I sent the narration of this incident to Blank Noise yesterday. This incident happened more than three years back while I was traveling in a public transport city bus in Navi Mumbai. And, I'm posting the same here now:
I took a bus from my residence in Sector 29 of Vashi. I was standing and a guy was standing beside me and there were two girls standing on the opposite side of the aisle. The guy was around 25-26 years at that time I guess. And I was 22. Then, after a few stops, that guy slowly went on the other side, right between the two girls even when there was a lot of space on this side. No one except me apparently noticed this.
Slowly, he tried to hold one of the pipes in the bus to 'support himself' where he actually was trying to touch the hand of one of the girls. But, the girl soon became aware of this and she removed her hand from there. After some time, that guy brought his hand down and started trying to 'inadvertently' touch the other girl on and around her thighs. The girl was unaware of this.
But, I told him loudly, 'Why do you stand there in the narrow space between two girls when there is enough space over this side and I've been seeing you for quite some time that you're trying to touch this girl on her hand and this girl on thigh.' The two girls and a few passengers around heard them and the guy started defending himself. He in fact argued, 'Is ladkiya kuch nahi bol rahi hain to tu kyu bol raha hain. Maine kuch nahi kiya'*. I replied that they even aren't aware of it. I kept on making him feel ashamed. Eventually, he got down at the next bus-stop.
Note 1: You can originally find it here on the Blank Noise Guy blog.
Note 2: *Translation: 'If the girl isn't saying a thing, why are you? I didn't do anything.'
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ReplyDeleteYes, you're probably right. The girls probably lacked quick reaction. They even didn't talk much when I was arguing with that guy.
ReplyDeleteGood job that you could make the guy get out of the bus at the next stop.
ReplyDelete1.What was the girl's reaction after this?
2.What was your reaction to the girl about
i.she being unaware
ii.this incident
The girl rather looked uninterested (or confused, may be). They acted as if this incident had not happened.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction? Well, I didn't interact with them either.
Hats off to you. When I was in college once in a Delhi bus, a young boy was asleep next to me and let his head roll on my shoulder repeatedly, I moved a bit, but there wasn't much place to move. A middle aged sardarjee shook the boy and said, "Zara hosh mein! Sir ko sambhalo!" (Behave yourself, Wake up and watch where your head is going). I still remember the incident but never thanked him or expressed my gratitude. Same way these girls must have been grateful but one is generally not able to react when these things happen.
ReplyDeleteI wish more people start reacting, that is the only way to end this kind of harassment.
And the reason of not reacting is probably fear, in most cases, I guess.
ReplyDeleteDelhi is the worst...I have had a boy follow me right up to my house bcoz I dared to talk up...protest...but I have never stopped protesting when I see injustice...makes me notorious?...so be it.
ReplyDeletewonderful write...am so proud of you...hope for a future with many more of your kind
:-)
ReplyDeleteLack of protest / lack of courage to protest from a girl's side is a unfortunately a good encouragement for these scoundrels.
Good job. We need people who can talk loud to make these people inferior and low minded.
ReplyDeletenice one bro, keep up the good work, these bastards need to be humiliated in public, and beaten up too.
ReplyDeletesach
i respect you for this. :)
ReplyDelete@Priya, Anonymous and Praveena,
ReplyDeleteThank you :-)
Kudos to you !!
ReplyDeleteMe and my sister once beat up a guy in public who touched me repeatedly. I am sorry to say I got the courage to hit him only after his third attempt to touch me. That was about 5 years ago. Now I am a pro at torturing such guys. Many tales of public humiliation and physical thrashing :)