27.2.09
spectators:
you saw it happen
you walked away
you saw it happen
you intervened
you might have seen someone else experience
street sexual harassment/ violence/ or being 'eve teased'
did you support the survivor?
or did you walk away?
what made you react?
what made you indifferent?
PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
OF BEING A SPECTATOR TO STREET
SEXUAL HARASSMENT OR 'EVE TEASING'
you might find this form of use- or you could simply email in the incident.
e: blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com
26.2.09
Reported
Gangs attack women in ‘western attire’
* Deepika Arwind * Two attacks in
broad daylight with people just looking on *
Bangalore: In what appears to be inspired by the pub attack in Mangalore,
three women have been attacked in the city over the past week. All three in
their 20s and in “western clothing” were subject to varying degrees of
violence. The first incident took place on February 17 at 1.10 p.m. in
Indiranagar, when a young woman’s car was closely followed by two men on a
motorcycle. “I was returning from my German class. I noticed the men
following me, hooting and then overtaking my car,” she said on her blog,
giving a detailed account of the unprovoked assault. She was spat on and her
car was blocked even as the other car drivers, instead of stopping to help,
just wanted her to get out of the way.
Speaking to *The Hindu* on condition of anonymity, the traumatised woman
said: “Everyone could see that they were being aggressive and yelling
obscenities in Kannada. No one came to my rescue.” After a chase, she sought
refuge in an apartment building, where she was cornered. One of the men
continued to shout obscenities and moved threateningly close. When she
slapped him in self-defence, he punched her. “Aggravated, I shouted at him
in Kannada. He was stunned to hear me speak the language. He noted down my
licence plate number and told the guard he would harm me later,” she said.
Shaken, she filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (East).
DCP East B.K. Singh said that the complaint was registered 48 hours after
the incident. “We are not able to identify the accused as the CCTVs at the
signals have recordings for 24 hours only. We are investigating.”
Second assault
The second incident took place on Tuesday at 10 a.m., when a 28-year-old
woman on her way to Kormangala was accosted by four men near RBANM’s College
in Ulsoor. “Four men got off an SUV and started screaming at me. They tugged
at my clothes in front of at least eight mute spectators. One of them even
pulled my shrug off, scratched my neck and hit my ear,” she told *The
Hindu*on condition of anonymity. She said that the four were all aged
between 25
and 35. “When I said I would call the police, one of them offered me his
mobile phone and told me to go right ahead. They saw an airline tag on my
bag, got more aggravated and called me an outsider,” she said. “One of them
said I must be part of the pink chaddi campaign.” Fortunately, an army van
passed by and two soldiers ordered the men to stop harassing the woman.
“At first, the men even shoved the armymen, but stopped after they saw there
were other soldiers in the van. It seemed like they were on a mission and
looking for a victim,” she said, adding she is too shaken to file a
complaint.
Later the same day, at 9 p.m., a young filmmaker was attacked by four men
near High Grounds, past the Mount Carmel College. “At first, they jostled me
and I told them to back off. They shouted obscenities in Kannada. I yelled
back in English, which seemed to provoke them. It grew into a fight when
they punched me and said I ‘deserved’ it for wearing jeans and sleeveless
kurta and walking alone at night.” She managed to get into an autorickshaw
and flee but not before they tried to drag her out. She registered a
complaint at the High Grounds Police Station on Wednesday morning.
* Deepika Arwind * Two attacks in
broad daylight with people just looking on *
Bangalore: In what appears to be inspired by the pub attack in Mangalore,
three women have been attacked in the city over the past week. All three in
their 20s and in “western clothing” were subject to varying degrees of
violence. The first incident took place on February 17 at 1.10 p.m. in
Indiranagar, when a young woman’s car was closely followed by two men on a
motorcycle. “I was returning from my German class. I noticed the men
following me, hooting and then overtaking my car,” she said on her blog,
giving a detailed account of the unprovoked assault. She was spat on and her
car was blocked even as the other car drivers, instead of stopping to help,
just wanted her to get out of the way.
Speaking to *The Hindu* on condition of anonymity, the traumatised woman
said: “Everyone could see that they were being aggressive and yelling
obscenities in Kannada. No one came to my rescue.” After a chase, she sought
refuge in an apartment building, where she was cornered. One of the men
continued to shout obscenities and moved threateningly close. When she
slapped him in self-defence, he punched her. “Aggravated, I shouted at him
in Kannada. He was stunned to hear me speak the language. He noted down my
licence plate number and told the guard he would harm me later,” she said.
