Sarathi’s association with the State Police Department:
Sarathi is associated with police department since early 1990s. Many of Sarathi’s members were earlier associated with MANINI and were instrumental in introducing Karnataka’s First Special court in Bangalore. We were able to achieve this under public private partnership initiated by police & legal departments with MANINI and other likeminded organisations.
For the first time with Bangalore City Police, the same group initiated gender sensitization program and conducted 3 months awareness program at Police Training Centre, Byatarayanapura, Mysore Road. We sincerely acknowledge the then Commissioner of Police, Mr.Ramalingam and the Home Ministry then headed by Mr. Dharam Singh for their keen interest in making this project a success.
The response from the public was highly encouraging and studies by NGOs and research and data collection by other organization motivated Bangalore City Police to start its first Family Counselling Centre at its own premises in collaboration with Social Advisory Board.In our long association with the Department since MANINI days to the present, we are involved in the various training programs, orientation workshops, etc., of the Department during the period of then IGP KC Ramamurthy IPS and now the Rajyasabha Member.
Sarathi had conducted a series of writing and awareness training programs for both mainstream and amateur writers of Kannada literature. The participant writers were sensitized on the various functioning of the department and their people friendly approach and how they could bring facts in their writings and make it a human interesting stories or articles. These workshops were conducted in collaboration with UNICEF during Dr. D.V.Guruprasad and then the Information Minister Prof BK Chandrasekhar.
Sarathi’s association with Health Issues:
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- Sarathi’s President, Shamantha DS , is a Fellow of Panos Health Media Fellowship and Ford Foundation. For this study, she travelled, interacted, studied women’s health issues in Karnataka.
- She has produced nearly 70 programs only on Health for DoorDarshan, AIR, E TV Kannada, Government of Karnataka Health Department, and written a few articles in the print media.
- She has compiled her health related experiences and observations in two publications, published by IBH.
- Her initiative with the First Health Task Force of Karnataka to add RCH of unorganized sector women are documented in Health sector.
- Sarathi is a member of Janandalona Arogya of Karnataka – an initiative of group of Health activists.
- Active member of Anti Tobacco movement in Karnataka, losely associated with Alma Ata Chapter movement in Karnataka.
- Bengaluru University in the year 2003-4 had taken personal hygiene and menstruation articles published in Prajavani in its NSS syllabus.
