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Dr. Deepa Martins was the founder Secretary of the Governing Body of St. Stephen’s School Society and its founding light from its conceptualization until April 2003 when she left for her heavenly abode. While her legacy as the co-founder remains ingrained in all aspects of the ethos of the institution, this lecture series has for the last 18 years helped us immortalize her memory for posterity in the way she most relates to: socially aware and informed action, rooted in principles of love, compassion and harmony. For the last 19 years, on 5th April, her birthday, the School and the Ajmer community have benefited from visits of distinguished women in various fields who have shared their thoughts with us through this memorial lecture series. The topics of these lectures have been close to Dr. Deepa Martins life and works, promoting communal harmony in a secular society, women's issues linked to health, constitutional rights and gender equality, Kabir, inclusive learning and social activism through music, dance, theatre, art and importance of journalism and working with the marginalized.
The School has had the privilege to welcome and host luminaries from various fields to address, inspire and motivate the students and the faculty to foster and carry forward the values of secularism, communal harmony, civil liberty and gender equality. Dr. Mrinal Pande, Mr. Ved Vyas, Ms. Aruna Roy, Dr. C. S. Lakshmi, Ms. Indira Jaising, Ms. Madhu Kishwar, Padmashri Dr. Shanta Sinha, Dr. Syeda Hameed, Ms. Vrinda Grover, Ms. Kamla Bhasin, Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath, Padmashri Dr. Mallika Sarabhai, Prof. Tripurari Sharma, Ms. Charul Bharwada & Mr. Vinay Mahajan, Dr. Swarnamalya Ganesh, Ms. Shabnam Virmani, Ms. Maya Krishna Rao, Ms. Pamela Philipose, Dr. Ginny Shrivastava, Ms. Rajni Bakshi and Dr. Varsha Das are among the distinguished keynote speakers that the School has hosted.
The Memorial Lectures were conducted via the online mode for 2020 and 2021.
Citizenship is an idea with many layers. It is about our relationship with the state as well as our relationships with our fellow-citizens. It is about questions like: what are our obligations to the state and what are the obligations of the state to us, its citizens? It is also about questions like: what do we owe each other – our families and friends, our classmates and teachers, and even people who are strangers to us.
Gandhiji said, there are three ways in which you are engaged in the public domain. One is service, the second is development and the third is struggle. So if Tilonia is development, MKSS is struggle. We believe in struggling within the constitution. It is within the constitution that we have to exert our rights to get equality, to get liberty and to get fraternity.
Gandhiji has spoken about spirituality as an essential hallmark of culture. According to him, spirituality is not a matter of knowing scriptures and engaging in philosophical discussions, it's a matter of heart, a culture of immeasurable strength, fearlessness is the first requisite of spirituality.
Independence of my conception means nothing less than the realisation of the kingdom of God within you and on this earth. I would rather work for and die in the pursuit of this dream though it may never be realised, that means infinite patience and perseverance. So till we meet our goals and targets we continue, and for that we require patience and perseverance.
The ideal of ahimsa is empowering as there is no fixed manual or rule book. Non-violence is a way of striving for the higher freedom. The only real obstacle in striving for non-violence is lack of confidence within and not the material circumstances. Far more undreamt of and impossible discoveries will be made in the field of non-violence.
A Strong Humanitarian Perspective is necessary for effective work with marginalized people in India. All people, male or female, are equal human beings, and the society is at it’s best if the diversities, that make up our large population, are accepted, celebrated, regardless of whether those differences have their roots in social, historical, religious, or physical reasons. And including all as equal citizens, making up this diverse, great country, we all shall go forward, together, in harmony. If everyone, does whatever is needed to include the marginalized– our world will be stronger and better.
Journalism is about harnessing the power of words. Good journalism is without fear or favour. A journalist has to make stories more interesting with their power of description. Journalism is about harnessing the power of words as good journalism then becomes good literature.
Art can do wonderful magical things. Art has a lot to do with our sensibilities. There is art in everything we do in life. The power of drama teaches us about people, their lives and their aspirations. There is no better way to learn than escaping into drama as the power of theatre is strong and it impacts every sphere of life.
HAAN AUR NAA KE BEECH MEI - Questioning Identity & Duality in the world of Kabir
The lecture talked about the teachings of Kabir and the valuable life lessons through his couplets. Kabir’s dohas are just like fragrance that could never be concentrated at one place but spread all over transcending boundaries. There is no one authentic form of Kabir, but multiple and relative forms of his poetry. To understand Kabir, one needs to understand his spirit of questioning.
