Hi, I’m Radhika Radhakrishnan @so_radhikal, a feminist researcher working at @iNetDemocracy. I will be tweeting in this thread about gender-based online violence. You can quote-tweet the tweets in this thread with your thoughts, Qs, & experiences. #Prajnya16Days #16DaysOfActivism

Let's begin with understanding online violence. What is it, why it occurs, who is more likely to experience it, and how does it manifest in digital spaces. Have thoughts about these? Share and let us know here! Read on to understand more about it. #Prajnya16Days #nosgbv
Violence is always about power, both online and offline. One’s identities, such as gender, caste, sexuality etc., play a crucial role in how online as well as offline spaces are experienced by us. The power hierarchies that govern society also govern the Internet. #Prajnya16Days
Historically public spaces have been the domain of men and women have had limited access to these spaces. The “private” domestic woman is considered a “good woman” and the “public” woman is considered a “bad woman”. Do you think of the Internet as a public space? #Prajnya16Days
What does this have to do with violence? Once we understand how spaces are hierarchised based on our identities, it's clearer how violence is a form of “putting women in their place” when they have crossed the boundaries of the spaces they are permitted to be in. #Prajnya16Days
Violence then is a form of surveillance: a dominant mode of controlling ppl such that everyone is implicitly governed by expectations of social conduct. These expectations are also determined by our identities. See https://t.co/F4247BVp21 for more. @iNetDemocracy #Prajnya16Days
In physical spaces, women are expected to speak softly, not wear certain clothes, etc. In online spaces, women are expected to not share sexual content etc. Adhering to these norms is rewarded through protection from violence & deviations are punished via violence. #Prajnya16Days
Some women, who are considered more “deviant”, such as trans-queer women, Muslim women, Dalit women, etc. face higher levels of violence in physical as well as online spaces due to this “deviance.” Hence, we need an intersectional understanding of online violence. #Prajnya16Days
What does online violence include? Many things! Abusive comments, threats of violence, accessing & stealing personal data, taking & distributing photos & videos without consent, monitoring your movements & activities online & offline, blackmail... Add to this list! #Prajnya16Days
As an example, I'm linking here a thread based on a recent instance of image-based online violence that I faced earlier this year on @Twitter, in which I also talk about the role of platforms in responding to violence (more on that shortly, keep reading!):
https://t.co/zCtGrjgC9F
As another example, earlier this year I also spoke to @annavetticad about the disturbingly common phenomenon of men sending rape threats to women online. Why does this happen? What is the thinking behind such actions? Read this article to find out more: https://t.co/gLhcSJIYTl
We are more familiar with terms such as "domestic violence." But does our understanding of domestic violence include violence through tech? Listen to this podcast I hosted with @SunoIndia_in with @busydot on expanding our definitions of domestic violence: https://t.co/Pj86qEUGLm
Do you know how our laws and policies understand online violence? They largely consider it to be a harm to our data. If our images are shared non-consensually online, it's only our data that has been shared and harmed. Do you agree with this? Read on to know more! #Prajnya16Days
An example by @anjakovacs: When women talk about online violence, they don’t describe its harms as data harms but as bodily harm, expressing fear, anxiety. Online violence is more than data violation. Our bodies are not just physical bodies, but are also our digital identities.

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॥ॐ॥
अस्य श्री गायत्री ध्यान श्लोक:
(gAyatri dhyAna shlOka)
• This shloka to meditate personified form of वेदमाता गायत्री was given by Bhagwaan Brahma to Sage yAgnavalkya (याज्ञवल्क्य).

• 14th shloka of गायत्री कवचम् which is taken from वशिष्ठ संहिता, goes as follows..


• मुक्ता-विद्रुम-हेम-नील धवलच्छायैर्मुखस्त्रीक्षणै:।
muktA vidruma hEma nIla dhavalachhAyaiH mukhaistrlkShaNaiH.

• युक्तामिन्दुकला-निबद्धमुकुटां तत्वार्थवर्णात्मिकाम्॥
yuktAmindukalA nibaddha makutAm tatvArtha varNAtmikam.

• गायत्रीं वरदाभयाङ्कुश कशां शुभ्रं कपालं गदाम्।
gAyatrIm vardAbhayANkusha kashAm shubhram kapAlam gadAm.

• शंखं चक्रमथारविन्दयुगलं हस्तैर्वहन्ती भजै॥
shankham chakramathArvinda yugalam hastairvahantIm bhajE.

