Pondicherry uses colour to break gender wall

Puducherry: Students of Pondicherry Central University presented a colourful event to mark International Women’s Day to endorse women empowerment and create awareness about their rights.

Based on the theme ‘Be Bold for Change’, students settled down at different places inside the campus to form a “creative wall” to raise awareness on international women’s day.

Premised on the visionary potential of art, the stories that underlie featured artwork helped viewers feel and understand the essence of the problem of violence against women.

Students exhibited their talent through paintings drawings and poems on gender-based violence in the event organised by Students Federation of India. Jazila Lulu, who painted on the event, said on Woman’s Day girls must stand up for themselves and speak for their rights.

“Stop violence against woman’ should not be the only topic we should discuss on this Woman’s Day. We want women to stand up, raise their voice and live with pride and respect. My painting is based on this theme, a girl should value herself first and rest will follow. I am depicting her plight, struggle through my art,” said Ms Lulu, a member of Pondicherry University Students Council.

“The range of gender-based violence is devastating, occurring, quite literally, from womb to tomb. Most of the art work here is based on the violence against woman, which shows the intensity of this issue. This creative wall, bringing much needed attention to the violence experienced by women world-wide,” said Sreejith Unni, one of the organizers of the programme.

Art can indeed be a powerful medium and agent for change towards betterment of society as a whole, he added. The themes paintings in the wall include gang rape, child abuse, and workplace harassment, However, there include works based on themes  such as the beauty of life and power of woman  who seeks to fly away from her burdens and ends with “hope.”