TISS Opens First Ever Gender-Neutral Hostel

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October 8, 2018

India has become the first-ever country to have a gender-neutral hostel.

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai’s Deonar has become the first campus in the country to have a gender-neutral hostel. This comes after the efforts by Queer Collective, an informal student body advocating a safe space for LGBTQ+ students.

In an interview with ANI, the cultural secretary of TISS student union and a resident of gender-neutral hostel, Akunth, expressed his happiness for having a gender-neutral hostel. He voiced his hope that other hostels would follow the move too and become the gender-neutral space. He also hoped that the move can bring about a great social change.

The first-year student at the institute said, “It’s just like any other hostel. It is a place for everyone, but without the dysphoria of being segregated along the lines of gender. It is a liberal space.”

So far at least 17 students have moved into the ground floor of the girls’ hostel, which has been marked as a gender-neutral space. The floor has 10 twin-seater rooms that will host transgender, or gender non-conforming students.

Akunth further, added that the gender-neutral washrooms are now also on campus.

Source: ANI

CSR: Challenges In Raising The Children Of Tomorrow

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Hency Thacker

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October 8, 2018

Children are the future of the country. The policies, reforms and acts that are passed today in the country, are the setting for these children to reap benefits and build upon them tomorrow. The dream of earning India its title of ‘Sone ki chidiya’ (the golden bird) will be fulfilled by the youth who are still children today. It is very crucial to ensure that these children are brought up to be ideal children who would be tolerant, respectful, hardworking, smart and honest.

India is still a patriarchal society. Women are expected to not pursue careers in many households. If women choose to work, it is assumed that they work for pleasure and would quit their jobs when they have family responsibilities or children. Even today, a child seeks the final approval from the father when they need permission to do anything.

Apart from this, there is a lot of caste and religion based rivalry in the country. Even if the rivalry is not too violent, there is a certain cold war among different communities. Two people from different communities dating each other is generally not accepted. Even when a person is minding his own business while performing a traditional ritual, he is considered a nuisance by other people.

India is far from being liberal with the LGBTQ community. The government has scrapped section 377 and decriminalised homosexual relationships. However, this has not changed the perception of society. There is still stigma around the concept.

The India of our dreams would not have all of these problems. It would be a place where everyone would be treated with respect, love and dignity. There will be tolerance towards every caste, religion and colour. There will be no gender stereotyping. When all of these issues will be taken care of, everyone will work with each other in harmony. This will build a strong economy, where the unemployment rate, malnutrition and illiteracy rate will be very low.

Children are easily influenced, especially by their parents and teachers. It is vital to ensure that they are subjected to correct circumstances, culture and lessons in order to ensure that they are growing up to be responsible citizens of tomorrow. The seed we sow today will reap its benefits tomorrow.

The kind of nurturing we give children today, will build the nation tomorrow.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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The CSR Journal Team

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Aligning SDGs with Business: A Comprehensive Approach

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Namita Vikas, Group President & Global Head, Climate Strategy & Responsible Banking, YES Bank

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October 6, 2018

2015 was a watershed year that witnessed 193 nations coming together to form a set of 17 “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) to address contemporary developmental challenges and ensure a sustainable future. These global goals have played a crucial role in charting out a roadmap for nations to re-align economic policies and financial systems to sustainably meet the growing needs of the growing population by 2030.

Transformative agent

Evident from the estimated financial requirement of USD 90 trillion by 2030, public finances alone would not be sufficient in achieving these global goals, requiring urgent and effective participation from private sector. While the state needs to continuously provide socio-economic stimuli, private sector has to play the role of transformative agent in realigning and re-orienting economy and fuelling sustainable growth. With an estimated SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) investment requirement of USD 960 billion annually, India has a pivotal role to play, as its success in achieving these goals would mean reaching the halfway mark.

While the crucial role of businesses in the achieving SDGs is evident, it is important to realize that dependence between SDGs and businesses is not unidirectional. SDGs are becoming increasingly relevant and critical for businesses from both a growth and continuity perspective.

New lens

By outlining the need and aspiration of society, SDGs provide businesses with a new lens to embed these into their business propositions and enhance value creation. Climate change, water and food crises, poverty, and poor healthcare, amongst other global and domestic challenges are creating a surge in the demand for scalable innovative business solutions and thus creating new opportunities for private sector. Around USD 3.1 trillion investment opportunities are emerging in India in six sectors alone till 2030 – green energy, green buildings, transport, waste management, urban water and climate-smart agriculture.

