Daily Musings

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Suffering in silence

I am one of the many women who have to rely on local trains for daily commute and like these thousands others have to face horrific conditions. To begin with the pathetic conditions of stations & platforms, the beggars and eunuchs in trains and just 4 compartments for women so that they are packed in like sardines. But all this is still better than what we have to face once we get out on stations.
I for one get down at the extremely crowded Dadar station. The staircases are so narrow there that there is almost a stampede everyday. But the worst part is disgusting and frustrated men taking advantage of the situation. Almost everyday me and hundreds of women have to face groping and touching in the guise of crowded station. I am one of the rare women to raise my voice and make a scene. But I am just looked at as a hysterical woman and dismissed. What’s more women themselves don’t support me and look away as if they don’t want to be a part of the whole thing. But believe me that does not deter me I have and will continue to make noise and fight for this extreme violation of my rights. This is not all, today there are police stationed in almost all stations but any plea of help to them falls on deaf ears.
The other day some men had gotten into ladies compartment all women silently let it happened. Only me and another women raised our voices and made sure these people got down but again the rest simply looked away.
I think we as women have become used to suffering in silence. We have become increasingly indifferent to sufferings of others and increasingly tolerant to crime against ourselves. We cant care less. So what if such heinous crime does not get reported, so what if I have to suffer day after day from such violations, so what if these frustrated sick men if not stopped today graduate to doing something more dangerous. I don’t care. That’s what our attitudes have become.
So many times I have fought for other women. I have seen such things happening in front of my eyes and tried to stop it but when the victim herself looks away and goes silently how much can I do?
What has happened to our conscience, our self-respect, and our esteem? Why are we killing it with our own hands? What stops us from fighting against injustice and crime?
Wake up women please. Scream, shout for that matter hit the next creep who has the audacity to touch you. Make an example out of every small incident; put fear in their mind so that they never do such a crime again. For tomorrow it will be your daughters who will be walking around in fear.