Six members of Dera Sacha Sauda, a religious sect, will marry sex workers in Sirsa, Haryana keeping with their word on fighting for the rights of women who have been forced into prostitution.

Last month, members of the sect congregated in Delhi, announcing their initiative to fight trafficking of women, and took out a rally to spread their message. Nearly 1,400 male members of the sect gave their consent to marry sex workers.

“Just like we announced, the first batch of members of the Dera Sacha Sauda will tie the knot with sex workers tomorrow on January 25^th. We are, however, awaiting the results of the Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) which tests for HIV, of some of the women before solemnising the process,” said Aditya Insaan, spokesperson of the group.

“This is important because while on one hand we want to help these women and rehabilitate them in a safe environment, we don’t want to put the men at risk either,” added Insaan.

According to Insaan, the rest of the men will marry in the next one-and-a-half years.

“Trafficking is a serious issue and so is the high rate of HIV infection among sex workers. A number of sex workers are in the trade because they are forced into it – either because of poor economic condition or because they have been duped into it,” Insaan said.

“In order to change people’s perception about the community and help, instead of shunning them, Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of Dera Sacha Sauda has encouraged the men folk to come forward, marry and provide a home for these women,” he added.

“Once they get that sense of security and warmth of a family, these women can pursue a vocational course or a different livelihood option,” Insaan further said.

Explaining the process, Insaan said they got in touch with NGOs across the country to reach out to sex workers in order to help them. The response that they got was overwhelming.

“We got a very good response. However, since marriage involves two people, we had to be careful in the process. So, the women were medically tested and counselled by a psychologist in order to ensure that they were in the right frame of mind to take this step,” he said.

“Thereon, an interaction between the men and the women was set up. They met three-four times and were given time to take a final decision. It was ensured that none of the women was below 18 years of age and the men were in a position to support them financially,” Insaan said.

When asked if the men’s families were supportive of the decision, Insaan said that in most cases they were.

“In a few where families were not supporting, it was ensured that the men were financially sound. Also, about 300 families have come forward to adopt sex workers who are still minors,” he added.

Rave parties may be on the rise and gender, educational attainment and place of residence seem to influence the attitude of youth towards drinking but over two-thirds of India’s young generation consider alcohol consumption to be unacceptable, according to a new book.

“Indian Youth in a Transforming World: Attitudes and Perceptions” comprises a nationwide study based on face-to-face interviews with 5,000 youth to capture the popular mood of this important demographic segment of contemporary India.

Authored by Peter Ronald DeSouza, Sanjay Kumar and Sandeep Shastri, the book records the perceptions of youth of various issues, ranging from modernity, development, globalisation and unemployment, to leisure and lifestyle, social networks and family, and their hopes and aspirations for the future.

While this book, published by Sage, breaks some myths about them, on the one hand, it helps strengthen some commonly shared perceptions about them, on the other.  The authors say that the leisure habits of the youth are linked to multiple factors.

“As many as 64 per cent of the youth felt that alcohol consumption is not at all acceptable. One out of every 10 youth said that it is acceptable and 15 per cent felt that it is necessary to maintain one’s place in social circles. Another 10 per cent did not express any opinion on the matter.

“However, it is clear that alcohol consumption is by and large frowned upon by the youth. Gender, educational attainment and place of residence seem to have a great impact on the attitude of the youth towards drinking,” it says.

According to the authors, women seemed to be clearly more opposed to alcohol consumption than young men.  “Nearly three-fourth of the women said that alcohol consumption is not acceptable to them while just over half the men felt the same way. Two out of every 10 young men said that drinking is necessary to maintain one’s standing in social circles while only one out of every 10 women said the same. The difference between how young men and women viewed liquor consumption reduced significantly in metropolitan areas and among the educated.

“Alcohol consumption appears to be more acceptable among the more educated. More than 20 per cent of professional degree holders said that it was acceptable. Further, nearly 20 per cent of the city youth felt that drinking is necessary to maintain one’s status in society and one out of every six urban youth felt that is unacceptable,” the book says.

The most significant marker in explaining the attitude of the youth to drinking is their educational background. Those with access to education are increasingly convinced that alcohol consumption is necessary to maintain one’s status in social circles.

The book underlines that Indian youth reflect an authentic multiplicity of aspirations, ‘world views’ and interest, quite like the rich tapestry of India’s diversity. It indicates that they are a mix of continuity with change. However, they stand distinct in many ways from the youth the world over.

This book is also likely to break some myths related to the youth, opening avenues for new debates. (PTI)

His ponytail has been the hottest whisper around these days. The way he carries himself, funky outfits and not long found love for tattoos stays him a class apart, yet his affection to roots plus love and admiration for each and all, he is in familiar terms with, forces you to think that he is some one special.

Nowadays you may hit upon doody and daddy leaving collectively in the morning to be present at their respective classes. Nevertheless, wait a minute; doddy has just started while daddy joined the space after concluding his first stretch as ingenious professional at web world for years. A number of many perhaps giggle at him but daddy cool has been a brainwave for many to put out of your mind and let off the old stigma attached with a small number of things in run of the mill life.

Life has by no means been a trouble-free expedition but you would forever find him full of verve and delight. Setting aside all other things, he started his business at a very early age specially when things were new to many entrepreneurs in India. The same was the utmost requirement then to fill some vacant space in his life and that of family as well.

Journey by far was pleasant, but one fine day daddy decided to fly off to foreign land and rest became history afterwards, international venture and the exposure to diverse cultures infused a new lease of life in him. Daddy then decided to pursue his love for education and has encouraged many others setting aside myths regarding so called constraints in life. Moreover, daddy cool now spends majority of his time in social activities and cheering many more to listen to their inner self and follow their dreams.

People like Chetanya Prakash are the foundation of a better tomorrow. We need more such uncommon people to set the motion. !!