Insightful gender training
These Monday and Tuesday were fruitfully spent at the training programme conducted by the training division of CSR. The event was meant for the representatives from CSR’s offices at the development sights in Kanpur and Varanassi (both Uttar Pradesh). Yet, the whole CSR team was emphatically invited to join. And the invitation was surely worth it.
Our training division specializes on gender-sensitizing workshops. This one focused on gender mainstreaming, i.e. putting gender perspective on the head of the development projects.
Yet, for me the number of the gender insights I got was outnumbered by the amount of linguistic ones. The latter naturally came once I realized that the promised mixture of English and Hindi means nothing but having some powerpoint slides to supports the talk conducted in Hindi. I prepared to be a passive observer, yet nothing of that sort happened …While consisting of some lecture-style sessions the training included a large amount of participatory elements - case studies, group- and individual exercises – that assumed active involvement. And surprisingly I was… yes, actively involved… commenting, building up, adding on….. And I really appreciate the effort of all those trainers who tried to be inclusive.
At the lecture-type sessions (Hindi-Hindi) I tried to listen and that way picked many words (at times even guessing the meaning, but more often – hassling Piyali for the translations or explanations). At some point I realized that I am listening as attentively as I would do if the training had been conducted in English. Some girls commented on that to me in the break and I recalled my teachers at school and universities who used to point out the same. I realized that attentive listening is not only about comprehending the messages conveyed, but also to a large extent about establishing emotional contact with a speaker, being it a friendly chat or at a public lecture. By listening and giving your attention you show you are interested and involved, you respect and care. And that cannot pass unnoticed by the speaker for whom your attention comes as a great support. Attentive listening is very rewarding for both.
In fact, in some Hindi sessions I just gave up and let my mind float - was a great way to get brilliant ideas completely unrelated to the training issues: believe it or not, some of my life dilemmas got resolved without tension. They say when relaxed you are truly creative. I noticed, at the events like this I get so much of mental stimulation that ideas related and often unrelated to the topic of the occasion just pour out on me. I catch myself filling in the flyleaves of my notepad with the to-do’s and to-think’s….
The training was held at Indian Social Institute, a sort of typical Soviet research institution looking venue. Essentially the institution works with human rights and issues a monthly journal on the same. This used to be heavily subsidized, but, as one can make out by the decaying look of the venue, - not any more at present. Basically, the place is surviving by renting out its abundant capacities for low-budget events like ours or mass ones as the job interviews run by companies such as Infosys (IT and business consulting services; one of the most wanted Indian employers). Toilets are provided with liquid soap that, however, substantially mixed with water. I wonder who benchmarked whom – Soviet Railways or Indian research institutions... In the buffet they sell chai for 3.5 Rs, and samosas for 7 Rs. The menu is set up in plastic stencil letters on a big black board just above the counter, which indicates how viable the hopes for variety may be. The lunched was served in the canteen at the hostel of the same institute. The reception of the hostel has all the Soviet attributes: a mid-aged, not really happy with life lady, a wooden board with big keys on the massive trinkets, bedding arriving right to and distributed right from the reception. Here we get the coupons for the unpretentious lunch we were having at the unpretentious tables….
A little bit strange to find yourself in such settings after pompous WPC convention conducted a week ago at five-star Ashoka hotel at Chanakyapuri. Yet, the venue of Indian Social Institute seems more appropriate for activities arranged by an NGO. Appropriate does not mean more comfortable, but rather more feasible. Ironically the building of Indian Social Institute overlooks IHC – Indian Habitat Centre, located right nearby. The latter is a huge complex of accommodation, dining (at Eutopia food court for 2 samosas priced at 25 Rs), working (e.g., International Labor Organization is located here) and exhibition facilities. IHC is a well renown venue for the development-related activities. It is still a full mystery to me, however, how posh place and assumingly non-profit activities can go together. Probably, watery soap and seven-rupee samosas are not the greatest things to enjoy in this life, but they serve the purpose – development one – and do not sow the seeds of doubt regarding the commitment to the cause.
