In a developing world, for a woman ‘choice and right is very important’ as a philosophy and a reality because the nature of issues relating to sexual and reproductive health differ vastly from other advanced nations. Lack of information, environment, illiteracy, economic, social and cultural barriers act as forces against a more informed choice. Dr Anjali Capila who took a huge jump from Academics to become the Programme officer for Adolescents in the International Planned Parenthood Federation Regional Office, South Asian Region, agrees and her empathy is strong when she talks to us about these issues.

A  Professor in Development Communication from Lady Irwin College, New Delhi currently on a sabbatical she has real life stories to tell her students in the classroom beside her course work. This is not her first assignment into this field. She has been instrumental in starting the study-abroad program at Michigan State University. Her first book - “Images of Women in the Folk Songs of Garhwal Himalayas - A Participatory Research" is a treatise on how songs can b a powerful source for social communication. She has also authored a second book "Traditional Health Practices of Kumaoni Women - Continuity and Change" that was published in the Journal of Health Communication, Chicago and reflects on how modernity and tradition can coexist with one another without losing its essence.

I met her at her son Ishan and daughter -in-law Priya's  home in Ashland during her recent visit.

Tell us more about your current assignment?
I had previously been involved with a project on HIV education for youth, (Gender sensitive approach) in the Railway schools at Vijayawada. Fascinated with the work we did, the Regional Director of IPPF, Madhubala Nath invited me to join IPPF, South Asian region. Earlier the South Asia office was managed in London but two years ago, it was decided to set up an office at New Delhi. I work with two countries, Sri Lanka and Nepal. It is funded by the Government of Finland. The work involves working with marginalized and vulnerable women in these areas through 10 distribution centers. We reach out through Youth Information Centers that are set up at district levels and our idea is to deal with small issues on a ground level which can be applicable on a larger framework.

Which are the countries that are part of this pool?
South Asia region includes the Family Planning Associations (FPAs) of Bangladesh, India, Iran, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The IPPF South Asia Regional Office (SARO) has also initiated work in Afghanistan and recently re-established clinical and training services in the country. These FPAs cover a population of almost one and a half billion people and some of the most pressing concerns in terms of family planning, sexual and reproductive health and rights, youth, gender and now HIV/AIDS. All family planning associations are autonomous organizations established and managed by local people.

This is a challenging task taking in view all these constraints ?
It is a difficult domain. Crossing the socio cultural barriers is not easy. But let me emphasize that the context is very important. Getting sexual and reproductive health and information about rights is what is essential. We are dealing with questions like what information are we giving, who is it reaching, where and what services are available to young people. In a recent seminar in London, I was asked this question, “what is the most critical thing for these young people” and I replied by using a term “Creating Spaces’ which resonated with the audience. What I meant was that we must create an ‘enabling environment’ that will help these youth to make their choice and internalize their concerns.

Relate to us some experiences of the responses of these youth?
In Nepal we did a survey recently and came to an interesting observation. It shows that teachers in most of these schools always skip the biology class and kids who are out of the school system have more information on how to protect themselves and take better care. It is a case of survival and these people know where to go and are aware of these information centers.

What happens at these Information Centers?
These centers start off as recreational community centers which have been received very well. The girls are trained in simple tasks; there is a small library of books, a room for counseling. They are also imparted some life skills education that will generate income. They often come up with novel ideas, such as a cycle ambulance and a stretcher service, telephone booths, computer center, just to name a few. Because funding is limited to three years, to be successful, these projects must have their own sustainability.

This shift from the world of Academia to real world issues, how did this happen?
My earlier work actually linked me to this. It all started with my journey to the mountains with four women to Kedarnath and Badrinanth. I was debating about doing a PHD and was not inspired enough with the topics I had. So while I was in the mountains, I heard this group of women singing and their song wafting through. Curiosity led me to ask one of them what they were singing about and one of them asked, “Why are you interested in my song”. That made me think and later when I was standing at the source of the Saraswathi River, an old man came up to me and said, “if you want to study further, then drink the water of the Saraswathi”. I was amazed at his comment and did just that. It was like an epiphany and images were already forming in my head. I went back and wrote a small synopsis which later led to my Phd. My underlying idea was songs as a source of culture for understanding people’s lives.

So you spent time in Garhwal among these women?
Yes, I thought the best way to do my study was to get in touch with the lives of these people. As a researcher, I felt that while we do make analysis, it is subjective coming from our own knowledge and discourse. As development people we are always looking for quantitative indicators but the whole network of human communication of how we reach out to people is often ignored.  For me, really listening and being present to these voices of women seemed fascinating.

You were also instrumental in forming a training center for women with Chirag, an NGO ?
This was later and is the theme of my second book. I contacted Chirag, an NGO in Mukteshwar. The Danish Embassy gave a generous grant to set up a training center for girls for setting up a curriculum and a training center. We started with a residential camp for 25 girls and 9 components to a course for 5 days that included subjects like horticulture, animal husbandry and reproductive health etc. Till today some 80 women have taken part in this program.

Your books have recorded songs that have been sung for generations orally by these women ?
My recorder had more than 150 songs at the end of my reasearch. I put them in a book with interpretations of these women that range from the seasons, nature, environment and relationships. They are all in the local dialect and classified by these women themselves. I added my own illustrations. To me this whole journey is a connection. Learning from the grassroots and adapting this experience to our policies is invaluable. These songs validate their environment. These women have knowledge that must be validated. They can be critically analyzed but they are important because they reflect their lives and emotions .

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