Soon after New Year’s Eve, we began receiving tips about a dreadful incident in Bombay involving two young couples who were on vacation (Thanks, Rahul and many others):
A mob of 70-80 men groped and molested two young women for some 15 minutes on a busy main street in Mumbai’s glamour district Juhu early on New Year’s Day.
An identical incident had shamed India’s safest city exactly a year ago — a girl was molested by New Year’s eve revellers at the Gateway of India. That incident was captured on film by a popular Mumbai tabloid; Tuesday morning’s horror was shot by two Hindustan Times lensmen who happened to be on the spot.
The women — one in a black dress, the other in a jeans and top — emerged from the JW Marriott with two male friends around 1.45 am, and began walking towards Juhu beach close by.
A mob of about 40 got after them and began teasing the women. One of the women swore loudly at the hooligans.
But the mob, now 70-80 strong, wouldn’t let go. They trapped the women near a vehicle and a tree, and pounced on them. A man in a white shirt tore off the black dress. Another, in a blue shirt, led the assault. As the women fell on the ground, dozens of men jumped on them. [HT]
The story and the wide-spread, collective anger it inspired grew considerably when the Police Inspector tasked with the case expressed himself in a regrettably insensitive way:
The comments of the Mumbai police commissioner, DN Jadhav further enraged the people: “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. Keep your wives at home if you want them safe. This kind of small things can happen anywhereâ€. [meri]
Excellent. Two women who were brutalized deserved it because they were out and about, instead of in the kitchen. While a few Mumbaikars agreed with that unfortunate view, others certainly did not:
Arjun Ghai, executive with an MNC says, “The act was shameful but the attitude of the police in this regard is even worse. If MF Hussain puts up his paintings or a Hollywood star kisses a Bollywood actress, the Shiv Sainiks come to life, but what about such cases? It is the people of our great nation who need to be blamed. I am sure those who were involved in this gruesome act had sisters and wives sitting at home. Did they think about them even for an instance? No wonder we are living among vultures ready to pounce on the flesh of vulnerable women at the drop of a hat.â€
Mira Sud, boutique owner opines, “I heard someone say that the girls might have been drunk or led the guys on. This is absolutely crazy. In a nation like ours where we worship Sita and Laxmi, people tend to lose their moral sense at times. Claiming that a woman might have been drunk is no reason or excuse. What about those instances where the men get drunk and pounce on women? Nobody blames them. In this male-dominated society of ours, we tend to blame the female gender without even considering the situation.â€[meri]
Thankfully, someone contradicted Jadhav:
The state’s Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil made a statement saying, that the police chief’s reaction was inappropriate and that the government was taking the matter seriously. [NDTV]
As I alluded to earlier, some of the more retrograde opinions (which I didn’t care to publicize or quote) declared that these women were “asking for it” by behaving shamelessly and not respecting traditions which apparently involve always staying at home, lest one entice a helpless man to molestation. Well, these weren’t disobedient, frisky, fornicating teens on the beach (not that they’d deserve any of this either).
The newly-wed, NRI couple who faced humiliation at the hands of a mob in Juhu on New Year’s eve, had married in a traditional ceremony in Gujarat just a day before the incident…
Hiten Patel and his wife had come down to Mumbai along with Hiten’s cousin and his wife a day after their wedding to bring in the New Year. The couple wanted to holiday in India for a fortnight before flying back home.
Hundreds of their friends and relatives from the US had flown down to India for the wedding. Hiten’s uncle Sunil Patel told TOI, “Hiten was born in the US and has lived in Texas. He runs his family-owned chain of motels. His wife is pursuing her MBA in the US and theirs was an arranged match.”
The couple is still in a state of shock following the molestation. Hiten’s wife has said she’s trying to “get over the horror” while expressing her anger over the fact that bystanders had not come to their rescue. But when Hiten spoke to TOI, he said there were some people in the crowd who tried to “help us pick up our belongings. I have not lodged a police complaint since I do not want the wrong people to be booked.” [TOIlet]
Do some of these the so-called traditionalists feel a little sorry for condemning these women, now that we know they were so obedient and homely, one of them allowed her parents to choose her husband? Sorry, what’s that? All I hear is crickets chirping. Now it is two weeks later, and the alleged culprits are denying involvement:
The Juhu molestation case accused on Wednesday said that they were innocent. Addressing the media, the accused who are out on bail, said that they were merely onlookers who were pushed by a crowd on the New Year’s Eve, and the photographers clicked the wrong persons.
