Today I saw the short film That Day after Everyday , by Anurag Kashyap .
No , I couldn't watch anything beyond the first few scenes. I know for fact that what was depicted happens in my life . I have seen people behave just as bad as this and worse . It makes me feel ashamed of being a man .
The end was lifting . The women strike back at the men who make fun of them and harass them . They take the law into their hands and reply in kind to the treatment they are dealt with .
That ,dear Gentlemen is how we must empower our women . Not by locking them up inside our homes after the sun goes down. That was how the cavemen worked , hiding their families after dark to protect them from wild animals . We live in the 21st century AD , not BC .
The kind of ways in which the men of my city protect their women folk is surprising . The colleges do not allow girls to leave the campus after 7 PM , robbing them of plenty of chances to enjoy the city life and have some wonderful moments in their college life . The responsible middle-aged uncles take up their tasks as vigilantes of Women safety by harassing couples in parks , especially after the sun sets . Do you think chasing of couples will protect your women ? You are just setting an example to other men that women can be dominated and brought under their foot. That they ought to be treated like pets . Sitting when commanded so . Chasing away couples will only make women take more foolhardy risks when it comes to going out with men and choosing the wrong guy. They cannot explore options .You cant stop the hormones of the age. Instead provide your daughter with a safe way to choose her man . Tell her that it's okay to go on a date . but ask her to provide you with the full details so that you can know where she is . Give her a reasonable time to come back to home . Do not protect your daughter . Instead teach her responsibility and maturity .
As a guy , I have come up with some ideas concerning women safety that I'd like to share with you all . I believe that some of these simple ideas might help promote the safety of women in the city
1) We need a community watch . I am not sure if we have one in Coimbatore . The basic premise of community watch is as follows :
in every area of the city there are sure to be responsible men . Each such man can take up the duty of patrolling his area in shifts , ala night watchman style. The men can be trained and authorized by the police to use force when necessary . The contact no and details of all those men of a particular area can be given to women from that area , so that they can ask for help or escort when arriving late at night or when they are being harassed by unwanted elements
2) Instead of shutting off our women behind locked doors at nights , we can provide them safe rides back home . Do we stop traveling because it is dangerous and accident prone ? We takes steps to reduce accidents and improve safety on the road. Similarly , we can instead provide women night time buses manned by women
a) designate a hotline similar to 108 or 100 that can provide immediate assistance to women . the assistance can be some sort of transport to and fro to their residence .
b) have buses at night that ply at regular times at night for women. designate some bus stops as meeting point for women at night . Provide that bus stop with 24x7 lighting and a phone with a direct connection to the hotline .Some study in some american city (google it ) showed that women are less likely to be harassed when they the perpetrators feel that they are in the spotlight. use this psychological tool to prevent potential harassment .
c) Hostels , do not lock in women into campuses . We feel sorry for them for missing out some of the best things in the city . Night life is a part of every women's life just as it a part of ours. Provide them with buses or run regular trips to the hostel like buses within IIT-Madras at late night .
3) We have to understand that protecting women from harassment is not a short term fix . It requires patience and reprogramming centuries of a male dominated culture. We need to weed out things in life that despite our most vehement of protests ,affect the way we judge women .Masochistic ads for deodorants ,all those crummy skin cream ads for example . I dont say that we ban those . Just ignore them .Do avoid the talk that we have about women and how "slutty" they are getting . Asserting her independence is not "sluttiness" . Going out with many boys is something you need not concern with .
We need to think of women as people , as beings with emotions and needs .Not some prize to be protected and married of and get done with . They are not tools in a trade of prestige and class. Virginity is not a gift to the bride groom for taking the burden of your shoulders . The woman is not the box that carries it . So stop thinking like a caveman and start thinking like a person of the 21 century ; civilized and cultured.
No , I couldn't watch anything beyond the first few scenes. I know for fact that what was depicted happens in my life . I have seen people behave just as bad as this and worse . It makes me feel ashamed of being a man .
The end was lifting . The women strike back at the men who make fun of them and harass them . They take the law into their hands and reply in kind to the treatment they are dealt with .
That ,dear Gentlemen is how we must empower our women . Not by locking them up inside our homes after the sun goes down. That was how the cavemen worked , hiding their families after dark to protect them from wild animals . We live in the 21st century AD , not BC .
The kind of ways in which the men of my city protect their women folk is surprising . The colleges do not allow girls to leave the campus after 7 PM , robbing them of plenty of chances to enjoy the city life and have some wonderful moments in their college life . The responsible middle-aged uncles take up their tasks as vigilantes of Women safety by harassing couples in parks , especially after the sun sets . Do you think chasing of couples will protect your women ? You are just setting an example to other men that women can be dominated and brought under their foot. That they ought to be treated like pets . Sitting when commanded so . Chasing away couples will only make women take more foolhardy risks when it comes to going out with men and choosing the wrong guy. They cannot explore options .You cant stop the hormones of the age. Instead provide your daughter with a safe way to choose her man . Tell her that it's okay to go on a date . but ask her to provide you with the full details so that you can know where she is . Give her a reasonable time to come back to home . Do not protect your daughter . Instead teach her responsibility and maturity .
As a guy , I have come up with some ideas concerning women safety that I'd like to share with you all . I believe that some of these simple ideas might help promote the safety of women in the city
1) We need a community watch . I am not sure if we have one in Coimbatore . The basic premise of community watch is as follows :
in every area of the city there are sure to be responsible men . Each such man can take up the duty of patrolling his area in shifts , ala night watchman style. The men can be trained and authorized by the police to use force when necessary . The contact no and details of all those men of a particular area can be given to women from that area , so that they can ask for help or escort when arriving late at night or when they are being harassed by unwanted elements
2) Instead of shutting off our women behind locked doors at nights , we can provide them safe rides back home . Do we stop traveling because it is dangerous and accident prone ? We takes steps to reduce accidents and improve safety on the road. Similarly , we can instead provide women night time buses manned by women
a) designate a hotline similar to 108 or 100 that can provide immediate assistance to women . the assistance can be some sort of transport to and fro to their residence .
b) have buses at night that ply at regular times at night for women. designate some bus stops as meeting point for women at night . Provide that bus stop with 24x7 lighting and a phone with a direct connection to the hotline .Some study in some american city (google it ) showed that women are less likely to be harassed when they the perpetrators feel that they are in the spotlight. use this psychological tool to prevent potential harassment .
c) Hostels , do not lock in women into campuses . We feel sorry for them for missing out some of the best things in the city . Night life is a part of every women's life just as it a part of ours. Provide them with buses or run regular trips to the hostel like buses within IIT-Madras at late night .
3) We have to understand that protecting women from harassment is not a short term fix . It requires patience and reprogramming centuries of a male dominated culture. We need to weed out things in life that despite our most vehement of protests ,affect the way we judge women .Masochistic ads for deodorants ,all those crummy skin cream ads for example . I dont say that we ban those . Just ignore them .Do avoid the talk that we have about women and how "slutty" they are getting . Asserting her independence is not "sluttiness" . Going out with many boys is something you need not concern with .
We need to think of women as people , as beings with emotions and needs .Not some prize to be protected and married of and get done with . They are not tools in a trade of prestige and class. Virginity is not a gift to the bride groom for taking the burden of your shoulders . The woman is not the box that carries it . So stop thinking like a caveman and start thinking like a person of the 21 century ; civilized and cultured.
