Sunday, December 7, 2008

Lija John- A Day in the life of an Urban Woman


Eve teasing violates a woman's basic right to live in dignity. Will women forever remain targets and victims of eve teasing? Will their rescuers continue to be unwilling martyrs to a dead cause? Before these questions are addressed, one needs to explore and analyse why, irrespective of the dress they wear, or, their ages, their looks, their educational, professional and marital status, never mind the time or place, women in Delhi and elsewhere are being subjected to all kinds of harassment from obscene telephone calls, stalking, and last but not the least – eve-teasing.

It's the same story every day. You step on the street in the morning and jump out of your skin as a car hurtles towards you and swerves just before smashing you to a pulp. The driver laughs evilly and you're still cursing him under your breath as you pass a group of men standing at the corner, who burst into songs almost on cue. You pretend not to hear and get into an autorickshaw. (Let me not even start about the horrors of traveling in a bus in India and the daily fight against being groped.) The rickshaw driver adjusts his rear view mirror to get a better look at you, and you sit with your files and bag clutched close to your chest as you avoid eye contact with him through the journey. Two men on a scooter peek into the autorickshaw, decide they like what they see and follow you around for a few minutes staring lecherously and giggling excitedly till the autorickaw driver takes pity on you and waves them off.

At the 6:30 p.m. show you get 'completely unintentionally' jostled and felt up. Well, what did you expect? Just another day.
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The author is a BA Programme Iyr student.

6 comments:

Raspustenica said...

Go Lija!!! I totally empathize! Women of the World unite! Perhaps another wave of Feminism is on way?

Raspustenica said...

Women of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but men. *evil grin* hahahaha! *hides from rishabh*

Anonymous said...

Lija...right on!!! This is so so true... I've travelled in buses. Eve-teasing never stops!! Telling you the truth, women start uniting, the world will break down on men and they'd wish for the ground to open up and take them in!!!

anoushaka chandrashekar said...

a very true picture of what actually happens !

Ira said...

hehe, yes! but the problem is that the victim most of the times, ignores a cat-call, looks the other way when hooted at, as if nothing has happened. Why don't they react? And react strongly..! Probably scared of the consequences.
The next time, take their picture and tell them you are a journalist, ready to write him off in your next article ;) (coz filing a report with the police hardly helps)

nidhi said...

i think you've described what almost everyone of us has faced....n I can't understand what these eveteasers get out of indulging in such obscene practices!!! n i hate feeling helpless in such situations !!