The men, in a belligerent outburst, accused the media of jumping too fast to their own conclusions. One of them said that he was not even there at the spot when the incident occurred.
“We were returning from dinner and saw a crowd of 150 surrounding two couples. We became curious and got thrown into the scene. The photographers just clicked our pictures and the police took us for interrogation,†the accused said. [Zee]
But wait! There’s MORE. These men don’t know when to shut up, but that flaw gave me my title for this post, so a microscopic thank you to these perverts for that:
The men didn’t stop at that clarification. They said that while the newspapers splashed ‘molestation’ pictures, they did not write a word about how the girls in question were drunk.
“The couples were in an inebriated state. They were smooching on the road. What were they expecting?â€, they said. [Zee]
If this outrageous molestation of a new bride and her cousin wasn’t revolting enough, unfortunately several other instances of assault are in the news, some of them involving tourists, which has helped muddy India’s name on an international-scale.
Over New Year’s Eve, cases of molestation of tourists were reported both in Mumbai and Kochi.
A British journalist has alleged she was raped by the owner of the guesthouse in Udaipur where she was staying last week.
In another incident in Rajasthan, a 28-year-old American tourist was allegedly molested by a priest in front of a temple in the Hindu pilgrim town of Pushkar. The priest was subsequently arrested. [MalaysianSun]
2007 wasn’t so great for female travelers, either:
In March last year, the son of an important police official, was found guilty of raping a German researcher in Rajasthan.
Also last year, a Japanese tourist complained that she was drugged and raped by a group of men in Pushkar.
The latest report from the National Crime Records Bureau shows there has been a phenomenal eight-fold increase in rapes in India since 1971. [MalaysianSun]
About that appalling increase in rapes– Chachaji posted a link on the news tab which discusses exactly that chilling upward trend:
The latest crime statistics, pertaining to 2006, released by the Home Ministry’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that every hour 18 women become victims of crime. The number of rapes a day has increased nearly 700 per cent since 1971 — when such cases were first recorded by NCRB. It has grown from seven cases a day to 53.
The figure grew 5.5 per cent over the number of cases registered in 2005.
In comparison, all other crimes have grown by 300 per cent since 1953 when the NCRB started keeping records.
And these are just the cases that have been reported; the number of unreported cases is far higher. [HT]
Now that last bit has been on my mind while wading through all of these links that so many of you mutineers were kind enough to send in– is there an increase in the number of rapes or an increase in the number of rapes which are being reported?
According to NCRB figures, among 35 cities with a population of more than a million, Delhi topped the list of crimes against women with 4,134 cases (nearly one-fifth of the total crimes against women). One-third of the rapes and a fifth of the molestations took place in the city. Hyderabad was second most dangerous for women with 1,755 cases.
Among the states, Andhra Pradesh had the highest number of crimes committed against women — 21,484 cases or 13 per cent of the total cases in 2006. Uttar Pradesh was a close second, with 9.9 per cent of such crimes. Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of rape cases, at 2,900, and also molestation cases. [HT]
Frustration is palpable, and not surprising. Tourism is important to Incredible India. Beyond that, regular ol’ Indians and NRIs are rightfully angered by such ugly acts. Yes, India has a conflicted view of women; for all the negativity associated with issues like infanticide, dowry deaths and other well-known social ills, there is also a strain of that so-called “traditionalism” (which the accused disgustingly attempted to use as justification for their reprehensible actions) which is protective of women. India is that complicated and that simple.
In DC, desi cab drivers in their idling Crown Victorias duck slightly to peer at stranger-me, their faces filled with worry, until I unlock the inner doors to my apartment lobby, enter and wave gratefully– they hear these news stories and feel anguish as they replace the victims at Juhu with their own kin. They worry out loud that India is changing and for the worse. Why do they wait to make sure I’m safely inside those glass doors? Because during my ride home from work or Trader Joe’s, they’re telling me about how they have a daughter my age or a niece who also took her Master’s at GW. There are more of these men than those who emulate the after-goodies mob at Juhu, but they will be obscured by all this scandal.
