Indian woman/girl has successfully prevented rape by using self defense training...

Yep, I would like to read such statistics too. But first let me state my stand on the topic. It would be practical if woman have martial art skill carrying some sort of street weapon to be able to defend herself. Look, reality is ugly. Man is at least twice stronger than woman. And nowadays, gang rape is a hit sexual crime. So even man does need to carry street weapon in order to defend himself. This is especially true if one is living in the Rape Champion Country like India.



Yours truly,

KC
Hong Kong

[GeneChing]

Rape Champion Country Champion? srsly?



Indian girls should learn martial arts for self defence: Dalai Lama (http://zeenews.india.com/exclusive/indian-girls-should-learn-martial-arts-for-self-defence-dalai-lama_1479005.html)
Last Updated: Thursday, October 2, 2014 - 10:29
http://ste.india.com/sites/default/files/2014/10/02/278999-dalai700.jpg

The Dalai Lama, the 79-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, convened an inter-faith meeting in September, 2014, in New Delhi. The purpose of the meeting was to address some of the most important issues ailing the society, particularly in India.

In an interview to Ashok Kumar of OneWorld South Asia, Tibet's 'living God’ warning about the degeneration of environment urged the world community to act immediately. Excerpts from the interview.

OneWorld South Asia: Spiritual leaders have come together on a common platform to talk on various issues ranging from women safety to environment conservation. What kind of impact do you think they can make on our society?

Dalai Lama: All major spiritual traditions are concerned with the well being of humanity. When we talk about well being of humanity we need to bear in mind that planet earth is our home and we need to take care of it.

OWSA: What kind of threat do you see to the natural environment globally, particularly in India?

Dalai Lama: If modern technology renders our planet unusable, we don’t have an option of going to another planet. Earth is the only home for human beings. We have to be seriously concerned about the well being of our planet.

Once the environment is damaged it cannot be reversed. The damage stays forever or at least for some decades. We must make all efforts to spread awareness about the importance of environment protection.

In Tibet, one can drink water in rivers unlike in India where some of the water resources have been polluted to the core. We must stop polluting our rivers and streams.

Environmental degradation will lead to numerous hazards such as breathing problems and poor eyesight. The world community should come together and act before it is too late.

OWSA: Do you think the onus of environment conservation is on some developed countries or the whole world?

Dalia Lama: The onus of environment conservation is duty of the whole world. Every nation has the responsibility towards its protection.

We must spread awareness on the planet about the delicate nature of our environment.

OWSA: India has been grappling with the issue of rising sexual crimes against women. How do you think the country can effectively fight this scourge?

Dalia Lama: Religious leaders can play a very important role in curbing crimes against women. Also, education and awareness is equally significant.

I think there is a big contradiction in our society. Ideally, men need women and vice versa. God created women for humanity. Even children bear closer relationship to their mother than their father which signifies the importance of women.

Thousands of years back, men and women enjoyed equal status. Both men and women would work together and there was no concept of leadership. But gradually, because of certain reasons, the male dominance emerged in the society which led to exploitation (of women).

We should not forget that men and women are equal pillars of humanity and they should be treated as such.

OWSA: Any message you would like to give to the young girls in India.

Dalia Lama: The idea of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to train school girls in martial arts seems a practical solution.

For self defence, young girls in India should learn martial arts like Karate. In the long run, education can be an effective tool in helping girls to stand up against sexual crimes.

Lower castes should pay more attention in education. They should particularly educate their girls. People who are well off should help the poor people in getting education.

[GeneChing]

When I was in India, I cannot remember ever seeing a female taxi driver. But that was over a decade and a half ago, and I didn't make it to Goa. If I am fortunate enough to ever go back to India, I would love to go to Goa.


Women Trained in Martial Arts to Run Goa Taxis (http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/women-trained-in-martial-arts-to-run-goa-taxis-607711)
Cities | Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: October 16, 2014 15:57 IST

http://www.ndtv.com/news/images/story_page/Martial_arts_silhouette_Thinkstock_360x270_story.j pg
Representational image

Panaji: The Goa government on Thursday rolled out its first lot of radio taxis driven by women trained in martial arts.

The service was launched by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. According to Goa Tourism Development Corporation chairperson Nilesh Cabral, the objective of starting the service was to underline the fact that Goa is a safe tourist destination for women.

"We want to send a message that Goa is a safe place for tourists especially for women. These taxis are especially for women. One of the rules of the taxis is that there should be at least one woman passenger in a group of passengers, if they want to avail of this service," Cabral told IANS, ahead of the launch event.

"They (taxis) are equipped with a chart of the government approved rates. The GPS (Global Positioning System) has been installed in the radio taxis," Cabral said.

The taxis will be allotted across the coastal belt, especially popular beaches like Calangute, Candolim, Colva and others. The women drivers have been trained in the martial arts and had the basic knowledge of the state's and its tourism sites.

"We will expand shortly. Taxis run by men are welcome to use our platform, provided they are willing to undergo our training process," Cabral said.

Goa is one of the top beach tourism destinations in the country and attracts nearly three million tourists annually.Women Trained in Martial Arts to Run Goa Taxis
Panaji, Oct 16 (IANS) The Goa government on Thursday rolled out its first lot of radio taxis driven by women trained in martial arts.

The service was launched by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. According to Goa Tourism Development Corporation chairperson Nilesh Cabral, the objective of starting the service was to underline the fact that Goa is a safe tourist destination for women.

"We want to send a message that Goa is a safe place for tourists especially for women. These taxis are especially for women. One of the rules of the taxis is that there should be at least one woman passenger in a group of passengers, if they want to avail of this service," Cabral told IANS, ahead of the launch event.


"They (taxis) are equipped with a chart of the government approved rates. The GPS (Global Positioning System) has been installed in the radio taxis," Cabral said.

The taxis will be allotted across the coastal belt, especially popular beaches like Calangute, Candolim, Colva and others. The women drivers have been trained in the martial arts and had the basic knowledge of the state's and its tourism sites.

"We will expand shortly. Taxis run by men are welcome to use our platform, provided they are willing to undergo our training process," Cabral said.

