Ideological reading has been defined as a deliberate effort to read against the grain of texts, of disciplinary norms, of traditions, of cultures. It is reflected in movies, music, art, literature, photography, theatre and all forms of expressional communications. Stephen Prince, in his work, Movies and Meaning talks about depiction of ideologies in Movies as, “a system of social or political beliefs characteristic of a society or social community. Ideological film theory examines the ways in which films represent and express various ideologies." The ideologies reflected in media and literature is the mirror image of the societal values prevalent at that time. For instance the unrest of the German youth and their disappointments in the post world war1 is clearly portrayed in the novel.Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse is ideal for a reading beyond the text, it reflects the social order and collective and individual unrest prevalent during the period of post world war I Steppenwolf (orig. German Der Steppenwolf) is the tenth novel by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse. Originally published in Germany in 1927, it was first translated into English in 1929. Combining autobiographical and fantastic elements, the novel was named after the abandoned wolf of the steppes. The story in large part reflects a profound crisis in Hesse's spiritual world in the 1920s while memorably portraying the protagonist's split between his humanity, and his wolf-like aggression and homelessness. The human and the wolf are extremely dichotomous, the human represent the submissive and passive bourgeoisie while the aggressive wolf is symbolic of the rebel, the active supporter of the proletariat (which shows influence by the communist ideology); thus there is a clear dichotomy in on individual itself in terms of ideologies.The protagonist is suspected to be ailing in spirit, temperament and character.

The book Steppenwolf and Siddhartha was written by Hesse at a time when the extremely negative conditions of post World War I Germany –specifically, the social repercussions of the extremely high death toll of German men and the paralyzed economy – shaped the disturbed and indignant writings of Herman Hesse and the social consciousness of the German people. This social consciousness morphed into many new cultural movements, which shared man of the same feelings that Hesse expressed in his writings. This is evident in the conversation between Haller and Hermine in page 138;.it says “nobody wants to avoid war, nobody wants to spare himself and his children the next Holocaust if this be the cost. To reflect for one moment, to examine himself for a while and examine what share he has in the worlds wickedness-clearly nobody wants to do that.” Hesse’s Steppenwolf and Siddhartha were written as a clear response to WWI and its aftermath. Thus, all the negative aspects of the power relation is explained in the text. The novel itself is a literary version of cubism where Hesse talks about one attribute of hair and without finishing the explanation moves on to explain Steppenwolf’s perspective on Nietzsche, also Steppenwolf’s’ hallucinations in the magic theatre bar about Herminie Mozart, Nietzsche and others. In the history of the evolution of music and art, the period of 1920s was regarded as the period of experimentations in art (which was definitely a result of the Dada movement), this era was called as the psychedelic age which kick started popular pub culture and jazz, these aspects has been dissected in the book and inspired and influenced by the book, the music group by the name of Steppenwolf became largely popular. All these relatively newer forms of entertainment was propagated by the above mentioned pub culture which also became the hub of drug and alcohol indulgence particularly among the youth of Europe, who were facing identity crisis and psychosocial moratorium due to the economic crisis the continent was facing in the post WWI era. This has been brought out by Herman Hesse in the chapter called MAGIC THEATRE: FOR MAD MEN ONLY, wherein Harry Haller, hallucinates conversing with Mozart, Pablo, Nietzsche and a prostitute Hermine who are products of his delusions and inexistent. Through this it portrays a popular psychedelic culture which was a result of the intense need for emotional catharsis by European youth. The manner in which the characters live and die appear and disappear without order as a result of haler’s delusions are symbolic of the element of emerging ideology of expressionism and abstractionism in art, which had very much of the German lifestyle.

Weimer republic was the interim government formed in Germany after WWI, WP was anti-war in nature, and this seems to have influenced Herman Hesse. Therefore, it has all the complexities and attributes to qualify as an ideal text for ideological dissection. Steppenwolf, as a book, for that matter screams out ideologies which remain subdued and choose to be manifest only in politically correct forms of art, music, literature and theatre.

The book is a story and discourse of only an individual called Harry Haller the Steppenwolf, but it reflects the socio-political and cultural aspects of a collective entity at a given period of time in the history and how the manifestations has influenced a movie in the year 1974, a popular music culture-jazz and theatre and visual arts. As it begins, the hero is beset with reflections on his being ill-suited for the world of everybody; regular people and his unhappiness in the frivolity of the bourgeois society. In his aimless wanderings about the city he encounters a person carrying an advertisement for a magic theater who gives him a small book, Treatise on the Steppenwolf. This treatise, cited in full in the novel's text as Harry reads it, addresses Harry by name and strikes him as describing himself uncannily. It is a discourse of a man who believes himself to be of two natures: one high, the spiritual nature of man; while the other is low, animalistic; a "wolf of the steppes". This man is entangled in an irresolvable struggle, never content with either nature because he cannot see beyond this self-made concept. The pamphlet gives an explanation of the multifaceted and indefinable nature of every man's soul, which Harry is either unable or unwilling to recognize.(it is attached with the document in the form of video) It also discusses his suicidal intentions, describing him as one of the "suicides"; people who, deep down knew, they would take their own life one day. But to counter this it hails his potential to be great, to be one of the "Immortals". The monologues and narratives about Harry Haller, by the observer brings out the frustration inherent in the protagonists, from all dimensions, Hesse intended to depict the intensity and depth of the aggravation and disturbance experienced by him and other intellectuals. It clearly brings out all the complexities experienced by any post WWI German youth. The presence of a wolf and a human being is nothing but reflection of the uncertainty of the countries political fabric and its economic stability. Though the Treatise, Hesse predicts the emergence of a Totalitarianistic regime in Germany and Harry Haller is projected with traits of Hitler of the post WWI era. The book for the first time reflected the literary translation of cubism and abstractionism which till then as largely limited to the visual arts.

