Women, dark corners and societal prejudice

I write this for every girl who is not allowed to be herself, but cannot say anything without being slapped across her face. For a society which loves only to tut and tsk and pass judgments and make rules for every living being in it. For all the women whose life is controlled by her fear of being the next target to the public perverts.

Sakshi was the new intern in a company in Nahur. Every morning she reached Nahur station at 7 am. And every morning three men sat in wait for her to get down from the train. Lewd catcalls echoed the walls of the station- “Aye chamiya”, “Aye heroine”, but Sakshi walked on, trying her best to ignore the jibes and the crass demands of her lifting up her skirts for them.

“Stop wearing those short skirts to work”, her friends said.

Yes, easy. If you want to stop them passing dirty comments all you have to do is deck up in something that covers you from head to toe.

But wait, haven’t we seen men gawking at a woman in a saree too? I have seen perverts staring at eleven year old kids wearing shorts. But they aren’t at fault are they?

India is one such country where a man treats his own mother with a respect bordering on reverence but at the same time does not think before groping a girl’s butt in a local train. He runs for his pyari behena’s aid from anywhere in the world, but has no qualms about poking and pinching somebody else’s sister in a dark street.

And when something happens who is to blame? Of course the girl! How dare she wear such clothes? How dare she drink in a pub? How dare she walk alone in a dark street?

It’s sad. It’s just sad.

Women problems in India are not a new subject. We have had the age old dowry and female feoticide practically choking the country down since forever. Equality for women in India is a far-fetched topic in this country. Here the government only gives reservations and concessions to women. Like they are cripples and who are provided with crutches to walk on.

When will that world come where women are not automatically considered as the sex that is unable to fend for itself? When she does not need reserved compartments or seats or special offers to be considered worthy of something.

Yes, these are some dreams that many of us have. But in a country where its leaders themselves look down upon women, how can such dreams come true?

Women like Sakshi can be seen everywhere. Dodging perverts, turning deaf against their catcalls, trying to defend themselves when these men touch them. Most of them feel scared of venturing out on the streets after dark. And many, many, many women I know have stopped wearing what they like and doing what they do just to avoid the aforementioned catcalls.

Okay, enough said about the perverts of India. What about those people who walk on the streets with selective blindness? Many of them see women being touched inappropriately but still walk by silently, afraid of getting involved. Aren’t you human enough to go and help a person in distress, whoever you are, man or woman? The police may still refuse to help but there are a hundred ways to help a person out if you want to.

When will this saga end? Thousands of writers have written about this, hundreds of films have been made on this. But the perverts are still lurking around the corner. They just need a woman, fully clothed or not, they will ATTACK! And it’s not their fault. No, they aren’t responsible for their overflowing testosterone, why did you go into that dark street?

It’s high time this stops. Enough women have been inculpated for living their life the way they want. It’s high time these perverts stop watering at the mouths when they see a mere shadow of a breast. It’s high time women gain some respect. Next time something happens, just kick them in the balls girls! If it doesn’t stop by words alone it’s time for some blood spilling, pain giving action!