‘Orange the World’ against gender discrimination
The Hindu
Campaign to put an end to crime against women, children
The Women and Child Development Department on Thursday launched its ‘Orange the World’ campaign against atrocities against women and children and gender discrimination.
Launched in conjunction with the ‘Orange the World’ campaign spearheaded globally by the United Nations, the observance of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Thursday marked its start. It will continue for 16 days till the Human Rights Day on December 10.
In a statement, Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George lamented the spate of atrocities meted out against women in the State which prided itself in being highly literate and socially conscious. Such tendencies were unbecoming of a civilised society.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.