Goa is one of the top beach tourism destinations in the country and attracts nearly three million tourists annually.
Story First Published: October 16, 2014 15:37 IST

[TaichiMantis]

Yay! Finally fighting back on a bus http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-30272990

[GeneChing]

...actually, I'm still not sure I understand it. IndianEnglish gets pretty clunky sometimes. :o


Mental kung-fu with black belt girl’s family (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Mental-kung-fu-with-black-belt-girls-family/articleshow/45541346.cms)
Soumittra S Bose, TNN | Dec 17, 2014, 03.50AM IST

NAGPUR: Martial artists often impress everyone by smashing bricks or wood planks with bare hands. This diarist, despite remaining zillion lights years away from any combat skill, had to crack the mental blocks of the Pullarwar family of Juni Shukrawari before they allowed their 17-year-old daughter Pournima, a black belt holder, to speak to TOI, narrating how she had disciplined three Road Romeos without trepidation.

The write-up, which shot the Std XII student to instant fame including a trophy from none other than Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week and another award end of this month, was achieved after a great deal of convincing and coaxing with generous mix of diplomatic persuasion as it risked the girl's reputation and family's social ostracism.

The story also had a legal risk as it revealed the identity of the minor girl who is also the complainant in a case of outraging of modesty registered at Sakkardara police station. Still, it was a conscious decision to go beyond the norms to highlight an aspect for a benefit bigger than the rule itself. It was far more important to project that the women in today's world need to fight back than to surrender.

Trauma was writ large on everyone's face in the family which had to strive quite a lot and convince police to register a genuine complaint only a day before this diarist wanted the Pullarwars, particularly Pournima, to recount the entire episode for print.

Grandfather Vijay and his wife Vimal were worried about Pournima's future, especially her marriage prospects which may get jeopardized after the 'badnaami' in the newspaper. The grandparents were hesitant despite this diarist's utmost attempts to mollify their fears. This diarist even evoked his background in legal education to convince the family. An overprotective cousin, who is in the police force, too felt that publicity in the wrong perspective would mar the girl's reputation and cripple the future.

But, two things that came to the notice of the diarist at the Pullarwar's residence, helped break open the defence of the family. One, Pournima's set of medals won in different championships of Karate-do and the other was a sepia-toned photograph of the girl's great grandparents — Vasudev and Radhabai — who were freedom fighters.

The Pullarwars slowly but surely got convinced regarding this diarist's intentions after they were promised that Pournima's bravery of thrashing the miscreants would be highlighted along with her achievements in sports and her proud lineage of freedom fighters.

Last but not the least, it was the almost god-sent nod from the cousin in police who agreed on the condition that a copy of content would be shown to him too.

The rest was, of course, history for the Pullarwars.

[GeneChing]

A two-fer for this thread today!


Meet The Kung Fu Indian Female Cab Drivers Keeping Women Safe (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/12/12/kung-fu-trained-indian-cab-drivers_n_6314582.html)
Barcroft Media
Posted: 12/12/2014 13:42 GMT Updated: 13/12/2014 03:59 GMT

After an alleged rape by an Uber cab driver in India, women in Mumbai are turning to a new taxi service – run by women trained in kung fu.



Viira Cabs is run strictly by women, for women and drivers are trained in deadly karate and armed with knives and pepper spray. 



Rape and treatment of women has become a huge issue in India since the gang rape and murder of medical student on a bus in 2012.



Driver Anita Manney, 35, said: "We feel safe. Before I used to feel insecure but Viira has taught us safety measures. 



"As well as karate, we keep pepper spray handy to avoid anything wrong."



The service was the brainchild of 35-year-old entrepreneur and social activist Preeti Sharma Menon, who wanted women to be able to travel safely around the clock.

She said: "I was looking for something new to do and I wanted to do something that would make a difference."

Preeti is dedicated to championing women’s equality, and many of the Viira drivers are the sole bread-winners in their family.

Cab driver Raju Chergat, 36, said: "Before, my salary was very low, but now my income has gone up - so it makes a difference.

"I am independent I am not under anyone’s dominance. I am master of my own will and I can take care of my household."

And the scheme is proving a big hit with Mumbai's women.

Photographer and regular Viira Cabs passenger Sajna Sivan said: "I am a photographer, so I have lot of late nights. So when that happens I don’t want to randomly take a car with all equipment. I’d rather get someone with whom I feel comfortable.

"I usually feel safe travelling but there are times when it gets darker and you have random people making remarks."

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/389060/slide_389060_4697964_free.jpg
http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/389060/slide_389060_4697974_free.jpg
http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/389060/slide_389060_4697980_free.jpg
http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/389060/slide_389060_4697982_free.jpg
Barcroft Media

Uber, which is thought to be worth up to $50 billion, has been banned in India on the back of the alleged rape - with Thailand and Spain now following suit.

It comes as a 26-year-old woman had used the Uber smartphone app to book a taxi home on Friday night in New Delhi but said she was taken to a secluded area and raped.

Only C&Ped a few pix...there are more plus a vid if you follow the link.

[GeneChing]

Another martial arts trained female taxi driver.


Meet Shabana, Mumbai's badass lady uber driver who's trained in martial arts (http://www.firstpost.com/living/meet-shabana-mumbais-badass-lady-uber-driver-whos-trained-in-martial-arts-2339880.html)
by FP Staff Jul 13, 2015 15:51 IST

http://s2.firstpost.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Uber-driver_380.jpg

Have you ever seen a woman cab driver in India? Probably very rarely.
Varun Agarwal's Facebook page. Varun Agarwal's Facebook page.
However, when entrepreneur Varun Agarwal got to ride with a lady uber driver Shabana in Mumbai on 11 July he had some wonderful stories to tell.
While he was pleasantly surprised, Agarwal who has 158k followers on Facebook got over 8000 shares and more than 1200 comments for his post on Shabana.
She still remains among the handful of female drivers employed by Uber—and that’s something the San Francisco-headquartered startup is now looking to change.
According to Agarwal, "She gave me a very interesting statistic: apparently there are 150 women uber drivers in Mumbai alone."
She still remains among the handful of female drivers employed by Uber—and that’s something the San Francisco-headquartered startup is now looking to change. In the next five years, Uber wants to increase the number of women drivers in India to 50,000, and will put candidates through a four-month training programme.
When she decided to become an Uber driver her parents were shocked but she managed to convince them. And she's also trained in martial arts to stay safe on the roads.
In an earlier article Quartz reported that,"In the next five years, Uber wants to increase the number of women drivers in India to 50,000, and will put candidates through a four-month training programme."

Read the Facebook post here:
I got to ride with a lady uber driver in Mumbai today. Her name is Shabana and she's been driving with Uber for a year....
Posted by Varun Agarwal on Friday, 10 July 2015

[GeneChing]

I just changed 'girls' to 'women' in the post heading.


