This Post Has No Title

Let me be very honest here: I ogle at beautiful women. When a good-looking girl, dressed well and wearing the right accessories walks by, I do stop (metaphorically speaking) and go 'WOW !'. I believe that most men would do the same. To put it in another way, it would take conscious effort for a guy to see a beautiful woman and not at least think a 'WOW!'. IMO, any claims to the contrary by a guy would be hypocritical, to some extent. But,...the buck stops there.

• I do NOT stand leeringly, mentally undressing the woman.
• I do NOT sing degrading songs like 'aati kya khandala' or other such nonsensical stuff (have a bad singing voice anyway).
• I do NOT pull down my zip and expose myself, nor do I scratch my crotch suggestively.
• I do NOT attempt to touch the other woman.

All of the above constitutes sexual harassment. What we call eve-teasing in India is, in fact, sexual harassment. Eve-teasing is a disgustingly innocuous-sounding phrase, somehow bringing to mind the image of cute little boys pulling girls' pigtails in a playground, whereas the truth can hardly be more different.

A number of my friends and relatives belonging to the opposite gender have had adverse experiences in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Thrissur - everywhere, in short. All of these experiences were told to me in confidence, and I will not narrate any of them here. In any case, Annie says it all in this moving post - I can hardly add a word to it without destroying the effect.

As to the insinuation that women somehow invite sexual harassment, the very fact that not even a woman clad in a burkha is spared should be proof enough. Of course, please keep in mind that this accusation is made by our so-called custodians of Indian culture, which dictates that women are supposted be treated like goddesses. If that isn't hypocrisy, then what is ?

This is in support of the Blank Noise Project.