‘ENVISIONING AN INCLUSIVE CHURCH’ DIALOGUE ON TRANSPHOBIA & HOMOPHOBIA

A joint program with National Council of Churches in India [NCCI] and the Church of South India Coimbatore Diocese.

Srishti Madurai was invited by the Protestant & Ecumenical Churches to share our resources with the Church Leaders.

We are also assisting the church in the process of preparing a theological reader on Gender & Sexuality (Understanding LGBTQIA)

Gopi Shankar Madurai with Rev. Bishop Timothy Ravinder, A. Revathi Amma, Transwoman RJ Ananya, Fr Philip Kuruvilla NCCI, Fr. Thomas Ninan, Rev L Jayachitra, TTS


On Media click the link: Awesome! This Tamil Nadu seminary is teaching pastors to accept the LGBT community - The News Minute

'Art for Self Expression Camp for Rural Children' - Srishti Madurai assisting CEDARCentre

“Last night, I danced my heart out,” gushes nine-year-old Raghu, “I danced away all my fears and worries.” This is the first time he has stepped out of Sivanandapuram, a remote village in Virudhunagar district.
Nearly 50 children were handpicked from across 10 villages in the match box belt for an insightful art training. Over 100 villages in the backward Sattur and Kovilpatti block of the Virudhunagar and Tuticorin districts fall in the match box belt, notorious for child labour and child marriage. What was once a flourishing cotton belt became the ground of acute poverty and labour exploitation due to consecutive droughts and the callous attitude of successive governments. “In the past two decades, development has evaded these villages. Children even now walk 10 kms everyday to their schools,” says a Volunteer who helps rehabilitate school-drop-outs back into mainstream education.
During Yoga Session - 'Art for Self Expression Camp for Rural Children' - These children are from villages which do not even have proper bus connectivity and good schools. They are selected by volunteers working in remote villages

“These children need extra exposure like co-curricular activities other than regular pedagogy,” says Mariamma, a volunteer who runs children resource centres in 12 villages around Kovilpatti. “Most of them do not even know what is a happy childhood.”
The art camp engaged the children in theatre, dance, painting, yoga, rapping, clay modelling and paraiyattam. “At home,” says 10 years old Suguna from Saalnayakanpatti, “I never get time to play or interact with friends.” She takes care of household chores when her parents are away at work in the match factory. “I enjoyed the painting sessions here. I felt light and happy,” she says.
For most participants, the programme helped them to rediscover themselves, their likes, wants and ambitions in life.
“I want to become anything but a worker in the match factory,” asserts Moses, a class VII student, who played Tenali Raman at the theatre workshop. “I didn’t even know the story of Tenali Raman until now. The camp made me realise how much I have missed out. I will catch up now,” he smiles.
“Learning through art is simple and fun,” says, Arumugam, the paraiyattam artist from Alanganallur. It also makes teaching science concepts easy and explains how the beats and steps of the parai instrument is a form of permutation and combination. “When I explain to the children why the parai should be heated before being played, they understand how an object contracts and expands in heat. That’s thermodynamics,” he says. “Children also learn team work and interpersonal skills through such art activities. Even a folk art like Parai can be pursued as a profession. One should only know to package it attractively.”

We  believe art abilities provide individuality and such camps help to communicate and move around with others.” “The best part here, is we transcend differences like caste and religion and children get to make noise, jump and hop, run and play with no inhibitions.”
We invite top notch people from various fields to interact with the young participants. “This way the children will overcome the awe factor and feel confident.”
The camp helped many to come out of the cocoons of social restrictions and economic constraints. Roja who is now a village volunteer of the NGO at Kodangipatti belongs to an extremely conservative tribal clan.

