VISIT COUNTER
Rekha Mody
Development Activist
Date of Birth: February 10th 1955, Modi Nagar U.P India
Education: B.A., Meerut University, First Division in 1972
Institutions founded by Rekha Mody
Divya Chaya Trust , founded in 1984 provides social, economic and educational support to 1000 children in need and has established income generative programmes for women from lower income groups in both urban and rural areas. The projects undertaken are:
· Save A Child Trust, U.K., initiated by DCT, sponsor around 300 children
· Kusum Sarovar, a project to provide education and care for children in the deep interior of Govardhan,U.P. It started as non-formal, but is now a govern-ment recognized school
· Pallavan, an income generating project for women of lower income groups in both urban and rural areas
· Karam Bhoomi, a project to develop the concept of connecting villages to cit-ies. It is a short stay home in Kolkatta Rajarhat for research and rural development according to the Gandhian principles that village planning should be done at the village level. Chiranjeev Karam Bhoomi Palam Vihar is an old age cum community centre.
The trust is selected by Give Foundation for its welfare activity.
Habiart Foundation founded in 1989 is an institution to promote contemporary art and traditional craft. More than 120 exhibitions have been organized. Art events, highlighting international artists work like ‘White Nights’ (etchings from Russia, sponsored by I.T.C. and Bank of America) in 1992 and highlighting of Russian culture in India sponsored by Lalit Kala Academy and the Russian Embassy. The following ‘art camps’ have also been organized:
· ‘Art in Habiart’ 1989, in collaboration with HUDCO in Calcutta and Delhi
· ‘Art and Contemplation’ 1992, sponsored by Goodricke
· ‘Art in every day life’ 1998, sponsored by Goodricke
· Sphote a creative protest against terror 2001 to 2002 supported by seven centers and hundred and fifty artists. Exhibited in Parliament annexe on 13 December 2002. Peace Panels presented to the Parliament, Saarc and UN representative
· Art Walk 2003 featuring hundred and twenty five artists.
· Redefining Mona Lisa 2004 –2006 a project involving twelve artists
· India Splendor Los Angeles 2007, Singapore 2008
· Art for amity launched 2009
www.Habiartfoundation.org
Stree Shakti The parallel force 1998 is a dynamic forum aiming at ‘Networking for Action’. This forum provides a platform for joint actions as well as for collection, systematic processing and distribution of information related to women’s issues in particular and general networking. The movement aims at being a catalyst for fundamental social changes. Stree Shakti has instituted two annual awards:
· Dayawati Modi Stree Shakti Samman, instituted in 1998 for ‘A woman who dared to dream and had the ability to translate the dream into reality’
· An award for A Woman Scientist of the Year
International Conference
· Stree Shakti The Parallel Force was the co-organizer of The Fourth International Congress of Women, Work & Health held in New Delhi in November 2005. Delegates from fifty three Nations met and deliberated on improving the work environment for women with a view of improving their physical and mental health.
· Jaipur Conference on "Making Way for the Feminine: for the Benefit of the World Community", March 6-10, 2008
In 2000 Millennium Peace Summit held at the United Nation 15% of the participants were women and since then they are networking and taking steps forward to establish peace in the world. Stree Shakti The Parallel Force as a co-organizer is in empathy with the stories shared by women delegates of 40 countries at the Jaipur conference 2008. Problems faced by women all over the world were discussed which are similar albeit with different facades
100 Women Forum : Networking for Equality
Stree Shakti is initiating a networking forum which can be called ‘100 Women’s Forum’. The proposed forum will have representatives from various sectors like, government departments, business icons, political leaders, renowned social activists, academicians, and women from media, art and culture. All these women will be achievers in their own fields and would work together as a think tank to influence the policy makers for providing more space to women in India. This forum will provide a platform for women from different sectors to interact and arrive at a consensus on key issues like leadership, insights into best management practices and become role models for young generation of women in the country.
M.K. Gandhi.
We are envisaging a w omen’s International Centre to provide women a platform to meet, exchange information and to forge a forum. Women have used their collective might to tackle traditional subjects such as health and education. ‘Hard’ issues such as violence and terror remain in the masculine domain, in spite of their relevance to the world’s women who are their long-term victims. WIC will be an important step in direction to usher in peace.
- A Quest For Roots Editor Rekha Mody Subeditor Rimi B Chattarjee
Released in 1999 – Second edition December 2009
This book contextualizes the experience of women in India from the earliest recorded times to the mid-20th century. We have compiled in one book the histories of women through the centuries, of all faiths, castes and communities. Today's women in India have a need to be aware of the experiences and the achievements of their foremothers, stories not always recorded in conventional texts. To fill this gap, we document individual women, whether well known or little known, whose lives have contributed to the identity and concerns of Indian womanhood. Living women have not been included as they are still making history.