Shaken, she filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (East).
DCP East B.K. Singh said that the complaint was registered 48 hours after
the incident. “We are not able to identify the accused as the CCTVs at the
signals have recordings for 24 hours only. We are investigating.”
Second assault
The second incident took place on Tuesday at 10 a.m., when a 28-year-old
woman on her way to Kormangala was accosted by four men near RBANM’s College
in Ulsoor. “Four men got off an SUV and started screaming at me. They tugged
at my clothes in front of at least eight mute spectators. One of them even
pulled my shrug off, scratched my neck and hit my ear,” she told *The
Hindu*on condition of anonymity. She said that the four were all aged
between 25
and 35. “When I said I would call the police, one of them offered me his
mobile phone and told me to go right ahead. They saw an airline tag on my
bag, got more aggravated and called me an outsider,” she said. “One of them
said I must be part of the pink chaddi campaign.” Fortunately, an army van
passed by and two soldiers ordered the men to stop harassing the woman.
“At first, the men even shoved the armymen, but stopped after they saw there
were other soldiers in the van. It seemed like they were on a mission and
looking for a victim,” she said, adding she is too shaken to file a
complaint.
Later the same day, at 9 p.m., a young filmmaker was attacked by four men
near High Grounds, past the Mount Carmel College. “At first, they jostled me
and I told them to back off. They shouted obscenities in Kannada. I yelled
back in English, which seemed to provoke them. It grew into a fight when
they punched me and said I ‘deserved’ it for wearing jeans and sleeveless
kurta and walking alone at night.” She managed to get into an autorickshaw
and flee but not before they tried to drag her out. She registered a
complaint at the High Grounds Police Station on Wednesday morning.
Blank Noise Bangalore:
We are meeting this Sunday
3pm- 5 pm. Cubbon Park.
All are welcome. Bring in your questions, thoughts, ideas.
confirm via email: blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com
11.2.09
Understanding , Underwearing
It is not difficult to imagine a right-wing vehicle reacting strongly to what they perceive to be contaminating influences of the 'authentic' that they zealously guard. It is, in fact, even easier to imagine that a political fabric that has resorted to every kind of staged drama of 'authentic' to build its own inner confidence. The metaphor of an inviolable/invincible male, that perceives its female property being appropriated by alien seduction as violation of its own sovereignty, in this case is hard to avoid. Much like Katrina in Namastey London finally came around and dumped the white boy and embraced Akshay's nourishing Desi masculinity to corroborate the crisis in nationalist masculinity.
V-day hullabaloo has escalated in most big cities (with Sena/Bajrang Dal folks destroying shop windows displaying V-day pretty things etc.)over the past few years. Increasing flows of global capital into our cities have accelerated the consumption and production of 'global' cultures on cityscapes. This aggravates the right and pokes their masculine anxiety even more. The recent attacks on women are a specific kind of lament of shaky nationalist masculinity losing 'control' over its women.
So what does the Pink-Chaddi campaign signify in this crisis? A direct and provocative opposition/rejection of oppressive masculinity. The obvious image of underwear signifiying feminist politics of personal becoming political. The cliched argument against this technology of radical opposition will be that it is the preserve of urbane, pubgoing, cigarette-smoking women who exclude other sections from their expressions of dissent. To me that is boring critique as it is obviously one form of feminist subjectivity that is legitimate and expess-worthy, of the many that can exist. In fact, it is probably better off being exclusionary than urbane bubblegum women being 'inclusive' by purporting to speak for large numbers that we can't possibly represent.
I want to poke the question of the celebratory/emancipatory role played by the Pink Chaddi here. The provocative image of underwear carries on its shoulders histories of clothing and containing of the body as a modality of power, the Chaddi definitely comes with baggage. The notion that a symbol of repression that is rooted in the ''vernacular'' packaging of the Hindu right has to evoke a symbol of freedom that is rooted in mass cultures of production of the erotic (pink + chaddi) carries, to my mind, troublesome implications that the way out of oppressive ''vernacular'' patriarchies are in global commodity chains. Of course, numerous examples from Bollywood come to mind, where the elusive, defiant sexuality of the woman is captured and contained once she submits to the hero's overtures and to the proposition of being owned. She is then, a good woman, a non-threatening one. The PCC turns the symbols upside down, and shows the bad, pubgoing woman as having accessed freedom. It sticks with the binaries of sari-vernacular-submissive, leather-skirt-defiant though. My question remains that in the act of opposition to oppressive nationalist masculinity, does freedom have to be contained in the Panty and coloured Pink? Does Victoria's Secret hand us the freedom that Hindu right moral police try to destroy?
