Vikasini at Women's Christian College

• An outreach program for uplifting the economically backward women of our immediate environment.
• Vikasini conducts evening classes at the College premises for the slum women and children

Preamble and creation of the cell

Women's Christian College started 'Vikasini', its 'Adult Literacy and Women's Education Centre', to bring out the surrounding slum dwelling women and girls to the light of basis education from the darkness of illiteracy. This was well in tune with its motto of spreading education among women in the society it had started with the founder Secretory Miss. Stella Bose and the Principal Miss. Nirajbasini Shome. The College itself though principally educates the teenage girls, its 'Vikashini' cell tried to seek a different goal by imparting literacy and basic education among economically weaker women of the surrounding slums.

'Vikasini' was opened at Women's Christian College in 1990. The project was primarily inspired and financially sponsored by AIACHE (All India Association for Christian Higher Education's Centre for Women's Development). It was inaugurated on 17th September 1990. Classes started off on 14th November 1990, which happened to be the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Neheru. Twenty to thirty women within age group from 25-30 years came from the surrounding slums to join their first evening class between 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. held thrice a week at the College premises. They were taught by the student teachers of the College who were supervised by a teaching staff of the College. Books, slates, pencils and exercise books were given to the students free of cost. The course of study was completed at the end of the year with the prize giving ceremony. Mrs. Leena Chatterjee was the first Teacher-in-charge of this women's cell.

About the Women's Cell

The cell is to be viewed as an instrument for academic and social development.

1. Women and men are to understand, recognise the roles palyed by women in the society.
2. To promote better understanding of processes of social, technological and environmental changes.
3. To investigate the courses of gender disparity in the social and also in the workforce.
4. To empower women in their struggle against inequality and to make invisible women visible.
5. To develop alternative concepts, approaches and strategies for development of women.

Aims and Objectives

To change the present attitude and values in society regarding women's roles and rights - so that there is equal participation in all social, economic and political processes and international development.

To promote awareness among women and to utilize women's full potential and resources for national development.

To counter reactionary forces which strive to demote the position of women in the society.

Interaction between different disciplines with women's studies to draw a curriculum to inculcate new methods in teaching, research and extension sectors.

Doing this would thus mean a better understanding of problems of women at grass root levels, a closer contact between institutions of higher education and action oriented groups.

ACTIVITIES OF VIKASINI

• It promotes non-formal and functional education
• It raises social , legal and political awareness
• It provides basic knowledge of hygiene and cleanliness
• It gives publicity to women's problems and situation through media.
• It works closely with NGOs to change the present attitude and values in society regarding women's roles and rights.
• It propagates its issues through extracurricular activities like songs, dances and recitation.
• It imparts self-defence training.

SEMINARS, DISCUSSIONS, WORKSHOPS

Besides the direct touch through classroom teaching Vikasini regularly holds a number of seminars, discussions, workshops etc. in the College premises for enrichment and to exchange views and ideas between students, teachers and resource persons from divergent disciplines. These happen mostly in occasions relevant to women’s education in India. The enrichment obtained is readily and regularly percolated to these down to earth people. The following is given the list of these events along with some reports obtained from some of the resource persons present in the seminars.

Even after AIACHE had discontinued their financial support since 2002 our zeal and endeavour to continue education amongst the poorer section of the society and that too for the benefit of the weaker and backward women sector of our immediate college environment could not be stopped. Decision was taken immediately by the Students’ Union of the College following an appeal from the College Secretary Miss Aloka Ahmed and then Teacher-in-charge Smt. Dora Arpana Mondal and Assistant Professor-in-charge of the Students’ Union Dr. Manisha Deb Sarkar and also from the Vikasini Convener Dr. Promila Bhattacharyya, to continue this noble task by contributing Re. 1/- by each student per month to pursue the learning of these slum dwelling women which is still continuing till the present day.

In spite of the commercialism of education today, the effort of the college students to raise fund to teach and inspire underprivileged female youngsters of the society deserves a whole-hearted appreciation. The students have proved that one needs to posses two things in today’s world – (i) an open mind that understands the harsh realities of our less fortunate ones and (ii) a generous heart to commit oneself for the upliftment of our society.

The College is proud of the fact that the students of Women’s Christian College practice what others mostly preach. Students believe that in the context of social change there is a greater responsibility on the part of an educational institution. The venture, a runaway success is now being implemented entirely by the Students’ Union of the College. The College Hostel students take it upon themselves to spend their evenings with the deprived lot.

The project makes a better person out of not just the underprivileged beneficiaries but also the students. Nothing can be more educative and enlightening than the flight to hope from the pits of despair.