It must be so frustrating; at a time when so many exciting, promising things are happening in India, what is a foreign country going to cover– the Nano or the brutal rape of one of their female citizens? Even if they publish stories on both, which will retain the most mindshare, especially among those who are predisposed to believe the worst?
What the perpetrators of these sexual assaults fail to understand is that in commiting these lust-fueled, power-hungry attacks, they don’t just bruise or traumatize innocent women; they thoughtlessly and recklessly give their country a black eye, as well. If nothing else convinces these assholes to keep their hands to themselves, perhaps it might be effective to convey to them that a Cricket-related slight isn’t the only reason to obsess over India’s reputation; if they care so much about their country’s honor because of an unfair decision in Australia, they should spare a thought for India’s honor off the pitch, too.
Yes, but the missing link is that while some people may be more “sexually easy” and “less concerned about sexual morality“, there’s that word again, they are sexually easy and available towards whom? People they choose to be open to in that regard. That choice, that mutual attraction, that mutual consent factor is what these people do not take into consideration when they think along these lines. Do they actually think that sexual freedom means rape? Where have they gotten this idea from?
Introduction Some small talk Mutual banter and flirting A come on A positive response Then move from there
That is the process and someone has to teach these goons that THAT is sexual freedom, NOT RAPE!
off topic (pls delete) http://www.pagesix.com/story/wedding+dress+fridays
sadly, yes. Porn movies and Western movies where often barely a word is said before the action begins. Many Americans falsely believe that India is a land of elephants/ snake charmers. Many desis falsely believe that western women are always primed for action with anyone.
I’m not a porn watcher, but are you saying that rape is a common scenario in porn? Otherwise if it’s just barely a word spoken before mutually wanted and enjoyed sex is portrayed, I don’t see why they would extract a “the crime of rape is normal and accepted sex” idea from that. Also, what kind of person actually believes porn to be an example of real life anyway?
Women often carry safety pins when travelling by bus – a little pinprick helps in warding off unwanted attention.
Before the thread is derailed by the digressions of PG, the issue here is not about Western vs. Indian, there have been regrettably many cases where Indian women have been at the receiving end of such behavior, and these women were Indian, even if they were NRIs.
It’s not obvious at all that causation runs from “more porn” to “more rape.” See this for quite the opposite conclusion.
the kind that believes women are property.
If no one has ever spoken to you about sex in an open manner (possibly leading you to believe that it is deviant) and you’ve never really been in the West or met people from there, and your first major exposure to either is a porno, then it’s plausible that someone could consider a porn as an example of real life.
Also, for someone with little to no exposure to western women or “western ways”, porn may not be implanting the idea of sex being deviant or women being objects to use in sex in the person’s head – it may just affirm what they’ve already heard about women who are more “liberated”.
I for one do not blame the culprits. As usual I side the culprits. I believe an ecosystem exists in which these beast in human minds thrive and successfully show their faces in India. Families never explain how such behavior is inappropriate, society does not have strict rules regarding treating men with suspicious behavior and women have been treated as sub standard in Hindu philosophy. What do you expect from such a climate of male dominant and all embodying land of Rama. Hell even Sita was sent to second vanvas.
Please! This is one subject which does not warrent a digression.
It is however a subject which unfortunately I have more than alot of experience in. Am I to be shamed and blamed for that and thus keep quiet?
And of course this happens to Indian women, all the time. Did anyone suggest otherwise? What do you think The Blank Noise Project is all about?
If I sound aggressive and peeved, it is because this type of behaviour and the reactions it invites afterwards, such as the ones expressed above and in the news articles themselves, is my big pet peev, due to being at the receiving end way too many distressing times. There are no words to describe how it makes a woman feel. Just when you think you’ve gotten over it and moved on, well, you read something like this and it all comes alive again and all those old feelings start flooding your consciousness. I am boiling. And I will bow out because if I continue to engage, my blood pressure will rise.