Our training division specializes on gender-sensitizing workshops. This one focused on gender mainstreaming, i.e. putting gender perspective on the head of the development projects.
Yet, for me the number of the gender insights I got was outnumbered by the amount of linguistic ones. The latter naturally came once I realized that the promised mixture of English and Hindi means nothing but having some powerpoint slides to supports the talk conducted in Hindi. I prepared to be a passive observer, yet nothing of that sort happened …While consisting of some lecture-style sessions the training included a large amount of participatory elements - case studies, group- and individual exercises – that assumed active involvement. And surprisingly I was… yes, actively involved… commenting, building up, adding on….. And I really appreciate the effort of all those trainers who tried to be inclusive.
At the lecture-type sessions (Hindi-Hindi) I tried to listen and that way picked many words (at times even guessing the meaning, but more often – hassling Piyali for the translations or explanations). At some point I realized that I am listening as attentively as I would do if the training had been conducted in English. Some girls commented on that to me in the break and I recalled my teachers at school and universities who used to point out the same. I realized that attentive listening is not only about comprehending the messages conveyed, but also to a large extent about establishing emotional contact with a speaker, being it a friendly chat or at a public lecture. By listening and giving your attention you show you are interested and involved, you respect and care. And that cannot pass unnoticed by the speaker for whom your attention comes as a great support. Attentive listening is very rewarding for both.
In fact, in some Hindi sessions I just gave up and let my mind float - was a great way to get brilliant ideas completely unrelated to the training issues: believe it or not, some of my life dilemmas got resolved without tension. They say when relaxed you are truly creative. I noticed, at the events like this I get so much of mental stimulation that ideas related and often unrelated to the topic of the occasion just pour out on me. I catch myself filling in the flyleaves of my notepad with the to-do’s and to-think’s….
The training was held at Indian Social Institute, a sort of typical Soviet research institution looking venue. Essentially the institution works with human rights and issues a monthly journal on the same. This used to be heavily subsidized, but, as one can make out by the decaying look of the venue, - not any more at present. Basically, the place is surviving by renting out its abundant capacities for low-budget events like ours or mass ones as the job interviews run by companies such as Infosys (IT and business consulting services; one of the most wanted Indian employers). Toilets are provided with liquid soap that, however, substantially mixed with water. I wonder who benchmarked whom – Soviet Railways or Indian research institutions... In the buffet they sell chai for 3.5 Rs, and samosas for 7 Rs. The menu is set up in plastic stencil letters on a big black board just above the counter, which indicates how viable the hopes for variety may be. The lunched was served in the canteen at the hostel of the same institute. The reception of the hostel has all the Soviet attributes: a mid-aged, not really happy with life lady, a wooden board with big keys on the massive trinkets, bedding arriving right to and distributed right from the reception. Here we get the coupons for the unpretentious lunch we were having at the unpretentious tables….
A little bit strange to find yourself in such settings after pompous WPC convention conducted a week ago at five-star Ashoka hotel at Chanakyapuri. Yet, the venue of Indian Social Institute seems more appropriate for activities arranged by an NGO. Appropriate does not mean more comfortable, but rather more feasible. Ironically the building of Indian Social Institute overlooks IHC – Indian Habitat Centre, located right nearby. The latter is a huge complex of accommodation, dining (at Eutopia food court for 2 samosas priced at 25 Rs), working (e.g., International Labor Organization is located here) and exhibition facilities. IHC is a well renown venue for the development-related activities. It is still a full mystery to me, however, how posh place and assumingly non-profit activities can go together. Probably, watery soap and seven-rupee samosas are not the greatest things to enjoy in this life, but they serve the purpose – development one – and do not sow the seeds of doubt regarding the commitment to the cause.
posted by Olga Tikhonova | 3:37 pm
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