An art form contemporary to Hesse was Cubism. The movement was led by such artists as Picasso, Braque literary collage. Characters come and go throughout the novel, characters whose identities revolve and whose relation to the plot— and “reality”—shift as Hesse explores one theme and then another. At the same time the novel assumes the, and Gris, who were attracted to the idea of the tableau-object: “the painting as a built up, constructed object or entity with a separate life of its own, not echoing or imitating the external world, but re-creating it in an independent way.”7 One variety of such an artwork was the collage, which incorporated a variety of extraneous matter onto the painting’s surface. Steppenwolf is a quality Cubist painting, drawing upon specific elements in Hesse’s personal life, fictionalizing and blurring them, and reconstructing them into an independent entity whose relationship to the originals is at best tenuous. Cubism is a resultant of the DADA Movement art forms. Abstraction and Expressionism were the main influences on Dada, followed by Cubism and, to a lesser extent, Futurism. There was no predominant medium in Dadaist art. All things from geometric tapestries to glass to plaster and wooden relief were fair game. It's worth noting, though, that assemblage, collage, photomontage and the use of ready made objects all gained wide acceptance due to their use in Dada art. For something that supposedly meant nothing, Dada certainly created a lot of offshoots. In addition to spawning numerous literary journals, Dada influenced many concurrent trends in the visual arts (especially in the case of Constructivism). The best-known movement Dada was directly responsible for is Surrealism. Dada self-destructed when it was in danger of becoming "acceptable". This was adapted to the Steppenwolf as well. The delusion of Harry Haller, the appearance and disappearance of characters, the conflict between Harry as a human being and the wolf in him all can be best explained by this form of ideology in art.

Inspired by the book Steppenwolf, a band with the name of "Steppenwolf" was suggested to John Kay by Gabriel Mekler, Steppenwolf's first two singles were "A Girl I Knew" and "". The band finally rocketed to worldwide fame after their third single, "Born to Be Wild", and their version of Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher" were prominently used in the 1969 cult film Easy Rider (both titles originally had been released on the band's debut album). Included a song Born to be Wild, The song, which has been closely associated with motorcycles ever since, introduced to rock lyrics the signature term "heavy metal" (though not about a kind of music, but about a motorcycle: "I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder, racing' with the wind..."). Written by Dennis Edmonton, it bears close resemblances with the poem of haler in page 78. Then followed albums had several more hits, including "Magic Carpet Ride" from Steppenwolf the Second and "Rock Me.” Monster, which criticized US policy of the Nixon-era, and Steppenwolf 7 were the band's most political albums, which included the song "Snow-blind Friend", another Axton-penned song, about the era and attitudes of drug problems. These albums are still remembered by fans as two of the best rock & roll snapshots of the attitudes of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

This emergence of jazz as the popular culture was attributed to the Dada movement, internal frustration of the Germans, the influence of the emerging trends of abstractionism which further influenced the book Steppenwolf. The events can be seen in the light of circular casualty, one leading to another. The song ‘born to be wild’ was picturized on Harry haler’s inherent wolf and reflected on the darker side of the protagonist which was insecure, instinctual and aggressive traits. The song goes like this…

Born To Be Wild

Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Lookin' for adventure

In whatever comes our way

Yeah, God I'm gonna' make it happen

Take the world in a love embrace

Fire all of your guns at once and

Explode into space

Like a true nature's child

We were born, born to be wild

We can climb so high

I never want to die

Born to be wild

Born to be wild

The delusions of the protagonists involve great artists, writers an thinker like Goethe, Picasso, Nietzsche ant others, they too bring in their respective ideologies and suppositions to the novel.Their ideas receive special treatment in Steppenwolf. In a complex and fantastic scene near the conclusion of the novel, Harry Haller attends a drug party at Pablo’s Magic Theater. While there he becomes intoxicated and, finding Pablo and the prostitute Hermine asleep side by side, he hallucinates driving a knife into Herminie’s chest. Still fantasizing, he imagines a conversation with Mozart about the necessity of learning to laugh at the apparently real and to remain mindful of only the ideal, then a trial in which he is sentenced to eternal life for his imagined murder of an imaginary figure. Mozart suddenly returns and becomes Pablo, who likewise chides Haller for his confusion of the ideal and real and then vanishes, with Hermine in his vest pocket, leaving Haller to his thoughts. Sober again, Haller is prepared to resume the game of life, to suffer its agonies and senselessness once more, hopeful that he someday will be able, like Goethe and Mozart, to distinguish between ideas and appearance and to rise above it all and laugh. Or, in Nietzsche’s terms, to overcome himself, to become an “over man,” unfettered by conventional and artificial limits and free to experience. Hesse’s Steppenwolf is very much a product of its times, despite its more overt abstraction. That Hesse could fashion a narrative which broke so completely with convention yet was so emblematic and symbolic of its environment indicates the tumult which characterized both Hesse’s life and the general European atmosphere of the 1920s. Steppenwolf is distinctly autobiographical. While the life of Harry Haller—Hesse’s alter ego—is in the details dissimilar to that of his namesake, it nevertheless suggests the latter’s trials. His brief marriage to Ruth Wenger, his second wife, had collapsed. She had become ill early in 1925 and subsequently passed in and out of several contexts in the book. The stress of her illness and of his and his wife’s mutual estrangement took its toll on Hesse, who began frequenting the bars and dance halls of Zurich, and often in the company of women. Wenger herself appears briefly in the novel as Erika, who implores Haller to return to her. Therefore the book has also been used as a mirror by Herman Hesse. Hesse’s stay in Zurich also provide the setting for many of Haller’s experiences in the novel, where he encounters an eclectic assortment of pimps, prostitutes, musicians, drug dealers, and other individuals who, like Haller, and Hesse, see themselves on the fringes of society. Precisely the more lurid scenes in Steppenwolf form an intriguing intersection among the plot, the author, developments in visual art, and Hesse’s environment.

