My fifth IndiBlogger meet here in Mumbai...MumbaiForWomen, a part of the IndiChange initiative by them. The Mumbai For Women is a campaign spear headed by the Times Of India.
Over the years, TOI has been doing a commendable job in bringing changes in the society through their various campaigns.
Mumbai for Women is one such campaign that solely focuses on Women, their issues and safety. The panel of editors who are working on this campaign gave us an overview of the problems which women in Mumbai generally faced.
The discussions that followed made it clear that woman today, though liberated more that what we were few decades back, still have a long way to go. Safety being the prominent issue.
I live a very protective life. I do not have the first hand experience of this city. Have not traveled much by the public transport here. Much of the city has to be explored yet. Coming from Bengaluru, I can say that I have found Mumbai a much safer place to travel during late nights. This is a city that hardly sleeps.
Like anywhere else in the world...the good and the bad co-exist. Shit happens everyday and crime being an integral part of existence. I personally feel that this city is more broad minded when it comes to employing women....no one job is just a man's prerogative.
Mumbai has something to offer for everyone, and that is the reason people flock this city. It is the commercial capital, glamor capital and opportunity capital. Old age Victorian charm, modern opulence, down right poverty and filth..these all co-exist here along with the toil, sweat, struggles, hopes and broken dreams. This city either makes you or breaks you.
No one will fight the battles for us. It is for us to break that barrier of all that is binding us...of taking that one step towards change. It is for us to raise our voice however feeble...some one will hear and some one will take notice.
It took a gruesome rape and the death of the girl for the government to pass the anti-rape bill!
Let us join hands, raise our voices and with that let us up our hopes of bringing about positive changes that are more pro-woman for this city.
i would love to visit mumbai sometime...and i am glad in the after that people are raising voices...though i am sorry what it took to get there...
ReplyDeleteGood insight into the meet Janu. You summed it up so well.True that the change has to come from within us before anything else.
ReplyDeleteDear Janaki,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate learning and growing by reading of your experiences in a part of the world very different and far away from me. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to share! XOXOX
The crime rate in Bangalore is now at a ridiculous high. You are right about Mumbai being safer in some ways.
ReplyDeleteTruly, it is the individual who must decide to change. No point blaming a system or a place.
Nice post, Janu. Isn't it encouraging that IndiBlogger is taking up initiatives to brainstorm on these issues?
Yes, some of us are lucky to lead a protected existence, Janaki. But I do feel quite safe to travel around alone even quite late in the night in Mumbai, on the few occasions I've done so.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we are all slowly becoming more aware and conscious of doing our bit to make the world a better place.
I so agree and thank you that you did not portray Mumbai Women as helpless meena kumari or nirupa roy (forever crying) and mumbai men as shakti kapoor or ranjeet (always on the prowl) ;)
ReplyDeleteSo much bad news recently about Mumbai, it was good to read a more balanced perspective, Janu. Thank you!
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