Blogs

For many of us, marriage is simply a matter of karmic destiny.  As we enter our teens, we start hearing talks about our eventual marital fate, when we should still be exploring ourselves and our individualities. Many enter matrimony without even knowing what it entails. By Manisha Massey

In life, a person experiences several firsts. Whether it is the first time you are riding a bike, a first kiss, or a first car. People are constantly exposed to new experiences. My most recent first time endeavor has been that of working in a feminist organization called Feminist Approach to Technology. By Lokesh Chawla

When I hear their stories of everyday struggle—getting up at 4 am, cooking for the entire family, struggle to go to schools and managing to just pass—and yet having the fire in them to become independent and confident souls, I feel extremely proud to be a part of an organization that is working relentlessly in building young, feminist leaders. By Faiza Mehar

“So, where are you interning?”

“This organization called Feminist Approach to Technology. I think it is simply brilliant! It believes that women should get a voice in the society by getting access to technological means. So that’s what they do! They introduce these young history makers, who do not necessarily have access to basic technology, to computers, photography and film making. I think this is such a fun way for girls to learn about themselves as women in India!”

A blog post by Manisha Massey, an intern at FAT

There has been a significant change in my life in the last three and a half years. Though I have been fighting against socially repressive structures since a young age, I understood their true meaning and the correct terms only after joining FAT. I began my journey here in Delhi at the Tech Center and today, I am so proud to be taking all my learning and the model to a different space. By Asha Tiwari

I was quite excited about today’s workshop. I knew the topic of today’s session but I did not know how exactly it would shape to be as everyone has a different style of teaching and explaining things. I was happy beforehand because the workshop was on a topic that I am interested in and is close to my heart and I was curious to know more about it. Today’s workshop was on documentary filmmaking and how to use a camera’s lens to tell stories in different ways

I have been engaged in working on my fellowship at FAT that combines my learning here and my passion and interest in theatre. I am working on using street play as a medium to illustrate gender discrimination in our society and how feminism can be a way of countering patriarchal oppression. I hope to engage in efficient community work as part of this six-month fellowship that I began working on this month. Though there are several problems I face while on the field, I am happy with the smooth manner in which I am progressing. My work requires me to multitask constantly—talking to people and participants, explaining the objective of my fellowship, generating awareness and curiosity in them regarding this.

Patriarchy was created to safeguard the private property. It all started with this statement. A seven-day venture into the roots of society, the hows and whys of its beahviour.  A reflection on the youth of our country, their rights and the knowledge of sexuality. In a nut shell, this is the crux of what I learned as part of ‘Yuva, Yaunikta and Adhikar’ course organised by Nirantar from October 8 and 14. In a room full of experienced people from “the field”, I was an amateur novice, trying to understand the linkage between various concepts and their application in everyday life. 

I recently met Shabnam, one of the girls who was associated with our Tech Center a couple of years ago. After having the pleasure of teaching her then, I was curious to know about her life now and what she has been up to since she left FAT. As a student at Tech Center, I recall her to be a fast learner, a friendly person and someone with a lot of repressed anger. A fighter at heart with a resilient spirit, Shabnam was the kind of person who fought for everything—at home, in the school, with her relatives. But, when she faced something in the public space, handling street harassment, for instance, she used to get scared. 

It would not be an exaggeration to state that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are spaces shaped dominantly by men and the conventional masculinity that they bring. Unfortunately, this is not just a figment of imagination but a fact when one sees the spaces of scientific and technological education, innovation, creation and use. The disparity is neither a recent development nor an issue that has been tackled effectively. Feminist Approach to Technology (FAT) is an organization that is challenging the exclusionary attitude of these spaces and is illustrating through its work that women are as capable in STEM fields as men, if not more.