V-day hullabaloo has escalated in most big cities (with Sena/Bajrang Dal folks destroying shop windows displaying V-day pretty things etc.)over the past few years. Increasing flows of global capital into our cities have accelerated the consumption and production of 'global' cultures on cityscapes. This aggravates the right and pokes their masculine anxiety even more. The recent attacks on women are a specific kind of lament of shaky nationalist masculinity losing 'control' over its women.
So what does the Pink-Chaddi campaign signify in this crisis? A direct and provocative opposition/rejection of oppressive masculinity. The obvious image of underwear signifiying feminist politics of personal becoming political. The cliched argument against this technology of radical opposition will be that it is the preserve of urbane, pubgoing, cigarette-smoking women who exclude other sections from their expressions of dissent. To me that is boring critique as it is obviously one form of feminist subjectivity that is legitimate and expess-worthy, of the many that can exist. In fact, it is probably better off being exclusionary than urbane bubblegum women being 'inclusive' by purporting to speak for large numbers that we can't possibly represent.
I want to poke the question of the celebratory/emancipatory role played by the Pink Chaddi here. The provocative image of underwear carries on its shoulders histories of clothing and containing of the body as a modality of power, the Chaddi definitely comes with baggage. The notion that a symbol of repression that is rooted in the ''vernacular'' packaging of the Hindu right has to evoke a symbol of freedom that is rooted in mass cultures of production of the erotic (pink + chaddi) carries, to my mind, troublesome implications that the way out of oppressive ''vernacular'' patriarchies are in global commodity chains. Of course, numerous examples from Bollywood come to mind, where the elusive, defiant sexuality of the woman is captured and contained once she submits to the hero's overtures and to the proposition of being owned. She is then, a good woman, a non-threatening one. The PCC turns the symbols upside down, and shows the bad, pubgoing woman as having accessed freedom. It sticks with the binaries of sari-vernacular-submissive, leather-skirt-defiant though. My question remains that in the act of opposition to oppressive nationalist masculinity, does freedom have to be contained in the Panty and coloured Pink? Does Victoria's Secret hand us the freedom that Hindu right moral police try to destroy?
10.2.09
REPORTING TO REMEMBER
Starting with the most recent Mangalore pub attack we would like to build a list of incidents involving attacks on/threats to women under the pretext of culture, tradition and religion.
1-political parties/ religious groups/ individuals
2-nature of attack- who they attacked. why they attacked. you could also send articles/links explaining that.
2-nature of attack- who they attacked. why they attacked. you could also send articles/links explaining that.
3-when.date
4-location.region.
You can add to this list by adding in the comments section below or by emailing us at blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com
or if you are on facebook you could add it here:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1002230751699&mbox_pos=0#/event.php?eid=103986081520
Nandini report:
December 28, 2008:
Bajrang Dal activists attack a bus ferrying
students on a study tour to Mysore, saying girls and boys from
different religions can't travel togetherlinks: http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2009/02/karnatakas_comm.html
Mohnish Moorjani reports:
Jan 29, 2009
Ram Sene
'Amnesia' Pub. Mangalore
Feb 14, 2006Shiv Sena
Nallasopara, BombayA mob of 60 Shiv Sainiks, armed with hockey sticks and rods, descended on a private party at Nallasopara on Tuesday and beat up women and children, ripped off their clothes, stole their jewellery and mobile phones and sent a few of the men to hospital.
http://timesofindia.
http://blogofindia.blogspot.
http://www.expressindia.com/
http://timesofindia.
Anivarn Chatterjee reports:
1. Bajrang Dal and the World Hindu Council
2. Human rights activists Angana Chatterji and other female members of the Indian People's Tribunal on the Environment and Human Rights threatened with rape and disrobing, as they take deposition of stories about attacks on minorities. Chatterji later threatened with rape, murder, dismemberment for speaking up.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
http://www.hrw.org/en/news
http://timesofindia.indiat
http://www.thehindu.com/20
3. June 14, 2005
4. Bhubaneswar, Orissa
Anubhav Pradhan reports:
14th Feb,2006
http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/
The Shiv Sena staged a protest against Valentine's Day in Kamla Nagar, Delhi "dubbing the Valentine's Day as a marketing gimmick".
