The AICUF Story!

A Testimony of Sorts- Raising the Bar Studying in a city like Mumbai after being in Chennai for seven years is unsettling, to say the least. The people are different, their mindset is different and most of all, their behavior with respect to time is different. Mumbai, like Kolkata and Bengaluru, has a number of ‘Red Light Areas’. The general attitude towards Commercial Sex Workers and these Red Light areas is probably the only place where Mumbaikars are backward. The younger generation, however hasn’t quite decided where they stand as debates and discussions happen on a regular basis. I must admit that on some occasions we even joke about these Areas, and the events that occur there. When AICUF organized this event, ‘Raising the Bar’ as a part of Ujali, I was intrigued- no; everyone was intrigued. The seminar room was crowded to the point where people abandoned chairs and sat on the ground. The women from San Mitra trust introduced themselves, spoke to us about their work and t...

So this year's Ujali pretty much showed the world why it's so different from the other mainstream events. The underprivileged, the unheard, the unseen but very much existent came forward and told us about themselves, their lives, and the atrocities that society commits that brings them to tears on a daily basis.  We had Household Help , Bar Dancers , Commercial Sex Workers and people from the famous Warli tribe come and enlighten us about their current lifestyles and spoke to us like parents. Such love and care from someone who didn't know any of us, moreover someone who's been shunned and ignored for most of their life moved us all to tears. The outlet of these emotions is the whole point of this series of posts. We hope you like them. ​​ Those steep turns never met a sunshine, Those black mornings haunted great depths. The harmless nights became a memory And all moonlights drowned the dreams, of a better morning. When those bitter nights yelled and ruled, th...