How India's women are using martial arts to fight back against sexual violence (http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/how-indias-women-are-using-martial-arts-fight-back-against-sexual-violence-1541199)By Lydia Smith
February 1, 2016 11:11 GMT

http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1486229/india-martial-arts.jpg?w=735
Women are taught how to respond if physical confrontation is unavoidable Getty

"I have learnt jiu jitsu, which is a form of self-defence, and I know a few other girls who have done it as well," says Shreya Kukar, a student from New Delhi.

"I definitely think learning it would help empower women. Just the fact that you know what to do if an unfortunate situation comes around helps you feel better, even if it is just mentally."

Kukar is not the only woman to take her safety into her own hands. Sexual violence is a major problem in India. Following the gang rape and murder of student Jyoti Singh in 2012 in Delhi, an increasing number of women and girls have signed up to martial arts and self-defence classes.

India's watershed rape case sparked a global outcry for the greater protection of India's women and children, yet four years on, many believe not enough has been done to curb soaring rates of sexual violence. More than 36,000 rapes were reported to police in 2014, but the depressing truth is that the actual number of rapes taking place annually is likely to be significantly higher.

Vishal Jaiswal is a karate instructor in New Delhi who is currently training the department of police SPUWAC (Special Police Unit for Women and Children) in Nanakpura in self-defence. He says his classes are not just about defence techniques, but also about minimising the possibility of assault and engaging in physical confrontation. Perhaps most importantly, however, he teaches women how to respond if physical confrontation is unavoidable.

"I really feel privileged to be able to run self-defence training for women," Jaiswal says. "This is the best thing I can do for society. I think if this training can save even one life, I will succeed in my purpose."

Jaiwal says he was driven to run women-only classes in the wake of the sexual crimes taking place in the Indian capital. "With the help of this training, almost anyone can learn practical self-defence in a fairly short period of time without becoming an expert fighter. Our major target group is young people."

http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1486230/vishal-jaiwal-india-martial-arts.jpg?w=735
Indian trainer Vishal Jaiswal instructs policewomen during a self-defence class in New Delhi Getty

Among the most recent incidents involving children, a toddler and a five-year-old girl were raped in separate attacks in Delhi in October. And as brutal attacks against young girls continue to be reported, state governments have introduced self-defence classes into school curricula. At the beginning of this year, it was announced that 3,000 girls from schools across the capital would take part in a two-week self-defence training course.

While some classes focus on street combat and general self-defence, other instructors are running alternative martial arts courses. Vicky Kapoor has trained in martial arts for more than four decades and now runs Krav Maga classes for women, a self-defence system developed for the Israeli Defense Forces which combines techniques from judo, boxing, wrestling and more.

"Krav Maga is a practical and tactical fighting system developed for self-defence to protect oneself against realistic threats such as street assaults, kidnappings, rape and other menaces," Kapoor says.

"We run classes for women to empower them with the life skill of self-defence," he says. Kapoor says the low status of women in India is a problem at the heart of the scourge of sexual violence in the country.

Critics have pointed out that without better intervention at the source of the problem, however, rates of sexual violence will continue to rise in India. Without improved police action and ensuring the legal system benefits victims, assault rates will rise whether or not women learn to free themselves from an attacker's grip or disable a perpetrator with a strategic kick.

The conviction rate for rape is just 28% in 2014, which has allowed a sense of impunity to thrive among those carrying out violence. Additionally, unlike in the UK, where juveniles who have committed particularly serious crimes can be held for longer periods, no such provision exists in India.

http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1462987/india-rape.jpg?w=735
High-profile rape cases in India have sparked fierce debate over the safety of women Reuters

The youngest perpetrator in the 2012 killing of Singh, who was just shy of his 18th birthday when the incident took place, was released last December despite protests from the victim's family and women's rights activists. Although India's women's minister Maneka Gandhi has spearheaded a bill proposing tougher sentencing for 16 to 18 year olds, it has remained stuck in the country's upper house of parliament for months.

One of the key factors in addressing the problem is the willingness for victims to come forward in the first place. Underreporting of sexual violence is common because of the huge stigma attached to rape. Many victims are unwilling to say they have been attacked for fear of the shame it would bring to them and their families. Many say they themselves are blamed, rather than the perpetrator.

Some activists have condemned the India government for failing to protect women from assault – therefore forcing individuals to take responsibility for their safety, such as learning self-defence.

"Why should we live in a society where every woman is made responsible for her own safety and security? What we really need is a system which will protect us," Ranjana Kumari, of the Delhi-based Centre for Social Research, told AFP.

Regardless, pupils and teachers of self-defence classes maintain that until more is done to bring perpetrators of sexual violence to justice – and damaging stereotypes of women are overturned – martial arts add a layer of protection against assault.

"Women have been subjected to discrimination on various social and psychological fronts," Kapoor says. "Krav Maga empowers women through self-defence training. This status is changing slowly and moving towards the next phase, where the nation's women are empowered physically and mentally."

[GeneChing]

Goa's women cricketers to get Israeli martial arts boost (http://ianslive.in/index.php?param=news/Goas_women_cricketers_to_get_Israeli_martial_arts_ boost-500759)
IANS

http://ianslive.iansindiapvtltd.netdna-cdn.com/upload/2016/February/10/Goa_Cricket_Association20150626160805_l20160210203 101_l.jpg

Panaji, Feb 10: The Goa Cricket Association (GCA) has contacted an Israeli martial arts school to develop self-defence workshops for its women's Under-19 and Under-21 teams to boost the players' mental and physical fitness and develop a winning instinct.

The GCA will seek to benefit from the Israeli martial art technique, named Krav Maga. It is a self-defence technique pioneered first by the Israeli armed forces, but over the years it has found followers across the globe.

The martial art is a combination of various forms of fighting like boxing, aikido, judo, wrestling and is considered as one of the better fighting arts, especially when it comes to real-world combat scenarios.

Elroy Vaz, an expert of the technique of the Krav Maga Global (KMG) who has been roped in by the GCA, said the martial art would help make the women players mentally tougher and react better to tough situations in the game.

"Our brief is to instill a spirit of aggression into the players in the Under-19 and Under-21 age groups. We will be conducting workshops where their mental and physical techniques would be developed with the help of Krav Maga," Vaz told IANS on Wednesday.

Vaz says he has already devised several on-field scenarios for women batsmen and bowlers, in which, infusion of Krav Maga techniques would help them respond better.

