Introduction:
Dalit Sthree Sakthi conducted training on Ambedkar Ideology, Mental Health and Personality Development for the Women Collective Leaders and Youth leaders on 5th August 2024 at St. Anns Generalate, Tarnaka, Hyderabad. A total of 35 Women collective leaders and youth leaders participated in the training. Experts in the subject were invited to deliver lectures on various aspects. Dr Sudarshan Balaboina, Director, Phule-Ambedkar Centre for Philosophy was invited to give lecture on “Ambedkar Ideology”, Prof Sri Krishna, Senior Professor in Clinical Psychology, National Institute for Mental Health was invited to give a lecture on “The Hidden Wounds: Mental Health Consequences of Abuse in Women”, and Sathya Cama Jabali gave an insight into the personality development. Sri Jhansi Geddam, presided over the meeting with an introductory speech and closed the training with ways forward.
Jhansi Geddam, National Convenor, Dalit Sthree Sakthi said in her introductory speech that; imparting Ambedkarism and the ideology of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is a continuous process and is of utmost need to free the dalit women from the unconscious influence of superstitious beliefs and demeaning traditions.
Ambedkar thought is needed for gender sensitiveness and eradicate all violence against women and specifically Dalit Adivasi Women and Girl Children. She also explained the role of DSS in implementing of Ambedkar ideology by protecting rights of dalit adivasi women and girl children. She drew the attention of the participants to the important laws such as SC/ST (PoA) Act in protecting the rights of Dalits. Though the Acts are there, they can be realized only if the activists keep continuous vigilance. Further, she insisted on the importance of education and creating awareness about the rights of Dalit Adivasi Women and Girl Children. She also stressed that along with rights it is a dire need to keep a check on one’s mental health on a regular basis. Being a Dalit Women who are thrice oppressed in the society, we face a lot of stress and are exposed to the most vulnerable situation, both physically and mentally. Hence, it is a necessity to undergo regular mental health checks to help boost our morale and resilience. She invited the guests to deliver their speeches.
Dr Sudarshan Balaboina, Director, Phule-Ambedkar Centre for Philosophy gave a lecture on Ambedkar Ideology. He said that Dr. B R Ambedkar is a very powerful personality that he could influence lakhs of people around the world with his intellectual ability. Dr Sudarshan encouraged all the women collective leaders to develop awareness and individual intellectual ability such that they would be able to influence the society around them. He mentioned that Dr B R Ambedkar strongly believed in empowerment of women as a major path to enlightenment of the society. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s approach to women’s right is exclusively different from other social reformers like Jyothi Rao Phule, Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Mahatma Gandhi who tried to reform the Hindu society of certain outdated customs and practices without questioning the hierarchical social order.
But Dr B R Ambedkar made his own view for the women rights and that has been reflected in Indian constitution. His goal was to make a society based on social justice. To secure this goal, Ambedkar has given equal status to women on par with men by providing many provisions in the Indian constitution. To him, sexual discrimination should be rooted out from the society and everybody should get equal opportunity in the society. The Preamble of Indian constitution guarantees social and economic justice to women and that is because of Ambedkar’s contribution. Dr Sudarshan mentioned that Ambedkar, not only had worked hard for untouchables but also for the betterment and progress of women. Dr B R Ambedkar criticized the traditional and conservative values.
He strongly criticized the degradation of women in Indian society. He believed that women should be entitled to equal status with men and they must have right to education. He lamented that the Hindu religion had deprived women of the right to property. To ensure women's status Dr B R Ambedkar had also introduced an emancipatory bill (the Hindu code Bill) in Parliament which proposed mainly to establish an equal and just society. Dr Sudarshan enlightened the women collective and youth leaders on different methods to follow Ambedkar ideology. He concluded his speech saying that Ambedkarism is not an ideology but a Methodology. It is such a methodology that could treat and cure all the illness of today’s society and community.
Prof Sri Krishna, Senior Professor in Clinical Psychology, National Institute for Mental Health gave a lecture on “The Hidden Wounds: Mental Health Consequences of Abuse in Women” which elaborated about the mental health situation of women who are victims of abuse. He explained about the basic principles in the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD and anxiety disorders. He explained that humans are not disturbed by events, but they are disturbed by the way they interpret the events. He elaborated that views are thoughts and beliefs that people have from their experiences. All the thoughts collaboratively form into emotions.
He mentioned that emotional disorders are characterized at the ‘surface’ level by negative automatic thoughts (NATs) which intrude into our conscious minds often involuntarily, and negatively distort their perceptions and memories, leading to emotional and behavioral disturbances. The dysfunctional assumptions and core beliefs are components of cognitive schemas often established early in life, may lie dormant for many years but then can become activated by certain internal or external triggers, like a ‘key in a lock’. He also mentioned that the characteristics of negative thoughts are distorted, unhelpful, plausible and involuntary. He concluded his speech
saying that most psychological disturbances arise from faulty cognitions and/or faulty cognitive processing, and that the remedy is to be found in corrected appraisals and corrective actions. Both of their forms of therapy are directed at correcting faulty processes/cognitions, both concentrate on present problems and present thinking in contrast to the historical dredging of earlier forms of psychotherapy, and both recommend behavioral exercises. He also made all the trainees play a small game/ Psychological exercise, that helped them to realize the path between problem and solution.
Sathya Cama Jabali, National Co-ordinator, Dalit Sthree Sakthi explained about the origin of Human Rights from the 16th century. He elaborated about the situation and lives of people in the early 15th century of how they were rejected of their rights and retaliation of Kings and citizens on the monopoly of the church in the European Countries. He explained about Bill of Rights and Magna carta in the 18th Century and how people understood the significance of Individual Rights. The holocaust of the Second World War from 1943 to 1945 was detailed and that paved way for the emergence of Human Rights and the establishment of United Nations was explained by him.
He detailed different covenants and treaties made by the United Nations from the protection of Women and Children in specific. The need for special acts for the marginalised people was properly established with real life examples. He briefly explained different laws that are made for the Dalit Adivasi Woman and Women in distress.
He also explained the importance of rights and responsibilities in individual lives. Without responsibilities, rights make no difference in a person’s life style. He concluded his session by inspiring the trainees to balance their life among rights and responsibilities.
Women Collective leaders, Youth leaders and team members from both the states attended the training.
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