Yatho Hasta Tatho Drishti – our hands represent the present form of our culture - a bit limited as it can reach only this far. But let our eyes or drishti travel beyond, rather inward and seek a wholeness which breaks the shackles of what is framed in our history books as monochromatic or single narrative of cultural history.
Yatho Drishti Tatho Manaha - let the mind expand even further towards the idea of India and its cultural wealth as a gift of connected histories of the world, thus reaching a little more beyond what we can envision.
Yatho Manaha Tatho Bhavo - when the mind is truly that expansive, there dwells the Bhava or expression of harmony as a certain oneness of the universe.
Yatho Bhavo Tatho Rasaha - at a place where this harmony exists, there true art thrives, which belongs to and is appealing, pleasurable to all.- Rasaanubhava.
As we humans began crafting things with our hands, our brain also developed. Today we do not see the relation between our brain and our hands. Today the relation between hands and brains is totally unequal. Those who work with their brain, they are enjoying almost everything in life. The people who are working with their hands are suffering indignities, even though in the development of the brain, hands have played a fundamental role. Human hands have created so many beautiful things and this song is about the history of human hands and about what they are doing and where are they now in the society.
The beauty of imagination is when you say that you see something which is not there. That is why vision is very important -- the absolute becomes the potential for something much more, and seeing that much more is what builds our capacity to imagine. Imagination is an experience that gives you joy because when you live with imagination, you live creatively, you live with possibilities at every step.
Education has to be about the fun of every single day; not about getting through it, leaving it behind and getting on with the rest of your life. Art similarly has to be integrated in our lives. Art is not just singing, dancing and theatre, but painting, cookery etc. are also different forms of art which affect all areas of life. It is a medium through which the legacy of our culture, heritage and traditions is passed from one generation to another.
Every beautiful building reconciles structure with space. Good education must also reconcile structure with space. It is about how we harmonize discipline with the freedom of the mind. One should be rooted in today but must have a vision of tomorrow. Simple Abundance i.e. to see the extra ordinary in the ordinary allows one to look at what is possible with synergy, synchronicity and appreciate the beauty and the joy that surrounds us with gratitude. We should think out of the box as it adds a new perception.
Men of quality are not afraid of equality. The patriarchal pattern of Indian society has forced men to suppress emotions and consequently be inflexible and stone-hearted. Women must now learn to shed fears, 'climb trees' and be a partner to their mates rather than possessed commodities.
One must take inspiration from the lives of brave women, to question, to challenge what is wrong, to take public action, to stand up in solidarity. You have the power to change – these changes were brought about by ordinary women like us. So you have that power to change our society and our country.
Samrad wrote: 'A true lover of God is misled both by religion and lack there of.' The moth burns itself – it does not choose between burning candles - whether it is in the mosque or the temple. The idea of true religion means not distinguishing between a mosque or a temple, a church or a gurudwara. If you are a moth, then your end is fanna and if this is the understanding, then Faith and Tolerance just as easily becomes our creed.
Children are discontinuing education because the system is still not ready to absorb, to embrace the poor child. Children cannot be insulted, they cannot be humiliated just because they are poor, just because their parents have not been educated. These are the battles and if we win these battles in the schools, I am sure these children will not join the ranks of child labour. Schools must prepare students. There must be zero tolerance for a child being out of school.
Why do we forget that we are part of this society? We also need to work for the betterment of the society and its people because unless we join hands together and help and work for the upliftment of the downtrodden, our society cannot develop. We all have to be part of that common resolve.
The end of conflict is a precondition to a dignified life and for the end of conflict in this country we need secularism. My object is to point out to you that these are all issues which are mentioned in the Constitution. It is like a Bible and each one of you should have a copy. When in doubt, read Constitution of India and decide how you should proceed in a particular situation – you will find the answer there.
Do not destroy friendships. You may argue, you may hold different views but always nurture communication, humanity and companionship. This will be the true tribute for Dr. Deepa Martins.
Ignorance and illiteracy do not define women. History is replete with examples of women scholars, women poets and famous women rulers. It is not so that if importance given to women, it will compromise the position of men in society. On the contrary, when women and men have equal rights, a better society based on justice and equality will be built.
We must always talk about the human rights of every woman because their development is related to these rights. First and foremost is the right to survive. We must stop the suppression of these rights. Violence is increasing in society and because of it, the right to survive has been taken away from the women.
Half of the world’s population comprises women. Not only in India but across the globe they are forced to live in neglect, torture and darkness, During the wars, it is the women who have mourned for losses endlessly. Literature is full of the lament of women. We seek compassion, affection and vitality in women but in reality she leads a life of exclusion. Until society changes its thinking, and we grant women their due respect and position in society, the condition of women will not change.