The state unit of the National Panthers Party had come out against the Sena, and representatives of the same went around armed with chilly powder. There was sign of trouble in Connaught Place as activists of the two groups came face to face outside Wimpy's but timelpy police intervention prevented any untoward incident.
11th August, 2008
http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/
Mr. Ram Dev Yadav killed his wife Geeta and her alleged lover neighbour Jitendra in the Dabri area of Delhi. The crime, committed on 29th July, came to light when the couple's 5yr old son Vicky narrated the gruesome incident during trauma counselling.
nandini raja reports:
October 30, 2008: Bajrang Dal activists attack two
undertrials in Mangalore district sub jail; sixth such attack after
its chief Mahendra Kumar's arrest on September 20.
December 12, 2008: Aggressive posturing at Baba Budangiri by parivar
leaders and Hindu pontiffs
December 27, 2008: Hoysala Sene attacks Fuga bar in Bangalore, alleges
illegal activities
December 28, 2008: Bajrang Dal activists attack a bus ferrying
students on a study tour to Mysore, saying girls and boys from
different religions can't travel together
January 6, 2009: B.V. Seetharam, editor of Mangalore-based newspaper
Karavali Ale, who followed a strong anti-parivar editorial line,
handcuffed and arrested in alleged extortion case. Prior to his
arrest, parivar elements vandalise paper's office.
January 7, 2009: Laddoos distributed in some schools across the state
on Vaikunta Ekadashi. Congress demands biriyani should be distributed
on Ramzan.
January 19, 2009: An arrested dacoit reportedly confesses links with
radical Hindu groups and admits to carrying out the Hubli district
court bombing before the May assembly elections
January 25, 2009: Sri Rama Sene activists attack pub in Mangalore and
molest and beat up women
January 25, 2009: Bajrang Dal activists attack a private party in Mangalore
October 2009- Feb 2010- gangs of men from various right wing Hindu groups such as Sri Ram Sene, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Rashtra Sena, Hindu Jagaran Vedike in Mangalore , Karnataka, assault Hindu women dating Muslim men. They also attack Muslim men and accuse them of waging a 'love jihad'; that is, according to them, a strategic love plan to convert the hindu girl to islam.
The Hindu reports
recommended report- Tinku Ray for the BBC
bbc report also shared here
students on a study tour to Mysore, saying girls and boys from
different religions can't travel togetherlinks: http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2009/02/karnatakas_comm.html
Mohnish Moorjani reports:
Jan 29, 2009
Ram Sene
'Amnesia' Pub. Mangalore
Feb 14, 2006Shiv Sena
Nallasopara, BombayA mob of 60 Shiv Sainiks, armed with hockey sticks and rods, descended on a private party at Nallasopara on Tuesday and beat up women and children, ripped off their clothes, stole their jewellery and mobile phones and sent a few of the men to hospital.
http://timesofindia.
http://blogofindia.blogspot.
http://www.expressindia.com/
http://timesofindia.
Anivarn Chatterjee reports:
1. Bajrang Dal and the World Hindu Council
2. Human rights activists Angana Chatterji and other female members of the Indian People's Tribunal on the Environment and Human Rights threatened with rape and disrobing, as they take deposition of stories about attacks on minorities. Chatterji later threatened with rape, murder, dismemberment for speaking up.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-
http://www.hrw.org/en/news
http://timesofindia.indiat
http://www.thehindu.com/20
3. June 14, 2005
4. Bhubaneswar, Orissa
Anubhav Pradhan reports:
14th Feb,2006
http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/
The Shiv Sena staged a protest against Valentine's Day in Kamla Nagar, Delhi "dubbing the Valentine's Day as a marketing gimmick".
The state unit of the National Panthers Party had come out against the Sena, and representatives of the same went around armed with chilly powder. There was sign of trouble in Connaught Place as activists of the two groups came face to face outside Wimpy's but timelpy police intervention prevented any untoward incident.
