"He Let Me Live" - Nisha Pahuja's The World Before Her (and US)

       "He let me live" - these words echo in my mind a day after the screening of The World Before Her at the University of Toronto last night. I was watching the documentary for the second time and this time in an dark theatre at the University of Toronto observing the audience's reactions and finally meeting Nisha Pahuja via skype, Farzana Shammi, and Mariam Zaidi for the first time.

Filmmaker Nisha Pahuja beaming across from India 

       The words "he let me live" mean so much to me because I come from a family where girls are valued, loved, and cared for. Unlike what Prachi Trivedi called a "traditional" family where girls are killed through the act of female infanticide, I was brought up with the rhetoric that I was the first girl after 18 years.  I was the first born. I was the oldest from my dad's side of the family because he is the oldest among the children. Both my parents have given me whatever I wanted, I was allowed to wear what I wanted, travel the world, date whomever I wanted. When I was down and ready to give up on life two-three years ago, when my thesis got rejected twice during my first masters, my father sat me down in his office and encouraged me to follow my dreams. Lo and behold, my life changed after meeting with Bipasha Baruah, professor and Canada Research Chair at the Women's Studies and Feminist Research Department at University of Western Ontario. Today, with her guidance and with the guidance and support of Nandi Bhatia and Julia Emberley. I have started my journey as a PhD student. I am thankful everyday and grateful to have a supportive family system both compromising of my extended family (who have loved me as their own daughter), best friends who are like sisters, and friends and mentors who make me who I am today. Every day I am thankful to the higher being!

Farzana Shammi and Mariam Zaidi 

       And yesterday, when I heard the words from Prachi - he let me live - I realized how much of a privileged position I am in to be able to have the appropriate knowledge and language, write, and study these issues that affect India. This film means a lot to me both intellectually and emotionally because it is not only a cultural product, but also because it has generated a movement that seeks to educate and spread awareness of violence against women. It speaks of female infanticide and the women who are straddled between choosing the "old" and the "new" India. These issues are important to me for selfish reasons. I was indeed allowed to live and allowed to embrace both sides of the ideologies. Many women who belong to India are not given such privileges and support that I have received from my support system and thus, I feel that by becoming a part of the campaign I play some role or if any of spreading knowledge about these issues. It is also my way of giving back to the world I belong to. Like Nisha Pahuja, I consider myself a "humanist." I care for any marginalized and oppressed being whether it be a man, woman, or child who is suffering from oppressive systems.

Before the screening! 

           The campaign is in its last 62 hours. Any amount that you contribute to this campaign will help make a difference in India because I strongly believe that documentaries or any type of a visual cultural product has a different type of impact on our minds when we see the events taking literally before our eyes. By pledging to the campaign, your contribution will be used to fulfill the stretch goals to reach 3 additional grassroots screenings, perhaps even the film can be released in Mangalore, where women were beaten up for visiting bars (which is honestly a personal choice) and Jaipur, the home of Ruhi Singh - one of the speakers in the film. To be honest, its times like this I wish I had been more of a saver than a spender. I would have happily contributed more than I had to the campaign for the goals and mission it has and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Even if its a dollar or two or more, imagine the power you have to make a change in India. Here is the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/411325600/the-world-before-her-india-campaign.

Farzana Shammi, Mariam Zaidi, and me! 

These photos are courtesy of people who attended the event including Mariellen Ward and Farzana Shammi!

© Nidhi Shrivastava 2014 This content is subject to copyrights. Please ask for my permission before using this content for any purpose.