"Mental toughness and qualitative reactions are essential when say a batsman is being hounded by a fast bowler with bouncers. With Krav Maga techniques, we not only can help the batsmen react better physically, but also help them to develop a winning edge in their thought processes," Vaz said.

The KMG is one of the foremost exponents of the martial art globally. It has been used to train the elite Indian Navy's marine commandos or MARCOS, best remembered for their anti-terror operation following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

According to GCA president Chetan Desai, the decision to enlist Krav Maga experts was taken to ensure that women cricketers benefit from it professionally as well as for self-defence.

"It helps to be prepared. We are hoping that it will help develop a winning instinct in the team," Desai said.
Krav Maga for female Indian cricket. Who'd a thunk?

[GeneChing]

Even with the OT posts, this thread has been surprisingly fruitful. :cool:


Saumya Tandon’s Kung Fu Karate on Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Saumya-Tandons-Kung-Fu-Karate-on-Bhabhiji-Ghar-Par-Hai/articleshow/51123573.cms)
TNN | Feb 24, 2016, 04.52 PM IST

With the current scenario regarding women's safety in the country it is imperative that every women is self-dependent. Echoing this thought, our very own Anita Bhabhi has taken it upon herself to teach self-defence to all the women of her mohollah.
The upcoming episode of &TV's 'Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai' will focus on how and why women should know self-defense and Anita a.k.a Saumya Tandon will be seen teaching Karate to the female gang of the mohollah. Eventually, a reluctant Angoori also joins the classes which results in both the husbands being a practice target. The episode will show how Vibhuti and Tiwari Ji become punching bags of Angoori and Anita respectively and how these two men save themselves from the punches and also support their wives at the same time.
Speaking about the action-packed episode, Saumya Tandon said, "As a woman it's more important to learn how to protect oneself. If you are stuck in a situation where you have to save yourself, you need to know self-defense. I think every girl child and every woman of all ages should learn self-defense. I strongly advocate women to know how to protect themselves when caught in a crisis situation. I hope through this episode while making you laugh can spread the message across and also teach you some self-defense techniques."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb_jX2E5zv8

[GeneChing]

This Actress Was Stalked. She Fought Back By Opening A Kung Fu Class For Girls At Mumbai Beach. (http://www.storypick.com/free-kung-fu-class/)
Aparajita Mishra - 4th May 2016

As any girl, I’ve always been taught to pay heed to stalkers and stand up for myself instead of being a silent sufferer. Isn’t it good if we prepare ourselves for the danger that lies ahead?

An Indian actress, I****a Sharma who is known for her role in Dil Dosti Etc as ‘Kintu’, has transformed the Versova beach in Mumbai into a Kung Fu class for the lesser privileged girls.

http://www.storypick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/I****a-Sharma-Wallpaper-768x510.jpg
Image Source

I****a Sharma, who did a commendable job in Dil Dosti Etc, has turned her attention to Kung Fu classes for teaching the little girls self-defence.

And this move was born after she went through a horrifying experience of being stared and stalked by a group of boys.

http://www.storypick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/I****a-Sharma-9885-768x576.jpg
Image Source

She shared her sentiments by narrating her story:


I WAS DRIVING IN SHASTRI NAGAR, ANDHERI, AT 10.30 PM ONE NIGHT WHEN I SPOTTED A BUNCH OF BOYS FOLLOWING ME ON BIKES. SLOWING DOWN AND SPEEDING UP, AND STARING DIDN’T HELP.

IT WAS FINALLY WHEN I ROLLED DOWN THE WINDOW AND SHOUTED THAT THEY SCOOTED. I LEARNED THAT WE NEED COURAGE, TO STAND UP AND MAKE SOME NOISE!

This little life incident affected her and made her think about women’s safety. Eventually, she inaugurated a self-defense class with the help of her coach – Alex Fernandes and that too for FREE.

Here are some images of the classes:

http://www.storypick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/mar-1-768x512.jpg
http://www.storypick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mar-2-768x512.jpg
http://www.storypick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/mar-3-768x512.jpg
http://www.storypick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mar-6-768x512.jpg

The initiative was noble, but couldn’t garner the required attention initially.

http://www.storypick.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Mar-5-768x512.jpg


1. The duo had to ask around municipal schools and urge them to attend the self-defense class.

2. The importance of these classes was shared with the parents. Sadly, no one turned up for their first class.

3. Eventually, kids from the slum noticed and were asked to join the class. They agreed willingly.

That’s so incredible, right?

Kudos to you, I****a Sharma! 🙂

News Source: AAMAD

Image Source: Facebook

I don't know this actress or her work, but she's another in this trend.

[GeneChing]

Army to train border girls in martial arts in Jammu and Kashmir (http://www.firstpost.com/india/army-to-train-border-girls-in-martial-arts-in-jammu-and-kashmir-2775202.html)
PTI May 10, 2016 20:37 IST

http://s1.firstpost.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Kashmir_girls_380.jpg
Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir): To teach girls self defence tactics, Army has started training martial arts to girl students in remote areas, particularly border area in Jammu and Kashmir.
A total of 40 girl students in different age group from six schools of Nowshera border tehsil are participating in the course. (File image) Getty imagesA total of 40 girl students in different age group from six schools of Nowshera border tehsil are participating in the course. (File image) Getty images

"The Army has initiated a four week martial arts course for girl students in remote areas," PRO Defence Northern Command, Col SD Goswami said on Tuesday.
A total of 40 girl students in different age group from six schools of Nowshera border tehsil are participating in the course which aims at developing self confidence apart from making them physically robust and psychologically empowered, Col Goswami said.
The course under Operation Sadbhavna is being conducted at Government High School, Seri will focus on physical training and mechanics of self defence for girls.
The training is being conducted by an Army soldier, a qualified Black belt in Judo, he said.
During the course, the students will master the art of hand-to-hand combat besides various techniques of martial arts, PRO said.
Col Goswami said advanced course of the martial arts training is planned by the Army for selected students who gain proficiency in it.

I'm continually amused at how fruitful this thread is.

[GeneChing]

You can train all the martial arts you want, but sometimes it's just a no-win scenario.