Suffice it to say….. well, this blog and the news articles and comments therein that it links to says it all.
I rest my case.
62 · A woman scorned said
Quite fair of you, thanks.
I disagree- it is very clearly spelt out that sex is wrong – touching is wrong. A ‘good’ boy has no girlfriends does not drink and smoke and is focused on his studies.
61 · Devils Advocate said
PG again? I thought she was resting her case.
65 · muralimannered said
Not PG’s writing style. Same “Devils Advocate” who thought the maids were trying to get over by accusing Varsha of fake abuse.
I’m not surprised, unfortunately. The treatment of women in India is disgusting and completely unacceptable. Unfortunately, I don’t have the cojones to stand up to idiots that try to cop a feel. I also agree that there needs to be a very frank & open campaign regarding sexuality and gender in India, Shiv Sena insanity notwithstanding.
What don’t you have experience in, oh shape shifting Pardesi Gori? Widow remarriage, cousin marriage, sati, dowry, arranged marriage, black men, rastafarianism, bukkake, you name it, you’ve done it.
Wasn’t me. I wouldn’t bring my Isht into the equation, being a Hindu. But do concede there may be some correlation between old religious lore and present day issues, in any culture.
Bowing out… but will lurk and read.
A woman scorned said –
I agree with you here. I do not think men will ever understand the rage and frustration that women feel. When Melbourne desi said -pardesi Gori, I lost interest in having any decent discussion here. They will never understand how long it takes to get over such incidents. Never. A woman scorned – I totally understand what you are saying.
68 · Rahul said
Pathu solluda 😉
I agree with you here. I do not think men will ever understand the rage and frustration that women feel.
i disagree–there are many decent and good men who are repelled by these acts, who truly respect women and who would understand the rage that women feel; like the many men who are commenting here–more of these men in indian society must raise their voices and be heard
The funny thing is, when I was in Bombay during the first half of December, there was an incident inside the Marriott that DID get the SS out: several men from a Marathi theater troupe were not allowed into the hotel’s nightclub because they were wearing kolhapuris, and the club said they have a “no open-toed shoes” policy. The next day the actors came back with the Shiv Sainiks, and the someone from the hotel was forced to apologize, with TV cameras rolling.
Men are victims of sexual assault, too. They are far less likely than women to report it– not that many women feel safe enough to do that. Let’s not assume that every member of an entire gender hasn’t experienced what we have or perhaps something similar; what did the new husband feel, while seeing his bride of just 24 hours get assaulted, with no way of defending her? Men take that shit to heart. We need to work together, not polarize.
Disgusting behaviour.
Unfortunately, I did witness such a thing when the crowd that I went out with were the ones who did such a disgusting act. It was appalling to see education guys behave like pigs. That was when I knew that education got nothing to do with sensibilities. Some of those guys were the ones who were otherwise didnt know how to even strike a conversation with their own female classmates. I was 19 then and it still pains me to admit that all I could do was give a disapproving headshake and an apologetic glance at the girls.
I’m with bytewords on this one; I think this is a dramatic conflation — that somehow sexual assault and sex are intrinsically linked. A sexual assault is, at its most basic level, an assault. It is sexual in nature. It is an act of violence that debases and dehumanizes both the “victim” and “perpetrator.” It exists in the context of power inequalities and systems that devalue women (this extends, also, to male victims). It’s really not, in my opinion, an issue of Indian guys “getting laid.” I could be wrong, but I’m sure at least some of the men who assault women in incidents such as this are getting laid as well.
tarta, I think it’s fair to say that men can be sympathetic to the rage and frustration that women feel (indeed, this is part of being a good ally and in my opinion, a quality human being), but I do think that it is difficult if not unlikely for straight men to understand the constant wariness that women face. There are very few physical spaces where women are able to feel 100% safe the way men do. This is just a dynamic/consequence of living in societies that do not prioritize or deal seriously with women’s safety.
Many men will not, as evidenced here;
Trivializing the fact that I was referring to my experiences as a victim of molestation. I wonder why Rahul bothered to leave the “molestation” part out and harp on about all the other things, that have nothing to do with the topic at hand.
