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Dear Friends,
Mother Mary is a role model for all catholic women round the world and on her birthday on the 8th of September, it is a fitting tribute that we honour and adorn her.
This day has been dedicated as ‘ the day of the girl child” and the CBCI – an organization that works relentlessly to raise the status of women in society by empowering them makes every effort to draw the public attention to the plight and problems of the girl child. From the 8th – 14th of September – the “Week of the Girl Child” measures are being taken to show the discriminatory attitudes, the unjust customs and social structures that are heaped on the girl child and suggested remedial measures are being given to improve the status.
The main hurdle in our society for this discrimination is the problem of gender bias with the excuse that it rarely rears its ugly head in our religious community, we need to do some soul searching in the light of the example set by Jesus himself and the image of his mother considered a role model for all women.
Even after 55 years of Indian constitutional provision on equal rights, women are discriminated in all spheres of life -education, healthcare, employment and accorded the lowest status even within the family!
Due to the dire poverty the illiterate rural women resorts to female infanticide, the educated and prosperous in cities, blinded by son-preference accomplish the same with discretion and finesse!
Can our Society progress by such rampant discrimination and unjust treatment meted out to women?
Today in Women Vision we have a very revolutionary person- Ms Catherine Rodriques from Katpady.
Ms. Catherine Rodqrigues is the daughter of the late John and late Magdeline Rodrigues of Katapady and is one out of 8 brothers and 4 sisters in the family.
Having done her Masters in Sociology, she now runs the Preeti Tutorials at her residence at Katapady and is instrumental in providing education to almost 1000 children who are financially backward
Due to her magnanimity and her concern for the poorer section, Many children, right from the primary to college level get free education. She is a SILENT Social Worker and only God knows the level of her dedication and commitment in working for the society as she works without any publicity.
Catherine is a talented and multifaceted personality. She is adept in the Tuluva region’s Garodi, Bhootaradhane, Nema and Kola and has done a lot of research in these fields and she is an authority on these subjects. She has been actively involved in the Konkani Lexicon Projects along with Melvyn Rodrigues, Concepta Fernandes and many others and is responsible in documenting some of the important folklore of Konkani region.
Catherine Rodrigues, should have been conferred the Rajyotsava Award from the Kanataka Government by now. She is a gifted professional writer in Tulu, Konkani and Kannada languages. Her contribution to Tulu language – the regional language of Dakshina Kannada and Udipi is more than the other two languages. She has been bestowed with 12 Tulu language awards at the State Level. She has written 43 Tulu Dramas, 20 Konkani dramas and 5 Kannada dramas. Most of her works represent the Folklore of Costal Karnataka.
Till date 83 programs of hers have been aired on the All India Radio, Mangalore, which include short stories, poems, interviews, Children programmes etc.
Her Tulu Dramas which have fetched her Late D. Ratnamma Heggade Memorial Awards are: ‘Bangarda Doddi’; ‘Bannal’; ‘Kabedi’; ‘Satyoda Balelu’; ‘Kedaga’; ‘Karnikada daiva’; ‘Tembare’; ‘Birer’; ‘Pursha’ and&
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