Just Another day !!!

She picked her purse & pushed it back to her shoulders. She checked herself in the mirror for one last time, wearing her watch. Her chiseled face, her eyes with hint of Kajal, those beautiful curls spreading till her shoulders, it was all perfect. The white striped shirt & the grey trouser fitted seamlessly on her sleek figure. There she is, the face of Young independent Indian women all set to conquer the world. And she rushed across the doors of her house.

“Bye Ridhi” she said to her roomie Ridhima.

“Your phone…” she reminded her from inside the room.

“OOPS!” & she hurried back to her room, picked her cell & dashed away.

On her way to the bus stop she cherished her relation with Ridhi. ‘Such a sweet & caring girl’, she thought. She recalled Ridhi told her once “You know what, a study reveals 70 percent of female’s name end with either ‘A’ or ‘I’”. “Really?”, Payal asked marveling. “But yours don’t” Ridhi replied & they laughed playfully.

After waiting for good ten minutes, the bus arrived and the crowd busted to get in. Somehow she managed to get inside & her eyes started scanning for a place to sit. It was impossible to get a seat in city bus especially during those peak hours. It’s not that she is feeble or weary to stand but she just want to avoid those dreadful moments. She moved towards the front of the bus only to find those shameless creatures sitting on seats reserved for women or disabled.

“These seats are reserved for women. Just get up & vacate the seat.” She felt like yelling but choose to stay calm.

The next stop was about to arrive. With a little jerk the guy behind her leaned almost over her. She balanced herself & the bus moved on. Few minutes later the guy propped over her again though there was no jerk this time. She turned back & the guy gave her a chuckling look. “Disgusting” she said & moved ahead of few peoples. She wanted to give a slap on his face but she took control of herself.

She reached office & settled down in her seat. The bank began to fill with people from all walks of life. And in no time her hectic schedule took over her. She was occupied with her work when one of her colleague, Shobhit interrupted her “Payal, I want documents of XYZ Enterprises”

“Ok… I’ll get you in a moment”. She pulled the files of XYZ Enterprises from the stack & went to Shobhit’s cabin. “Shobhit, here is the file”, she said.

“Thanks, put it there on the table” he signaled. She kept the file on the table & turned to return to her desk.

“You are looking really hot today”, Shobhit’s voice stunned her completely. She was taken aback with his comments. It’s not that she is conservative. She does like hearing appreciation of her beauty, everyone does. She likes to hear words like ‘Hot’, ‘Sexy’, ‘Beautiful’, ‘Gorgeous’ etc but from her friends.  And why would Shobhit, someone 15 years older, say something like this. She wouldn’t give a damn, had any of her friend called her that. She would take it as a compliment & thank him like a sport. But Shobhit is not a friend; he is a colleague too old. She shrugged & left the room.

“Your last 2 years Income Tax statements, Sir” she said while verifying documents of one of the loan applicant. She realized no response from the customer. So she took her eyes from file & guess what. The customer was lost in some other world. He was incessantly staring at her “ ”…. You know where! Her eyebrows broadened at this sight, her face turned pale. “Excuse me!” She rose from her seat & rushed to the restroom. Perhaps to ensure her wardrobe. Perhaps to shed some tears. Or probably to wash her anguish with some cold water.

This happens to her every day, every hour, every minute. Those interminable stares would follow her wherever she goes. People would do all to get a chance to touch her incongruously even at public places. Those outlandish comments would come from anyone she didn’t even know. People would observe her from tip to toe & then pass their expert opinions “She is OK but not that good”, “Ahh she is too fat”, “She looks cute but she is cockeyed”. These people will keep on passing comments as they are on an Audit trial. They would keep stalking & staring and then mention those NC’s observed. (Non-conformities, as they call). Damn!

For instance, that bunch of loafers would leave no stone unturned whenever she has to pass through that way to the grocery store. They would pass such outrageous comments which are completely excruciating. “1-2… 1-2” one would say pointing to what Kareena refers to as ‘Tooh’. “Left – Right…Left -Right” the other would say & then they would lough.  

Some would say that it’s the fault of the other sex. They would say that Girls provoke men & they themselves invite stares, comments or rape at times. The justification they would give will go like “Girls should stop wearing jeans”, “A ban should be imposed on short dresses”, “She is a bitch, you know, she smokes”, “She came home drank last night”.

So what if she smoke? How does it matter if she drinks? She has got all the rights to live life the way she wants, doesn’t she? Why isn’t she allowed to wear jeans? What’s wrong with that? Is she provoking when she wears a short dress? Ohh Really? Then how different is it when all the guys go roaming round the city in their boxers. Why are guys allowed to show those hairy legs? They are not even waxed. Why do guys exhibit their chest hairs with their second button of the shirt open? She is not going to stop wearing jeans, why would she?  

That was just another day in life of Payal & she is just another women. All women go through harassment, sexual or asexual almost daily. It’s high time to call for change. Not just in our country, in our society but our mentality. Our thoughts. WAKE UP NOW!!!