Hidden figures for women power

A Kerala girl, brought up in Delhi, she moved to the Ooru a year ago. Founder of Hidden Pockets, a community interest start-up that provides a platform for women to imagine their own version of inclusive spaces, and looks at cities from the perspective of marginalised communities’, Jasmine George is a passionate feminist and book lover. With an urge to visit less explored locations, this travel enthusiast is also an avid dance buff. Her startup is conducting a walk on New Year’s Eve opposite MG Road, where youngsters are coming together to walk and ensure that Bengaluru has a fun night.

A passionate feminist, who works tirelessly for the causes that matter greatly to her, Jasmine Lovely George is a TEDx speaker and lawyer who’s been discussing sexual and reproductive lives of young women in India at various national and international forums. Having founded a community interest start-up called the ‘Hidden Pockets’, she is also a member of RESURJ, an international alliance for feminists working on sexual and reproductive justice. 

As she looks back at her journey, Jasmine reveals that the reactions to the gruesome Nirbhaya incident greatly disappointed her. “Everyone wanted to talk about CCTV cameras and security, but I wanted to make the streets more accessible. For a woman to truly feel comfortable in a city, it’s necessary for communities to take care of her dreams and her health. I divert the focus from technology-driven solutions to more community-focused solutions to discuss safety and violence against women,” reveals Jasmine, who works mainly with people from marginalised communities like girls with disabilities and youngsters with HIV/AIDS. 

A Kerala girl, brought up in Delhi, Jasmine moved to the ooru a year ago as she felt that the tech community was strong here. She was awarded the Laadli Award for her story in a leading online women’s magazine on One Stop Crisis Centres in New Delhi. The girl who is an avid book lover, loves travelling off the beaten track.

The social side

Hidden Pockets aims to provide a platform for women to imagine their own version of more inclusive and safer spaces and also looks at cities from the marginalised communities’ perspective. Their aim is to create a city which is not just smart, but also reflects realities of people living in it. “We’re focusing heavily on public health infrastructure and holding them accountable, and providing people with affordable options. We use interactive technologies like audio podcasts and maps to discuss sexual and reproductive health in a positive way,” says Jasmine. Currently, Hidden Pockets is mapping around seven cities in India and looking at sexual and reproductive health facilities provided by the government and NGOs. “We also work with local service providers like the police, shelter homes and existing support systems,” says the social mind who loves dancing, and is proud of her twistful of moves.

The future is bright

Currently, Hidden Pockets has two ongoing projects including #pleasurepockets where people crowd source photos from regions and create positive stories about their area and tell each other that it’s safe and encourage more people to enjoy public places.

The second one is a campaign called makeyouricityinclusive, which tries to figure out the cities of India that are inclusive. “In 2018, we aim to enter Tier 2 cities. Gender and sexuality has to be included in the mainstream designing of smart cities and we want to do that with the help of young people, those from marginalised communities, techies, designers and anyone who wants to be a part of a happy city,” states Jasmine.