Investors are also increasingly becoming concerned with a company’s sustainability risk profile and are including ‘Environment, Social and Governance Criteria’ alongside financials for decision making. In response to this, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) arm India Index Services & Products Ltd (IISL) launched two indices — Nifty100 ESG Index and Nifty100 Enhanced ESG Index — to capture the environmental and social governance score of NIFTY 100 companies. On the other hand, consumer demand and preference for sustainable products and brands has also seen a steady rise over the years, emphasizing the need for companies to focus on sustainable business models.

Crucial points

Realizing the unfolding opportunities, some of the companies have started aligning their business strategies with SDGs. However, majority of businesses are yet to accelerate their efforts in this direction. With frameworks such as SDG compass, developed by UN Global Compact and Global Reporting Initiative and World Business Council for Sustainable Development, that enable and assist businesses in mapping and maximizing their contribution to individual, the ground work is set. However, in order to have a comprehensive approach for alignment with SDGs, there are some crucial points to be considered:

Target setting and Disclosures: A targeted approach towards re-calibrating and re-orienting businesses along with enhanced transparency and accountability is the need of the hour. These are quintessential for moving the needle in right direction and boost market confidence. Often it is said, ‘What gets measured, gets done’. We need to couple it with ‘What gets targeted, gets achieved’. This is why benchmarking, target setting and reporting are crucial for driving ambitions and commitment.
Holistic Risk Management: Integration of an effective “Environment and Social Risk Management System (ESRMS)” with Enterprise Risk Management is crucial. For an activity to be truly aligned with SDGs, contributing to one goal shall not adversely impact achievement others. While each business needs to prioritize relevant SDGs where they can have most impact, it is equally important to keep a check on and mitigate any inadvertent negative impact on other.
Strong Governance: A very strong buy in from top management is essential to drive the sustainability through every aspect of organization. In addition, allocation of adequate resources would be crucial in effectively re-aligning and implementing short, medium and long term strategies.
Culture: Developing a responsible culture within organizations is key to align the organization with SDGs at a micro level. Every employee and team need to work together in realization of the opportunities arising out of alignment with SDGs.
Stakeholders: For maximizing impacts, collaboration among upstream, in-stream and downstream is quintessential. Through creation of right alliances both internally and externally, the value creation at every stage of the supply chain can be enhanced exponentially.

SDGs and business objectives have strong interdependences, with one influencing and complementing other. While the private sector has an indispensable role to play in achieving SDGs, integrating these goals into their own business strategies is imperative for companies to achieve sustainable profitability and stay future ready.

Namita Vikas is Group President & Global Head, Climate Strategy & Responsible Banking at YES BANK. As the Chief Sustainability Officer of the Bank, she spearheads Sustainable Development and CSR, thus driving sustainability principles within its core operations and its value chain towards creating stakeholder value. Namita has an Advanced Management Degree in CSR and Leadership from the Swenska Institute, Sweden.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Thank you for reading the column until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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The CSR Journal Team

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UN Green Industry Conference opens in Thailand

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The CSR Journal

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October 5, 2018

The Fifth Green Industry Conference has opened in Bangkok with a strong focus on the opportunities green growth could yield for businesses and emerging economies.

Organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), together with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the support of Thailand’s Ministry of Industry, the three-day Conference will explore how the green industry can create jobs and economic opportunities to diversify the economy, while decreasing resource dependency and pollution.

In his opening remarks, UNIDO Director General Mr. LI Yong said the core mission of UNIDO in Thailand has never been more relevant, “UNIDO’s systems and approaches in support of inclusive and sustainable industrial development are fit for the future, and the growing commitment to expand UNIDO’s partnership with Thailand speaks for the trust placed in the Organisation.”

Officer in Charge of ESCAP Mr. Hongjoo Hahm underlined the importance of the circular economy in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Asia and the Pacific, where SDG indicators show remarkable progress on the economic and social fronts, but poor performance towards achieving the environmental targets.

“We must work together to address these environmental challenges, to meet mitigation measures, and to do better for life on earth, life below water, and for our future,” said Mr. Hahm. “Asia will still grow. We will still achieve our social objectives. But the food, water, energy nexus is not a convenient choice, it is an absolute necessity. The solution is regional cooperation, and pursuing a circular economy that must be driven in the next stage of our economic growth paradigm.”

Mr. Uttama Savanayana Minister of Industry, Thailand emphasised that Thailand has attached the highest priority to sustainable development. He said the government has stressed the importance of putting these principles into practice and highlighted several key green industry projects and programs currently underway, including green mining, productive eco-designs and eco-standards.

