A Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women
By Jess McCabe | 10 February 2009, 11:48
Last month, women drinking in a pub in Mangalore, India were attacked by a group of men, linked to the right-wing Sri Ram Sena.
In response to this attack, a protest is being planned for this Saturday, Valentine’s Day, via a Facebook group called A Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Woman:
Women and men are being urged to post pink underwear to Sri Ram Sena, or go and have a drink at a pub on Valentine’s Day.
More details can be found on the group’s blog. They say:
The campaign is growing exponentially (4,500 at this point in the life of our Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women) and that is not surprising. Most women in this country have enough curbs on their lives without a whole new franchise cashing in with their bully-boy tactics. Of course, a lot of men have joined the group as well.
Nisha Susan adds:
On Valentine’s Day we do a Pub Bharo action. Go to a pub wherever you are. From Kabul to Chennai to Guwahati to Singapore to LA women have signed up. It does not matter if you are actually not a pub-goer or not even much of a drinker. Let us raise a toast (it can be juice) to Indian women. Take a photo or video. We will put it together (more on how later) and send this as well to the Sri Ram Sena.What happens after Valentine’s Day?
After Valentine’s Day we should get some of our elected leaders to agree that beating up women is ummm… AGAINST INDIAN CULTURE.For right now, ask not what Dr VS Acharya, Home Minister of Karnataka can do for you. Ask what you can do for him. Here is his blog. Send him some love.
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Feeds
Ree said:
“Ram Sena” leaders who appear to me as “Ravana sena”.
I feel I belong to a nation which is “underdeveloped for women”. It's time we stand up.
Pub culture is just a new form of “madhushalas”. So whats the big deal guys! Understand the Indian culture carefully leaders and then comment!
Its time that the youth dons the mantle of “Ram Sena” in the true sense and fights against “Ravana Sena”!
Posted on 11 February 2009 at 9:52 AM
kamonasish aayush mazumdar said:
what the RAM (ravana) SENA cadres are doing is completely wrong,
but by what means is the "consortium of pub-going, LOOSE and forward women" a very dignified movement?
and why was the word "LOOSE" used any way?
you would have garnered a lot more support if it wasn't for that little word :)
a fellow supporter of feminism and FORWARD (which is so NOT equal to lose) thinkers in India.
keep your country clean, chaddis included ;)
Posted on 12 February 2009 at 12:05 AM
Jess McCabe said:
@kamonasish aayush mazumdar I wouldn't want to speak for the women who have organised this protest, but my interpretation is that the word "loose" is used satirically, to make fun of the stigma placed on women for living their lives as they see fit. They are reclaiming a word which is used to shut down and limit women's movement and behaviour, because there's no such thing as a "loose woman", just women exercising agency over their own lives.
My feeling is that they're trying to challenge people who would be put off by the use of the word "loose", as part of their protest.
Posted on February 12, 2009 2:25 PM
kamonasish aayush mazumdar said:
@Jess McCabe
"loose"=derogatory
even if its satire. its bad humour, to say the least :)
Hitler was a very bad man but he was a very good man to most Germans, who were defeated twice in two world wars.
weak people with weak morals look for people who can drive them and some opportunists strike when the iron is hot. right now its two right wingers (shri ram sene and loose women consortium of pub goers who are
India is growing up, out n about but it definitely shouldn't consort to consortiums of underwear less ladies. i mean its cute, in the unrighteous way, but i wouldn't want my sister and mom to do the same. am hoping you wouldn't too. :)
evolve not devolve
pub-wise or otherwise.
anyway i wouldn't have doubted the blog and blogger's aspirations if it weren't for a simple fact. i made some pretty logical comments (3 to be precise) out there in the original blogspot account but they are deleted today :) these are biased not centrists or liberal but RIGHTIST ppl.....thats the entire problem.
what they also forget is that they represent only a miniscule fraction of India, so small that it would put vatican city to shame if and when compared to Russia as a country in size :)
but hey Jess, i would be writing a piece on my blogspot and will inform you about the same on this forum hope you hit back on my blogger account :)
Posted on 12 February 2009 at 10:51 PM
Ramesh said:
A novel protest, please take care.
Posted on 13 February 2009 at 10:18 AM
shelley mehta said:
Rename your consortium to
STRI RUM SEVANA
Posted on 13 February 2009 at 2:40 PM
anil kumar vasu said:
i was begining to think that indian youth were politically dead, and that they will not standup to protect their personal freedom. this movement showed that atleast indian women are not. this is great...show us, the men... the path
Posted on 13 February 2009 at 6:43 PM
nemogbr said:
Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women's Support group
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=9330&uid=50694268510#/group.php?gid=50694268510
The main group was cracked and the Facebook Admin Team deleted the group along with 58,000 members. It seems they preferred the easiest solution?
Our founder, Nisha Susan, MSN-India's International Women’s Day Idol, had her account suspended.
Our boards, links, and wall were removed, our admin system was replaced with random people, and our news section and name repeatedly defaced and vandalised.
If a Human Rights group with over 58,000 members cannot get any clear or decisive action from the Facebook team, who can?
Our requests to the Facebook Admin team about this matter received no more attention than a form letter telling us to read the help files.
If it was Hilary Clinton’s Facebook Group, something may have been done.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bower/glitch-plagued-clinton-fa_b_101000.html
We attempted to get it back, but since this is a Women’s Rights group in India, no one took notice. This is a travesty and we will carry on.
Peace to you all.
Posted on 20 May 2009 at 5:34 PM