Profile of Madhu Purnima Kishwar

Madhu Purnima Kishwar is Senior Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)—a social science research centre, based in Delhi. Director of the Indic Studies Project based as CSDS and Convener of a series of International Conferences on Religions and Cultures in the Indic Civilization. She is the Founder Edit...

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    Madhu Purnima Kishwar’s Blog
    “I have a horror of all isms, especially those that attach themselves to proper names”.
    -- M. K. Gandhi --
    Posted on: August, 27, 2010
    Express Solidarity With the People of Kashmir
    An Appeal to all Concerned Citizens
      Manushi: Citizens First Forum requests you to join a citizens delegation to present a memorandum to Smt Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson UPA on the unprecedented crisis in Jammu and Kashmir and participate in a candlelight vigil in the memory of the innocents who have lost their lives in the current phase of violence in the state. We also urge you to sign the Resolution given below. Date: September 3, 2010 Submission of Memorandum: 5.30 p.m. Venue: AICC office, 24 Akbar Road, New Delhi Candle Light Vigil: 7.00 p.m with Sufi music by Madan Gopal Singh and Youth Expressions from Kashmir Venue: India Gate K...
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    First Published in : Read More....
    Posted on: August, 23, 2010
    Wake up New Delhi
    What the ISI-trained terrorists and their agents in Kashmir could not achieve in 20 years, Omar Abdullah and his patrons in Delhi Durbar have managed to deliver to separatists in less than 18 months. Farooq Abdullah is well within his right as the father of the present Chief Minister of J&K to advise his son not to resign despite the worsening situation in Kashmir. But by telling Omar to keep clinging to his chair even when he has earned universal wrath in Kashmir all because he has still not yet lost favour with the Congress Party High Command is to openly declare that he owes his position to the Delhi Dur...
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    First Published in : August 22, 2010 Read More....
    Posted on: August, 20, 2010
    When Daughters Are Unwanted
    TECHNOLOGIES like amniocentesis and ultrasound, used in most parts of the world largely for detecting foetal abnormalities, are used in large parts of the Indian subcontinent for determining the sex of the foetus so that the mother can have an abortion if the foetus in the womb happens to be a female. The rapid spread of these tests has resulted in sex selective abortions of hundreds of thousands of female foetuses. The magnitude of the problem can be gauged by noting that Dr Sunil Kothari , who runs a major ultrasound and abortion clinic in Delhi, admitted to having performed 60,000 such tests during an int...
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    First Published in : Manushi No. 86, Jan-Feb 1995 Read More....
    Posted on: August 18, 2010
    Women’s Organisations
    The Pressure of Unrealistic Expectations
    “ATROCITIES on women are increasing. Does it not show that women’s organisations have failed in their task?” The implicaiion of this oft-asked question is that since women’s organisations have singlehanded taken on the responsibility of eradicating violence and injustice against women therefore, the continuation of this violence shows the ineffectiveness and futility of women’s organisations. Often, the question is related to a specific case of violence reported in the press: “So and so woman has been killed or battered or raped. What are women’s organisations do...
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    First Published in : Manushi No.59, July-Aug 1990 Read More....
    Posted on: August 18, 2010
    Well Intentioned but Over Ambitious
    A Review of the New Domestic Violence Act
    The new Domestic Violence Act (DVA) has made some significant improvements over the existing laws but it is not as if prior to this Act civil laws did not exist to protect women’s rights in the family. Astute and determined lawyers have successfully pleaded and got adequate relief for their female clients under the existing matrimonial, civil and criminal laws as the article by Flavia Agnes demonstrates. But, the tardiness of court procedures and judicial bias often resulted in miscarriage of justice. The biggest shortcoming of this Act is its overweening ambition and lack of sense of proportion. Ordinari...
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    First Published in : Sep-Oct 2006 Read More....
    Posted on: August 18, 2010
    Destined to Fail
    Inherent Flaws in the Anti Dowry Legislation
    Even though MANUSHI played a leading role in bringing national attention to domestic violence and the role dowry has come to play in making women’s lives vulnerable, after nearly 28 years of experience with these issues, I have come to the firm conclusion that the terms “dowry death” and “dowry violence” are misleading. They contribute towards making domestic violence in India appear as a unique, exotic phenomenon by giving the impression that Indian men are the only ones in the world to use violence based on astute and rational calculations. By this logic, it would appear that men i...
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    First Published in : Manushi No. 148, May-June 2005 Read More....
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