There were clouds in the sky… and a cool breeze blew. It was an absolutely delightful change to the scorching heat. And anyone who knows me, knows I love the rain. I love getting wet in the rain.
With a skip in my step, and a smile still stuck on my face, I set off for college. It was going to rain!!
And rain it did. I think I surprised a few people by almost dancing on the road J… it was going to be an absolutely superb day.
I sent my daily dose of “gumorning, have a lovely day” messages to my friends while on the bus. I have to use the local buses to travel to college everyday.
It’s a constant adventure to me. I love observing people. At times when the bus is crowded, you find these ladies grumbling and pushing and you can’t help but smile…and looking at your smile, they realize that everyone was in the same position as them. On their toes, and making space for more people. And then you watch a smile creep onto their faces. If I’m traveling with a friend, I’m a constant amusement to people around me, ‘cuz I’ll usually be trying to learn Tamil. And then of course there are those times when I have to try and talk to someone who knows only Tamil…Not to forget the poor conductors who are totally whacked out by the end of the day… they over use that damn whistle of theirs. I think it’s a conspiracy to make you deaf… and mind you, I’ve never been accused of being paranoid.
Anyway, as luck might have it. I was running late, on the very day, I HAD to be on time.
Finally my connecting bus came… Over crowded, as luck might have it (again). But, even that didn’t spoil my mood that day. After all, I had just gotten wet in the rain. The smell of rain water on the ground has a way of creeping on to you. It’s as good as getting drunk and wanting to let go. Of making you think of all the good. Of making you want to sing and snuggle. Of pakodas and garam chai.
I was waiting to get to college… My friends and I would ultimately end up bunking the first lecture and sitting in the canteen, enjoying the rain… whatever little there was of it. We’d have sat and talked about our dreams… Of how things weren’t that bad, after all. That there was hope, after all.. About that special someone we could have cuddled up with ;)
I was brought out of my fantasy when I felt your breath on my neck. So close. I had been through this before. And all I could think of was Oh God. Not again, please.
I felt you push into me from behind. I felt you try to get closer. And I felt the nausea build up.
The smell of cheap liquor and sweat surrounded me. Please, NO! I wanted to yell, at you.
I turned to look… and I saw you looking straight ahead, as if nothing was wrong. I wanted to slap you, I wanted to yell. But, nothing came out…
And then you tried to get even closer.
I pushed ahead, as far as I could. I tried to get away from your touch. From your presence. Nothing helped.
When you got off the bus… I felt myself relax a little. And then you turned and looked. I had to make and effort to steady myself. To not let myself be affected by the dirt in your eyes.
By the time I got off the bus, I felt dirty. The rain didn’t help. All I wanted to do was go home and have a bath. I was disgusted. And dirty.
----------------
Eve teasing is an offence. Please discourage it. Ignore the technicalities if you must, it's offensive and disgusting.
I don’t expect anyone to think of me as their sister or mother, but to really look at women as citizens who have every right to be out on the streets, without any explanation. Sometimes we just love to walk, stand around, hang around, without looking ‘avaliable.’
P.S: I wrote this some time last year, but I'm republishing it as a part of the Blank Noise Project s (a cause I support) Women's Day Celebrations. Feel free to comment, and do bisit their blog site. It's a cause worth supporting.
eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...
u shud have slapped him across his face!!
and then kicked him
and punched him
and thrown him off the bus!!
christ almighty.. guys like this give guys in general a bad name..
May b Danushkodi influenced this dude.(kiddin)
Lol
hmm I too have felt the same lot many times when I myself start feeling disgusting and hate y all I have to travel in bus... Anyways the stern look I gave them back as if I'll swallow him raw makes him realize his mistake and becomes steady
chuck that.... I too love rain and it's smell and feeling to have garam pakora's..
u have been blogrolled so that I can be regular visitor here
~preeti
Shit. I'm too disgusted to say anything.
we all go thru it at one point or the other... things are difficult for a woman, aren't they ?
*Sigh...
YOu have been tagged, btw...
check my blog...
is it just me or is it that the grammar seems to chage abruptly somewhere along the line.
being in delhi which is the worst place for women....i know what goes on and its utmost sickening.
@sis: yeah, i wish i had too.
