26.2.08

Blank Noise meets in your city!


Blank Noise members will be meeting on the following days.
Be there!
Please feel free to bring along, friends, cousins, aunts- anyone interested.


To participate and be a Blank Noise Action Hero-email in, right away!

We meet at:

Chennai: March 1. 4 pm. sat. Cafe Coffee Day..near Ispahani Centre, Nungambakkam. For some views/ thoughts from Blank Noise chennai blogger read here


Mumbai: Feb 29. 6 pm. friday. Just Around the Corner- Bandra + March 1 Saturday 4 pm- Cafe Mocha. Lokhandwala


Bangalore:
feb 27. 6 pm. wednesday. India coffee house- MG road + sunday 2nd Feb, 5 pm India Coffee House


Pune:
March 1 , Saturday, Cafe Coffee Day on East Street


Patna:
March 1 , Saturday. 4:00 p.m. at the campus of Chanakya National Law University, by the Ganges river bank.


Delhi: March 1. saturday. 5 pm. India Habitat Centre. Amphitheatre- by the steps.



Kolkata:
Feb 29. Friday. 6 pm .T 3- Park Street


Hyderabad: March 1. Saturday. 4 45 pm.
KBR PARK .( LV Prasad Eye Institute or opp to TDP Office)


Chandigarh:March 1 Saturday

You could organize a meet in your city. This meeting is towards the next Blank Noise event- March 8, where we intend to do one action simultaneously across the country. If a small bunch of you( no.s ranging from 2-5 individuals would like to participate from a city that has not been mentioned in the list above drop in an email- and let's meet in your city.

we- thank- you

23.2.08

8 th March. Call for Blank Noise Action Heroes!


In true Blank Noise spirit , we invite you to participate , join us for the next street action on March 8th and be the Blank Noise Action Hero! This intervention will occur across cities in India- whether you're one person in your city or 100- join in- and build the spirit!

A Blank Noise public intervention requires people to sign up and volunteer. It can be fun, challenging and exciting! So hurry! Write in now, with your city name and we will add you to the list below.

Event details will be 'revealed' to those who write in. It's no fun to spell it out now! Bring your friends and family along. Experience it.

Venue for event will be finalized only with your permission/ participation.

Who is an Action Hero?

An action hero's reaction is not an emotional outburst, but infact a strategy/ a plan/ a choreography. An Action Hero knows how to judge a situation. An Action Hero chooses to confront or not to confront, but at no point ignores/ avoids the problem. Are you one?
Would you like to be an ACTION HERO?

to know about Blank Noise Action Heroes see the following links
1
or 2
or 3



Volunteer names:

Delhi: Abby, Ritambhara, Pooja, Ambika, ChandraShekhar Bhattacharya, Jasmeen

Mumbai: Nisha, Pawan, Sanjana, Aparna, Varsha,

Kolkata: Sunayana, Saptarshi, Poorna Banerjee, Poushali,

Bangalore: Romal, Payal, Hemangini, Amrutha, Ratna,

Chandigarh:

Guwahati:

Patna: Kiran, Parul, Mandavi, Ruchika, Sagorika, Chirantani, Shradha.

Pune: Unmana

Chennai:

Hyderabad

Jaipur:

Lucknow:
Aniket

Your city:- any one/ any city

18.2.08

REACTIONS

How have you felt every time you ignored a stranger's eyes stripping you naked?

How often have you been a mute witness or spectator to street sexual violence?

How often have you whistled, passed remarks, leched, intimidated a female stranger, just for 'fun'?



By sharing testimonials of participating bloggers and members archived at the Blank Noise blog I am not speaking of poor 'victims' and outsiders as a minority. Every woman, girl, young or elderly, from any socio economic background, any skin colour, any body type, 'pretty', 'fair', 'fat', 'ugly', 'slutty', 'modest', 'bitchy', 'smart', 'over-smart', 'shy', 'scared', 'bold' has experienced it. She could be walking alone, in a group, with her parents. It could be 6 am, 7 am, 9 am, 12 noon, 4 pm, 8 pm, 10 pm, and it could happen in your neighbourhood, right outside your house, in the outskirts of town, in the heart of the city. She could be dressed in a salwar kameez, a school uniform, a sari, a pair of jeans and still experience it. Blank Noise clothes campaign " I did not ask for it" has been receiving clothes worn by women at the time of sexual violence. Each sender is taking a stand when she sends in the garment- she says, ' I did not 'ask for it'.

