success!

my friends and i did OUR part to help!
(pictures taken at the half door)


Indian pub attacks prompt pink knickers protest
Randeep Ramesh in Delhi
It was a protest that spawned a movement. Fed up with moral policing by radical Hindu groups who had attacked women in pubs and targeted unmarried couples celebrating Valentine's Day, a group of women decided to fight back – with pink knickers.

The result was a remarkably successful dirty dissent. Not only did 40,000 items of rose-tinted underwear, much of it apparently unwashed, end up flooding the offices of the Sri Ram Sena (Lord Ram's Army), the non-violent act defused much of the tension surrounding the acts of vigilantism by self-appointed guardians of "Indian culture".

Spearheading the new movement is "A Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women", a group of young female journalists, lawyers and academics, who began with a Facebook group protesting at the attacks on several young women last month in a pub in Mangalore, a university town in the southern state of Karnataka. Yesterday it had nearly 50,000 members.

The debate comes at a time of tumultuous social change in India, where a new generation of Indian women are experiencing new freedoms such as dating and drinking while navigating ingrained conservative values about what is acceptable behaviour............

my friends and i doing our part on valentine's day for a consortium of pub-going, loose and forward women
cashy, lk, maria, juan, ty, andy, tim
the facebook group

the pink chaddi campaign blog

of course this was at the half door

on saturday, valentine's day

i want every women in the country to go to a pub and have a beverage of some sort. the beverage can be a water or a tea or a soda. it doesn't have to be alcoholic. we have to show our support to our sisters in india.

here's my original posting from this morning


and please join the facebook group a consortium of pub-going, loose and forward women (i sure as shite did). why? well BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT'S ACCEPTABLE FOR INSANE MEN TO BEAT THE SHITE OUT OF WOMEN SIMPLY FOR BEING IN A PUB (or for ANY reason). that's why

i'm also going to be sending in some pink chaddis to oppose the Sri Ram Sena. they won't be there in time for valentine's day, but baby, they'll BE there eventually (the gift that just keeps on giving - those pink chaddis). so please do join me for a drink on saturday. y'all know where i hang

the pink chaddi campaign

join the pink chaddi campaign! (this is WONDERFUL)

the consortium of pubgoing, loose and forward women (yup i'm one of 'em. BUT for now, i CAN go to pubs and be loose and forward (should i wish to be) without fear of organizations beating me up and insisting i stay home or not celebrate valentine's day OR do what i will!)

from the website:
What is the Pink Chaddi Campaign?

The Pink Chaddi Campaign kicked off on 5 February 2009 to oppose the Sri Ram Sena. 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.

Here is we want to do with the Pink Chaddi Campaign. Join in. Be imaginative, have fun and fight back!

What can you do?

Step 1: It does not matter that many of us have not thought about Valentine's Day since we were 13. If ever. This year let us send the Sri Ram Sena some love. Let us send them some PINK CHADDIS.

Look in your closet or buy them cheap. Dirt-cheap. Make sure they are PINK. Send them off to the Sena.

The address to send the package is:
The Pink Chaddi Campaign,
C/O Alternate Law Forum,
122/4 Infantry Road
(opposite Infantry Wedding House)
Bangalore 560001
Karnataka
Contact person:

Nithin (9886081269)
Divya (9845535406)
Nisha ( 9811893733)
Vivek(9845591798)

If you don't want to mail it yourself, you can drop it off at the Chaddi Collection Points. We will be collecting across the country through this week and sending the packages on February 12. More information about Chaddi Collectors in your city soon on our blog: http://thepinkchaddicampaign.blogspot.com/

Step 2: Send the Pink Chaddi Campaign a photograph of the package.

Tell us how many chaddis you are sending out and inspire other women in other cities. You can either mail the information to freelancehabba (at) gmail (dot) com or you can mail it at our facebook address. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49641698651&ref=mf


Step 3: 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.

Nisha Susan
For the Pink Chaddi Campaign

PS. Our good friend L says we should not colour-discriminate. So if you really, really can't send pink chaddis, send those in other colours.

PPS. Both Women and Men are invited to send in their chaddi's/ pictures of chaddi's.

(ht: boing boing)