Over 400 participants will gather in Bangkok this week, including high-level government officials, representatives of the private sector, industry associations, academia and civil society to discuss how the concept of green industry helps countries achieve multiple development objectives in the context of the 2030 Agenda. Speakers from around the world will participate in sessions on the themes: green industrial policy, resource management and the circular economy, greening businesses and supply chains, clean technologies and innovative business models, and building green industry infrastructures of the future.

Held first in 2009, the Green Industry Conference is the premier global conference on green industry trends and practices organised every two years by UNIDO and partner organisations. Previous conferences were held in Ulsan, Republic of Korea (2016); Guangzhou, China (2013); Tokyo, Japan (2011); and Manila, Philippines (2009). The aim of the Conference is to scale-up and mainstream green industry policies, methods, and techniques throughout developing and transition-economy industries.

One of the key Conference features this year is an exhibition, which will run in parallel with the Conference, and will provide an opportunity for corporations, small and medium enterprises and academic institutions to showcase their knowledge, innovations and progress on various aspects of inclusive and sustainable industrialisation.

CSR: Oral Health Awareness In India

By

Hency Thacker

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October 5, 2018

Oral health is an indicator of overall health. Hence, it is very important to maintain oral hygiene. In India, ignorance is a major cause of poor oral health in the country. In fact, people visit dentists only in case of severe problem or crisis. This too is done after the age of 40. And later they do not opt for treatments for they feel that they are too expensive and prolonged.

According to the National Oral Health Program, 95 per cent of adults in India suffer from gum disease. 50 per cent of the citizens do not use toothbrush or toothpaste. 70 per cent of children under the age of 15 have dental caries.

Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) conducted a consumer attitudes survey in the country. It revealed that only 47 per cent of total dental treatments are received by dentists. Majority of the people suffering from dental problems prefer to take advice from chemists or general practitioners, or use home remedies. The survey has also revealed that only 28 per cent of people brushed their teeth twice a day. About 34 per cent people believed that brushing once a day was more than enough. About 65 per cent of people had no inkling that eating habits can cause dental problems.

According to the experts, gum disease is a bacterial infection. If not treated properly it starts affecting other organs of the body through the blood stream. People suffering from gum disease are more susceptible to coronary artery disease. Apart from this, poor oral health is also a sign of diabetes.

According to World Health Organisation, brushing twice a day using fluoride tooth paste, changing the tooth brush every three months, avoiding use of tobacco, maintaining balanced and healthy diet, reducing sugar intake, flossing once a day and scheduling regular dental checkups are some of the tips to maintain good oral health. Apart from this, research has shown that chewing a sugar free gum for 20 minutes after eating can help reduce tooth decay by 40 per cent.

Healthcare is a major concern in the country today. And oral healthcare is a huge part of it. It is only wise to maintain the required oral hygiene in order to ensure a healthy mouth which will also help in maintaining health and hygiene in the other parts of the body.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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The Third Gender (Trans In India)

By

Kasmin Fernandes

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October 5, 2018

The transgender community has been assimilated into Indian society as hijras, long before transgender people started finding acceptance in the rest of the world. In April 2014, the Supreme Court made it official by recognizing hijra and transgender, eunuchs, intersex people as a ‘third gender’ by law. The nation’s association with the community has ancient roots.

Hijras traditionally earn their living by collecting alms and performing at weddings, births and festivals. The central feature of their culture is their devotion to Bahuchara Mata, one of the many Mother Goddesses worshipped all over India, for whom emasculation is carried out. This identification with the Mother Goddess is the source both of the hijras’ claim for their special place in Indian society and the traditional belief in their power to curse or confer blessings on male infants.

Seven ‘houses’, or subgroups, comprise the hijra community; each of these has a guru or leader. The houses have equal status, but one, Laskarwallah, has the special function of mediating disputes which arise among the others. Hijra houses appear to be patterned after the gharanas or family lineages among classical musicians.

Hijras make no distinctions within their community based on caste origin or religion. In Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh and Bengaluru, hijras of Muslim, Christian, and Hindu origin live in the same houses. In addition to the hierarchical guru–chela relationship, there is a kinship by which hijras relate to each other. Rituals exists for ‘taking a daughter’. The ‘daughters’ of one ‘mother’ consider themselves ‘sisters’ and relate to each other on an affectionate basis.