As much as incidents of sexual violence that shock and make news call for an alert alarm, one cannot deny the fact that sexual violation on the streets takes place ever single day by almost every woman in a variety of different forms. It is accepted and normalized because it is 'expected'.

How does the public react to reported incidents of streets sexual violence/ 'eve teasing?' Does this mean more rules for the average Indian male's wife? daughter? sister? Or does this information manifest itself in the financially secure/ independent women incubating themselves in private transport, paying an extra fee per month to block unwanted phone stalkers, carrying pepper spray in bags, mobile phones and being on hyper alert each time they leave home?

Is the public ready to see women as autonomous citizens that can access public space, unapologetically? While I understand and am framed in the cultural construct of being someone's daughter, sister etc I also choose to see myself as a citizen, as a member of public as a non 'victim'. Is society also reinforcing belief systems of men as beings to fear and women as victims that need to be protected?

Protected from whom? Who are the offenders? Violators? Criminals? Perpetrators?

By 2004, 6 months into starting Blank Noise I was able to lift my camera to the 'perpetrator's' face and photograph him. There was a range of encounters. Not only was the camera a defence mechanism/ tool but also the point of dialogue and engagement with the 'offender'.

Since then I have photographed men from different socio economic background for a wide spectrum of 'eve teasing/ molestation' incidents.

At a traffic signal around noon, I see a man making 'sexual gestures' with his tongue towards me from his car window. Shocked, a few seconds later I begin to photograph him. He continues to make gestures, this time suggesting that I am 'mad' and drives off.

While distributing pamphlets in Majestic bus depot one evening, a hand comes to grope. Am already in the 'Blank Noise mode' and the camera is out. I reach out for his collar, pull him, get pushed in return but manage to photograph him. He disappears like most others into the crowd.

Sipping coffee in a café, I can feel someone's eyes on me. I return the look with a glare and ask him if he has a problem. He smiles, nudges his friend and says ' nothing, nothing at all'. This continues for 15- 20 minutes, at the end of which I hand him a Blank Noise pamphlet and photograph him. I spend the rest of the day answering his phone calls. " Sorry. It was only a crush. I liked your eyes. I am not the 'sexual' type of man. It was only a crush." I have to admit, he was not sexually intimidating, he was annoying.

While addressing street sexual harassment it is important to understand the context and the nature of the offence. While interviewing men on the streets of Delhi I got familiar with one kind of 'eve teaser'. He was the hopeless/ helpless wooer. There were a range of responses to the question " how have you approached a woman you are attracted to on the street", many people had responses that would be categorized as ' stalking, and 'unsolicited conversation'. From their point of view they had not committed an offence. A shopkeeper at Sarojini market said I will keep following her and approaching her " kabhi na kabhi toh hasseena maan jayegi". Another young man said he walks upto women and introduces himself, for which he has been slapped on several occasions( his peers added). Likewise one is familiar with love revenge stories behind the acid attacks. Once I met a girl whose throat had been slit for saying NO to a man who desired her. What are the cultural wooing references? With the idea and image of masculinity evolving what are the kind of men and male behaviour our society is creating?

This post has been published at blogbharti for their spotlight series.


YOUR TURN NOW: THOSE RARELY ASKED BURNING QUESTIONS-
Mail any question for Blank Noise to blurtblanknoise@gmail.com or please leave it in the comments section at this post

BLURT BLANK NOISE



  • How have you felt every time you ignored a stranger's eyes stripping you naked?
  • How often have you been a mute witness or spectator to street sexual violence?
  • How often have you whistled, passed remarks, leched, intimidated a female stranger, just for 'fun'?