Bulandshahr rape victim was trained in martial arts; fought dacoits for half-an-hour till they threatened to kill her parents (http://www.india.com/news/india/bulandshahr-rape-victim-was-trained-in-martial-arts-fought-dacoits-for-half-an-hour-till-they-threatened-to-kill-her-parents-1376105/)
The horrific rape and looting incident has shocked the state. Opposition parties have demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
By India.com News Desk on August 1, 2016 at 11:56 PME

http://s3.india.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Gangraped1.jpg

Bulandshahr, August 1: The 15-year-old rape victim, who was raped along with her 45-year-old mother, was reportedly trained in martial arts. She combated the dacoits for at least half-an-hour, but was forced to give up after they threatened to kill her parents. The girl was gangraped by the dacoits, and the belonging of the family members were looted away.
A compensation of Rs 50,000 to the girl has been announced by the state government. Her mother has also been given the amount of compensation. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has warned the state police to nab the culprits within 24 hours. (ALSO READ: Bulandshahr rape: Former DCW chief Barkha Shukla Singh slams Uttar Pradesh Government., seeks strict action)
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh DGP Ahmed Javed has taken the Dostpur village by task. Seven personnel of the police station have been suspended for not acting on the preliminary complaint. Among those suspended include SSP Vaibhav Krishna.
The horrific rape and looting incident has shocked the state. Opposition parties have demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, claiming that law and order has absolutely broke down in the state.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik also expressed disappointment over the rape case, and demanded the state government to improve law and order situation. “The Chief Minister should ensure that such an incident is not repeated,” he said.
The gruesome crime took place in the wee hours of Saturday, when the family was moving towards Shahjahanpur to attend a funeral. At around 1:40 AM, they were stopped by dacoits, who had blocked the road with iron rods. Cash and jewellery of the family members present inside the car were looted. The two female members were raped, whereas, the male members were held at gunpoint.
Modified Date: August 1, 2016 11:56 PM

[GeneChing]

Schools must train girls in martial arts, says Governor Droupadi Murmu (http://english.pradesh18.com/news/jharkhand/schools-must-train-girls-in-martial-arts-says-governor-droupadi-murmu-911466.html)
Posted on: Aug 22, 2016 08:44 AM IST | Updated on: Aug 22, 2016 08:44 AM IST

Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu on Sunday said that PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik's performances at the Rio Olympics are live examples of what girls can do.
Governor Murmu, while addressing the girl students at the Jamshedpur Women's College 2009-12 year convocation ceremony, said that girls are highly talented and have the potential to make a name for the themselves and the country in the field of their interest, provided they get an oppurtunity, says a report.

http://static.english.pradesh18.com//pix/2016/03/Droupadi-Murmu.jpg
Governor Droupadi Murmu (File photo)

She urged all schools and colleges to introduce karate, judo, taekwondo that shall help girls become self-confident, self-reliant, while referring to growing rising crimes against women. The sociey needs to shun their rigid mindset regarding capabilities of girls.
Murmu said to the degree holders that their acumen will be tested when they step out of college to compete to make a mark in the field of their interest.
Governor Murmu lauded the college for earning a place for the state by becoming an autonomous college with "A" certification from NAAC, Bangalore.
She said that introducing new courses, including professional and vocational programmes, in college is always a good thing, but the quality of education needs to be maintained at every level. "By shaping the careers of girls, this college is contributing in the nation building exercise," she said.

karate (http://www.martialartsmart.com/karate-styles.html), judo (http://www.martialartsmart.com/judo-jujitsu-styles.html), taekwondo (http://www.martialartsmart.com/tae-kwon-do-styles.html) - bring it. Great post Olympic idea. ;)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VsROw39pRI

[GeneChing]

Interesting perspective. My wife was just complaining about my non-existent culinary skills last night.


Men should learn to do household work, women martial arts, says Sushma Swaraj (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/men-should-learn-to-do-household-work-women-martial-arts-says-sushma-swaraj/story-VeNihxNceSwMwnZq3ofghL.html)
Sushma Swaraj said that encouraging men to study home science will help break the traditional mindset about women.
INDIA Updated: Apr 28, 2017 07:28 IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi

http://www.hindustantimes.com/rf/image_size_960x540/HT/p2/2017/04/28/Pictures/afghanistan-ceremony-foreign-minister-president-arrives-raising_078c2f8c-2bb5-11e7-b189-41b029cdb6ad.jpg
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told GoM meeting that men should be encouraged to study home science. (Reuters File Photo)

Men should be encouraged to study home science in college and hone their culinary skills, while women should be motivated to take up physical education, especially martial arts, as an effort to banish gender bias from society.

The suggestion was made on Thursday by external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting to review the national policy for women.

The policy, which is being revised for the first time in 16 years, will address current and emerging challenges involving women, especially issues related to their health, education and employment.

One of the top woman politicians in the country, Swaraj heads the GoM.

“She told the meeting that encouraging men to study home science will help break the traditional mindset about women. In this way, men can also contribute to making women’s life better. Swaraj said though men and women are working, the workload on women is far more,” said a government source.

For someone who had juggled politics, high office and family duties with finesse, her suggestion gave perspective to a growing call to shut out the age-old stereotypical role women are restricted to.

The GoM has 11 members, including commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman, IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu, WCD minister Maneka Gandhi among others.

Naidu, also present in the second meeting of the GoM, rooted for reservation for women in educational institutions.

“This will help women get better opportunities,” Naidu said.

He also recommended that women starting business should be given more loans, a source said.

Another interesting suggestion came from Prasad who said women under-trials, accused of non-heinous crimes, and if convicted, should be released once they have served one third of their time.

Commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman wanted women under-trials to be put up in special homes.

The WCD ministry, which is anchoring the policy, will go through the suggestions made by the GoM before deciding what all to incorporate.

The ministry is also crowdsourcing innovative ideas from citizens to make the policy more contemporary.

For the first time, the draft policy has also addressed issues related to single women and widows.

[GeneChing]

AUGUST 24, 2017 / 5:10 PM / 14 HOURS AGO
Kung Fu nuns strike back at rising sex attacks on women in India (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-nuns-kungfu-idUSKCN1B5007)
Nita Bhalla

http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20170825&t=2&i=1198468098&r=LYNXNPED7O00C&%20w=1280
Buddhist nuns in India's remote Himalayan region of Ladakh teach around 100 girls and young women the martial art of Kung Fu amid rising reports of rape in India. Taken on Aug 18, 2017. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/NITA BHALLA
LADAKH, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As dawn breaks, the sun edges over the expansive jagged mountains of Ladakh - a remote Buddhist ex-kingdom in the Indian Himalayas bordering Tibet - to reveal a world where time appears to have stood still.

