By Shareen Sharma:
The first thing that crosses your mind when asked to ponder about the “unnoticed things in Delhi’’ are probably the beggars spread over all the streets of Delhi, the garbage and litter in huge stockpiles all over and perhaps the slum areas like the Sanjay Basati located in Chankyapuri. But processing it gradually, you wonder “Was I the only one that noticed these?” The truth is no, almost everyone who crosses these places do notice it but there are still no changes because they are ignored rather than unnoticed. Ignored or perhaps ‘looked away from’ by the majority or maybe they have become so used to it being a part of our life that we do not pay any attention to it anymore.
Coming to the things that I noticed, yesterday, while going home in the metro, I saw this lady seated very comfortably looking back at the crowded compartment behind ours and smiling, I was bewildered. Then I realised her smile reflected the fact that in a metro full of hundreds of people she could get herself a seat. This is probably the attitude of a lot of women travelling in the metro. But the thing is that on one side, women want equal rights and power but yet they enjoy their separate compartment. And not only compartment but also colleges. It is very difficult to get admission in Delhi University for any student but there are so many colleges offering their courses only to girls. Not only there are reservations for girls but also for other different categories. If Delhi is the capital of the diverse nation and everyone has an equal right then why do the people themselves make distinctions between each other every now and then?
The other group of people that I noticed in the metro were two foreigners with camera equipment getting on from Qutab Minar. This got me thinking too. The monotonous nature of our life has made us so busy that we are forgetting to value our deep enriched culture. The foreigners come from all over the world to visit our monuments, to get a sense of our heritage And on the other side the people of India have lost their interest in their own heritage. In most of the monuments in Delhi, either we see kids in uniforms lined up behind each other or we happen to see the couples with their hands in hands like some old movie. Only a few of us would know the stories behind the monuments and the rest won’t bother.
A strange conflicting mentality is what I noticed in Delhi.
samridhi
But reservations for women can only be closed when there will be changed in the mentality of the people . If women having their compartment or respected seats reserved its just because of the molestation they face by these male dominating society.
They face the eve teasing ,They are the one who make balance between home and work if man works for 10 hours she have to do work for 15 hours.
Inspite of giving reservations for ladies ,crimes against women are on hike. If such reservations are closed then there will be more chances of increasing such cases.
I still remember,Once I was travelling from metro and when my station has come I heard the shout of a girl when I went there to collect information of the matter
I get to know a man between 30-35 had trying to touch her again and again and when she lose her patience she slapped her.
Giving reservations to the women is the need for making women feel more secure and help them to feel independent.
Akrit
Samridhi, you are absolutely right. But you are telling us things that are easily noticed in our capital city these days. It is a different case that close to nothing is being done effectively about it. But I am pretty sure that Shareen(the author of this post) has expressed her view on the ‘Unnoticed’ part of Delhi. And like me, you’ve got respect the truth that she has spoken about. I honestly did not know, or rather did not notice that women these days enjoy extra luxuries. However, as you rightly pointed out, those luxuries come with a high opportunity cost. Therefore, women cannot have both privileges AND total safety, that is the truth. And we all have to live with it for the time-being!
Akrit
Samridhi, you are absolutely right. But you are telling us things that are easily noticed in our capital city these days. It is a different case that close to nothing is being done effectively about it. But I am pretty sure that Shareen(the author of this post) has expressed her view on the ‘Unnoticed’ part of Delhi. And like me, you’ve got respect the truth that she has spoken about. I honestly did not know, or rather did not notice that women these days enjoy extra luxuries. However, as you rightly pointed out, those luxuries come with a high opportunity cost. Therefore, women cannot have only privileges AND total safety, that is the truth. and we all have to live with it for the time-being!
Shareen
I totally agree with your point. Women need separate comportment for their own security because of the mentality of the men in our society. That is the very point i was making. The fact is that at one point the nation is asking for equal rights for both the genders but the ‘confused mentality’ in our society makes the distinctions on our own. There will be reservations and separate compartments till the time women are treated differently than men.
But it is also true that all the women travelling in the metro are in the women compartment because of safety issues. Some are also there because it is compatibly less crowded or they can easily acquire a seat in it.
Shareen
it issn’t true
Saumya Sahni
I am studying in a Girls’ College under DU and have always wondered as to why girls are being given privileges. It is basically a clear demarcation when today we talk of equality between both the genders. I really don’t think so, women really need reservations, it is a sign of women again being weak and needing privileges to protect their rights.
Akrit
I am in total agreement with you Saumya. And this once again leads to the ‘confused mentality’ of the Indian society today!