Also, there was a growing influence of humanistic and existentialism as a new and dynamic school of thought in psychology, Hesse has drawn largely from the existentialism, the wolf and the human aspect could also be the real (wolf)and the ideal self (Haller). Borrowing elements of Freud’s psychoanalysis, it also talks about Oedipus Complex, an in this regard, Hermine is also seen as an alter ego. Haller’s sexuality, and Hermine is for Haller a personification of his previously-suppressed eroticism. The transformation of Hermine into a doll is a critical point in the narrative. Another psychological interpretation is hat men during the early 19^th century was increasing deviating away from the gender stereotypical notion of themselves as purely dichotomously masculine, Hermine, according to several literaians, was Haller himself, she was symbolic of the feminine element in him. Therefore, with regard to depiction of women, though the female characters themselves do not hold much significance, their relationship to the protagonist is beautifully wowen into intricate psychological complexities of a suffering, insecure and lonely human being.At the same time, he is captivated by the bourgeoisie, he is repulsed by it. He can only look upon their contentment with admiration by separating himself from them. Steppenwolf considers himself superior because he values enlightenment. When reading or writing poetry, or listening to Handel or Mozart, Steppenwolf has occasionally stumbled on “the track of the divine,” and it is this that gives him pleasure. The problem is that these moments of divine truth are rare and fleeting. Instead, Steppenwolf spends most of his days engaging in bourgeois activities such as reading, opening mail, walking, and so forth. This is intolerable for him.

It is important to note the influence of philosophy on the novel, and it first becomes evident in this section of the text. The bourgeoisie dedication to respectability, responsibility, and morality are a direct reflection of Confucianism. Hesse studied Chinese philosophy in great detail, and its influence cannot be overemphasized here. The Confucian golden rule, “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself,” is the founding premise of the bourgeois society. It is this benign attitude that bothers Steppenwolf because he feels it leads to complacency. It would be a mistake to say he wishes ill on other individuals, and it would be inaccurate to say he is a bad person. Steppenwolf simply maintains a different set of values than everyone else. The extent of his divided nature will be revealed when he reads the treatise. In the meantime, it is simply apparent that he chooses not to participate in bourgeois society because he considers everything about it to be inferior.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, (according to wikepaedia) is a Tony Award-winning Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry in the basement of a church in Highland Park, Illinois. Its name comes from the Hermann Hesse novel. Martha Lavey, long-time ensemble member, has been artistic director since 1997 and David Hawkanson has been executive director since 2003. Through its New Plays Initiative, the company maintains ongoing relationships with writers of international prominence and supports the work of aspiring and mid-career playwrights. In 1988, Steppenwolf presented the world premiere of The Grapes of Wrath, based on the John Steinbeck novel, which eventually went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play. In 2000 it presented the world premiere of Austin Pendleton's Orson's Shadow, which subsequently was staged off-Broadway and by regional theatres throughout the country. Steppenwolf operates several internship programs for students and young professionals. The main mode in here is the theatrical translation of abstractionism and using expressionism as a means of emotional catharsis. It has also influenced a traditional dance form called tarantula, the vigorous movements also reflect the need for emotional venting.

The influence music sand art had on Hesse and it’s reflections in Steppenwolf indicate that the inherent discontentment was largely expressed through alternative means rather than a mass scale revolution. Critic Keith Murray calls the work oh Herman Hesse as ‘a novel of maturation’ and remarked that if there was a mass scale violent movement by the German youth of the post WWI era, art forms like these would not have merged , as this was a revolution in silence.

Though Haller is portrayed to be showing bourgeoisie leanings, this is also widely criticized by Hesse, as evident from the Treatise of Steppenwolf, he had regarded them as political criminal an intellectual seducer, (page 63)

The book is largely seen as a literary palindrome…there are many interpretations to it, each time read, it brings to surface anew ideology or philosophy, which is a criticism or in support of the contemporary social order. It holds popularity with other commendable forms of art it had produced, the characters and the plot, the dialogues, monologues are all contradictory. There are no verifications to the fact that Haller was executed or not. However, its complexity, unusualness, ability to play with negative human emotions and criticize the existing social situations and a lot more makes the novel as well as the protagonist, Steppenwolf addictive to the core to any person experiencing discontentment and frustration while finding meaning for his/her existence. And it’s this vary nature that makes this text ideal for an ideological anatomy.

