On October 26, 2024, Sahiyo hosted a Thaal Pe Charcha, or TPC, event in Mumbai.
TPC is Sahiyo's flagship program initiated by the Sahiyo team in India, bringing small groups of community members together in safe spaces to have conversations about female genital cutting (FGC) while bonding over a traditional Bohra “thaal” meal. Since 2017, Sahiyo has organized 13 TPC events in Mumbai and Pune in India and two in the United States, reaching nearly 100 participants.
Our October event was special for many reasons. First, it was an in-person TPC event that we were able to host after nearly a two-year break. We had 12 participants from across Mumbai from different backgrounds and professions, with some in their early 20s and others as old as 80. A few were attending TPC for the first time and shared poignant stories about their experiences with FGC.
Second, this TPC was organized in partnership with our friends at Equality Now, who not only supported the event itself but also produced “The Beginning.” A short fiction film on FGC written and directed by Sahiyo co-founder Insia Dariwala, “The Beginning” is about the trauma and dilemma of a Bohra mother whose daughter is set to undergo FGC.
During October’s TPC, we watched the film together, and it evoked a range of emotions from participants. A survivor of FGC said she could strongly identify with the story of the protagonist, while a male participant found himself relating to the pressures placed on the protagonist’s husband. Others discussed the many ways in which the film highlighted the nuances of community dynamics that make it difficult to take a stand against FGC.
At the end of the TPC event, young participants in particular said that the film encouraged them to have conversations about ending FGC with more community members. This feedback, for us, was the most fulfilling takeaway from the event.