I do feel hurt by the above, and I feel he is trivializing the crime being discussed here, which is an insult to women.
In regards to the chicken-or-egg question, violence against women is unfortunately nothing new. The only change now is that there is a semi-dependable outlet (the media) to which victims can go instead of relying on corrupt/lazy/chauvenistic police. The attack and subsequent police reaction are deplorable, regardless where they happened. Blaming porn, western movies, or lack of sex is oversimplifying at best. Violence against women is an issue that is not unique to India, and the ‘desi angle’ shouldn’t blind us to the fact that it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with inside and out of the desh.These sort of mob incidents happen in Western countries too (I’m thinking specifically of the Puerto Rican day parade in New York a few years back, but there are plenty of other instances), places where much more ‘liberal’ views of sex are the norm. The power dynamic shouldn’t be overlooked. Any time a large group goes after a few minorities, it’s more about the invincibility/anonymity of a crowd than the actual act of sex. I wish I could suggest some sort of remedy to a bad situation, but change has to come from within. Until then, thanks, SM for bringing this to light.
Anna, you said –
Men don’t get assaulted every time they board train or bus in India. I am aware that most men are sympathetic and at least try to understand. But my anger is towards some men here who are quick to post messages like “pardesi gori”. What the heck is he thinking? When someone here is sharing her worst experience in life – these men refer to her as “shape shifting Pardesi Gori? “
C’mon guys. Show some respect.
Ok, I will add molestation to the inventory of “experiences” that you catalog the next time you break your silence after “bowing out”. Inserting yourself into imagined scenarios to derail the conversation is the way to treat this crime with the seriousness it deserves. Anybody can google for “pardesi gori” in the Sepia Mutiny archives and make their own assessment of the honesty and intent of your “contributions” to these threads.
I am honored to be considered equivalent to many men.
Enakku paarka vendam! 🙂
Sigh. PG, don’t you get it yet? The fact that you make EVERY thread you comment on about YOU is precisely why people get annoyed by you, and I end up having to ban your various incarnations. That is why no matter how many times you change your name, a single comment reveals your identity.
Ok. what is going on ? Looks like I am getting scammed by someone here?
Probably should have checked PG out before getting all angry and emotional 🙂
Of course, it gets it. It fakes everything else, why not hurt?
This makes me so sick…reminds me too of times I’ve traveled in India and the difficulties I’ve encountered.
Stuff like this does happen in the U.S. – remember the Puerto Rican Day parade in New York city?
But I remember when I was having problems traveling in india and also had been sexually assaulted in india(it’s just not wise to travel by yourself as an indian women), I was comparing in my mind, my experiences in the U.S. – and I know that I trust the institutions in the U.S. more to take care of my rights; so if I was harassed or sexually assaulted in the U.S. I feel that it’s easier to get help and condemning the women is a less viable way to get the assaulting men off. In India, patriarchy is so strong and is the dominant tone to a very a complex culture, it’s the dominant tone in institutions like the police, I feel that I am much more vulnerable in India to getting help before the sexual assualt and after the sexual assault.
The slideshow – there’s one picture of one of the assault victims, her dress is pulled up, the men’s face jeering…that just makes me feel so sick and so sad.
I wouldn’t say that India is the worst country for women…I just think that india’s reputation has as “india shining”, has some basis – …for a developing nation like India to have top universities like IITs, scientists, doctors conducting amazing operations like the one on the child with too many limbs in bangalor, reading from “india after gandhi” and reading about the creation of India’s constitution…this is not saudia arabia. Indian women were a large part of the creation of India….so it’s all those juxtaposing images that makes me (at least) more infuriated that this could happen in india.
