A workshop on “Gender Awareness and Gender Sensitization” was organised by the Central University of Orissa (CUO), Koraput on August 4 under the auspices of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the University.
Prof Sanjukta Dasgupta, distinguished academic and former Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Calcutta, delivered a special lecture entitled ‘Women’s identity in changing times’. Vice-Chancellor Prof Sachidananda Mohanty inaugurated the workshop and delivered the inaugural address. Chairperson of ICC, CUO, Dr Minati Sahoo welcomed the gathering and underlined the importance of the event.
Reading out two passages of his latest path breaking book, The lost World of Sarala Devi, Prof Mohanty underlined the plight of women and lack of space for figures like Sarala Devi, Rama Devi, Kuntala Kumari Devi in the public domain.
Prof Sanjukta Dasgupta in her speech talked about the patriarchal system that internalizes discrimination against women.
She stressed the need for interrogation. She exposed the hypocrisy of defeminization and the politics of female subjugation by commenting critically on various false social practices and spoke on the challenges women faced in education and voting rights in the past. Citing texts like Henrik Ibsens A Doll’s House, Tagore’s The Wife’s letter and Ashapurna Devi’s Prothom Protishruti Prof Dasgupta commented on woman’s changing self perception from a ‘desirable object to a desiring subject’.
The event ended with a vibrant question-answer session participated by teachers, research scholars and students of CUO. Dr Sagarika Mishra, lecturer in sociology and ICC member, proposed the vote of thanks. Students and faculty members of the university were present in large numbers.