The chant of monks in a centuries-old monastery can be heard in the distance. Villagers slowly emerge from whitewashed stone cottages to tend to their wheat and barley fields, and ready their goats to search for pasture.

Complete with its picture-perfect temples precariously perched atop rocky mountain outcrops, giant shrines and mantra-engraved walls, Ladakh’s age-old Tibetan Buddhist way of life appears almost untouched by modernity.

Until, that is, you hear the energetic yells of scores of young women, clad in sweatpants and trainers. Fanned out in front of a majestic white temple-like structure, they stretch, lunge, jump, kick and punch on the orders of nuns.

Meet the Kung Fu nuns - women from an age-old Buddhist sect who are using their martial arts expertise to challenge gender roles in this conservative culture and teach women self-defense, as reports of rapes rise in India.

Unlike other nuns, their chants and prayers are followed by jabs and thrust kicks. Between meditation sessions, they attend gender equality lessons. Even their traditional maroon robes are periodically swapped for martial arts attire, with black belts.

“Most people think nuns just sit and pray, but we do more,” said 19-year-old Jigme Wangchuk Lhamo, one of the Kung Fu trainers, as she rested after an intense two-hour session in Hemis village, 40 km (25 miles) from the northern city of Leh.

“We walk the talk. If we act, people will think if: ’If nuns can act, why can’t we?’”

“Kung Fu will make them stronger and more confident,” she said, adding that they decided to teach self-defense after hearing of cases of rape and molestation.

HEROES

Wangchuk is one of around 700 nuns globally who belong to the Drukpa lineage - the only female order in the patriarchal Buddhist monastic system where nuns have equal status to monks.

Traditionally, nuns are expected to cook and clean and are not permitted to exercise. But this changed almost a decade ago when the leader of the 1,000-year-old sect, His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa, encouraged the nuns to learn Kung Fu.

Inspired by his mother to advocate for gender equality, he also gave the nuns leadership roles and helped them study beyond Buddhist teachings to become electricians and plumbers.

The nuns are active in the communities where they live, mainly in Nepal and India, treating sick animals and organizing eye care camps for villagers.

They trek and cycle thousands of kilometers through Himalayan mountain passes to raise awareness on issues ranging from pollution to human trafficking.

Following a massive earthquake in April 2015 in Nepal, they refused to leave but trekked to villages to remove rubble, clear pathways and distribute food to survivors.

Carrie Lee, president of Live to Love International, a charity which works with the Drukpa nuns to support marginalized Himalayan communities, says they are exceptional role models.

http://s2.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20170825&t=2&i=1198468094&r=LYNXNPED7O003&w=940
Buddhist nuns in India's remote Himalayan region of Ladakh teach around 100 girls and young women the martial art of Kung Fu amid rising reports of rape in India. Taken on Aug 18, 2017. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION/NITA BHALLA
“The Kung Fu Nuns are heroes of the Himalayas,” she said.

“They are fiercely compassionate and brave. Not even earthquakes, avalanches, monsoons and cloudbursts can stand in their way.”

CAT-CALLING

Lee isn’t far wrong.

The nuns are now taking on one of the biggest threats facing women and girls in India today. Rape.

http://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20170825&t=2&i=1198468093&r=LYNXNPED7O008&w=1200
Slideshow (8 Images)

Stories feature daily in Indian newspapers and television channels of girls being raped on their way to school, students molested in taxis, and women stalked heading home from work.

The National Crime Records Bureau says 34,651 rapes were reported in 2015 - or four rapes every hour - a rise of 43 percent from 2011.

There were 82,422 sexual assaults, an 67 percent increase over the same period.

These figures are just the tip of the iceberg, say activists, as many victims are afraid to report cases, scared they will be blamed and shamed by their family and community.

A wave of public protests after the fatal gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus in 2012 jolted many in the world’s second most populous country out of apathy, and forced the government to enact stiffer penalties on gender crimes.

Since then, a spike in media reports, government campaigns and civil society programs have increased public awareness of women’s rights and emboldened victims to register abuses.

But with reports continuing every day, and many women feeling increasingly concerned about their safety, the Drukpa saw an opportunity to help in their own way.

"We thought we must share what we know with others," said 28-year-old nun Jigme Yeshe Lhamo at a five-day workshop at Naro Photang - a majestic Buddhist palace-like building belonging to the centuries-old nearby Hemis monastery.

Almost 100 women aged between 13 to 28 followed a rigorous 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. schedule during the course in August.

It included techniques on handling being attacked from behind, moves such as takedowns and strikes, and discussions about how to react in possible sexual assault scenarios.

"It's been tough and my whole body is aching but the nuns were very inspiring. All girls should learn Kung Fu," said one participant Tsering Yangchen, a 23-year-old student.

"I am often uncomfortable going to the market as there are boys standing around looking, whistling and cat-calling. I was always hesitant to say anything but now I feel much more confident to speak out and even protect myself if I have to."

There are more images in the slideshow if you follow the link.

Kung Fu Nuns & Shaolin Nuns (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?47834-Kung-Fu-Nuns-amp-Shaolin-Nuns) & Indian women counter rape with martial arts training (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65680-Indian-women-counter-rape-with-martial-arts-training).

Here's the official website of the Druk Gawa Khilwa Abbey (http://www.drukpa-nuns.org/).

[GeneChing]

18-Year-Old Martial Art Expert From Bengal Beats Up 3 Men Who Tried To Sexually Assault Her (https://www.storypick.com/martial-arts-beat-up-men/)
By Neha Tanwar - 30th March 2018

At a time when crimes against women have seen a steady rise, self-defence has become the need of the hour. Women have taken their safety into their own hands and have invested their time in equipping themselves with the proper form of self-defence so that they can protect themselves from predators. However, just learning martial arts is not enough and you need to keep your head together to apply your knowledge.

A prime example of this was recently set by an 18-year-old girl who taught a lesson to 3 men who tried to sexually assault her. The girl, Priyanka Singha Roy was on her way to a shop at Kamarpara, Sainthia municipality, in West Bengal reportedly with her younger sister when the men tried to assault them.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZWow4nW4AATEj-.jpg
View image on Twitter (https://twitter.com/tota_rc/status/978874056928841728/photo/1)

Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏

22:58 - 27 Mar 2018
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The men made lewd remarks at her and blocked her path. One of them also allegedly held her hand. The girl started learning martial arts 10 months ago and warned the men to back off, the police said on Tuesday.