By sharing testimonials of participating bloggers and members archived at the Blank Noise blog I am not speaking of poor 'victims' and outsiders as a minority. Every woman, girl, young or elderly, from any socio economic background, any skin colour, any body type, 'pretty', 'fair', 'fat', 'ugly', 'slutty', 'modest', 'bitchy', 'smart', 'over-smart', 'shy', 'scared', 'bold' has experienced it. She could be walking alone, in a group, with her parents. It could be 6 am, 7 am, 9 am, 12 noon, 4 pm, 8 pm, 10 pm, and it could happen in your neighbourhood, right outside your house, in the outskirts of town, in the heart of the city. She could be dressed in a salwar kameez, a school uniform, a sari, a pair of jeans and still experience it. Blank Noise clothes campaign " I did not ask for it" has been receiving clothes worn by women at the time of sexual violence. Each sender is taking a stand when she sends in the garment- she says, ' I did not 'ask for it'.

As much as incidents of sexual violence that shock and make news call for an alert alarm, one cannot deny the fact that sexual violation on the streets takes place ever single day by almost every woman in a variety of different forms. It is accepted and normalized because it is 'expected'.

How does the public react to reported incidents of streets sexual violence/ 'eve teasing?' Does this mean more rules for the average Indian male's wife? daughter? sister? Or does this information manifest itself in the financially secure/ independent women incubating themselves in private transport, paying an extra fee per month to block unwanted phone stalkers, carrying pepper spray in bags, mobile phones and being on hyper alert each time they leave home?

Is the public ready to see women as autonomous citizens that can access public space, unapologetically? While I understand and am framed in the cultural construct of being someone's daughter, sister etc I also choose to see myself as a citizen, as a member of public as a non 'victim'. Is society also reinforcing belief systems of men as beings to fear and women as victims that need to be protected?

Protected from whom? Who are the offenders? Violators? Criminals? Perpetrators?

By 2004, 6 months into starting Blank Noise I was able to lift my camera to the 'perpetrator's' face and photograph him. There was a range of encounters. Not only was the camera a defence mechanism/ tool but also the point of dialogue and engagement with the 'offender'.

Since then I have photographed men from different socio economic background for a wide spectrum of 'eve teasing/ molestation' incidents.

At a traffic signal around noon, I see a man making 'sexual gestures' with his tongue towards me from his car window. Shocked, a few seconds later I begin to photograph him. He continues to make gestures, this time suggesting that I am 'mad' and drives off.

While distributing pamphlets in Majestic bus depot one evening, a hand comes to grope. Am already in the 'Blank Noise mode' and the camera is out. I reach out for his collar, pull him, get pushed in return but manage to photograph him. He disappears like most others into the crowd.

Sipping coffee in a café, I can feel someone's eyes on me. I return the look with a glare and ask him if he has a problem. He smiles, nudges his friend and says ' nothing, nothing at all'. This continues for 15- 20 minutes, at the end of which I hand him a Blank Noise pamphlet and photograph him. I spend the rest of the day answering his phone calls. " Sorry. It was only a crush. I liked your eyes. I am not the 'sexual' type of man. It was only a crush." I have to admit, he was not sexually intimidating, he was annoying.

While addressing street sexual harassment it is important to understand the context and the nature of the offence. While interviewing men on the streets of Delhi I got familiar with one kind of 'eve teaser'. He was the hopeless/ helpless wooer. There were a range of responses to the question " how have you approached a woman you are attracted to on the street", many people had responses that would be categorized as ' stalking, and 'unsolicited conversation'. From their point of view they had not committed an offence. A shopkeeper at Sarojini market said I will keep following her and approaching her " kabhi na kabhi toh hasseena maan jayegi". Another young man said he walks upto women and introduces himself, for which he has been slapped on several occasions( his peers added). Likewise one is familiar with love revenge stories behind the acid attacks. Once I met a girl whose throat had been slit for saying NO to a man who desired her. What are the cultural wooing references? With the idea and image of masculinity evolving what are the kind of men and male behaviour our society is creating?

This post has been published at blogbharti for their spotlight series.