Like the sun that circling

Oh! Let the longest day be day and night;

On your frenzied life we spy

And refresh ourselves thereafter

Cool and unchanging is our eternal being,

Cool and unchanging is our eternal being,

Excerpts frpm Eric Hofer's True Believer

“All mass movements generate in their adherents a readiness to die and a proclivity for united action; all of them, irrespective of the doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism, enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatred and intolerance; all of them are capable of releasing a powerful flow of activity in certain departments of life; all of them demand blind faith and singlehearted allegiance.” (Preface)

Hoffer defines a “true believer” as “the man of fanatical faith who is ready to sacrifice his life for a holy cause.” Leaders of the mass movement “must know how to kindle and fan an extravagant hope”—for Islamic fanatics, death is the key to instant heaven. “If they join the movement as full converts they are reborn to a new life in its close-knit collective body, or if attracted as sympathizers they find elements of pride, confidence and purpose….” (p. 13)

The true believer is “without wonder and hesitation.” “An active mass movement rejects the present and centers its interest on the future.” (p. 82) The mass movement hates independence and individualism. The focus is on “obedience” and “one mindedness.” “Uniformity” must be developed. (p. 101) Members must be “deindividualized” and “incorporated” into the mass movement. “When we lose our individual independence in the incorporateness of a mass movement, we find a new freedom—freedom to hate, bully, lie, torture, murder and betray without shame and remorse.” (p. 100)

Violence is essential to fanatical mass movements. “Violence breeds fanaticism….and fanaticism begets violence.” Regarding Islam: “Islam imposed its faith by force, yet the coerced Muslims displayed a devotion to the new faith more ardent than that of the first Arabs engaged in the movement.” (p. 107)

Members of the fanatic group are taught to have a common hatred, a single foe, a devil. “The ideal devil is a foreigner….Hitler—the foremost authority on devils—found it easy to brand the German Jews as foreigners.” (pp. 92-93) Hatred becomes a habit. (p. 146) Interestingly, Hoffer points out that “The Americans are poor haters in international affairs because of their innate feeling of superiority over all foreigners….Should Americans begin to hate foreigners wholeheartedly, it will be an indication that they have lost confidence in their own way of life.” (p. 96)

What Frenzy is this???

I saw this movie Jash-e Azadi....with the format of a documentary, this three hours flick ...gives an entirely different perspective of what void independence, null freedom , exhaggerated accounts naitonality flashed by Indians in the heartland :actually mean to people of kashmir.

it shows those un-inhabited ghettos of Kashmir(PoK) ;wherein pepole want to experiance a freedom from not the millitancy and terrorism that the state and it's harbingers tlk about but the freedom from subjection byt he armed forces, freedom from the stae, freedom from two mutually jaw gnawshing countries. "N' number of international convention, conferences, peace talks through teleconferencing...even involving countries whose global ambassadors have not seen how Kashir and jammu looks have been part of these useless and unyielding talks . But ..hello...whom are you talking about..who is the victim here??? And who is the perpetrator?? Friends, Indians and countrymen....ask the people...they have been the victime of years of subjugaiton from the Indian states (whom they largely refer to as Brahmaniacal leaders..the usage itself shows the contention).

It's difficult for Indians to believe thet kashmir which is viewed by even a small indian student in his political map of india..as the 'Crown of the Country'..would be chopped off...and just because the map of indian looks void without kashmir in it,....do we have to enforce Vande mataram and saare jahaan se achcha and 15th August on them...

The choice for liberation belongs to the people....if there is restlessnes..it must be calmed down.

And if One cannot take or stand anothers freedom ..what freedom does he deserve...and as i have quoted Robin Williams charachter in Bicentennial Man..many times..."All freedoms and great wars were for the want fo jus one basic need..freedom."

And the state which liberally gives fundamental rights to it's citizen..cannot tolerate that.

What frenzy it is????

http://www.mtviggy.com/desi/change-kashmir-documentary-shrine-and-poem

I smeared the glass with blood to

make mirrots,

My image a stanger?

What Frenzy it is......

The Policy of Violence............

“Violence against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. And it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace.” -- Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, March

The need for reforms in the legislations against women in educational and work areas is not an end-product of overnight observation; this is a resultant of the series of crime experienced by women in different walks of life from family, colleagues and society at large.

The violence against women was taken into account in international documents only since 1993, when the United Nations approved a declaration calling for the elimination of violence against women in all its forms, from violence within marriage and sexual harassment in the workplace to female genital mutilation and forced prostitution. These issues were discussed further at the UN Fourth Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. At about the same time, the Council of Europe issued a declaration with strategies to fight violence against women in a democratic Europe. Through the World Health Organization, violence is viewed also as a female health issue.

According to the studies published, at least one in three women globally has been beaten, coerced into sex or experienced abuse in her lifetime; 4 million women and girls are trafficked annually; more than 90 million African women and girls are victims of female genital mutilation; 50% of battered women have been killed by their partners, while in some countries this number amounts up to 70% of all murdered women become the victims of their partners in more cases than in all the cases of car accidents, rapes and robberies together; almost two thirds of the victims endure long-term violence, while more than half of them experience violence daily.

Violence against women and girls is a fundamental violation of human rights, representing one of the most critical public health challenges as well as a major factor hindering development.

It is estimated that one in three women worldwide will suffer some form of gender-based violence during the course of her lifetime. Despite efforts from the international community and the commitment by the vast majority of states to combat discrimination against women, notably by means of the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against women

(CEDAW), women still remain victims of violence and discrimination in all regions of the world. Violence against women takes various forms including domestic violence; rape; trafficking in women and girl; forced prostitution; and violence in armed conflict, such as murder, systematic rape, sexual slavery and forced pregnancy. It also includes honour killings, dowry-related violence, female

infanticide, female genital mutilation, and other harmful practices and traditions.