A commonly told story among hijras, which conceptualizes them as a separate, third gender, connects them to the Ramayana. When Ram was leaving Ayodhya to go into the forest for 14 years, the whole city followed him. As Ram came to the edge of the forest, he turned to the people and said: ‘Ladies and gents, please wipe your tears and go away.’ But the people who were not men and not women did not know what to do. So they stayed there. They remained there for 14 years and snake hills grew around them. When Ram returned from Lanka, he found many snake hills. He removed them and found many people with long beards and long nails, all meditating. Ram blessed these people. That is why hijras are respected in Ayodhya.

If, in Indian reality, the impotent male is considered useless as a man because he is unable to procreate, in Indian mythology, impotence can be transformed into generativity through the ideal of tapasya, or the practice of asceticism. Tapas, the power that results from ascetic practices and sexual abstinence, becomes an essential feature in the process of creation.

Ascetics appear throughout mythology in procreative roles. In one version of the creation myth, Shiva carries out an extreme, but legitimate form of tapasya, that of self-castration. Because the act of creation he was about to undertake had already been accomplished by Brahma, Shiva breaks off his linga (phallus), saying, ‘There is no use for this linga,’ and throws it into the earth. His act results in the fertility cult of lingaworship, which expresses the paradoxical theme of creative asceticism. This theme provides one explanation of the positive role given to transgender people in Indian society.

Born intersexed, hijras can, through the emasculation operation, transform their liability into a source of creative power which enables them to confer blessings of fertility on others. The link between the theme of creative asceticism and the role and power of the hijras is explicitly articulated in the myths connecting them to their major point of religious identification – their worship of Bahuchara Mata, and her requirement that they undergo emasculation.

Bahuchara was a pretty, young maiden in a party of travellers passing through the forest in Gujarat. The party was attacked by thieves, and, fearing they would outrage her modesty, Bahuchara drew her dagger and cut off her breast, offering it to the outlaws in place of her body. This act, and her ensuing death, led to Bahuchara’s deification and the practice of self-mutilation and sexual abstinence by her devotees to secure her favour.

This connection derives special significance from the story of King Baria of Gujarat. Baria was a devout follower of Goddess Bahuchara, but was unhappy because he had no son. Through the goddess’ favour a son, Jetho, was born to him. The son, however, was impotent. The King, out of respect to the goddess, set him apart for her service. Bahuchara appeared to Jetho in a dream and told him to cut off his genitalia and dress himself as a woman, which he did. This practice has been followed by all who join the hijras.

One origin myth is the story of Arjuna’s exile. He lived incognito for one year as part of the price he must pay for losing a game of dice. Arjuna decided to hide himself in the guise of a eunuch-transvestite, wearing bangles braiding his hair like a woman, clothing himself in female attire, and serving the ladies of the King’s court.

Hijras understand that their ‘other-worldliness’ brings them respect in society, and that if they do not live up to these ideals, they will damage that respect. But just as Hindu mythology contains many stories of ascetics who renounce desire but nevertheless are led astray by desire, so, too, the third gender experiences the tension between their religious, ascetic, ideal community and the reality of the individual human’s desire and sensuality.

This piece is part of a series on the LGBTQ movement in India.

The Menace of Smartphones

By

Hency Thacker

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October 4, 2018

Smartphones have taken the world by storm. There are already more smartphones in the world than there are people. The obsession of having a smartphone, and network to be able to operate it, is astonishing. Every individual today who owns a smartphone is desperate to find network. It is true that human beings made these devices. But it is almost as if once this device is owned by someone, it takes over their life and starts owning them.

Excessive use of smartphones can take a serious toll mental and physical health. The radiation released from the device can cause problems to the heart, brain, eyes, ears and skin too. According to a study, excessive blue light can accelerate the oxidation process, causing hyper-pigmentation. Experts say the oxidative effect causes inflammation and ruins the skin barrier, making it more prone to pigmentation, increased uneven skin tone, signs of ageing, fine lines and wrinkles.

Apart from this, constant use of smartphones harms the posture. More than the physical harm, the mental harm they cause is alarming. According to a study, people who use smartphones in bed are more likely to develop insomnia, making them more susceptible to depression. The infamous Blue Whale game which killed hundreds of children and adolescents influenced their minds through mobiles.

