Monday musings: Connecting the dots… Khajuraho, New Delhi and New Jersey

One, my brother- in-law along with his wife took his grown up son to visit Khajuraho and proudly placed pictures on Facebook. I in particular was stuck by this because in the age I was growing up in the sixties, even mentioning Khajuraho or Ajanta and Ellora was tabboo in the middle class that we belonged.

Even in college in Delhi University my English teacher with a foreign PhD would skip ’embarrassing’ passages while teaching Chaucer because she could not read aloud certain lines of the 14 th. century poet.

Having taken up Indian Literature in English, we the students of MA English used to wonder how the writer of the Sanskrit master Mrichkatik could use such descriptive, call it erotic if you like, language to described the body parts of women.

A visit to Khajuraho with parents or children was unthinkable for my generation.

Hence the visit of my brother in law to Khajuraho was ‘good news’ as it displayed a maturity because children in any case have access to much more explicit and graphic pictures on the internet.

Now the second good news. I have been officially connected to the Prayas Juvenile Aid Centre Society based in New Delhi started by former close friend DGP and Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights Amod K Kanth now with branches spread across 13 Indian States/ Union Territories and  having 13 projects for protecting children, providing livelihood to youth and women and marginalised men.

Prayas was established last l week,  a 501(c) (3) nonprofit entity named, friends of Prayas US Inc. in New Jersey, US. This body has 5 Founding Directors, Mr. Abhishekh Singh –President, Ms. Priyanka Kanth,  Vice –President, Ms. Satakshi  Malik – Vice President,  Ms Nimisha Verma – Secretary and, Ms. Shilpa Sahay – Treasurer.

All these are well-placed professionals in New Jersey/ New York, US for decades. Now, the Group under the dynamic leadership of President Abhishekh, is all set to launch some big Charity Event, sometime in early June’25.

Friends of Prayas US Inc. will soon have its website under the domain name of friends of prayas.Org.

Now the connection between the two news, besides me.

Prayas JAC Society under the dynamic leadership of Executive Director Indu Rani Singh is currently in the midst of a high level international mission to end the evil practice of child marriages which is prevalent in some states of the US as well. One important factor in this campaign is teaching girls and boys to respect the principle of consent where sexual relations are involved.

Also Read more from this Author: Monday Musings: Children are dispensable if they are poor

Curated and Compiled by Humra Kidwai

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