Earlier she wasn’t allowed to step out of her house. Today she speaks about child rights and girl child protection. “I go around talking about girl child education and women empowerment to the village heads.” Her efforts have paid off. “Few families,” she says, “have started sending their girls to school.” “I hope to do more,” adds Roja. - Srikumar Journalist

Srishti Madurai's Intervention



The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has served a notice on the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in response to a petition filed by former Indian middle-distance runner Santhi Soundarajan.
Ten years ago Santhi was stripped of her Doha Asian Games silver medal (800m) and banned from competing in all events after she failed a gender test. However, in a grave breach of protocol, she is yet to receive a copy of the gender test report despite repeated requests. An athlete is entitled to a copy of the report.
In March this year, Santhi wrote to the NCSC, saying she was subjected to a "humiliating and unscientific" gender test shortly after her second-place finish at the 2006 Games.
Santhi, who comes from a poor Dalit family, has been working as a coach at the Sports Authority of India's (SAI) facility in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, for the past two years. In her complaint to the NCSC, Santhi also alleged that she has been facing discrimination on grounds of caste at her workplace.
The NCSC has decided to investigate allegations of injustice levelled by Santhi and sought a response in the matter from the secretary of the Department of Sports within 30 days.
"I sent out separate RTI queries in March this year addressed to the Athletics Federation of India, SAI and Indian Olympic Association seeking my gender test report, but was turned away and denied any information," Santhi, 35, told ESPN. "That athletes like Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand are competing in the international arena despite facing a similar predicament as mine offers me hope. But it also serves as a reminder that I'm not as fortunate."
In 2015, the Switzerland-headquartered Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the International Association of Athletics Federations' hyperandrogenism regulations for two years, stating that there was no convincing scientific evidence to support the claim that women with elevated testosterone levels hold a performance advantage over others.
Santhi's battle for justice has been a protracted and painful one. As the sole breadwinner of her family, which includes aged parents and four younger siblings, she has been struggling to make ends meet.
From working at a brick kiln till about four years ago to her current contractual coach job, she says she enjoys little sense of freedom or security. Apart from the restoration of her medal, she is also seeking a permanent job.
"The inhuman manner in which the gender tests were conducted and being denied the report are a clear violation," said gender activist M Gopi Shankar, who has been working closely with Santhi. "The government should voice its support for its athletes. Santhi deserves to have her medal back and lead a life of dignity."  

Students of Santhi Soundarajan (Ensuring Childhood For All Children Initiative)


The poor and the underprivileged section creates most of India’s sportspersons


 To be the best in India, an athlete’s skill must extend beyond the athletic ability.
The initial hurdle is the absence, and shrinkage, of space for children to play, and the lack of training facilities and expert coaching. But it’s only the beginning of the ordeal — pursuit of serious sport leads to a tryst with the sporting establishment and the world of political brinkmanship, intrigue and compromise.

“The sports federations only select the players and send their entries. Whatever we are today is because of our own blood, sweat and tears, and not because of the federation.” – Santhi Soundarajan


Objective

To discover the inner potential of Indian Tamil girls in International arena to celebrate, encourage, train and share their spirit and participation in International sports

What are the benefits of this project?

 It is planned that initially 15 woman students will be selected with an increment of 5 students per year. They will be provided with best training, completely free of cost of any boarding and lodging.
1.    This centre gives major importance to woman students. Hence it contributes to the woman empowerment, especially targeted at rural woman.
2.    This centre provides occasional training for outside students and thus contributing their development in the art of sports.
3.    Apart from being a centre for training, it is a centre for research and education especially on sports. These novel educational activities could also contribute to the development of sports, and the sports as science.
4.    As aimed at sports education too, this could be a boon for the Tamil Nadu, as it could enhance the sports research scenario.
5.    The status of this centre will be trained in a manner that they could not just shine in the national level, but on International level too, by the training to participate in Asian games, Olympics etc. such an initiative could be much useful, because it could project the talents of Tamil women in sports sphere in an International space.

6.    It also aims certainly awareness about sports to the woman of Tamil Nadu and facilitates that awareness to get the form of action by means of training, research and education activities from this academy.  



ON Media: Students of Srishti Madurai Sports Initiative headed by International Athlete Santhi Soundarajan (Jaya TV)



    



Athletes playing for State Level & National Level


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Shoes Sponsored by Owner Seemati Garments, Myladthurai to the Students of Santhi Soundarajan

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Elavarsi 2nd won Silver medal in 1500 meters at State  Junior Championships, Elavarsi is from poor family in Mayavaram, She was a child labour too, She don't have good sports shoes but she have lot of determination


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Santhi Soundarajan trainees won 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze total 6 medals at Tamil Nadu State Junior Athletics Meet held at Krishnagiri from 21-23 Oct  2016 & 2 girls are eligible for Nationals to represent Tamil Nadu.

Do pour in your continuous support to them 

Their travel & food were supported by S.G Suryah & Friends