How safe is my city?

The Delhi story
Iwrite this from solely my personal experience. Delhi NCR is indeed a place where one such as I, would have to be extra cautious at every turn, no matter what time of the day. Delhi being a metropolitan city with such an eclectic culture, both liberally educated and also conservatively centred, I would have to say that one has to know when and where to behave and portray oneself accordingly, be it in conversation or dress. However, despite all of these careful manoeuvrings, a woman often is target of all sorts of misogyny, from simple stares, open catcalling, to the more extreme sexual harassment and even molestation. In all the eight years I have lived here, I have been especially cautious about where, when and with whom I go out with: If the situation calls for me travelling alone, I carefully pick the best way, to ensure maximum security.

Using Uber and Ola Cab services is one way to go when one has to travel in safety in the city. Besides this, we have such services as Jugnoo auto services. I personally rely on familiar auto drivers in case I don’t use these services, besides the most convenient Delhi Metro and Delhi Police registered autos from the metro station. Safe transport is one way to go, and being alert is another while travelling. If unsure about the route, whipping out a GPS would be ideal. Area is next.

If one is living in areas that are prone to unsavoury behaviours from inhabitants and passersby, then one has to be truly cautious. For instance, when I lived in the North Campus of Delhi University, the area was safe enough with the abundant presence of police and like-minded students, making it a safe area of sorts, albeit not one utterly free of unsafe occurrences. There I used to exercise and jog on the roads close to the Ridge forest and the Vice Chancellor’s gardens. Now that I live in Gurgaon, the situation has changed drastically: I cannot think of stepping out of my apartment courtyard to go for a run, or going out beyond 9 p.m. on my own – I discourage my women friends and acquaintances from doing the same. Gurgaon is a city that is still in the throes of modernisation, and is still littered intermittently with villages and large empty plots of land.

If one were to go out late at night for a function, or simply clubbing and pubbing on the weekends, one has to ensure that one’s company is reliable and able to keep one safe, that the transport is sorted and the destination is of a credible nature. Under no circumstances should a woman trust a stranger(s): The woman should always stick to her close-knit group.

When it comes to what to wear, it utterly depends on the situation. In addition to this, transport, destination credibility, and the company one keeps is essential. An application called First Immediate Response (FIR) is available for installation in smartphones that allow police to locate, through GPS, distress calls. The women’s helpline – 1091– is also available. Lastly, women should always carry a pepper spray for self-defence. All in all, a woman in Delhi NCR has to be smart and extra responsible for her own safety.

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“My fears…my concerns in the City of Joy”
Iwish to call myself a ‘modern’ woman living on my terms in a metropolitan city, enjoying my life with a job that helps me challenge my own comfort zone regularly. However, even as I claim to be a free bird, unknown fear about my safety and sanctity refuse to leave me. I am a 28-year-old woman working as an Assistant Professor in a college in Kolkata, the City of Joy. Though my working hours are absolutely ‘comfortable’ going by the so-called rules of the society, still worry grips my family if I am late even by half an hour. My parents will definitely make a call to know my whereabouts.

Even as I enjoy complete liberty, my parents won’t let me set my foot out of the house alone after 9 p.m., and will insist on accompanying me. Having said that, I should also mention that I myself make every effort to return home by 9 p.m. Well, it is not that I fear to be alone in my city, but yes, I am definitely concerned about my safety during nighttime. Having spent almost four years in journalism, I have become skeptical of most of the people I spot at night. My fears are mostly about someone following me or worse, trying to engage me by passing an unwanted remark. I wonder whether it would be proper on my part to retort? Will I escape safely if I do so? And if I don’t reply, won’t that affect my self-esteem? And does all this have any link with what I wear? What I wear can surely not give license to anyone to pass a lewd comment, or make any inappropriate approach. I take public transport for commuting regularly, but if on a certain day I find a less crowded bus or a shuttle, the first thought that crosses my mind is whether it will be safe for me to board the vehicle? I would always prefer a crowded bus instead, to be carefree during my ride.
As a precaution, yes, indeed, I try to avoid some dresses which may attract the wrong attention. It is not my dress I will be conscious about, but the strange looks it would attract, that would make me feel uncomfortable. Sometimes I feel low on confidence that I make decisions going by someone else’s mindset. However, I do not have another choice, as a working woman who uses public transport. I try never to let my fears come in my way, and walk confidently and with a bold attitude, which I feel is a guard against men having improper intentions.