When they didn’t listen to her, she overpowered and beat them up. The mother of the girl told Hindustan Times,

“MY DAUGHTER IS A KEEN STUDENT OF MARTIAL ARTS. THE YOUTHS WERE NOT AWARE OF HER SKILLS. MY DAUGHTER INITIALLY ASKED THEM TO RESTRAIN THEMSELVES, BUT THEY PAID NO HEED AND CONTINUED WITH THEIR LEWD BEHAVIOUR. THEN SHE BEAT THEM UP. “

Anirban Sen, a local resident witnessed the girl’s ferocity first-hand and saw the goons lying on the ground with his own eyes. He said,

“AFTER HEARING A COMMOTION, WE RUSHED TO THE AREA AND FOUND THAT THE GIRL HAD PUT THE THREE YOUTHS ON THE GROUND. SHE TOLD US THAT SHE PUNISHED THEM FOR MISBEHAVING WITH HER. HER COURAGE WILL INSPIRE OTHERS IN THE AREA.”

The news quickly went viral and people are lauding this teenager for having her wits about her and applying her knowledge to overpower her perpetrators.
1. True!


GetafixtheDruid
@onecosmicbeing
Priyanka, the brave young 18 years old Indian girl is a role model for all young ladies in the world who are forced to defend themselves against male predators. 💪👇👇👇#PriyankaSinghaRoy 👏👏👏👏🙏 https://twitter.com/tota_rc/status/978874056928841728 …

13:17 - 29 Mar 2018
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2. So proud!


Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
27 Mar
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bNYVUN2Jda


Rajkumar Saha
@Rajkumar517417
really proud of u #priyankasingharoy pic.twitter.com/dpoJHk3M4F

02:55 - 29 Mar 2018

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3. We need more like her.


CHANDI
@DebRoyChandi
Lovely👏👏👏
We need more daughters like her in every household. So proud of this daughter #PriyankaSinghaRoy
Love and blessings to this strong & beautiful soul ❤️ https://twitter.com/tota_rc/status/978874056928841728 …

09:08 - 28 Mar 2018 · Fremont, CA
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4. Beti se bacho…


Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
27 Mar
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bNYVUN2Jda


kumar srivatsa
@kumarsrivatsa
Yeh Beti se bacho ... proud of her

09:29 - 29 Mar 2018
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5. You rock!


Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
27 Mar
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bNYVUN2Jda


Nilanjan
@Nilanjan1180
The power of discipline and self confidence. U rock, girl !!! 😀😀😀

05:47 - 28 Mar 2018
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6. Yes!


Tota Roy Choudhury
✔
@tota_rc
27 Mar
She is #PriyankaSinghaRoy from Sainthia,Bengal. Was out on her cycle with her younger sister. 3 men accosted her. She beat them up with such ferocity that people had to rescue them! This 18 year old practices #TaeKwonDo & is a class 12 student.
RESPECT👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/bNYVUN2Jda


Prashant Kamath
@PrashantKamathA
Hope all girls take cue n learn from this episode. It's never late to take lessons in self defense. Always be alert. Kudos Priyanka. Teach many of your neighbours. Encourage them

08:30 - 29 Mar 2018
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The girl could not be contacted as she went to give her class 12 board exams. The accused identified as Amit Sahani, Dip Mandal and Bhaskar Mandal and have now been caught by the police. They were all in their mid-twenties.

This girl’s bravery and confidence will inspire many women and children to take an initiative towards learning self-defence. You go, girl!


This one is definitely a Successful Street Application (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49825-Successful-Street-Applications) but also copy-worthy to our Indian women counter rape with martial arts training (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65680-Indian-women-counter-rape-with-martial-arts-training) thread.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VsROw39pRI

[GeneChing]

Kuwait surely isn't India but the approach is so similar that this news piece will sit best here.


Kuwaiti girls use martial arts to counter bullies (https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuwait/kuwaiti-girls-use-martial-arts-to-counter-bullies-1.61354728)
Kajukenbo academy teaches more than 120 girls and women between ages of 4 and 50
Published: January 10, 2019 15:52
AFP

https://images.gulfnews.com/201901/Copy-of-912591-01-08-(Read-Only)_resources1-medium.jpg
Kuwaiti girls and women practise Kajukenbo, a hybrid martial art form, in a club in Kuwait City.
Image Credit: AFP

Kuwait City: Asma Hasnawi and her daughter Riham spend more than 12 hours a week learning kajukenbo, a mixed martial art the mother says boosts her child’s confidence and thwarts bullying.

In a small hall in Kuwait City, women and girls in black uniforms gather to learn the basics of self-defence.

On their left sleeves are the flags of Kuwait and the US state of Hawaii, where the hybrid martial art of kajukenbo was developed in the 1940s.

The sport’s name was derived from the various forms of martial arts it includes: karate (KA), judo and jujitsu (JU), kenpo (KEN) and boxing (BO).

Each form teaches techniques that can be used to fend off an attack, says Hasnawi, 33, who stands in class alongside her 12-year-old daughter and other girls.

https://images.gulfnews.com/prestige-images/Copy%20of%20912601-01-08.jpg
Kuwaiti Asma Hasnawi (L) and Fai Al Fahad, Kajukenbo hybrid martial art assistant-master, practise in a club in Kuwait City
Image Credit: AFP

“I initially wanted to explore this sport, but I continued to practise it to be able to defend myself,” she tells AFP.

Hasnawi still remembers being bullied as a child - something her daughter has struggled with at school too.

But she says Riham has “changed a lot” since they started practising kajukenbo, gaining patience and strength through the sport.

“She has transformed. At school, she used to get really angry and quickly agitated if someone would say something to her,” Hasnawi says.

“Now, it’s something normal that she can (healthily) deal with.”

There is no recent data in Kuwait on cases of violence against women, who enjoy more freedoms than those in neighbouring countries.

https://images.gulfnews.com/prestige-images/Copy%20of%20912594-01-08.jpg
Kajukenbo was born in Hawaii in the 1940s. The sport's name was derived from the various aspects of martial arts it includes: karate (KA), judo and jujitsu (JU), kenpo (KEN) and boxing (BO).
Image Credit: AFP

A 2010 study found that a woman is assaulted a day in Kuwait, according to Ghada Al Ghanem, of the Women’s Cultural and Social Society (WCSS).

The WCSS, whose goal is to help and encourage women’s participation in the Kuwaiti community, has dealt with a number of assault cases and Ghanem believes the actual figure may be higher.

