Enough is Enough

The Bangalore groping incident has been doing the rounds for quite a few days. The incident was disgusting and utterly barbaric beyond words. The chilling fb posts of the victims and the scary cctv footages have shocked the entire nation.

Being a chennaite, Bangalore is practically a second home to many of us here. Many of my family and friends living in there have always raved about how cool the city is. The clean roads, the cool climate, the stylish people, the modern culture, the IT hubs, etc etc… the list is endless. Almost anyone who has been there can’t stop gushing about it. Even I was so much excited to start working there later this year.

After seeing the new-year celebrations this year I am reconsidering my decision. The hooligans who molested those women were drunk it seems. But what about the bystanders who were witnessing the event? Probably they were too drunk to move I guess. But would they still be silent if it had been their sister, girlfriend or wife? I can surely say they would have been silent. Worse still they would have fled the scene.

Enough has been said about punishing the barbaric assholes. Enough has been advised to educate the sons. Enough has been debated about women’s clothes and the length of her dress.

Enough is enough.

To all the women out there, this is the hard truth of our society. This is the face under which many are hiding. And after few drinks the mask falls off. The beast within wakes up and this is what happens. There is nothing we can do to change the society. There is no use to it.

All we can do is be safe. Be alert. Be on our guard all the time. This is the need of the hour.

If you want to go out at 12pm then you can . If you want to party at night then you must. If you have to visit the hospital at night then you have to. If you want to wear mini skirt then you should. But for all this you must have some basic criteria.

1. You must not be expecting someone to drop you somewhere. You must be able to take care of yourself.

2. You must be capable of fighting with at least two men. Learn basic defense techniques to help you make an escape if you are attacked.

3. You must always carry a pepper spray or a volini spray or a pocket knife.

4. You must be brave when the situation demands you to be.

5. You must not always trust your guy friends or your boyfriend or your brother to pick you up.

6. You must be vigilant while travelling in a cab.

It is easy to keep saying what men should do. But the point is there are going to be more instances like this happening. We women have to help ourselves. The police will not be present in a lonely street, in a deserted bus stand, or in a dark alley.

So instead of sharing various views of celebrities and ministers , please share techniques to handle these kind of people.