adhunika blog

Adhunika is proud to present the premiere show of ‘*Stories of Change*,’ a
documentary by Simon and Sara, in New York.

The film travels through rural

backgrounds, and religions. ‘*Stories of Change*’ salutes these five brave
women for their resilience in the face of adversities. From a
sixteen-year-old spin bowler of the national women’s cricket team to a chief
photojournalist of a daily newspaper, each of these women’s stories portrays
not only their daily struggles for survival but also their perseverance to
succeed as women.

Stories of Change is produced by Pathways of Women’s Empowerment Research
Programme of Development Studies Programme BRAC University in collaboration
with BEGINNING.

Pathways of Women’s Empowerment Research Programme of Development Studies
Programme BRAC University. The Pathways of Women’s Empowerment Research
Programme, producer of the documentary, is a five year international
research programme consortium which is based in the Development Studies
Programme of BRAC University. It seeks to research the hidden pathways by
which women’s empowerment has taken place, the potentials and the
constraints.

*External Links: *
http://www.storiesofchange.net/
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=27847
http://www.newagebd.com/2008/mar/21/mar21/xtra_also1.html

*Proceeds from this screening will go to Adhunika Foundation continuing to
fund projects which brings about social change in the lives of Bangladeshi
women through the use of technology.*

*DETAILS:*

STORIES OF CHANGE NEW YORK PREMIERE:

*DIRECTOR:* Kamar Ahmad Simon
*EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:* Sara Afreen
*RUN TIME:* 55 minutes: *LANGUAGE:* Bengali with English subtitles

*DATE:* Saturday, June 21, 2008

*TIME:* 5:00 – 6:30 pm

Screening followed by Q & A, Moderated by Dina M. Siddiqi

*LOCATION:*
Pioneer Theater
155 E 3rd St
(Between Avenues A and B)
New York, NY 10009

*TICKETS *$10 (early bird), $12 (at door)

*LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE!*

Recommend the following book by Monica Ali, Synopsis is followed by an up-close & personal interview with Ms. Ali, which was taken after her book was short-listed for Booker Prize Award, enjoy!

Synopsis:

Monica Ali’s gorgeous first novel is the deeply moving story of one woman, Nazneen, born in a Bangladeshi village and transported to London at age eighteen to enter into an arranged marriage. Already hailed by the London Observer as “one of the most significant British novelists of her generation,” Ali has written a stunningly accomplished debut about one outsider’s quest to find her voice. What could not be changed must be borne. And since nothing could be changed, everything had to be borne. This principle ruled her life. It was mantra, fettle, and challenge. Nazneen’s inauspicious entry into the world, an apparent stillbirth on the hard mud floor of a village hut, imbues in her a sense of fatalism that she carries across continents when she is married off to Chanu, a man old enough to be her father. Nazneen moves to London and, for years, keeps house, cares for her husband, and bears children, just as a girl from the village is supposed to do. But gradually she is transformed by her experience, and begins to question whether fate controls her or whether she has a hand in her own destiny. Motherhood is a catalyst — Nazneen’s daughters chafe against their father’s traditions and pride — and to her own amazement, Nazneen falls in love with a young man in the community. She discovers both the complexity that comes with free choice and the depth of her attachment to her husband, her daughters, and her new world.While Nazneen journeys along her path of self-realization, her sister, Hasina, rushes headlong at her life, first making a “love marriage,” then fleeing her violent husband. Woven through the novel, Hasina’s letters from Dhaka recount a world of overwhelming adversity. Shaped, yet not bound, by their landscapes and memories, both sisters struggle to dream — and live — beyond the rules prescribed for them. Vivid, profoundly humane, and beautifully rendered, Brick Lane captures a world at once unimaginable and achingly familiar. And it establishes Monica Ali as a thrilling new voice in fiction. As Kirkus Reviews said, “She is one of those dangerous writers who see everything.” (more…)