YOUR TURN NOW: THOSE RARELY ASKED BURNING QUESTIONS
Mail any question for Blank Noise to blurtblanknoise@gmail.com or please leave it in the comments section at this post

13.2.08

Donate to Blank Noise

Blank Noise has effortlessly pursued projects despite financial restraints. All Blank Noise activities were self funded. Some cities such as Blank Noise Kolkata, Delhi, Lucknow and Hyderabad actually created a kitty where each member contributed a nominal sum of Rs 20 per month( kolkata), while Hyderabad volunteers pitched in to create the Blank Noise pamphlets. While we are looking out for a sustainable method of generating funds, right now we would be extremely grateful with your extended support through donation.

At this moment we have posters and pamphlets to print, t shirts to make, new events to organize. To extend your support for Blank Noise by being a donor, please click on the DONATE button on the navigation bar to your right.

If you prefer to send in a cheque instead you could email us at blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

Alternatively, if you have ideas on how Blank Noise could sustain itself, please email us. We always look forward to your ideas and suggestions.

On behalf of the Blank Noise Team (thank-you!!)

12.2.08

YOUR TURN NOW: ASK US A RARELY ASKED BURNING QUESTION


Over the last couple of years the Blank Noise project has devised several strategies to trigger debates on street sexual violence/ 'eve teasing'. We have been seen as clearly- feminist, interventionist, participatory, community building, agency building, empowering. etc etc. On the other end some have unfortunately perceived us as man-hating, angry , blindly extremist!

The comments on the blog will speak for themselves. We are happy to receive a reaction from you which is why almost ALL comments get published. We are averse only to indifference.

With this blog post, we want to open space for dialogue. If you have a question for Blank Noise, or even an area of doubt send it in right away. Your questions could be simple- but we must feel challenged to answer. For the first time, we are screaming out loud- QUESTION ME

Send in your rarely asked burning questions about Blank Noise to us at blurtblanknoise@gmail.com or leave it in the comments section below.

New volunteers are requested to participate more so, because with the answering of questions and clearing of doubts we will be able to hopefully move forward. It is always exciting and challenging to work with volunteers from all over the world because every individuals brings in his or her enthusiasm and interprets Blank Noise in a unique way.

At the end 20 questions will be selected and answered right here on the blog! All questions will be shared on the blog. Terribly tough questions are highly encouraged.

you can see some of the Blank Noise work here:
I never asked for it?, Blank Noise Action Hero Testimonials Archive, Blank Noise blogathon, Cheap Girls, Stencilling testimonials, Street Actions across cities, Blank Noise Opinion Poll ( continued project), Walk the Night, I wish for my city and more..


All questions asked are going to be posted here:
  1. Chaitanya K asks: have you ever considered getting religious establishments(churchpastors, temple priests, priestess's, etc..) involved in blank noise related activities?
  2. Ashamed asks:
    1. I read that you were a victim once upon a time and that you started this initiative because of that. Could you please let me know what happened , I mean the actual incident that happened.
    2. Does being so actively involved against eve- teasing and subsequently against men prevent you from having good friends in the opposite sex? I mean guys would be scared to come and talk to you if they know that you photograph people and put them on the net.
    3. When you are with colleagues or friends and a casual physical contact by a male happens. Say like patting your shoulders etc... How do you differentiate it from eve-teasing? Since you are so actively involved in this, do you tend to misinterpret casual things as eve-teasing?

8.2.08

BUILDING BLANK NOISE

ATTN:
FOR ALL THOSE COMING HERE AFTER THE 9TH OF FEB and interested in volunteering with Blank Noise- Please sign up here

..............................................................


WE AT BLANK NOISE THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING TO THE "VOLUNTEER WITH BLANK NOISE" PROPOSAL. WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PARTICIPATION AND ARE EXCITED ABOUT WORKING WITH YOU. IT IS IN YOUR PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT THAT BLANK NOISE IS SHAPED.THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT SINCE 2003.

IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS EACH OF YOU WILL BE CONTACTED AND MEETINGS WILL BE CALLED FOR IN EACH OF THE CITIES. WE ARE STILL ACCEPTING A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS AND THE ABSOLUTE DEADLINE FOR THIS THREE-MONTH SEASON WILL BE THE 9TH OF FEBRUARY.