It is biographical dictionary, a useful reference book to keep on your working table’
– Kushwant Singh HT 1999
Amazing tales .... So much strength, disappointment and tragedy ... A lot of beauty too’
– Thomas Easely
‘A wonderful contribution’
– Dr Kiran Bedi
‘There is a common thread that binds all these achievers: they succeeded in transgressing the constraints of a patriarchal society in their own ways. It is a collector’s item.’
– Book Club The Asian Age
‘Profiles of great Indian women through the ages. It seeks to highlight the female contribution to Indian society.’
– India Today 1999
- Separate Journeys, a collection of fifteen short stories from regional languages edited by Geeta Dharmarajan, introduction by Mary Ellis Gibson
First Edition India 1992 Garutman Ibd Publication
Second Edition India 1998 Katha Garutman
Third Edition India 2004 Katha Garutman
1993 U.K edited version published by Mantra ( Out of print )
2004 U.S.A University of South Carolina Press
“Outstanding women writers….a body of work which is equal to that of their internationally known contemporaries.’ Times Literary supplement London
Anita Desai ( English ) , Anupama Niranjana (Kannada), Ashapurna Devi (Bagala), T.Janaki Rani (Telgu), Jeelani Bano( Urdu), Kamala Das(Malyalam), Mahashweta Devi ( Bangla), Mamoni Raisom Goswam ( Assamese), Mrinal Pande ( Hindi), Qurratulain Hyder ( Urdu), Rajee sethi ( Hindi), Rupavati (Tamil), Urmila Pawar ( Marathi), Viswapria L Iyengar(English), Varsha Das ( Gujrati).
VIDYOTTAMá¾¹, a contemporary play, is based on the life of the great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa and his scholar wife Vidyottama, princess of Ujjaini. The relationship between Vidyottama and Kalidasa is extremely close and intriguing. Everyone in the kingdom believes that Kalidasa is the sole creator of four epic poems and also a playwright of great merit. The king and the courtiers as also the common man of Ujjaini, venerate Kalidasa, whose fame has now spread far and wide, along with the story of the proverbial fool who was once sitting on the very branch that he was axing, but has now received the blessings of Saraswati, the goddess of learning. As is common in historical records, there is no further mention of Vidyottama the scholar princess, who was nurtured in an environment of learning and culture, and was equally erudite and sensitive.
Vidyottama is a contemporary play reassessing history with a gender perspective, very subtly highlighting the untold story of women’s contribution to art and literature. Vidyottama is not a mere inspiration for Kalidasa but an actual equal partner in creation. The spectator is made a privileged viewer of the entire process of creation. In the end, it is left to him to decide the difficult question as to who is then, the actual creator.
- Founder director of Radio Net Work Pvt. Ltd. first F.M. Radio of Calcutta 1994
- Director Sotheby’s India – gave India its first commercial auction in 1992
- Treasurer of All India Women’s Education Fund Association (AIWEFA) from 1994 to 1997 (the parent body of Lady Irwin College)
- Returning officer for AIWEFA and Governing Body of Lady Irwin College election in 1997
- Fund-raiser for an international meet for women in October 1998 -‘Women on the March’,
- Adviser for CAPART for Gramshree Mela Committee in 1987-1988
- Adviser India Habitat Centre New Delhi 1989 - 1992
- Adviser for Dayawati Modi Kavi Shekhar Samman from 1994 to 1997
- Member Board of Governors Mody Institute of Education and Research,1999 to 2002, Laxmangarh, Rajasthan, which provides quality education exclusively for girl students from class III to Engineering Degree level courses.
- Member international Committee on Integral Humanism Mahabodhi Society 2006
- Founding member United Ways New Delhi and NCR Region 2008
International Experience
- Organized podium discussions at Frankfurt Book Fair 1986
- Actively involved with establishing UK Save A Child Trust since 1987
- Actively raised funds in U.K for Indian children
· Japan 2000 Represented India in a meeting with Reverend Uchida in Tokyo.
- Participated in GOPIO meet in Zurich 2000
- Participated as an observer in UN Peace meet August 2000
- Delegate Occupational Health Conference Bangkok 2003
- Organizer Two Decades of service Divya Chaya Trust Uk Nehru Center 2004
- Head of Fund raising and N.G.O Commi
