Me: ask me where I was last Saturday..
Imaginary Friend: where were you last Saturday?
M: on brigade road
IF: …
M: I was just hanging out on the street by the railing, watching people go by.
IF: …and the point is…
M: well… how many women have you seen just standing around on the streets? Not soliciting, not waiting for a ‘somebody’ but just hanging out near the railings, just looking and being.
IF: now why would you want to do that!
M: to see what it felt like to own the streets, to assume power, to subtly change the whole atmosphere from male dominated to just a lot of people hanging out on the street, to make the men who try and take advantage of vulnerable girls on the streets feel that they may just have committed the worst blunder.
IF: and you think you achieved all that by just standing around and staring? That too just one evening…
M: yes to some small degree we did. We didn’t set out to eradicate harassment on the streets in one evening… we did however make some people think a lot about their attitudes, scared one or two men (men who deliberately stared, leched and harassed girls), and liberated ourselves.
IF: hurray for you. So what else did you do?
M: we walked without twisting and swerving on the pavement. We did not jump out of the way just because a man doesn’t want to change his path and doesn’t mind bumping in to a female form. We fought with a guy who had harassed one of our girls. Dealt with sentences like “This is India. Men will stare.” We attracted a lot of attention and opinions, which hopefully will stay in those people’s memories… it will certainly be an evening to remember for me!
IF: So what did you take away from that evening apart from the memories?
M: I learnt that a small group of 10 people can make an impact with just their eyes and presence. I learnt that the best way to deal with people who have something negative to say is to say is to hear them out and present your case as lucidly as possible. Sometimes though, a very aggressive approach is the only way you can make your voice heard. It is all about power play after all!
Imaginary Friend: where were you last Saturday?
M: on brigade road
IF: …
M: I was just hanging out on the street by the railing, watching people go by.
IF: …and the point is…
M: well… how many women have you seen just standing around on the streets? Not soliciting, not waiting for a ‘somebody’ but just hanging out near the railings, just looking and being.
IF: now why would you want to do that!
M: to see what it felt like to own the streets, to assume power, to subtly change the whole atmosphere from male dominated to just a lot of people hanging out on the street, to make the men who try and take advantage of vulnerable girls on the streets feel that they may just have committed the worst blunder.
IF: and you think you achieved all that by just standing around and staring? That too just one evening…
M: yes to some small degree we did. We didn’t set out to eradicate harassment on the streets in one evening… we did however make some people think a lot about their attitudes, scared one or two men (men who deliberately stared, leched and harassed girls), and liberated ourselves.
IF: hurray for you. So what else did you do?
M: we walked without twisting and swerving on the pavement. We did not jump out of the way just because a man doesn’t want to change his path and doesn’t mind bumping in to a female form. We fought with a guy who had harassed one of our girls. Dealt with sentences like “This is India. Men will stare.” We attracted a lot of attention and opinions, which hopefully will stay in those people’s memories… it will certainly be an evening to remember for me!
IF: So what did you take away from that evening apart from the memories?
M: I learnt that a small group of 10 people can make an impact with just their eyes and presence. I learnt that the best way to deal with people who have something negative to say is to say is to hear them out and present your case as lucidly as possible. Sometimes though, a very aggressive approach is the only way you can make your voice heard. It is all about power play after all!
They knew i was happy... they couldn't stand to see the smile on my face. "how dare she smile! doesn't she know how adversely that can affect other's moods? before you know it we'll have many more people smiling and then they'll think its 'fun' to come here", they thought. So they conspired... they didn't even hold meetings and draw up a plan and stuff.. just conspired.. like a common understanding ran through their minds.
i was happy. happy in my own little world... all i wanted was to be left alone so i could float along my river of happiness and smile my tiny smiles. Little did i know... little did i suspect that there was a conspiracy..
First they disrupted my floating.. then they sent me on an errand into a dark forest and made me believe it was a meadow.. aahh when the dark shadow of self-respect confronted me... *shudder* it warned me to go stand in my own grounds and not budge.
i the doormat went meekly to do the monster's bidding. i'm sure i saw a smirk on their faces even as they sympathised with my encounter. Go back they cajoled and face ur monster.. i couldn't very well appear a coward in front of them could i? no.. so i went.
There i stood one foot into the forest and the other firmly planted in my ground. Even as the shudders racked my body and befuddled my mind.. a clear question rang out.. which was the real monster that stole my smile?
i was happy. happy in my own little world... all i wanted was to be left alone so i could float along my river of happiness and smile my tiny smiles. Little did i know... little did i suspect that there was a conspiracy..
First they disrupted my floating.. then they sent me on an errand into a dark forest and made me believe it was a meadow.. aahh when the dark shadow of self-respect confronted me... *shudder* it warned me to go stand in my own grounds and not budge.
i the doormat went meekly to do the monster's bidding. i'm sure i saw a smirk on their faces even as they sympathised with my encounter. Go back they cajoled and face ur monster.. i couldn't very well appear a coward in front of them could i? no.. so i went.
There i stood one foot into the forest and the other firmly planted in my ground. Even as the shudders racked my body and befuddled my mind.. a clear question rang out.. which was the real monster that stole my smile?
Roberta Flack/The Fugees hit immortalized Don McLean by making him the subject of the song, "Killing Me Softly With His Song"
... and Don Mclean immortalized Buddy Holly with the song "American Pie"
... and Buddy Holly immortalized Peggy Sue Garron, in his song "Peggy Sue"
... and Don Mclean immortalized Buddy Holly with the song "American Pie"
... and Buddy Holly immortalized Peggy Sue Garron, in his song "Peggy Sue"