PS: ALL THOSE WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED WITH BLANK NOISE IN THE PAST ARE REQUESTED TO RENEW THEIR BLANK NOISE VOWS! PLEASE SHOOT OFF AN EMAIL SAYING "I VOLUNTEER"
+ time details ofcourse


THEY SAID:


I VOLUNTEER- Shuruchi Sharma, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER-Sunitha Aravind, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa
I VOLUNTEER- Indulekha Arvind, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Payal Kamat, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Anagha Sarpotdar, Mumbai , Maharashtra
I VOLUNTEER- POOJA, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Ambika, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Amrutha Bhushan, Bangalore, Karnataka

I VOLUNTEER- Vibha Ghai, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- HR BHAVANA RUDRAPPA-location unknown
I VOLUNTEER- MS Gayathri, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER –Priyanka Bhatt, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
I VOLUNTEER- Nisha Ravindranathan, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Jhuma Sen, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Neya Rangesh, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
I VOLUNTEER- Neelam Jain, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
I VOLUNTEER- Vibha Ghai, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Nasrin, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Arvind, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Mandeep Singh, Chandigarh
I VOLUNTEER- Mayank Agarwal, Pune, Maharashtra
I VOLUNTEER- Vivek Kakkar, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I VOLUNTEER-Venkataramani, Bangalore Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER-Chandrashekhar Bhattacharyya, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Javtis ,Houston, USA
I VOLUNTEER –Rhea Daniel, Mumbai, Maharastra + USA

I VOLUNTEER -Teresa Rehman, Guwahati, Assam
I VOLUNTEER- Tanya Sachdeva,Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Weiting Xu, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Priyanka Bhandari, Jodhpur, Rajasthan
I VOLUNTEER- Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Pawan Sony, Mumbai, Maharashtra
I VOLUNTEER- Ankit Chopra, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Siddharth Wadhwa, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Varsha Chandwani, Mumbai, Maharastra
I VOLUNTEER- Nisha Chandwani, Mumbai, Maharastra
I VOLUNTEER- Anupriya Verma, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Prayas Abhinav, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Padmasini Ramji, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Ankit Agur, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Kirtana Mohan, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Unmana Datta, Pune, Maharashtra
I VOLUNTEER- Dianne Sharma Winter, Dubai
I VOLUNTEER- Bhavana H R, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Roshani Subbarao, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Swatilekha Mohanty, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Vanitha P, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Sakshi Chopra, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Madhavi Sahu, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Indulekha Aravind, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Sharan Shahier, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Girijesh Kumar, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Ravneet Lail, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Veena Rao, Bangalore, Karntaka
I VOLUNTEER- Shivangini Tandon, Mumbai, Maharashtra
I VOLUNTEER- Priya Chopra, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Romal Singh, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Nidhi Gupta, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Purba Sarkar, Kolkata, West Bengal
I VOLUNTEER- Asavari Gill, Mumbai, Maharashtra
I VOLUNTEER- Vijay Subraveti, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Ahaana Banerjee, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Aanandita Bhatnagar, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Praveen Reddy, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Romal Singh, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Himadri, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Aparna Hajirnis, Mumbai, Maharashtra
I VOLUNTEER- Raga Malika, Manipal, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Payal Dhar, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Aienla Longkumer, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Pradeep Kumar, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Sharad Kapoor, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Ojasvi, New Delhi
I VOLUNTEER- Pooja Ananth, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Madhumita Kumar Rajan, Bangalore, Karnataka
I VOLUNTEER- Nitin Sarin, Chandigarh
I VOLUNTEER- Kismet Nakai, Chandigarh
I VOLUNTEER- Saurabh Goyal, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Praveen Reddy, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Nabila Zaidi, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
I VOLUNTEER- Shinjini, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

I VOLUNTEER- Aditi K, Mumbai , Maharashtra



I VOLUNTEER- - - - WILL YOU?


PS: apologies in case you have written to us and are not on this list, please leave a comment below and we will add you right away!