News of Thamma's illness had arrived a few days ago; he had taken leave from the factory and rushed off to see her. Mimi loved her Thamma dearly. . And her Dadu as well.
Swayam provided Suchitra and her mother with regular counselling and a detailed safety plan was worked out with Suchitra, as she and her brother were followed and threatened by the abuser and his allies.
Anupama's was a classic case of domestic violence. Anupama has instilled faith in the hearts of the caseworkers that it is possible to win a legal battle without a lawyer representing the case.
Swayam gave me the space to heal. I started writing poems for Prayas, started taking part in the Swayam theater group. I moved beyond all the destructive feelings that were storming inside me.
Theatre encourages and promotes self-expression, co-operation and teamwork. We could see that much of what we were trying to achieve in the support groups could be addressed through the process of theatre itself.
The music performances facilitate discussions of difficult issues that our women survivors and the community may be reluctant to discuss under other circumstances.
Prayas is a quarterly magazine that is written and edited by survivors themselves. It contains poetry and prose primarily in Bengali with occasional pieces in Hindi and English.