A Diminishing Line: Ruhani Kaur
© Ruhani Kaur
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Artist Statement: Feminist Activism & the Making of a Women’s Movement
Text by Gunjeet Sra
Zargar says that the momentum for activism had been building in this primarily non-political campus for a while. Students had taken to marching, effigy burning and other such forms of protest in the last couple of years, owing to the growing concerns over the clampdown of any kind of dissent. All of this would eventually come to a head with the CAA. On Dec. 11, there was a major march and women came out for the first time in large numbers, at night, defying their hostel “curfew.”
“Every movement has a moment of romanticism, and it was that moment for this movement – when women came out on the streets. This has never happened in the history of Jamia. Every time there are political discussions in the central canteen, there are only 1-2 women; mostly it is boys. But it is when you see women outnumbering the men, that is when the romantic movement happens,” she said.
The reason women are taking to the streets, she feels, is because the country has done great injustice to its women. “I feel this country has failed its women in so many things that women have lost faith in men. I mean, as a woman, I don’t feel I think (that) men are capable of running this country anymore. As long as there are more men than women making decisions, I feel the circumstances of this country are never going to improve. This is partially because of the gender imbalance while making these decisions. Women are more empathetic of others and are better at making certain decisions. You may call me an over-feminist, a radical feminist or all of that, but wherever women go, they can find order in chaos and history has shown this. That is why I feel, when women saw that they made certain decisions and they turned out good, that helped build their confidence to fight for more.” (above image: © Ruhani Kaur)
Zargar also said that one of the reasons why women are more reluctant to join politics is because they have to tolerate a lot. “I would say, the way a man is slandered, if a woman is slandered in the same way, the repercussions for both are wildly different. I feel that, as women, we are always told to be very protective of our character, (so) we will never go out and fight for it. In fact, we will always have to protect it from attack, so best not to say anything so that you don’t get attacked.”
When she initially started speaking up, she would often encourage other women to join and they would all be hesitant primarily because of how people talked about women in public spaces. The confidence that has come to the women in Jamia, and all over Delhi as well, has also been because of Pinjra Tod, a collective of women students and alumni of colleges from across Delhi, and its struggle in reclaiming public spaces. “The way that the Pinjra Tod women came out and stood as protectors of their male counterparts when the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, or a right-wing all India student organisation) hit them and challenged their narrative on their streets, gave women some legitimacy. Women realised that if they stand up to something, they will get there.”
The biggest problem for women now is the struggle to maintain peace between those who want to attack you and those who want to save you. This idea of protecting women also ends up snubbing them and shoving them into the back again.
“The most important thing here is the power given to women to make their own decisions,” Zargar said. “In the process of correcting them, you throw women on the fringes and do not let them make their own decisions. This is something that women have to face all their lives, starting from the small things in their homes – the subjects they need to choose, their professions and all the mansplaining that keeps happening to women all of their lives. I feel, we as women have also ingrained that, and we need to try to break through from these things, only then, I feel, will we be able to create gender-neutral spaces – not only in protests but in everyday life, including public spaces, the process for which has already started.”
>> Link to Exhibition: Ruhani Kaur
Artist Biography:
As a visual journalist, since 2002, Gender and Environment have been a recurring theme of exploration in Ruhani Kaur’s work. She was the recipient of the National Geographic Grant for her photo-essay "Intertwined Destinies" to cover the impact of COVID on women and their daughters.
India’s Invisible Women, a long form that explored how rampant sex selection effects our society, won her the ‘Days Japan International Photojournalism Award’. It was exhibited at The Daegu Photo Biennale and India Habitat Centre, published widely and used by UNFPA for its advocacy. She also was also part of a group exhibition and book; Transportraits: Women and Mobility in the city for Jagori and UNIFEM. Her photo- book for children,
The Grass Seeker’, published by Pratham Books and written by Uddalak Gupta, traces a journey of a Gaddi shepherd in the Himalayas and how climate change has affected their way of life. It was shortlisted in India's first Green Literature Festival (children's section) and made it to the Honours List of the Parag Initiative of Tata Trusts.
She currently works with national and international editorial and development clients. Prior to this, she was a Photo Editor at Open Magazine and a photojournalist with The Indian Express. When not photographing she can be found either behind a pottery wheel, in a cinema hall or off traveling.
>> Link to Exhibition: Ruhani Kaur