Violence against women is inextricably linked to unequal gender norms and socio-economic power structures both in the public and private spheres. It serves to reinforce and perpetuate the unequal power relations between women and men. Thus, violence against women in the partner countries as well as the organisation of a two-day workshop that focussed on sharing experience and best practice among 25 women from diverse backgrounds in the five partner countries. Participants included NGO activists, journalists,women from minority groups, as well as the short-listed candidates of the photo-competition. The idea was to encourage the participation of young women who otherwise

might not have had the opportunity to do so, and promote their cultural expression in an area that urgently needs to be addressed in a comprehensive and multifaceted way. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our project partners and all the young women that participated in the activities of this project for their dedication and their enthusiasm in achieving our objectives.

whole. Thus various activist and lobby groups have recognized the role of effective legislations and stringent laws for the protection of women rights and some for the given attempts by the state is a result of that realization.

States are obligated under a comprehensive international legal and policy framework to address violence against women, including through the enactment of legislation. The first laws directly addressing domestic violence were passed in the United States of America and the United Kingdom in the 1970s and early 1980s, resulting in changes to criminal codes and the creation of separate laws containing the protection order remedy. Since the 1990s, many States have adopted or revised legislation on violence against women. These legal reforms have varied significantly in terms of the forms of violence they address, the type of action they mandate and the area of law (constitutional, civil, criminal, family) they reform. Some States have enacted legislation which addresses multiple forms of violence in a single piece of legislation. However, most legislation to date has addressed one or a few forms. Similarly, some States have enacted a single, comprehensive piece of legislation on violence against women, amending various legal codes and making provision for services and other preventative measures, while others have addressed the issue through incremental reforms. Some States have addressed violence against women in their Constitutions. While States have made significant progress in the enactment of legislation to address violence against women, numerous gaps and challenges remain. The United Nations Secretary-General’s 2006 in-depth study on all forms of violence against women notes that, as at 2006, only about half of United Nations Member States had in place legislative provisions that specifically addressed domestic violence, and fewer than half had legislation on sexual harassment, or on trafficking. Even where legislation existed, it was often limited in scope and coverage, such as definitions of rape by use of force; definitions of domestic violence limited to physical violence; treatment of sexual violence as a crime against the honour of the family or against decency, rather than a crime against a woman’s right to bodily integrity; reduction of sentences in rape cases where the perpetrator marries the survivor and/or immunity in cases of spousal/marital rape; laws that allow early or forced marriage; inadequate penalties for crimes of violence against women, including reduction and/or elimination of sentences for so-called crimes of honour. The resolution stressed the need to treat all forms of violence against women and girls as a criminal offence punishable by law, and highlighted States’ obligations to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish perpetrators of violence against women and girls, and to provide protection to complainants/survivors of such violence.

"Talk to me about the feminist movement,
the gubba middle class
hetero sexual revolution
way back in the seventies
when men wore tweed jackets with
leather elbows, and the women, well
I don’t remember or maybe I just don’t care
or can’t relate.
Now what were those white women on about?
What type of neurosis was fashionable back then?
So maybe I was only a school kid; and kids, like women,
have got on thing that joins that schemata,
like we’re not worth listening to,
and who wants to liberate women and children
what will happen in an egalitarian society
if the women and the kids start becoming complacent
in that they believe they should have rights
and economic independence,
and what would these middle class kids and white women do
with liberation, with freedom, with choices of
do I stay with my man, do I fall in love with other
white middle class women, and it wouldn’t matter if
my new woman had kids or maybe even kids and dogs
Yes I’m for the women’s movement
I want to be free and wear dunlop tennis shoes.
And indigenous women, well surely, the liberation
of white women includes all women regardless . . .
It doesn’t, well that’s not for me to deal with
I mean how could I, a white middle class woman,
who is deciding how can I budget when my man won’t
pay the school fees and the diner’s card club simply
won’t extend credit.
I don’t even know if I’m capable
of understanding
Aborigines, in Victoria?
Aboriginal women, here, I’ve never seen one,
and if I did, what would I say,
damned if I’m going to feel guilty, for wanting something
better for me, for women in general, not just white
middle class Volvo driving, part time women’s studies
students
Maybe I didn’t think, maybe I thought women in general
meant, Aboriginal women, the Koori women in Victoria
Should I apologise
should I feel guilty
Maybe the solution is to sponsor
a child through world vision.
Yes that’s probably best,
I feel like I could cope with that,
Look, I’d like to do something for our Aborigines
but I haven’t even met one,
and if I did I would say
all this business about land rights, maybe I’m a bit
scared, what’s it mean, that some day I’ll wake up
and there will be this flag, what is it, you know
red, black and that yellow circle, staked out front
and then what, Okay I’m sorry, I feel guilt
is that what I should be shouting
from the top of the rialto building
The women’s movement saved me
maybe the 90s will be different.
I’m not sure what I mean, but I know that although
it’s not just a women’s liberation that will free us
it’s a beginning"

-lisa belliar

                      “Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it”

                                                                                   -Anonymous
 

 

 

“TRANSFORMING THE LIVES OD DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED THROGH RECREATIONAL AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES”

 

Personally meaningful Recreation Is Recognized as an Important Element of Quality for People of All Ages and Abilities

                                                                Mactavish & Schleien, 2004

The phrase developmentally disabled itself carries a history; it has evolved over time from retarded, handicapped, feeble-minded, infirm to ‘special’ or challenged to, disabled or differently abled. The change the use of terminology or words itself indicate a change in the outlook and perception of families and communities. The very fact that there are classifications  and categorization of disability , itself reflect a positive shift in terms of interventions and opportunities and this transition has recognized the importance of not only educational and employment opportunities for the differently abled but the importance of singing, dancing, playing, spending time with oneself or doing anything that makes them happy. The society at large has come to accept that a disabled child develops physically in much the same way as normal children; he just progresses more slowly. If he is not physically fit, it is usually because of the limitations placed on his physical activity. When these are removed, he improves tremendously. There is even evidence that improved physical fitness increases the disables child's ability to learn. The disability Rights Movement in the west gained momentum and legislation was passed; changes began to happen across the country. Theaters and art museums that received federal funds began making accommodations for audience members with disabilities.

