DITO #AsIAm

Artsforward came up with the #AsIAm Campaign in association with Quest Mall Kolkata. Every International Women’s Day, we celebrate womanhood by giving women discounts, coupons and special offers to make them feel good about themselves. There is a demographic of fierce women who are overlooked in this celebration. They come from backgrounds where we can never assume to know their story. They have limited choices, but make the most of them with a sense of clarity and a belief in their own self. They own who they are and they are proud of it. This Women’s day, we want to celebrate all kinds of women, as they are. Interactions with a group of such wonderful young women from DITO (Drop In The Ocean) have given us a string of experiences to weave an installation with. We spoke to them at length about their beginnings, their aspirations, their immediate set of struggles and where they see themselves in the next ten years. Our workshop with them enabled us to see beyond our privilege and understand their worldview and who they think they are. ‘Independence’ is a heavy word that is largely supported by small, but significant words like ‘soch’, ‘ character’, ‘pehchan’, ‘shomaaj’, ‘safety’ and so on. No matter where we come from, we can relate to certain words and phrases because we are women. These words and phrases now find their way into this bamboo and board word art installation. To further bridge the gap and celebrate a more inclusive International Women’s Day and to draw people to the installation, a flash mob consisting of young men and women was organised in the atrium of the mall.