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The Hyderabad tale
One question that I have been encountering all my life is, “Freedom is important, but at what cost?” The general response that I’ve had to this question is a sigh, followed by a silent understanding of the context it is being told to me in. Sometimes, the lacunae of our society are so deeply ingrained in the way we function; we silently accept it as our way of life. So, as a 20-year-old female student living away from home, I have to constantly remind myself that freedom of stepping out of my hostel alone, at 9 p.m., has a cost – a cost that could range from judgemental stares on the streets, to eve teasing or something worse. It also causes anxiety in my parents, sitting 2000 km away, hoping that I am safe on the streets of my own country, a country that promises me freedom as a right. So if a right is unconditional and freedom is a right, why should my freedom have a cost?

Hyderabad is considered to be one of the relatively friendly cities of the country, with bustling streets throughout the day. However, the moonlight cloaks these very streets in fear and uncertainty, silencing the robustness that Hyderabad otherwise exudes. Highways, Ring Roads and the periphery of the city, which is the site of most college campuses, are the prime locations where the overall safety, especially that of women, is highly compromised. The threat to safety is mostly nocturnal, and most girls feel unsure about stepping out once the sun has set. It does not matter if a girl is dressed in traditional wear or western wear; they are all equally subjected to uncomfortable instances of catcalling or teasing. Despite this, any girl stepping out alone, at whatever time of the day, tries her best to be dressed in a ‘non-provocative’ way. As is obvious, nobody would want to encounter situations like these, which is why any girl has to think twice before leaving her safe premises.

If the girls do decide to step out, it is only in groups, with equipments like pepper sprays always in their bags, and their transport details being tracked by family or close friends. The problem lies in the fact that safety is area specific even within a city, so it is extremely difficult to draw black or white generalisations. Women’s safety in Hyderabad is somewhat selectively permeable – if certain parts of the city can be safeguarded for women, why not the entire city? Should the safety of the people in the city – especially that of its women, be a relative factor?

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On the road, but unharmed!
Safety of women, a very sensitive issue in our country, but also something that is misunderstood. We are being told that it’s not safe for a woman to travel in India. I agree, there are bad elements in the society, but there are equally helpful people in the country.

Recently, I travelled from Champawat in Uttarakhand, to Delhi on a bike (Activa) last month. We were two girls and the distance was 500 km. As we entered Uttar Pradesh, we were more than nervous because of the horrendous things we had heard of. But nobody bothered us in any of the small towns that we passed. The best instance was when we reached Delhi and we had to look for a place to stay. The online hotels did not have any vacancy, we had to go the traditional way of hotel hunting. At midnight, in Lajpat Nagar, we were hunting for hotels and a few men asked us of our problem, trying to help us. People did stare at us, which was bad, but we did not feel unsafe at any point. We were carrying a Swiss knife for safety, but never did we need to use it. The third day we had to travel back to Champawat and had to halt at a hotel on the highway. Fortunately, we met a Sikh guy owning a guest house. One thing I have come to believe is that you are safe and you won’t be harassed if you are with a person following Guru Nanak ji. The Sikh man was more than concerned for our safe and comfortable stay. We reached our location very safely, though many would think that this was a risky move. We need to have such an environment that women can move freely wherever and whenever.

We did it, we are happy that everything went well. If anyone asks us to do it again, we would love to go across the country on a bike. Even during my stay in Pune for one and half years, I felt safe. We used to go out late nights and return home late. There was an instance when two men followed us, a friend of mine and I. We were scared and instead of stopping we raced the bike faster. They followed us and did overtake us. When they stopped us, they told us that our bike’s stopper was down, we could have fallen if we had encountered a speedbreaker. We were stumped. The men did not really mean harm, but we thought they did. Maybe it is my luck, but up till now, I have not experienced any eve teasing during nights in Pune. Unfortunately, it is in crowded places and festivals that we had guys passing comments, and during events like Ganesh Chaturthi and New Years Eve. But I believe again, we need to create an environment where it’s safe for women to be out. Also, women have to be vigilant and know about their surroundings. We can’t expect others to work for our safety and freedom. We have to do it ourselves.

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