It is a brave and unpraralelled effort in India. I am a man and cannot possibly ever imagine what it must feel to go through such experiences as a routine part of one's existence. I couldn't read beyond the first three blogs. It was so overwhelming.I feel outraged when perpetrators of street sexual harrassment routinely get away. And the term "eve teasing" is always bandied about as some sort of a forgivable male indulgence. Always always the onus is on women to understand that its a male "need" and women must "take it in their stride" and move on! Ridiculous. I am a man and I have my desires very much in place. But WHAT DOES IT TAKE ON MY PART TO KEEP MY HANDS OFF WOMEN? NOTHING AT ALL. NEVER EVER FELT THE URGE TO INDULGE IN ANYTHING REMOTELY DISGUSTING LIKE LEERING, CAT CALLING N STUFF. AND THAT SHOULD BE NORMAL RIGHT? The onus of getting harrassed on the streets is quite conveniently put on women.Shouldn't it be an affront to our "manhood" that we get carried away by how women dress? Isn't that an INCREDIBLE ADMISSION OF WEAKNESS? I have always found it astonishing how people who are worried abt their own( girlfriends, mothers, sisters...) don't mind passing lewd comments to unknown women on the streets. Why can't we respect women beyond our acquaintance? And sometimes even that is no gaurantee! Why the streets, even the crowded temples are a molester's paradise. You have come up with a great idea to photograph people indulging in harrassment.TIME TO SHAME THE BASTARDS. I liked the idea of your collecting clothes in which women have been misbehaved with.It must be so painful for the women to come forward but I applaud each one of them for speaking out. The onus is on us men to make the streets a safer place for women. I have a few suggestions - 1)The education must begin at home. Mothers and fathers need to tell their sons what is good and what is not, as far as conduct with women is concerned. I would have appreciated that a great deal.
2) Men must be included in this campaign in large numbers. A large number of men are blissfully unaware of the menace while others are the PERPETRATORS. This has to be changed.
3) Men need to be sensitised at an early age. I have been shocked to find how many never understand the consequence of their actions.
4) I say this crusade to eliminate street sexual harrassment should be directed at the educated elite first. They are the ones who are reachable. I say this because I am an engg student myself and I have seen my peers indulge in despicable behviour. Why do you think bangalore has become such an unsafe place for women? I believe the answer lies in the huge number of engg colleges.I remember I had been to NIT Trichy in september 04 for their cultural fest. Whenever a girl would be on stage all the guys would make the lewdest of remarks. When I got on stage I made it point to say out loud, "could we have some respect for the womenfolk please.." There was an initial silence and then a lot booing."Teri behene lagti hai kya?" ...........My fellow human beings. Isn't that enough?
I wish blank noise project success and offer my services to eliminate this menace.
And everybody out there please understand that the cause is probably as big as the Black Civil Rights. Yes it is not an exaggeration. It is after all FREEDOM FOR WOMEN we are talking about (And I do not mean to offend women by this statement) - freedom from fear on the streets, freedom to make their own travel plans, freedom to choose their own careers, freedom to choose their own time of travel, freedom to choose their place of living, freedom to speak out, freedom to choose their own professions. Because I have understood each one of those freedoms is affected by what goes on in the streets of india everyday. Chivalry in men must be encouraged. Maybe its an old fashioned idea in this age of "equality" but I swear by it. Its time to remind men to "BE A MAN". Make way for women wherever possible, make room for them to stand, to sit, to walk, to get in and out. It would probably earn us a smile(though the effort should never be influenced by that) Importantly HELP when you find a woman in distress. Imbibe respect for women amongst your friends, sons, brothers. Debroop
I cannot tell you how many times I have been sexually harrassed in India over the years - fully clothed from top to bottom in baggy salwar-kameez and looking, in my opinion, very ugly.
My friends also were sexually harrassed, even in the company of their own husbands who, being foriegners, were afraid to hit or attack the Indian men who touched their wives because of feeling intimidated by the fact that they were in a different country, culture and language group than their own. They just didn't know what to do in such a situation.
Well, after a few years of putting up with this shit, I finally starting fighting back - slapping, hitting, punching, name-calling, etc. It works! Now the whole town where I reside knows to leave this white "bitch" alone!
However, when I travel to other areas I have to start the fighting-back program all over again from the get-go.
I found that in India, alot of females are conditioned to just tolerate this kind of treatment and not say or do anything back. Ladies - don't worry about comprimising your demureness - fight these assholes with every fiber of your being! Don't be afraid of embarrassing yourself on the bus or in any public space - make it be known loud and clear to all those around you that there is a CRIMINAL present!