11th August, 2008
http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/
Mr. Ram Dev Yadav killed his wife Geeta and her alleged lover neighbour Jitendra in the Dabri area of Delhi. The crime, committed on 29th July, came to light when the couple's 5yr old son Vicky narrated the gruesome incident during trauma counselling.
nandini raja reports:
October 30, 2008: Bajrang Dal activists attack two
undertrials in Mangalore district sub jail; sixth such attack after
its chief Mahendra Kumar's arrest on September 20.
December 12, 2008: Aggressive posturing at Baba Budangiri by parivar
leaders and Hindu pontiffs
December 27, 2008: Hoysala Sene attacks Fuga bar in Bangalore, alleges
illegal activities
December 28, 2008: Bajrang Dal activists attack a bus ferrying
students on a study tour to Mysore, saying girls and boys from
different religions can't travel together
January 6, 2009: B.V. Seetharam, editor of Mangalore-based newspaper
Karavali Ale, who followed a strong anti-parivar editorial line,
handcuffed and arrested in alleged extortion case. Prior to his
arrest, parivar elements vandalise paper's office.
January 7, 2009: Laddoos distributed in some schools across the state
on Vaikunta Ekadashi. Congress demands biriyani should be distributed
on Ramzan.
January 19, 2009: An arrested dacoit reportedly confesses links with
radical Hindu groups and admits to carrying out the Hubli district
court bombing before the May assembly elections
January 25, 2009: Sri Rama Sene activists attack pub in Mangalore and
molest and beat up women
January 25, 2009: Bajrang Dal activists attack a private party in Mangalore
October 2009- Feb 2010- gangs of men from various right wing Hindu groups such as Sri Ram Sene, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Rashtra Sena, Hindu Jagaran Vedike in Mangalore , Karnataka, assault Hindu women dating Muslim men. They also attack Muslim men and accuse them of waging a 'love jihad'; that is, according to them, a strategic love plan to convert the hindu girl to islam.
The Hindu reports
recommended report- Tinku Ray for the BBC
bbc report also shared here
9.2.09
For the Pink Chaddi Campaign:
You're late if you haven't heard of the Pink Chaddi Campaign+ the Pubcrawl!!
join them at
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=49641698651&ref=mf
more from Nisha Susan:
Dear All,
You may have heard of the Pink Chaddi Campaign that kicked off three days ago to oppose the Sri Ram Sene. The campaign is growing exponentially (1,300 at this point in the life of our Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women) and that is not surprising. Most women in this country have enough curbs on their lives without a whole new franchise cashing in with their bully-boy tactics. Of course, a lot of men have joined the group as well.
Here is we want to do with the Pink Chaddi Campaign. Join in. Be imaginative, have fun and fight back!
Step 1: It does not matter that many of us have not thought about Valentine's Day since we were 13. If ever. This year let us send the Sri Ram Sene some love. Let us send them some PINK CHADDIS.
Look in your closet or buy them cheap. Dirt-cheap. Make sure they are PINK. Send them off to the Sene.
The address to send the package is:
Pramod Muthalik,
Chief, Sri Rama Sene,
#11, Behind New Bus Stand, Gokhul Road, Near Lakshmi Park,
HUBLI - Karnataka
If you don't want to mail it yourself, you can drop it off at the Chaddi Collection Points.
We will be collecting across the country through this week and sending the packages on February 12. More information about Chaddi Collectors in your city soon on our blog: http://thepinkchaddicampaign.blogspot.com/
Step 2: Send the Pink Chaddi Campaign a photograph of the package.
Tell us how many chaddis you are sending out and inspire other women in other cities. You can either mail the information here or you can mail it at our facebook address. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49641698651&ref=mf
Step 3: On Valentine's Day we do a Pub Bharo action. Go to a pub wherever you are. From Kabul to Chennai to Guwahati to Singapore to LA women have signed up. It does not matter if you are actually not a pub-goer or not even much of a drinker. Let us raise a toast (it can be juice) to Indian women. Take a photo or video. We will put it together (more on how later) and send this as well to the Sri Ram Sene.
Step 4: After Valentine's Day we should get some of our elected leaders to agree that beating up women is ummm... AGAINST INDIAN CULTURE.
For right now, ask not what Dr VS Acharya, Home Minister of Karnataka can do for you. Ask what you can do for him. Here is his blog.
http://drvsacharya.blogspot.com. Send him some love.
Nisha Susan
For the Pink Chaddi Campaign
http://thepinkchaddicampaign.blogspot.com
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