This shloka describes the form of वेदमाता गायत्री.

• It says, "She has five faces which shine with the colours of a Pearl 'मुक्ता', Coral 'विद्रुम', Gold 'हेम्', Sapphire 'नील्', & a Diamond 'धवलम्'.

• These five faces are symbolic of the five primordial elements called पञ्चमहाभूत:' which makes up the entire existence.

• These are the elements of SPACE, FIRE, WIND, EARTH & WATER.

• All these five faces shine with three eyes 'त्रिक्षणै:'.
#ஆதித்தியஹ்ருதயம் ஸ்தோத்திரம்
இது சூரிய குலத்தில் உதித்த இராமபிரானுக்கு தமிழ் முனிவர் அகத்தியர் உபதேசித்ததாக வால்மீகி இராமாயணத்தில் வருகிறது. ஆதித்ய ஹ்ருதயத்தைத் தினமும் ஓதினால் பெரும் பயன் பெறலாம் என மகான்களும் ஞானிகளும் காலம் காலமாகக் கூறி வருகின்றனர். ராம-ராவண யுத்தத்தை


தேவர்களுடன் சேர்ந்து பார்க்க வந்திருந்த அகத்தியர், அப்போது போரினால் களைத்து, கவலையுடன் காணப்பட்ட ராமபிரானை அணுகி, மனிதர்களிலேயே சிறந்தவனான ராமா போரில் எந்த மந்திரத்தைப் பாராயணம் செய்தால் எல்லா பகைவர்களையும் வெல்ல முடியுமோ அந்த ரகசிய மந்திரத்தை, வேதத்தில் சொல்லப்பட்டுள்ளதை உனக்கு

நான் உபதேசிக்கிறேன், கேள் என்று கூறி உபதேசித்தார். முதல் இரு சுலோகங்கள் சூழ்நிலையை விவரிக்கின்றன. மூன்றாவது சுலோகம் அகத்தியர் இராமபிரானை விளித்துக் கூறுவதாக அமைந்திருக்கிறது. நான்காவது சுலோகம் முதல் முப்பதாம் சுலோகம் வரை ஆதித்ய ஹ்ருதயம் என்னும் நூல். முப்பத்தி ஒன்றாம் சுலோகம்

இந்தத் துதியால் மகிழ்ந்த சூரியன் இராமனை வாழ்த்துவதைக் கூறுவதாக அமைந்திருக்கிறது.
ஐந்தாவது ஸ்லோகம்:
ஸர்வ மங்கள் மாங்கல்யம் ஸர்வ பாப ப்ரநாசனம்
சிந்தா சோக ப்ரசமனம் ஆயுர் வர்த்தனம் உத்தமம்
பொருள்: இந்த அதித்ய ஹ்ருதயம் என்ற துதி மங்களங்களில் சிறந்தது, பாவங்களையும் கவலைகளையும்


குழப்பங்களையும் நீக்குவது, வாழ்நாளை நீட்டிப்பது, மிகவும் சிறந்தது. இதயத்தில் வசிக்கும் பகவானுடைய அனுக்ரகத்தை அளிப்பதாகும்.
முழு ஸ்லோக லிங்க் பொருளுடன் இங்கே உள்ளது
https://t.co/Q3qm1TfPmk
சூரியன் உலக இயக்கத்திற்கு மிக முக்கியமானவர். சூரிய சக்தியால்தான் ஜீவராசிகள், பயிர்கள்
1. Project 1742 (EcoHealth/DTRA)
Risks of bat-borne zoonotic diseases in Western Asia

Duration: 24/10/2018-23 /10/2019

Funding: $71,500
@dgaytandzhieva
https://t.co/680CdD8uug


2. Bat Virus Database
Access to the database is limited only to those scientists participating in our ‘Bats and Coronaviruses’ project
Our intention is to eventually open up this database to the larger scientific community
https://t.co/mPn7b9HM48


3. EcoHealth Alliance & DTRA Asking for Trouble
One Health research project focused on characterizing bat diversity, bat coronavirus diversity and the risk of bat-borne zoonotic disease emergence in the region.
https://t.co/u6aUeWBGEN


4. Phelps, Olival, Epstein, Karesh - EcoHealth/DTRA


5, Methods and Expected Outcomes
(Unexpected Outcome = New Coronavirus Pandemic)