Narrative trails along the locality: Rajabazar, Kolkata

The evening will include a discussion around an initiative undertaken by Rabindra Bharati University, Women’s Studies Centre in collaboration with Dr. Henrike Donner of Goldsmiths’ College, University of London. The initiative primarily surveyed questions around the lives and aspirations of women living in the locality of Rajabazar.

While initially intended as a study about women dwelling in the low-income groups of Rajabazar, it extended into a Dérive around the locality as narratives were collected and more associations were made.

The findings knit these discussions into a rhizomatic continuation and will be shared with the wider audience through exhibitions, workshops and presentations moving towards a more sustained engagement.

The discussion for the evening will focus around questioning the very fundamental assumptions of the initiative leading to a critique of the “gaze” that is so evidently ingrained in the act of surveys and interventions.

SPEAKERS

Dr. Bansari Guha is a geographer and independent researcher. She is currently associated with the Science Communicators’ Forum, Kolkata. Her area of interests are space, livelihood, environment and Regional Geography.

Dr. Swati Ghosh teaches Economics at Rabindra Bharati University and is associated with Women’s Studies Centre. Her area of interests are labour, migration, political economy and feminist theory. 

Sujay Mukherjee is an artist and pedagogue and teaches printmaking at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. His area of interests ranges from working with different printmaking mediums coupled with an interest in trying to expand their ontological boundaries beyond the confines of an artists’ studio.

Meher Talat is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Bengal Social Service League and is a prominent social worker in the locality of Rajabazar. He is involved in imparting various forms of vocational training to women from the area for their sustenance.
 
Shahina Javed is the founder of ‘Roshni’– a non-governmental organisation operating in the Rajabazar area that works with girls and the youth from the locality along with running a football coaching facility for women.

Srobonti Chattopadhyay is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. Her research interests are centered around Game Theory and Mechanism Design Theory, and their applications in various social contexts.


The programme will be in Bangla and English and is open to all.