Fuerza Dulce,
First, I feel like I should say “sorry” on behalf of all the decent punjabi dudes who do go to Basement Bhangra and don’t act inappropriately with women. I’ve seen the behavior you’ve mentioned and I think it’s a very small percentage of those who attend the Basement Bhangra parties but I definitely see how it could get very uncomfortable. When my female friends or relatives go, I usually head out with them or send another male chaperone of some sort, just so no one acts untoward to them. When I can, I’ve told guys to back off. And I’ve seen other guys do similarly. My experience, unfortunately, is that the lack of appropriate behavior towards women happens at a lot of nightspots, desi or otherwise. I really hope you won’t give up on going to one of your favorite spots because of a handful of jerks. Just take reasonable precautions, (I hope I’m not sounding like an older bro), watch the drink to make sure it’s yours and not something that’s been adulterated, go with other ladies, and learn some self-defense. (I’m sure you already know this but it bears repeating and I say the same to my female relatives and friends.) I’m sorry that we live in a world where a woman should have to consider these precautions. There’s an organization that’s called Girl Fight Back, that does some good work in preparing women for some of these situations. They also provide certain products that might prove helpful. Another good organization is RAINN.
Now Generally with respect to this thread and the Juhu Attack.
Sex is not why rapists commit crimes. It has nothing to do with what a woman wears or what she says or how she acts, it has everything to do with the idea of power and entitlement. Rape is a crime about power. It is prevalent in mob violence because the group feels that it can do what it wants with impunity. There’s the feeling of collective euphoria that one can’t be touched and one rules the night. The idea that Indian man’s perceived lack of sex leading to rape is off the mark. Rather, it deals with certain men’s (desi or otherwise) desire to impose their own physical will or make up for whatever inferiority they feel in themselves by hurting someone weaker than them. To say it’s about sex, devalues the violence of the act. This is not about making love or satisfying a sexual need, it’s about physical violence. Plain and simple. As ugly as that is, that’s what its about. Men and women should recognize it for what it is so that they understand that this is acute brutality designed to take a feeling of power from someone else and imbue it to the rapist.
Usually, I’m the last to judge anyone based on a news story since I don’t think the papers do a very good job of collecting facts. In this instance, I find the typical scenario played out in any rape, sexual assault matter. Blame the victim and/or hide from the truth. The 2 photographers who caught the suspects on film and the identification by the women’s relatives is more than enough to get a conviction in the States and it should be the same in India. There’s no excuse for the authorities to do anything differently. India wants to shine, put em away and let the world know that the Indian legal system will protect a woman. That will go a long way in detering certain individuals from doing these acts.
chetna – I think you are wiser now 🙂
Sigh. Abhi, I don’t get it. I posted my experience which is directly related to this incidence. Anything wrong with that?
Rahul and one or two others felt to egg me on by disrespecting me. Then when I defend myself (speak up), I’m the guilty one.
It kind of mirrors the experience these NRI ladies had in Mumbai on New Year’s Eve, come to think of it.
A woman described an instance in which she was a victim of a crime and a reply came;
When the woman expresses hurt, she get’s this retort;
Notice the woman is no longer human, but an “it”.
By reducing her (a woman) to it (an object), it is then possible to say or do anything to “it” without any guilt, remoarse or normal human emotions that would be normally be employed towards humans.
And I could bow out of commenting if only people would stop ridiculing me and my experiences with crime even after I said I was bowing out. But sorry, no, I can’t bow out when such obvious misogyny (from Rahul) is directed towards me or any woman.
How this is permitted in such a serious discussion, now that is something I don’t get.
I think Rahul is the one who deserves the chastisement, not me.
And now I’m being told it didn’t happen!
Unbelievable. This is why such scenarios are so frequent in India. Rahuls are living there.
ANNA, as a woman and as a blogger here, as well as someone who has had similar experiences, how do you feel about this?
Rahul, it’s NOT ok to tell a woman she did not experience what she experienced. Just who do you think you are?
Just stop please.
As a woman, I find this incident undeniably heinous. But again, you are all falling prey to biased media coverage. As awful as these incidents are, they still do not indicate to me that India has some sort of exclusivity over degradation of women that we are somehow above here in the U.S. To everyone who says these sort of things would only happen in India, I have two words for you: Central park.
PG, I would say you were hilarious in your feigned indignation and excessive melodrama if you hadn’t sunk as low as to exploit A N N A’s past honesty on this blog for your travesties.
PG,
Credibility is earned over time. You switch handles frequently, on an anonymous forum where handles are usually the only fixed reference that other commenters have to your online persona (thankfully it’s not the only one, as your writing style and it’s repeated identification proves), so despite your protests that’s what some commenters will do after a while.