Hung on the red and black walls of the Street Warrior Academy is a poster of two men practising the sport.

“Kajukenbo teaches your child the methods and arts of self-defence,” it reads, complimenting the mottos of “strength and honour” and “street warrior” on the backs of the girls’ uniforms.

The students closely watch their instructor, Faisal Al Gharib, as he explains how to counter an attack with the help of his son.

The girls then pair up to take what they have learnt and put it into practise.

In another instance, the instructor’s son mimics an attack with a wooden knife on one of the more experienced pupils, who wears a black belt.

Already familiar with the exercise, the student explains: “I pretend that I have surrendered... and then I grab his hand on my neck, push it down and move it away.”

https://images.gulfnews.com/prestige-images/Copy%20of%20912592-01-08.jpg
Kuwaiti women practise hybrid martial art Kajukenbo in a club in Kuwait City on October 22, 2018. Kajukenbo was born in Hawaii in the 1940s. The sport's name was derived from the various aspects of martial arts it includes: karate (KA), judo and jujitsu (JU), kenpo (KEN) and boxing (BO). / AFP / Yasser Al-Zayyat
Image Credit: AFP

More than 120 girls and women between the ages of four and 50 participate in the academy’s different kajukenbo classes, which are held in a room with training weapons lining its walls.

Some 40 men and boys also currently take part in kajukenbo classes at the club on different days from the women.

For Um Saleh, the sport has helped her twin 13-year-old daughters become more independent and decisive.

“It gave them something to focus on other than social media,” she says.

Gharib, the instructor, established the academy in 2014 after learning kajukenbo in the United States. He says he wanted to teach the sport to women back home as a way to stay fit and to defend themselves against any attack.

As part of the training, he presents his students with different scenarios, including assaults and knife attacks.

“We focus on self-defence skills and place the girls in conditions similar to those on the street so we can build their self-confidence and teach them exactly when and where to expect the hit,” Gharib says.

The academy, which has a strict confidentiality policy, has become a safe haven for many girls and women that have been victims of assault or bullying.

It is one of dozens of similar clubs and academies that have opened in Kuwait as kajukenbo gains popularity. Although in the rest of the Gulf, the sport remains relatively unknown.

“Being a (victim) of assault, whether in school or on the street, is what pushed some of these girls and women to pursue the sport,” says Fai Al Fahed, one of the instructors.

“Ultimately, girls are embracing this kind of martial art and we see it boosting their self-confidence.”

Khalida Bashir says she was drawn to kajukenbo after watching clips of the sport online.

“I used to be afraid of everything, but this sport changed me,” she tells AFP.

“I have become more confident and more patient. Some say this is a man’s sport, but that is, in fact, not true.”

Kajukenbo (https://www.martialartsmart.com/dvd-jh00.html)

[GeneChing]

Minister asks girls to learn martial arts for self-defence (https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/minister-asks-girls-to-learn-martial-arts-for-self-defence/article30199351.ece)
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTVISAKHAPATNAM, DECEMBER 06, 2019 00:40 IST
UPDATED: DECEMBER 06, 2019 00:40 IST

Minster for Tourism and Culture Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao on Thursday asked girl students to learn martial arts for their self-defence.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that students should give priority to games and yoga in addition to their regular studies. He was speaking at an induction meet of new entrants to the Avanthi Institute of Engineering & Technology at Makavarapalem, about 100 km from here.

Offer letters were handed over to about 70 students who got selected to TCS, Infosys, CTS, Aptroid and other firms. Mr. Rao, in his address, appealed to the student community to learn good manners and inculcate a healthy lifestyle. He called upon the student community to play a leading role in curbing social evils.

Visakhapatnam DIG L.K.V. Ranga Rao said that students should inculcate discipline as a prerequisite for their success in life. Alumnus of Avanthi College and Anakapalle MLA Gudivada Amarnath said he was proud to be a product of Avanthi Group of Institutes. He said he learnt several life skills as a student.

Narsipatnam MLA P. Umashankar Ganesh underlined the need for more professional colleges in rural areas.

Narsipatnam Additional Superintendent of Police Rishant Reddy and principal C. Mohan Rao and others spoke.

Between all the encouragement Indian women are getting to train like this, plus all the female role models in Bollywood film (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?48576-Bollywood-Kung-Fu!!), the next female martial arts stars may well be coming from India. :cool:

[GeneChing]

Martial arts trained woman catches molester in Assam, hands him over to police (https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/jul/31/martial-arts-trained-woman-catches-molester-in-assam-hands-him-over-to-police-2338337.html)
A video of the woman, who is trained in martial arts, accosting the accused and forcing him to reveal his name has been widely circulated on social media.

Published: 31st July 2021 11:10 PM | Last Updated: 31st July 2021 11:10 PM | A+A A-
https://images.newindianexpress.com/uploads/user/imagelibrary/2018/9/19/w600X300/rape_PTI2zz.jpgBy PTI
GUWAHATI: A woman has drawn applause for her bravery and presence of mind as she caught a man who allegedly molested her on the pretext of asking direction for a place, and handed him over to the police in Guwahati.

The police on Saturday said that the incident took place in Rukmini Nagar locality under Dispur police station in the city and the accused was arrested.

A video of the woman, who is trained in martial arts, accosting the accused and forcing him to reveal his name and face before the camera has been widely circulated on social media since Friday evening.

She alleged that she was stopped by the accused, who was on a scooter, and asked her for directions of a place on Friday.

When the woman who is in her 20s said she was not aware of the location, he allegedly came further closer to the girl, pretending not to hear her, and suddenly touched her inappropriately.

"I was taken aback initially but after a brief moment, I reacted and caught hold of the back of his scooter as he tried to flee," she said.

She pushed the scooter into a drain on the side of the road and as a commotion was created, people gathered at the spot.

"I have received training in martial arts for self-defence. It helped me in this situation," she added.

The woman informed the police who reached the spot and took the accused into custody.

"The case will be brought to its logical conclusion & justice served. We are committed to the safety & security of our citizens," Guwahati police tweeted.

Here is Bhavana Kashyap's original post (on facebook). (https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2081774441964701&id=100003964960582&refsrc=deprecated&_rdr#_=_)

threads
Indian-women-counter-rape-with-martial-arts-training (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?65680-Indian-women-counter-rape-with-martial-arts-training)
Successful-Street-Applications (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49825-Successful-Street-Applications)