3 comments:
It is a brave and unpraralelled effort in India. I am a man and cannot possibly ever imagine what it must feel to go through such experiences as a routine part of one's existence. I couldn't read beyond the first three blogs. It was so overwhelming.I feel outraged when perpetrators of street sexual harrassment routinely get away. And the term "eve teasing" is always bandied about as some sort of a forgivable male indulgence. Always always the onus is on women to understand that its a male "need" and women must "take it in their stride" and move on! Ridiculous. I am a man and I have my desires very much in place. But WHAT DOES IT TAKE ON MY PART TO KEEP MY HANDS OFF WOMEN? NOTHING AT ALL. NEVER EVER FELT THE URGE TO INDULGE IN ANYTHING REMOTELY DISGUSTING LIKE LEERING, CAT CALLING N STUFF. AND THAT SHOULD BE NORMAL RIGHT? The onus of getting harrassed on the streets is quite conveniently put on women.Shouldn't it be an affront to our "manhood" that we get carried away by how women dress? Isn't that an INCREDIBLE ADMISSION OF WEAKNESS? I have always found it astonishing how people who are worried abt their own( girlfriends, mothers, sisters...) don't mind passing lewd comments to unknown women on the streets. Why can't we respect women beyond our acquaintance? And sometimes even that is no gaurantee!
Why the streets, even the crowded temples are a molester's paradise.
You have come up with a great idea to photograph people indulging in harrassment.TIME TO SHAME THE BASTARDS. I liked the idea of your collecting clothes in which women have been misbehaved with.It must be so painful for the women to come forward but I applaud each one of them for speaking out. The onus is on us men to make the streets a safer place for women.
I have a few suggestions -
1)The education must begin at home. Mothers and fathers need to tell their sons what is good and what is not, as far as conduct with women is concerned. I would have appreciated that a great deal.
2) Men must be included in this campaign in large numbers. A large number of men are blissfully unaware of the menace while others are the PERPETRATORS. This has to be changed.
3) Men need to be sensitised at an early age. I have been shocked to find how many never understand the consequence of their actions.
4) I say this crusade to eliminate street sexual harrassment should be directed at the educated elite first. They are the ones who are reachable. I say this because I am an engg student myself and I have seen my peers indulge in despicable behviour. Why do you think bangalore has become such an unsafe place for women? I believe the answer lies in the huge number of engg colleges.I remember I had been to NIT Trichy in september 04 for their cultural fest. Whenever a girl would be on stage all the guys would make the lewdest of remarks. When I got on stage I made it point to say out loud, "could we have some respect for the womenfolk please.." There was an initial silence and then a lot booing."Teri behene lagti hai kya?" ...........My fellow human beings. Isn't that enough?
I wish blank noise project success and offer my services to eliminate this menace.
Debroop
And everybody out there please understand that the cause is probably as big as the Black Civil Rights. Yes it is not an exaggeration. It is after all FREEDOM FOR WOMEN we are talking about (And I do not mean to offend women by this statement) - freedom from fear on the streets, freedom to make their own travel plans, freedom to choose their own careers, freedom to choose their own time of travel, freedom to choose their place of living, freedom to speak out, freedom to choose their own professions. Because I have understood each one of those freedoms is affected by what goes on in the streets of india everyday.
Chivalry in men must be encouraged. Maybe its an old fashioned idea in this age of "equality" but I swear by it. Its time to remind men to "BE A MAN". Make way for women wherever possible, make room for them to stand, to sit, to walk, to get in and out. It would probably earn us a smile(though the effort should never be influenced by that) Importantly HELP when you find a woman in distress. Imbibe respect for women amongst your friends, sons, brothers.
Debroop
This is a website after my own heart!!!!!!!!
I cannot tell you how many times I have been sexually harrassed in India over the years - fully clothed from top to bottom in baggy salwar-kameez and looking, in my opinion, very ugly.
My friends also were sexually harrassed, even in the company of their own husbands who, being foriegners, were afraid to hit or attack the Indian men who touched their wives because of feeling intimidated by the fact that they were in a different country, culture and language group than their own. They just didn't know what to do in such a situation.
Well, after a few years of putting up with this shit, I finally starting fighting back - slapping, hitting, punching, name-calling, etc. It works! Now the whole town where I reside knows to leave this white "bitch" alone!
However, when I travel to other areas I have to start the fighting-back program all over again from the get-go.
I found that in India, alot of females are conditioned to just tolerate this kind of treatment and not say or do anything back. Ladies - don't worry about comprimising your demureness - fight these assholes with every fiber of your being! Don't be afraid of embarrassing yourself on the bus or in any public space - make it be known loud and clear to all those around you that there is a CRIMINAL present!
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