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.
