Life in a metro
I was travelling by the Delhi metro recently. It is
a fast, convenient and economical mode of transportation. But there are certain
stoppages where even if one doesn’t want to get down, he has to get down
because so many people have to get down that they push him out. At such stoppages
they shouldn’t announce ‘doors will open on the left, please mind the gap’. The
announcer should say “the doors will open on the left, and even if they don’t,
don’t worry. The people will break them apart. And don’t worry about the gap because there won’t be any.
The Smartcard makes the travel really convenient
because one doesn’t have to stand in the queue to buy the ticket every time he
has to travel by the metro.
For going to work or to college, metro is obviously
the best choice for ladies. It is a good
initiative taken by reserving seats for ladies in the metro. I feel that girls
don’t get the kind of respect that they should, in the metro.
A couple of years back, a movie by the name of ‘life
in a metro’. For the promotion of the movie, they were hosting a contest on the
radio. A person called up on the radio and told the radio jockey that he met a
couple of people in the Delhi Metro. He travels along with them in the Metro
everyday and that they are best friends now. The radio jockey quietly kept
listening for five minutes. After the person was done, the radio jockey told
him that the movie isn’t about the Metro. It is about life in the metropolitan
city.
But the story that I am going to narrate is about an
incident that happened in the Delhi Metro with a girl. She shared it with me
anonymously. I would be narrating this story from a girl’s point of view.
Start of story
DISCLAIMER
All characters in this story are fictitious. Any
resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.
It was another regular day. I was coming back to
Delhi from my office in Noida via the metro. The boss again made a pass at me
today in the office. He asked “Aditi (fictitious name), lets go for coffee?”. I
tried to avoid the conversation and jokingly said “Sir, when office provides
coffee free of cost, why waste money?”. He is married and I don’t know what he
wants now.
When I reached the metro station, a metro was about
to leave. So I rushed into it. In the hurry, I boarded the general compartment
and the ladies compartment was four compartments away. The metro was relatively
empty, probably because it was a Saturday and most of the offices have an off
on Saturday. So I decided to stay put in the general compartment. I was
standing near the door. I plugged in my earphones and started listening to the tracks from a
new movie, which I liked (the tracks, the movie was awful).
After a while I sensed someone getting too close for
my comfort. I turned to look and saw a man leaning towards
me. He was so close that his breath (bad breath) fanned my hair. Since the
coach was empty, I assumed he wanted to get off at the next station. But even
after several stations, the man kept standing at the same spot. Finally I asked
him whether he was going to get off at the next station or not. He said “No”. I
asked him to move back a little but he ignored me. I asked him again and he
said “NO” and asked me why I was in the general compartment.According to him, I
should have been in the ladies compartment(as if the general compartment is
just for harassers like him). That man continued standing at that spot.
Another man in the
same coach, who was watching this exchange told the harasser to move back. This
enraged the pervert who asked the second man to mind his own business. Suddenly
the second guy who has apparently on my side, told this guy that he could do
whatever he wanted with me but he had to speak to him with respect. It was
bizarre! The focus had shifted from me and the men were now having a fight over
whose manhood had been slighted.
I was so shocked by the
turn of events that I had barely registered that the crowd in the train was in
a frenzy. I suddenly realized that everybody seemed to be shouting. Then I
figured that they were all screaming at me for no apparent reason.
A lady came right
up to me and said in fury that it was all my fault and that I had instigated
the fight.
I soon realized that
almost the entire compartment was baying for my blood.
They all kept telling
me to get off. My knees were shaking but I felt a compulsion not to flee.
Suddenly a pregnant woman from the crowd piped up “girls like it when men fight
over them”. If this is the kind of attitude females have towards other females, you can’t expect anything better
from the males.
For the next seven
stations after that, I stood in my position by the door, frozen with shock.
When I got off, I wondered why I hadn’t done it earlier. I guess I was
determined not to get victimized.
What will remain with me forever is the fact
that not a single person had the courage to step up and help me when I was
being hounded. I never felt this alone ever in my life.
The End
Aditi went into a state of shock has been seeing a
psychologist for some time now. I am a narcissist but I am not a chauvinist. I
believe that women should have an equal
say in everything and should never have to go through experiences like this.
We live in a
supposedly modern world-class city where women have equal opportunities, in
reality, this is still a country where hostility towards women is deep seeded.
Later
Sidhant
For blog betterment, those of you who haven't, please fill the 2 min anonymous survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FVDKBY3
Comments
Post a Comment