THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The gray hair only added to the elan that the white-clad Jai Chandiram exuded as she walked around with a deceiving sprightliness.At the IDSFFK-2011 venue, she walked up the stairs and reached the top floor before those who took the lift did. But then, it must be in her nature to trump assumptions and walk ahead.For someone who began her career as a producer with Doordarshan, Jai has always mapped out avenues that few have forayed into.She retired from Doordarshan as Deputy Director General. At the Pune Film Institute, she had founded and headed the Department of Television.When the headship of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) came to rest upon her in 2010, it was the first time that a person of Asian origin was serving as the president of the 52-year-old organisation.She has also been the driving force behind the Asian Women’s Film Festival, which IAWRT has been holding since 2004.In the city to present the ‘Women’s Films’ package at the Fourth International Documentary and Short Film Festival (IDSFFK), Jai Chandiram took some time off to talk about the activities of IAWRT and the role of women in media.“IAWRT was founded in Europe sometime after World War II when women working in media organisations found that they had little opportunities for growth. Till the late 1990s, the organisation remained more Europe-centric and it was decided that more women from all over the world needed to be involved."But, there was also a great deal of resistance against moving towards Asian and non-European countries,” remembers Jai, who was a trustee of the organisation."The general opinion seemed to be that as president, there wasn’t much that I could add to the organisation. I may not be a money-getter, but, I had my connections and the experience of travelling and working all around the world. I thought that we needed to expand our activities and instead of going around the world, I said, "Why don’t we begin chapters in each country?’’ So that was how we moved out of Europe and towards Asian and African countries. India is now the largest member country in terms of chapters.”With the Asian Women’s Film Festival, IAWRT aimed to showcase how women documented the socio-cultural environment, religion, family and self. It has found huge participation from women directors across the world and has inspired movies on a wide range of issues.“We also funded the making of short films on the theme of ‘Violence and women’. The one made in Delhi, on the safety of women in the streets, called ‘Dilli Mere Yaar’, was among the notable ones.”The other two projects that IAWRT has funded in India are ‘Enforced Disappearances’, a film on the struggle of Kashmiri women for human rights and ‘Trafficking of Women in Nepal, India and Bangladesh’, she added.IAWRT also offers scholarships for women who want to pursue a career in media. “Our members come from all walks of life - teachers, researchers, filmmakers - and there is a broad networking with each other which helps us function in a better and effective manner.”
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