However, most changes were for the disabled spectator; the disabled participant

in the arts was still a rare concept. Even though the Disability Rights movement was busting out all over, images of disability were still primarily made by non-disabled folk and were still reinforcing inaccurate stereotypes which faded away with the International Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disability. Article 30 of the Convention talks about the rights of an individual with disabilities to participate in cultural and sports activities realizing the importance of recreational and leisure activities at various levels. Having special needs for an individual emphasize on a parallel course of recreational and leisure programs at family, institutional and community level.

Thus The differently abled Children Are Required An Integrated, Coordinated And Comprehensive Approach Of Both Special Education And Augmentative Interventions To Explore Their Social Acceptance, Dignity And Sense Of Belongingness. for a nedd for structured intervention to facilitate the recreational and leisure activities is being realized. 

Leisure

Leisure or free time is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity. It is also the period of recreational and discretionary time before or after compulsory activities Such As Eating And Sleeping, Going To Work 'Or Running A Business, Attending School And Doing Homework, Household Chores, And Day-To-Day Stress. For An Experience to Qualify as Leisure, It Must Meet Three Criteria: The Experience Is a State of Mind which Must Be Entered into voluntarily and should be intrinsically motivating. Watching television, reading, and listening to songs are the common examples. However, for the differently abled they can be facilitated and guided. For them story telling, poem recitation or even watching a performance is also beneficial as it stimulates a group of  releasers and hormones called ‘happy hormones’ favorable to mind and body.

Recreation

Recreation Or Fun Is The Expenditure Of Time In A Manner Designed For Therapeutic Refreshment Of One's Body Or Mind. While Leisure Is More Likely A Form Of Entertainment Or Rest, Recreation Is Active For The Participant But In A Refreshing And Diverting Manner.

Recreation, On The Other Hand, Refers To An Activity That Amuses Or Stimulates The Body And All Its Senses - For Example, Swimming, Going To The Park, Exercising At The Gym, Etc. Recreation Is Usually  an outdoor activity.

Examples of Recreational Activities

Sports Activities, Dancing, Drawing, Playing Computer Games Etc.

Need For Implementation Of Recreational And Leisure Activities.      The Need Of Implementation Of Recreational And Leisure Activities For The Mentally Challenged Children Is Crucial, Because They Have Significantly Large Amount Of Leisure Or Free Time. The Mentally Challenged Children Participate In An Educational Programme For A Relatively Small Part Of The Day, And Then They Have Nothing To Do In The Rest Of The Day. Thus the Recreational and Leisure Activities Must Be Encouraged and Systematically Programmed. Besides proper utilization of time in school, it is also a media or a creative platform which provides disabled individuals with ample opportunities for

 

The Benefits of Recreational and Leisure Activities. 

 

                         

·        To Promote Visual-Motor, Auditory-Motor And Spacio-Motor Coordination Etc.

This include stimulates any free, voluntary and expressive activity; motor, sensory o mental, vitalized by the expansive play spirit, sustained by deep-rooted pleasurable attitudes and evoked by wholesome emotional release; prescribed by medical authority as an adjuvant in treatment."

 

·        To Improve The Gross And Fine Motor Skills

 

·        To Promote Social Skills, Perceptual, Cognitive And Pre Vocational Skills

 

 

·        To Build Self-Confidence Among The Mentally Challenged Children

 

·        To Promote Desirable Behaviors and To Prevent Undesirable Behaviors And Secondary Complications Such As Obesity Scholastic Backwardness Etc. this includes bringing change in the behavioral patterns that are faulty. For instance controlling the hyperactivity of an ADHD individual by involving him in a ‘rough and tough’ play, or engaging obese disabled individuals in rigorous sport events through ample reinforcements and application of Premack principle, chaining and shaping.

 

 

·        To Enhance the Pace of Learning among the Mentally Challenge Children through the involvement of various creative media.

 

·        To Improve Communication Skills particularly the sharpening of non-verbal gestures through various dance forms, theatre etc

·        Increased feeling of competence through competitive activities such as games and sports enhances self-esteem

·        Individuals learn social development skills and develop feelings of group affinity, belongingness and cohesiveness facilitating positive collective behavior.

·        Facilitates Interpersonal and social interactions

1. Involvement with other children. The persons providing support should, where possible, get to know the nondisabled children, engaging them and providing a connecting link between these children and the child with disabilities.
2. Modeling for others. Youth with disabilities can serve as model for other children and adults. This may be particularly important in assisting others in areas such as communicating with the person, and responding to behavior that does not appear appropriate to the activity.
3. Backing off. Often, interactions occur without any involvement of a support person. At times, in fact, the presence of an adult may inhibit interactions, and it may be necessary to "Back off" and let things happen on their won (Savard, 1988).
4. Interactions in the context of activities. It is essential to observe the interactions of others in the setting. For instance, what types of interactions occur, and at what times? Some activities are more conducive to getting kids together than others. The person providing support must notice and promote opportunities for interaction, even if that means revising plans for teaching skills to allow for spontaneous play. Not all interactions are verbal. Cheering together, sitting together and watching an event, and working as a team to build something are examples of nonverbal interactions.
5. Opportunities for friendship. Integration classroom is no guarantee that friendships will develop between children. However, integrated leisure and recreational activities, given adequate and proper support, can provide many opportunities for children to have fun, get acquainted, develop friendships, and experience increased bonding in neighborhoods, schools and communities.

