To the Delhi Metro and the women it empowers
Unfortunately, and at times, fortunately,I happen to be spending a lot of time in Delhi. The city people have none of the honesty of the small town people(yes,offence), but it is a nice city otherwise.
And we don't need to go to Lucknow everytime someone feels like having brown bread.
My experiences with this city have been distinctly unforgettable, but I am not going to recall them as of now.This is about a small everyday experience in the Delhi Metro, that somehow, gave me a glimpse of the smaller minds of a bigger city.
So, when the Delhi Metro decision makers planned on a special compartment in each train for us women,their motives were (hopefully)noble. They wanted to cut down on the eve-teasing, groping and the barrage of objectifying looks that get shot at the women. And of course,since men are uncontrollable,what better way to save women than by segregating them, right?
Anyway, in all their saviour swag ,they introduced the pink -arrowed, first in the line, ladies' compartments.
Men were jealous, women were relieved, and the couples," oh! the couples", were bereft of their better halves.The mean men of the Metro corporation might have tried their tactics of separation, but the heart wants what it wants.
Plus, we are Indians. You ask us to pay for electricity, and we will steal it from our neighbours.We do not give up that easy.
So, the crazy in love couple. The heartbreaking sight of a girl, sitting on the last seat of the compartment, while her lover stands at the very beginning of the next one . He nonchalantly tries balancing himself, against the inertia that his body faces, everytime the brakes are used.And he covers up his lack of balance with a naughty smile The sexual tension is intense. Every woman in the compartment has the all consuming look of envy on her face as she stares at the giggling,hair-strand twirling girl and the "trying to stare down her top" boyfriend.A very typical trait in women is that they mask all their envy as judgement. So a lot of times,when you think you notice judgement on the women's faces, it's actually,just envy.
But that's not it. The evil Metro people won't stop at separating the Yash Chopra- fathered minds. The ladies' compartment has set loose, the "evil eye of the Aunties". If you have ever had access to late night television, you will recognise these aunties as evil twins of the brilliant actresses that feature in advertisements for Evil Eye Protection(a.k.a. NSK).
Just the other day, a group of young college freshers entered our compartment. I am sure they were freshers because they were more excited about college, than a woman on cocaine is, about being excited. Suddenly these two women, absolute strangers, sniffed the judgement, envy and archaic thoughts in the minds of each other. It was an instant connection between the two aunties. And then began the conversation that made it tough for me to control the urge to throw a brick each at the Aunty Ji-s. After the ritualistic looks of judgement (and red coloured laser Buri Nazar/Evil Eye), they promptly start discussing the new generation. They comment on the clothes, the conversation and the excitement of the girls. And once they are done with all that they could visibly comment on, they move on to the families and upbringing. They then smiled at each other,convinced with their opinion that their kids never talked or smiled in public, thanks to their immaculate upbringing. While I cringed at the thought of those poor kids' lives, I additionally felt bad for the envy that I knew was being masked by the smugness of the Dynamic Duo.
It isn't a new phenomenon for the generation gap to come in the form of such judgemental (read,envious) feelings. But I used to think that women in smaller cities were more indulgent of the activity, owing to the lack of entertainment options. Unfortunately, our gym-going, kitty party bound Delhi aunties are no less.At the end of the day, the aunties went home with bags of shopping and a feeling of self fulfilment at having been redundantly judgemental. And the overpepped college girls really couldn't care less.
The bereft couple at the end of the compartment was replaced by a new one. The new couple was apparently in the middle of a staring competition. The girl won when the boy tried to sneak a look down her top. And she was duly promised a chocolate for this victory, and a burger at Mc Donald's. Meanwhile, aunties across the metro continued to envy the girl and her future bound chocolate.
Unfortunately, and at times, fortunately,I happen to be spending a lot of time in Delhi. The city people have none of the honesty of the small town people(yes,offence), but it is a nice city otherwise.
And we don't need to go to Lucknow everytime someone feels like having brown bread.
My experiences with this city have been distinctly unforgettable, but I am not going to recall them as of now.This is about a small everyday experience in the Delhi Metro, that somehow, gave me a glimpse of the smaller minds of a bigger city.
So, when the Delhi Metro decision makers planned on a special compartment in each train for us women,their motives were (hopefully)noble. They wanted to cut down on the eve-teasing, groping and the barrage of objectifying looks that get shot at the women. And of course,since men are uncontrollable,what better way to save women than by segregating them, right?
Anyway, in all their saviour swag ,they introduced the pink -arrowed, first in the line, ladies' compartments.
Men were jealous, women were relieved, and the couples," oh! the couples", were bereft of their better halves.The mean men of the Metro corporation might have tried their tactics of separation, but the heart wants what it wants.
Plus, we are Indians. You ask us to pay for electricity, and we will steal it from our neighbours.We do not give up that easy.
So, the crazy in love couple. The heartbreaking sight of a girl, sitting on the last seat of the compartment, while her lover stands at the very beginning of the next one . He nonchalantly tries balancing himself, against the inertia that his body faces, everytime the brakes are used.And he covers up his lack of balance with a naughty smile The sexual tension is intense. Every woman in the compartment has the all consuming look of envy on her face as she stares at the giggling,hair-strand twirling girl and the "trying to stare down her top" boyfriend.A very typical trait in women is that they mask all their envy as judgement. So a lot of times,when you think you notice judgement on the women's faces, it's actually,just envy.
But that's not it. The evil Metro people won't stop at separating the Yash Chopra- fathered minds. The ladies' compartment has set loose, the "evil eye of the Aunties". If you have ever had access to late night television, you will recognise these aunties as evil twins of the brilliant actresses that feature in advertisements for Evil Eye Protection(a.k.a. NSK).
Just the other day, a group of young college freshers entered our compartment. I am sure they were freshers because they were more excited about college, than a woman on cocaine is, about being excited. Suddenly these two women, absolute strangers, sniffed the judgement, envy and archaic thoughts in the minds of each other. It was an instant connection between the two aunties. And then began the conversation that made it tough for me to control the urge to throw a brick each at the Aunty Ji-s. After the ritualistic looks of judgement (and red coloured laser Buri Nazar/Evil Eye), they promptly start discussing the new generation. They comment on the clothes, the conversation and the excitement of the girls. And once they are done with all that they could visibly comment on, they move on to the families and upbringing. They then smiled at each other,convinced with their opinion that their kids never talked or smiled in public, thanks to their immaculate upbringing. While I cringed at the thought of those poor kids' lives, I additionally felt bad for the envy that I knew was being masked by the smugness of the Dynamic Duo.
It isn't a new phenomenon for the generation gap to come in the form of such judgemental (read,envious) feelings. But I used to think that women in smaller cities were more indulgent of the activity, owing to the lack of entertainment options. Unfortunately, our gym-going, kitty party bound Delhi aunties are no less.At the end of the day, the aunties went home with bags of shopping and a feeling of self fulfilment at having been redundantly judgemental. And the overpepped college girls really couldn't care less.
The bereft couple at the end of the compartment was replaced by a new one. The new couple was apparently in the middle of a staring competition. The girl won when the boy tried to sneak a look down her top. And she was duly promised a chocolate for this victory, and a burger at Mc Donald's. Meanwhile, aunties across the metro continued to envy the girl and her future bound chocolate.
