Young man. Striped shirt. Big-ish car... cannot tell which make; never cared enough about models and names.
Young man leans out to ask for directions. The rest is a familiar, old story.
'Where is PVR Saket?'
'Do you live around here?'
'Would you like to come with me to PVR?'
And after I say 'No', he says, 'Fucking bitch'.
I stop, turn around, take a good, long look at him. No words. I glance down at his number plate, and walk on ahead.
He follows.
'Excuse me, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am.'
Whoever was driving HR29 Q 1782, on Monday evening, June 18th, 2007, is not a very nice young man. The apology was not accepted.
Served him damn right!
ReplyDeleteWTF! What kind of crap do these people eat to behave like that? Another bastard child of incompetent (and rich) parents I guess.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWikipedia says it is registered in Ballabgarh.
ReplyDeleteI shuddered at this... now am abt triply sure I will not ask any woman for directions, I dont want her to think or worry even for a nanosec abt getting into this kind of situation.
ReplyDeleteI realize if I were a woman and had to go thru a couple of these I would certainly not give any guys the time of the day.
regards,
Jai
This is just curiosity. How exactly did you say 'No'. Absolutely politely or with scorn or any other way possible?
ReplyDeleteThis is bad. Why didn't you create a ruckus?
I considered posting under my blogger id but decided against it.
What a creep- in a world which sadly has so many(:
ReplyDeletethis reminds me of an incident about 13 years ago or so. I was in college 1st or 2nd year..don't remember exactly. Anyhow, since my Appa was posted in calcutta and I was doing my college here in delhi staying with my Nani, used to do his bank chores like depositing cheques, getting passbook updated etc etc. His bank was on Parliament street.
ReplyDeleteIt was around 2PM or so and once done with my work at bank, I was walking down to the bus stop where I would get a bus to get back home. A car stopped by. I thought someone needed directions (Will that be called being stupid or pain naive??).
So I peeped in and the guy patted his empty seat next to him. I got so furious. I walked down towards his door. Opened it...pulled him out and slapped him right on his face. He was totally shocked.
I must have said certain words to him as well I'm sure but don't remember them now. Since it was daytime, lot of people were around and they all came when they saw the situation. But I was done with what I wanted to do and walked away to my bus stop.
Its been so long but the whole incident is stamped clear in my picture memory! I can recall scene by scene as they show in the movies - the flashbacks! Hehehe..
Unbeleieveable..disgusting. Sorry you women still have to take this crap...
ReplyDeleteThese guys dont go after any girl...he might have misjudged u for someone else...
:)
BTW where is PVR Saket?
This is where a camera phone would have been useful. Stop, look him up and down, focus ... click!
ReplyDeleteHow would he react?
J.A.P.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI have been in similar situations. Dial 100. Seriously. It's a matter of minutes before the cops nab him.
titash: don't know if it served him at all
ReplyDeletedodo: don't blame the parents. they may be very nice people, for all we know.
integer: thanks for taking the trouble to find out. don't know what to do with the info, though.
jai: that's not a wholly reasonable resolve. if you've noticed, despite all the recurrances of similar episodes, i do give directions when asked. if you stop speaking to stranger women entirely, and vice versa, you have a social purdah of sorts. gender segragation. which is not very civilised, in my opinion.
anonymous: that's not a valid question. if i was scornful, or appeared to him to be, was his reaction justified? and if it was, then why? do i have an obligation to appease every man out there on the streets? as for your anonymity, it only makes me shake my head. i didn't need to create a ruckus, if you noticed.
dipali: many indeed.
nm: it is always interesting why we react the way we do, at what point and in response to what. we often discuss this at blank noise. wonder if you ever wonder about those questions.
ye mazilein: and what do you think he 'misjudged'?