·        Individualized and Flexible Supports

Individualization and flexibility means that the types of support should be based on the needs of the particular child, and should be adaptable, taking into account the child's changing needs (Schleien & Ray, 1988; Walker & Edinger, 1988). Key elements of individualized and flexible supports include the following:

• Getting to know the child and teen. It is important to see support as occurring within the context of a relationship. In this context, determination of the most helpful kinds of supports, and which strategies will work best with this young person, is likely to take time.

• Teaching needed skills. Skill acquisition, while important, needs to be balanced with other aspects of social interaction, and should not determine the exact nature of the child's participation in an activity. Several points need to be made:
  a) Skills must be learned within a context, not in isolation (e.g., not just using basketball drills, but learning basketball within the context of a game, with rules and regulations, teamwork, etc.);

b) Skills and behaviors indirectly associated with an activity are important (e.g., learning to cheer for a team on the sidelines with teammates or to celebrate a team victory, as well as learning the game);

 c) Children need varying amounts of time to learn new skills, routines and activities. Use of adaptations and partial participation allows all children to take part in a wide range of activities (Baumgart, et al., 1982). One type of adaptation is a change in the nature of an activity, with an emphasis on cooperation vs. competition.
The types of adaptations used may serve as models for others in the activity, who may imitate and/or come up with new or different ways to involve the child.

• Offering help only when needed. Too much support, particularly by an adult, can create barriers. The child may not learn what is needed in the setting or activity, and others may not get involved or learn how to help the child. It is important to be conscious of a child's needs for direct support and to know when to back off.

·        Recreation proves to be an effective tool for enhanced quality of life for all individuals across various age groups and disabilities.

 

Taking into account the various recreational and leisure activities to be undertaken at personal, institutional and community level, there is an illustration of recreational activities that can be undertaken in a special school or agency that caters to the needs of special children.

Recreational and Leisure Activities Carried Out At Kulachi Hansraj Manovikas Kendra

 

1.     Performing Arts

.

  The Arts Which Are Based On The Performance Of The Individuals And This May Be Categorized As Music. The Impact Of Music And Rhythm On Emotion Have Well Notified In The Pages Of Human History. 

Mentally challenged children especially autism and down syndrome have great affinity towards the music. Thus a careful implementation of different type of music can shape desirable behaviors and also alleviate the unacceptable behaviors among those children. On the other hand the vocal music has great scope on speech development. It can also enhance the memory cognitive orientation and concept if appropriate songs are chosen.

  

a)                Playing instruments

Students are trained regularly to play table, casio, tarang, dholak and they give their individual and group performances at our various functions and special ceremonies.

Playing instruments help them

·        In improving auditory- motor, visual motor and fine motor skills.

·        It reduces distractibility and enhancing concentration of the child.

·        When they are trained in group it can also help to gain social skills.

b)             Dance

Students are also trained in different forms of dancing like classics, semi classical and folk dance. Students perform these dances in various inter school competitions abylmpics and have won laurels foe the same. Dance here acts as a perfect medium for expression of thoughts and feeling, there are various organizations such as Shiamak Davar Foundation, Very Special Atrs Foundation, Vaishali, R.A.S.A and A.L.P.A.N.A working for facilitating and training disabled individuals in various dance forms. Dance forms as recreation serves the purpose of dance therapy, benefiting the individual at physical, emotional and social level.

  The implementation of dancing activities as a part of our extracurricular activities helps in

    Developing better fine and gross motor ability

    Specific dance steps helps to supplement specific exercise of particular group of muscles and improve the joint range of motion, muscle, strength and endurance.

    Training in facial expressions can enhance communication skills

     Learnt various sequencing of steps and movements which in turn enable to enhance memory

     Folk dance in a group form promotes many higher levels of cultural perception skills

 

c)       Plays

“How to perform a play” is being widely taught, training is provided through modeling giving appropriate communication responses and through repetitive practice.

 

2.      Sports and games

The most widely covered area of recreational activities are sports and games and a no. of students completed at various national and also at international levels through special Olympics and have brought many cheers.

Special Olympics with several events is a good platform for them to display their talents and sense of attainment. Through the implementation of special training these children have proved to be good athletes, our students have been participating in the following games

Sports and games help promote directionality, alertness, spacio motor perceptions, fine motor skills, visual motor coordination etc.

 3.      Yoga and Physical education

With regular yoga and physical education in our school periods students with developmental

Disabilities learn various yogic postures and physical exercises which help them maintain their physical fitness. It helps them reduce obesity which is usually encountered in people with Down syndrome.

 

4.      Creative Arts

Children with developmental disabilities have varying levels of creativity which is brought forth through special methods. These special methods are applied at a much earlier level such as pre nursery and nursery level in the form of simple line drawing, scribbling, thumb printing, vegetable painting, paper folding, simple assembly of objects, matching, thread painting etc.  Here the concept of Art Therapy for disabled is being accentuated on, a number of activities such as holding of brushes, the sight of colors, sketching or even mere touching the colors itself is so rejenuvating that art has emerged to be a prominent recreational activity overtime. Very Special Arts Foundation has come up with the concept of community painting for developmentally disabled with enhances the self concept and expression through social skill development.

