Initiative:Gaana Rewrite
Organisation: Akshara Centre
Country: India
Facebook: @AksharaCentre
Website: www.aksharacentre.org
Akshara Centre, an NGO dedicated to the empowerment and safety of women, ran a national competition called #GaanaRewrite in collaboration with – One Billion Rising and Eksaath, and invited people from all over the country to submit entries with re-written lyrics of sexist songs that often become tools for sexual harassment in streets and public places. This initiative is unique because it not only allows people in understanding the existing sexism but also encourages them to reject it as well, by rewriting those songs. As a part of the campaign, they reached out to youth in Mumbai and conducted three hour workshops to discuss the notions of sexism. The video of six rewritten songs as culmination of the campaign has become another way to reach out to larger audiences and garner support for the idea that Bollywood needs to change.