Smartphones with their apps, games and videos which could be harmful, have the power to influence more people than any other device. We are aware of most of these effects, yet imagining a day without the smartphone is scary for most of us.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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Canon India organises a cleanliness drive

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The CSR Journal

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October 4, 2018

Canon India announced a slew of initiatives, as part of its umbrella CSR programme ‘Canon India Involve’. As part of the initiative, the innovation leader has installed eco-friendly dustbins in the school premises of all its four adopted villages. Further, it also conducted a cleanliness drive in one of the adopted villages – Maheshwari village, located in the Rewari district of Haryana. The initiative witnessed active participation from 10 employees of the company, wherein they took up the responsibility of cleaning up the village roads. The organisation’s CSR endeavours are driven by their corporate philosophy of ‘Kyosei’, which means spirit of living and working together for the common good.

Canon employees across the country, frequently engage with residents in the adopted and SOS homes as part of CSR initiatives, expanding their social trajectory. The organisation has three more adopted villages presently under its flagship CSR initiative – ‘Adopt a Village’. These include Village Maheshwari in Haryana, Karanjoti Village in Mumbai and Sol Gohalia in Kolkata.

Siyahi announces the second edition of the Woman Up! Summit

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The CSR Journal

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October 4, 2018

Siyahi, a literary agency, is all set to host the second edition of the ‘Woman Up! Summit at Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur on October 27-28. Organized by an all-woman team under the leadership of Siyahi’s prolific Founder – Mita Kapur, Woman Up! is an inclusive platform that looks at the Women’s Movement through the lens of socio-economic and cultural development.

The Summit was born out of an idea to create a conversation around the need for women to gain financial independence as the only viable means for empowerment. This idea also led to the birth of the campaign #WomenAtWork that focuses on inspiring organizations to not only increase the number of women in the workforce but also ensuring the re-integration and re-employment of women after sabbaticals they often need to take because of societal pressures and family commitments.

Like the previous edition, this year too, the Summit will be driven by conversations, personal narratives and an exchange of ideas amongst women (and men!) to bring about real-time, visible changes to the modern Indian ‘workforce’. There will be workshops and mentoring sessions that will dovetail with the existing #WomenAtWork initiative and help the attendees gain knowledge and hopefully, the first step to financial independence.

The 2018 Summit is set to see trailblazers talk not just about their stories, but also unique, often unheard narratives of women, across class and caste barriers, who stepped out and helped not just redefine and reshape their lives but also those of others within their communities.

Some of the speakers for the summit include

Aakriti Periwal – educationist;

Aanya Soni – the youngest Indian to have gone to Antarctica for the 2041 Expedition with Robert Swan;

Aditi Goyal – PR and Digital Marketing Expert;

Ajaita Shah – Founder and CEO of Frontier Markets, and Frontier Innovations Foundation;

Aparna Jain – author of Own It: Leadership Lessons from Women Who Do and Like a Girl: Real Stories for Tough Kids, leadership coach;

Ashwin Mohan – Founder, Lightning Fist Karate; Dolly Singh – plus size yoga practitioner;

Kalpana Bilwaal and Kalpana Palat – members of Jeevan Ashram Sanstha;

Kaveri Lalchand – CEO, K Clothing; Major Dr Meeta Singh – Chairperson of Dignity of Girl Child Foundation;

Manju Devi Yadav – the first female coolie of entire Northwestern railways region;

Nirmala Kumari and Suman Kumari – Women Patrolling Unit;

Nirupa Rao – Botanical Illustrator;

Radhika Sharma – Director, Jeevan Ashram Sanstha;

Shilpa Sharma – Co-founder, Head of Curation & Retail, Jaypore;

Shreyasi Goenka- co-director of Saat Saath Arts Foundation;

Tejaswini Gautam – Deputy Commissioner of Police (HQ), Jaipur Commissionerate, IPS.

WHEN: October 27-28

WHERE: Jaipur

ZICOM Signs Agreement with JanaJal to Provide Security for Over 2000 Water ATMs

By

The CSR Journal

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October 4, 2018

Zicom Electronic Security Systems has partnered with JanaJal, India’s premier water services company to offer its specialized security-based solutions for 2000 or more water ATMs to be commissioned across the country in the next 2 years.

JanaJal particularly targets high-density areas to address the concern inaccessibility of safe drinking water for the majority of the masses. ZICOM aims to support this noble mission of JanaJal by monitoring these water ATMs in the real-time and keeping them safe from all kinds of vandalism or theft through their futuristic AI technology-based security solutions that include Wireless CCTV Cameras with a built-in panel connected to a magnetic door sensor.

ZICOM will also install Low Energy Bluetooth enabled access control for keyless entry to every water ATM. This system will also include a Biometric based Time & Attendance Device making it easier to monitor and manage various clusters of water ATMs across the country.

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