Rahul is not only God’s gift to women, he is also a card-carrying member of the Estrogen Supremacy Front (he might disavow membership, but that’s only because he’s covertly applying chemical castration to every molester in the known world).
Nobody, regarding Rahul, will agree with you (unless they’re unfamiliar with your commenting history.)
A woman scorned/pardesi gori/mistress of spices/carib queen/tara watabe/PG/etc.
Notice all those handles you’ve used? They indicate deception. That is why you are refered to as IT instead of she. Because many people here feel they can’t trust you, because you reinvent yourself with a new handle and identity, repeatedly after having been banned, even your professed gender becomes questionable, as does everything else you’ve ever claimed on this site. You are not a credible commenter.
THAT’S why you are mocked, ridiculed, disdained and disbelieved. Not because of your “gender”. Many of the male bloggers here have a vested interest in so-called women’s issues, which are really everyones issues.
muralimannered, I have two words for you: Call me 😉
SM intern, to the rescue please, just ban Rahul for once.
Blunt, I think what Radhika, PS, Prasad, Chetna, and Melborne Desi, as well as myself, are getting at is that although this is by no means exclusively an Indian problem, the extent to which it happens there and the context in which it happens are two things that need to be seriously examined by the country and overall culture as a whole. Otherwise why would Indian travelogues, magazines, Lonely Planet type books, all give explicit warnings to women travelling to India? Too many women, both residents and tourists of India, have reported this to be a problem. It was all over the newspapers when I was there, so many articles written by women on how to tackle this issue. “eve teasing” is a common household word now. I remember when I first moved to India, I was experiencing it all the time yet no one was talking about it. It seems within the last 5 years women are not speaking out about it, and awareness of this very serious issue is being spread very fast across the country. Good!
No one is saying this only happens in India. We are saying it is a big issue there, across the entire country. Something has to change and it won’t until the extent of how big this problem is, is finally acknowledged and retorts of, “oh it happens everywhere” are no longer and comments like, “this is a HUGE issue for India, how do we tackle this?” are heard instead.
93 · Rahul said
You know i gots bredren’s back when needs be.
94. A woman scorned said
Oh, someone got banned, all right. Nothing here to see, folks. Keep movin’.
Trust the Thackerays to take advantage of a situation like this to win points in an internecine feud.
As much as PG destroys her own credibility in other threads (e.g. suggesting that Indian men should be banned from public places like beaches), there’s little I can say to defend the state of affairs in India. The hard truth is that if any female asks me about travelling solo in India my response would be “For the love of Krishna don’t go without a male escort”. It would be hard to argue that this kind of assault and official response happens in equal measure here in the US or Europe.
I don’t believe this is biased media coverage. Getting tweaked on a bus/train is pretty much a daily occurrence for young Indian women. The only thing remarkable about this is the size of the group and relatively posh locale. Central Park/P.R. Independence Day is an outlier, this incident and the cop’s response speaks to a larger truth about Indian society and civil institutions. I’m beginning to sound a bit like Prema, so let me also add that culture is dynamic and the virtues that some people claim as exclusively Western are rather recent developments. We can improve but there needs to be a strong set of social/legal penalties to discourage this kind of behavior
:Indian men should get laid more…. and Indians should talk about sex more openly. That will take away some of the “cheap thrills” these idiots get.
when our politicians talk about our superior culture and cultural values ,I see red.Do any of them ever say anything about how unsafe our roads and public places for women?how come our boys are not taught how to behave in mixed crowds?is this our part of culture to grab women at public places?
Our politicians and ministers are so opposed to sex education for children.They may have some justifiable reasons like not having proper text books ,shortage of proper teachres and so on.But when they say it’s against our culture ,what does one say?Only minister of state for women and child development Renuka Chowdary has made brave noises about the necessity of sex education and the hypocrisy of acting as though sex doesnt exist. Those who want to preserve our cultural values are given to saying many strange things.
i am not questioning your larger point(which i agree with); but try “tweaking” women in a mumbai local…and talk to me when you get out alive…