Whom are public spaces meant for?
Mostly, not for women. Deepika Nagabhushan, over at Citizen Matters reports on her experience at the Karaga festival. The “price” that women have to pay, for being out at night at a public festival, is hideous. Most of us choose to self-censor ourselves and keep away from such places. She chose not to and realised first-hand the price women have to pay for it. I liked particularly her note on how such treatment will ever come to an end:
Someone told me once that there are only two things that can stop men in India from behaving this way. One, either they get over exposed to women at an early age, bringing the frustration of having not expressed themselves sexually, down to negligible. Then they won’t go crazy when they see a woman in close proximity. Or two, their expression is suppressed by the rules of society so much that they dare not treat another human being, forget women, without respect.
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Religious groups want Indianized dressing and then in spite of that they do not realize that the problem is with men who can not keep their hands to themselves.. irrespective of the dressing!
I have seen this at all festivals and occasions and in most of these places, women are always dressed in Indian clothes! The irony !!
Aathira - thats so true - dressing has very little to do with it, although that is used as an excuse.
Actually even those suggestions are not great ideas. The west, we would all agree, to being more advanced. The divide between girls and boys is not overplayed as it is in India. Kids are aware of their sexuality way sooner than their counterparts in India. So you’d expect their offensive reaction wrt women in public spaces not to be the same as here right? You’d think Indian village folk is intrinsically unruly… but I read up about the rapes and molestations that take place even at Mardis Gras… it’s the same case. No parent or husband will like a girl they know to go there. Alcohol also plays a big big role. If there was a solution to this… it would ve ended long time ago. Thats the unfortunate part.
But thanks for taking interest in the issue I wrote about. I just happened to find this while I was browsing around.
I have always felt and heard this statement from my mum, grandma, father “Thats not a place for women”.(TNPFW)College rock band finale at night, same old TNPFW, driving back home from work at night through a short cut (TNPFW).But unfortunately , no place is safe for women.Entire Bangalore has become unsafe.But now that I am a mother, I feel I will repeat the same statements to my daughter when she grows up i.e after 20 years, if our city still remains the same than letting her experience unwanpleasent stuff.
“But unfortunately , no place is safe for women” - Samskruthi - that is true. both because of the general mindset and because of the poor quality of policing.