@vishal: total fuckers.
@priya: oh dear.dnt remind me of that.
@preeti: Thank you for blogrolling me. It's an absolute honor. Though i must warn you, as I warn everyone else, that i hope you know what you're in for. :)
@homi: tell me about it!
@anna: yea, we do . It's sad and pathetic.
@nav: yeah, i thought so too. But i can't pin point where i'm going wrong. No fear, Koze will solve the probblem for us soon.
hey .. you've made a typo...
*Eve teasing* not *Even teasing*..
or did you mean it tht way ???
Even teasing? Yes, even teasing can be rude, but it doesn't come under sexual harrassment. Eve teasing does.
Anyway, I know it may be hard to do when you're in the situation, but trying to walk away or inching ahead won't stop sickos like that guy. You've got to be straight and firm with them, and the rest of the people in the bus will be on your side. Make some noise and it'll stop. Guys like these keep doing this sort of thing because they keep getting away with it every time.
Kaushik
@anna: oh dear. *emabarassed*
@Koze: i know baba... this was just one instance. I usually glare them down. Next time in gnna straight slap.
Thanks for visiting guys!
I have never seen a blog where the writer so fully embraces the steriotypical foolishness of TV and Film.
With that aside, kick his ass!!!
Preets, I've just been inactive a coupla days! 5 posts!!!
Happy 100! Or 102! Or whatever...
And I can't say I know how it feels, but it still disgusts me.
*Hugs*
@bangalorian: tell me about it!
@annony: im glad i cud be of service. Now you've seen everything there is to see.
@triya: thanks luv.
Thanks for visitng guys! God bless.
@born stinger: yes i know. i hate it that i didn't do anything. im sorry.
its totally sad....this whole issue....a whole bunch of sex-straved, crazy sickoS trying to take advantage of the crowd. i guess, all of us go thru it once atleast.
the first time it happ, i didnt knw wht to do. i guess, i was jst too shocked for action.
but nw i use safety pins. u wnt blv hw well it works. sometimes i wish i had a bazooka and the lisence to kill.
these guys shld b casterated.
bt chill, hv a bath and wash it off. dnt let it haunt u. b free from hate...
U WERE GONA BUNK E.MECH?!!!!! YA RITE!!! AND THE POPE JUST CONVERTED TO ISLAM.....
@ a. murthy: bitch. dnt spoil the mood of the post. i knw what ur saying.. this was like a shock. ffrom now on it's gna be my hand on his cheek. usellss fuckers.
there was this one time a drunk guy was pushing himself up against my friend and the bus was so bloody crowded my friend couldn't even turn around and say/do something, she looked at me with this disgusted expression, so I leaned forward and said "dude, what the hell you doing?" loudly, and the conductor came and straightened him.
But there've also been episodes when the conductor tries to innocently brush his hand against my breast while looking nonchalant bout the whole thing and just looking busy with collecting tickets.
Don't you itch if you don't do anything about it?
You should've atleast shouted.
@dhruva: i know.. lol.. very true.. it's nt easy to just slap them.
@amelie: yea i knw.. i had a bath as soon as i got home... it's pathetic. i usually do yell... ;)
thanks for visitng guys!
lotsaluv,
yours truly.
burn 'em live... castrate 'em... hang 'em.... or atleast slap 'em!!!
Hey!
Let me holler a hello first,so you don't say I haven't been around...and is the prolific writing inspired by you know who? :D
And on the subject you have raised,I must say,I doubt this will ever stop.Unless the ladies get more..erm,vociferous with their protest.I think education has a lot to do with it.
I agree,you ought to have let the fellow have a piece of your mind ( whatever there is,of it.I can understand if you wanted to conserve ;) )
But then,there will always be these fellows who think its a god given right,since they were born human.Not much difference between these fellows and animals,is there?
I sincerely sympathize.I see now,that the cooler lot have their problems too.It isn't just us nerds who are socially abused.
Oh well.Can't help but say one must live on.Cheerz!
P.S. Forgivethe bad jokes.Its a reflex thing for me.
