Eve of the Metro City

It is a feather in your cap when you say you belong to the metro city. You are well updated with all the technology and fashion in the world before any of your relatives. You know what night life means, you have a wide variety of spots to hangout with friends, or a picnic spot to go. You also learn how to value personal benefits more than people, money more than relations, time more than money and life.

But while you are living a luxurious life you forget to notice your fathers,brothers or yourselves who are making it difficult for us  to live. You will find a little nine year old here complaining about their uncles loving them in a way they don't appreciate, little girls going bananas over a sleeveless top because they were taught so by their parents who had their mind set that a girl needs to be taught how to dress and not the sons to behave since their arousals are clearly our fault.

Unlimited access to internet, corresponding sexually explicit art (porn) seem to gift you an electrifying new pair of eyes granting you the privilege to glower from our neck lines to our toe nails.

Cherry on the cake is when you don't have to pierce through and we wear a capri or a short dress. All this makes living in a metro city very peaceful and ecstatic.

It feels even more special when you are a woman living in this metro city. You will be appreciated and caressed in every manner possible. Just as you step out of your house you will be criticized for whatever you wear may it be skirt, jeans or a kurti by a bunch of  jobless housewives gossiping in the corridors. If you just happen to highlight your eyes or lips then everybody apart from you would know which guy in the locality you are trying to seduce.

The conditions get even better when you hit the streets. Congress of baboons would wait to boost your confidence with their sexually admirable witty comments. Getting into a public transport is like breaking the airport security with smuggled diamonds.You have to pull in your bag in the front, maintain space behind, guard your sides and still manage not to miss the climb. Yet if by any chance you happen to not notice a pervert ogling at you with his x-ray eyes, he will have the moment of his life just by extending out his finger to linger your body. 

Be a rebel, bring about a revolution, scream, yell, make the surroundings aware you would say.'How many times' will be the reply. All this has become a usual routine for us. Rather it seems very uncanny and strange if we do not get a few glares on the way. 

It is not difficult living in a place because its a Metro city. It is difficult because we have more time spent outside the house in metro cities than those women living in towns, villages or other cities.

Its not about us wearing short clothes, its about you having different perspectives for different people.

My mother says, you perverts have a different context for us and your women at home. But I don't understand it, most of us don't. We are all women. We may have different faces, colours, religions and clothes. Yet, at the end, our bodies only differ in sizes, we all have the same body features. And I bet your mothers have an even more healthier beefcake than the little girls on the streets that you pinch and grope.

You may never realize what effect your two second act has on that woman. Your parents may claim it as an innocent play but it stays with us forever. Something you must realize about this innocent play of yours  is how well you could be rewarded by Indian Judiciary System. Acts that are punishable:

Sections under IPC	Includes acts of	Punishments
Section 509	verbal insults, sounds and gestures that are sexually-coloured and are intended to harass a woman (eve teasing).	2 years or fine or both
Section 354A	Punishes physical contact, demand or request for sexual favours; or making sexually coloured remarks; or forcibly showing pornography; or any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature	Minimum 2 years + fine
Section 354B	Prohibits using force with an intent to disrobe a women.	Minimum 3 to 7 years + fine
Section 354D	It has been understood to mean: "to follow a woman and contact, or attempt to contact such woman to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest by such woman; or monitor the use by a woman of the internet, email or any other form of electronic communication."	5 years + fine
Section 66A	Sending offensive messages, sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination on the basis of their gender, anything that disintegrates her modesty over internet such as Facebook or Whatsapp.	3 years alongwith fine

For detailed knowledge on the crimes and subsequent punishments, visit https://www.lawctopus.com/academike/offences-women-ipc/

With increased eve-teasing, rapes, molestations, domestic violence and sexual offences against women; Women empowerment movements, women's rights awareness programmes, and women protection in India and across the world have just ended up being the best advertising campaigns ever.

Let's begin un-empowerment; Let's celebrate the International Women's day 2019 theme Balance for better. Let's begin looking at her just another human, let's walk together.