Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Unmana as Creep Magnet

So here I am, peacably walking home again. In the less-frequented stretch just before my colony, a bike came at me from the wrong side. A common enough sight that I thought little of. The bike came close and I could see the man: strong build, trim beard. He looked at me and spat.

It hit my arm. I wiped it off and walked on for a few steps before pausing to look back. I was unafraid, because the gates were a few paces away, and I could run in and scream for the guards.

He was standing a distance away. I stood there, wanting to show that he hadn't scared me, and after a while he moved away.

I have no idea what irked him. I don't think I had seen him before, unless he was the same man on a bike I had passed on the road a short distance back. He was in my way, and I walked around him, there being no footpath to walk on. I was even dressed in salwar kameez - or perhaps he took offense at my bare arms.

If this - or the last incident - had happened when I was even a year younger, I would have been shaken for hours. I would have raved, probably cried. It must be a combination of my feminism and the stabilising presence of the Guy that I shrug and move on.

But I wonder how safe it is to continue to walk home at night?

7 comments:

Indian Home Maker said...

Be careful. This may have nothing to do with your being a woman. Don't think crime only happens to women, men walking home are also at risk at certain times and places.
Do you come back home at a fixed time every day?
And it has nothing to do with your sleeveless kurta, he would do the same to a woman in burqua, if he thought the could get away with it. Such men have no real intelligence, they just look for an easy target. He is a *******!

Aneela Z said...

yup..men (and women) can be obnoxious in more than one language..and we recieve the 'hate stare' (or saliva in your case) for more reasons than one...we go around as a filo-pastry of identities, so the creep on wheels could hate you for being a woman, a woman who is confident enough to walk on her own, a woman confident enough to walk on her own and of suspect morality, a woman confident enough to walk on her own and of suspect morality and of a particular ethnicity, all of the above and appearing to be of a particular religious or class background...or because he was having a bad day and has terrible social skills...some men just do it for shock value as in what they can get away with..or that he has assertive women in his life and wants to be mean to others..the list goes on.

Unmana said...

I know. I'm just a little scared now... and this creep knows where I live.

Dr. Ally Critter said...

Don't be scared, but carry a big stick,. Don't let the creep intimidate you into living in fear. But be careful.

Banno said...

Such incidents always leave you in such a state of shock. Take care.

Usha said...

I cannot believe this! What time was it? nect time this happens do call the guard or anyone - these people are usually cowards who are scared of crowds. And do carry a pepper spray.
Take care.

Masood said...

I second the pepper spray idea!!!