All of these help in promotion of visual-motor coordination and attention- concentration. 

Gradually creative arts take a higher level through primary and vocational section.

5.                 Picnics/ educational Tours

At regular intervals picnics and educational tours are organized for the students.

These trips help students

·        to generalize the concepts learned in the class

·        Develop social skills

·        Develop decision making and judgment skills

·        Groom their personality as a whole and acquisition of ADL.

 

6.                                 Over night camping

Two day camps are organized within the school premises. In these camps there are a lot for the students to do and learn.

            Main focus of the camp is on the activities of daily routine (ADL). From bathing,     dressing, grooming, eating and presenting oneself neatly, everything is enhanced.

In an intuitional level recreation and leisure can be implemented by a structures approach of employing professional recreational therapists, training special educators and organizing a recreation club in the agency which can conduct activities on  a regular basis.Bright and Morley (1977) stressed that the ultimate test of our educational system pertains to its effectiveness in assessing students to have a well balanced emotional and intellectual life that includes leisure participation

Some illustrations or suggestions for the various recreational and leisure activities at family, institutional and community level are as follows.

 

 The Recreational Activities for the Developmentally Disabled (RADD) Program can be initiated or facilitated by the Rehabilitation Council of India or Non-Governmental Organization working in funding and allocation of resources to promote respect, self-expression and independence through a variety of carefully selected activities on a monthly or quarterly basis.  Some of these activities include:

·                     Attending state level, national and international games;

·                     Having breakfast at local restaurants, followed by an activity (Farmer’s Market visit              or  movie at Cinema);

·                     Swim parties; and Enjoying a take-out dinner and outdoor concert at wayside parks during the summer months; 

·                     Visiting interesting or educational places, such as the historical monuments, beaches, adventure camps, amusement parks etc.Taking a cruise or riding a train;

·                     Listening to special topics , followed by light snacks;

·                     Dances and the annual Winter Ball;

·                     Participating in karaoke nights;

·                     Attending performances, Ballet.

Community Reintegration Program  would enhances the quality of life for persons with physical disabilities by providing transitional therapeutic recreation services that enables individuals with disabilities to attain independent functioning in their home communities. Therapeutic Recreation Specialists can utilize a leisure education program to assess personal interests, activity adaptations, community resources, and recreation’s role in community living.

Leisure Education in Teacher Preparation can be undertaken to develop training materials for pre and in-service therapeutic recreation specialists, and regular and special education teachers, the training materials explore the purposes and processes of recreation as a related service for children and youth with disabilities in special education. 

Reintegration through Recreation to be implemented to develop, implements, and evaluate a community-based recreation therapy service model designed to enhance the rehabilitation and community living of persons with serious mental illness. The RTR model utilizes recreation interests, experiences, and activities as purposeful interventions to treat the effects of psychiatric disability. RTR emphasizes the enhancement of personal strengths and the development of natural community connections and life skills that support the individual’s ability to meet personally relevant goals.

Leisure Is for Everyone, LIFE, is a training program for community recreation professionals that sensitizes them to the needs and abilities of persons with disabilities and provides them with the skills required to offer access to all programs and facilities.
 
Masters Level Professional Preparation of Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists for employment in Public School Systems was a training project that prepared students to work as Therapeutic Recreation Specialists in professional colleges and trainingcentres. 

School-Community Leisure is adapted from American model of leisure in Schools

It is a research and demonstration project that investigated the utility of introducing a comprehensive leisure education program into a school-based special education program. Findings indicated that special education students who received school-based leisure education services increased their level of independent decision making, independent leisure planning, and independent recreation participation. Services begun by Therapeutic Recreation Specialists can be continued by Special Education teachers.

Family Link in Leisure Education can be undertaken to understand and document the extent to which self-determination skills can be facilitated using a leisure education planning process with students with mental retardation. The intervention used a collaborative school and home-based leisure education program to facilitate self-determination skills in leisure. Forming a parent-child support group which acts as a recreational club is an effective step as the involvement of parents in the project will help the stake holders’ participation and would also help the parents as a stress buster. Parent Support Network is one such successful initiative by society for Child Development based in Delhi, which has brought both disabled children and their parents on the same platform with special educator’s and counselors to organize adventure camps and visits and devise various creative methods of intervention.

CONCLUSION

Thus there is an increased need to realize the importance of recreational and leisure activities in shaping and transforming the lives of developmentally disabled through interventions at family, institution and community integration. The recent National seminar on the topic “Transforming the lives of Developmentally Disabled through Recreational and Leisure Activities” held in India International Centre, Delhi organized by AAROH talks about taking these initiates to policy level involving funding bodies such as Rehabilitation Council of India and organizations such as National Trust with parallel interventions by NGOs.

However, the foremost intervention has to be in the collective consciousness of society at large that recreation and leisure is not just for the non-disabled, and that any such attempt will enhance the quality of life of individuals at large.

            “When I chant sounds, I am learning the melodies, sounds and rhythms of my language.
 
When I stick things in holes, I am learning to line things up properly to fit.
 
When I bang objects on the floor, I am learning that things make all sorts of different noises.

When I push a ball back and forth, I am learning it’s more fun to be with others than myself, and it’s fun to take turns.
 
When I pretend to feed my doll, I am learning what it feels like to nurture someone.

When I play with little people and cars, I am learning what it feels like to be a giant.

When I dance to music, I am learning to enjoy music and to have fun with others”

- Anonymous