JAP: true, but i don't have one, unfortunately. he may have reacted in many ways. ranging from abject apology to fear and pleading to aggression, or feeling kicked that a woman is taking his picture.
mukta: well, calling the cops is complicated. for one, there are only very few nebulous laws to deal with this sort of thing. also, it is his word against mine. the cops may believe him, which will lead to frustration and humiliation for me. or they may believe me, but they probably wouldn't do much except beat him up. and i don't like violence. the whole point of blank noise, actually, is to try and deal with harassment without resorting to violence or threats. i used whatever strategy i could, at that moment, to turn the situation around.
sigh.. hug.
ReplyDeleteThis is anonymous 1.22 PM..
ReplyDeleteIt is important whether you were scornful / etc because the guy in the car might have been the type that would have called me a 'bastar*' if he asked me for directions and I walked away if i were in a hurry..
Also I remain anonymous because I posted 2 comments on the May 19 2007 post at BlankNoise (and they weren't offensive ones) but were not allowed by the moderator. So I figured that BlankNoise and by corollary, this blog, would not be too kind to people with different views. And even if they were, a large % of people who react without putting much thought to the complexity of the world and actors your are addressing, especially at BlankNoise. Much like how and why, many people are theistic or atheistic.
Cheers.
Might I also add that you write very well. Keep at it for our benefit.
well, he might have misjudged beauty....See Beautiful girls and who really keep themsleves beautiful are not many in India.
ReplyDeleteSo if you see one. its easy to misjugde for someone else. ( no way I am defending his stupid actions...)
and where is this PVR saket again?
It takes MONTHS in India to see a good girl and when you spot one, some folks just go nuts....may be that was the case.
well check out the site: www.trafficviolators.com. this may be a good place to make the world remember this car no. :)
ReplyDeleteanonymous: this blog is open to contrary views. comments are not moderated here, except when people start getting offensive under the guise of anonymity. and i really am not interested in what 'type' that man was. if he is abusive with both men and women, then that only makes him an abusive person, instead of a misogynist abusive person. it doesn't excuse anything.
ReplyDeleteye manzilein: am not sure how to respond to your comment. as an indian woman, i find it both offensive and even stinking of racism. i personally spot a beautiful indian woman every five minutes. and what exactly do you mean by 'good girl' or 'misjudged for someone else'? who is this 'else?' and what sort of misjudging are you talking about? what is this business of beauty being equated with 'good'ness.
abhishek: saw the site but that isn't much help. this was not a traffic violation. it was harassment and verbal abuse.
I was just trying to lighten up Arnie.........
ReplyDeleteNaraz ho gayeen?
Ps: Last time now, where is this PVR saket?
ye manzilein: didn't realise you were attempting humour. sorry about the all-serious reaction. PVR saket is a cinema complex in saket.
ReplyDeleteNahi its ok.....YOu thought ke main bhi gaadi le ke bechari ladkiyon ko chedta hoon....( Uski zaroorat nahi padti actually..)
ReplyDeleteand where is Saket?
Pardon my jahalat.....I am in exile...
:)
annie said: anonymous: that's not a valid question. if i was scornful, or appeared to him to be, was his reaction justified? and if it was, then why? do i have an obligation to appease every man out there on the streets?
ReplyDeleteIt is ok if you looked at him scornfully when you asked first, but not when you think men are looking at you sexually on the street?! Can they look at you scornfully then? If yes, isn't it your problem that you have a problem with people looking but not much with scorn??
Also again -
Annie said: anonymous: and i really am not interested in what 'type' that man was. if he is abusive with both men and women, then that only makes him an abusive person, instead of a misogynist abusive person. it doesn't excuse anything.
But it makes a big difference that Annie posted this labelled Blanknoise then, no?
Personally I am offended when people look at me with scorn, for no reason at all. I'd wouldn't mind if women/men looked at me sexually.
**It is ok if you looked at him scornfully when he asked first, but not when you think men are looking at you sexually on the street?!
ReplyDeleteAlso with "I'd wouldn't mind if women/men looked at me sexually.", its unfortunate it never happens though...
Well done!
ReplyDeleteI'm so pathetic at reacting to such situations - but will surely know what to do next time (unfortunately, one always knows there will be a next time)