P.P.S. I have 800 page views on my blog now.Thanks for the persistence!! :D
and lol,not all guys deserve to be cooked in oil and castrated :(
Be specific in your abuse,ladies ;)
and finally ( honest,the last one ;) )
- I love the rain too...especially the time just after :D
All one needs to be perfectly at peace with life is an open terrace and a few drops of rain! :)
@ ay: It isn't as easy is that. Though I did hit one of them there with a bag that weighed a few tonnes.
A friend of mine tried to do the same. The guy, while getting off touched her and walked off.
It's disgusting.
@ A(put together!): First of all I see now,that the cooler lot have their problems too.It isn't just us nerds who are socially abused.
WHAT?!!! Does that mean what I think it means or is it just me?
Second of all, it isn't easy. But yeah, you should.
Thirdly, who is this "you know who"??!! :)
Fourth, congrats. I've reached a point where I don't care about page reads. I just love it when people come and leace comments. Wishing you many more!
Thanks for dropping by you guys,
All my love.
@ sg-
what do you think it means anyway?
and ,you know who = you ought to know who ( me? ;) )
and hey,I don't care about it much either.But it gave me an excuse to write more!!
cheerz ;) and hey,i like commetns too.As my sole commentator,I thank you!!
What DID I think it meant?
That you were calling me "the cooler lot" and yourself a nerd?
SG.
hi SG,
This article reminds me of my college days..... wen we used to travel in DTC buses.. and some of the bad elements of the society used to behave in the same manner as stated by u....
we used to get irritated and didn't know how to handle or rarther tackle the situation... it was too .. what shall i say..!!!
then we found out a way out of such a situation.. we'ld hit the person coming too close to us wid our elbows.. and a real hard one if given ... is raelly something and the guy used to move away....
during rainy season we all usually had our umbrella's wid us.. so that time we used that as an attacking tool!!!
try it out, its fun!!!
And u write well..
really impressed!!
all the best!!
Ira
Hey.
Fancy seeing you here. said the spider to the fly ;)
Thankus. I just hear compliments like that from a new reader. After a while, reality bites!
Yeah, I've done that alot many times. What elbow? Chi. What's that 10 ton bag your carrying for??
:)
Thanks for drppping by,
SG.
THe most comments i have seen for any post is for this 1.. 25 with mine! lol! Considering im a guy ive never actually been in such a situation but i stopped talking to a guy i know because he used to do this all the time and even when i was around.. i gave the guy a peice of my mind and never spoke to him again... like every1 said u shuda slapped the fuck outta the guy and then walked away but mistakes happen :P
Anyway next time it happns rememmber all the anger of the past and beat the shita outta that guy lol
Rythwin
u r welcome SG...
It was my pleasure to visit ur site.. u see shrikant takes so long to post somehting.. and me looking for some stuff to read on the net.. reached ur site..
hahaha.. so u mean u r the spider and i'm the fly!!! I better be careful!!!
JOking !!!
From now on i'll keep dropping in!!!
Love
and all the ebst
Ira
@ Ry: 35 you mean. There's another one that has something this close, dnt remember.
Thank you. It's an amazing feel - to know that the people you know, respect, and give the right to affect your lives- live up to your faith. Sounds funny, but idealist that I am - this is one of those strikes in my favor for being an idealist.
@ Ira: Lol. He does. We all do, in fact. And sometimes we go on spree s . It's the eccentricity factor :)
Thanks for dropping by guys,
All my love.
yea i meant 35.. the numpad does that sometimes and does ur reply mean that u respect me? :P
Dint know there were people dumb enuff for taht if the answer is yes :P
@ Ry: Yes I do. No ones ever accused me of being sane!
SG.
Its very easy to say you shoulda slapped him but if u were in the same position u wouldave remained quiet too. Think about it.. Very few people have the balls to actually create a scene. Tell u what heres a better idea..
The next time the bus goes on a bump let yourself lose balance and just let yout 10ton bag swing and hit the fucking pervert right on his balls.. Just say "oops".. I swear thatll keep him busy for a month or two.. XD
Yours darkly in the light
ps.. sorry for the explicity but guys like that piss me off..
@ dark: I am TALKING ABOUT ME. The thing with slapping or something is that the whole "revenge" factor creeps in. That's where I kinda lose a lil of my guts.
I've done th bag thing, like I said1! It's fun too :)
Thanks for dropping by,
All my love.