And look at it here
There's a photosketch there, which the artist made after mutilating my photograph, and the resulting sketch makes me look neither 27 nor human...very sad indeed. So in case you cannot recognize me from that sketch, you shall be forgiven, and I shall live with that.
And by the way, according to the article, I am taking "a course in Creative Writing". Bah! I AM getting myself a second Master's degree for crying out loud, not a month long "course"!
God save us from certain editors!
Still, I am thankful...it's not every day that one gets published, and that too in such a platform. So, a big THANK YOU to everyone who made this possible, especially Praveen.
I await everyone's feedback.
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15 comments:
I still managed to recognize you but a sad picture indeed.
I get cynical every time I read or hear about incidents as yours. It makes me hate Delhi and hate men. At times, it makes me hate myself for not doing anything about it.
Of late, almost every day I am made to think about this issue and I think I soon WILL be doing something. Whatever I can! Ugh!
And also hate ALL those men who come to Delhi to earn their bread and butter and ironically think that this is not their city and gives them nothing. All they belong to is the bloody gaon they come from. All they respect or at least pretend to respect is the women from their gaon. I HATE them all! They have the balls to pee on the streets here, spit wherever they want, crib and abuse as they like and treat Delhi like shit!
Sorry, I'm getting hyper now.
All your fans are obviously proud and extremely happy for you. =)
I remember telling you what should be done with such men.
And I also remember telling you that your writing has that power. Gripping.
And hey! You can now tell the whole world about Tehelka story using your gold phone.
=P
This definitely is an incident most of the Delhi University girls have faced at some point in their college life...You actually half expect groping hands all over you ..not to mention the groins..yes ..its no joke..everytime i got into a packed Dtc or private bus...i was mentally prepared for it...And when I tried shouting at the freak who did .it seemed funny to some male passengers..i agree with Richa...I hate them...
And I m so proud of you....very few people actually tend talk about such grave issues openly...hats off
well i read the article yday morning, bought the paper.........congrats......yeah agree that they have kind of messed up the photo a lil but i was able to identify u :)
good article and kudos to u handle it in the best way possible by showing the presence of mind......
Bad picture, but that doesn't matter really.
I am at a complete loss for words.I am shocked to know that u had gone through such an experience. At the same time,I admire the way you saved yourself and then recounted ur experience in a newspaper. For all ur good qualities, I always knew that u are the best sister in this world. But, I didn't know that u are so brave. Now that I know this, my love and admiration for u has increased by a considerable amt. I just feel like hugging you now.
Ur artcicle was very well written, very gripping and dont worry on the pic my frnd.... in a few yrs from now, u wont need the same recognition, it will be thy name and thy writing :)
U know what its not about being in Delhi n being in USA which makes the difference. It is the speed, with which men who are caught are punished.
Hi Richa..
Ur comments are quite elitist and biased...you are giving a clean chit to the Delhi guys..It's not just to do with the men on the street but also people sitting in AC rooms have the same attitude...Just for Info neighbouring Punjab and Haryana has highest incidence of female infanticide..when rapes happen on the roads it's mostly by people who have cars..many rapes happened in cars and vans if you remember..respecting women from their gaon and not others I think is not all that right..either u respect women or you don't..
And..It's not just women, when Men are out with their wives or girlfriends, they are very wary too, especially in the night..Iam very wary...I don't feel that say when there are coolies around but when there are Delhi dudes in bright coloured body hugging t shirts riding Pulsars or cars with loud music and flashy lights...I do feel wary...[Looks like even i got hyper..sorry no offence]
And Sayan...
For the thanks...Iam just a fan !
Praveen
I am not giving a clean chit to the Delhi guys that you're talking about. And I'm aware of the things that you've mentioned. Just that as a college student in Delhi, I come across the things and people I mentioned earlier on a DAILY basis. I can visualise what Sayani Di has written and quite obviously, it's not a pleasant thought.
And what do I say about men being wary too? I guess the situation around us demands it. Sad, of course.
ki bhabe shuru korbo??
well done bole.. na ei bole je u r brave enuf to first escape ths incident.. and then write it out in publi!!
pore to gaaye kata dilo.. bhebeye pachhilam na... je sumthng like ths has happened to sumone.. who is an acquaintance.. khali paper e porahoye.. ba movies e dekha hoye!!
kudos to u .. n congrats as well !!
(a big hug)
i thank my stars for having taken admission in RLA in the first year..i would have missed on something BIG in life otherwise.
i am too angry to say anything di.
what the hell is this..kudos to u..
tell me something ..is there just about anything we can do on our part to improve the situation?
yaar u look no where close to ur looks...
some fresher must have sketched it ,,i am yet to read the entire article...will scrap u once am done
hey there... i have been playing truant... sorry for that.
read the article - cant imagine how i missed this in the first place!!
the incident you described is so stunning :-( and i am so glad that nothing happened to you, that you were able to get away at the nick of time... thank god for that.
which also brings into mind the girls who are not so smart, so fast, who do not get an opportunity to even protest... and not just delhi, this happens on a daily basis in cities and towns around the world... even kolkata - a supposedly "safe" city... and praveen is right, the predator is not just the dehati typical tobacco chewing monster we think of, the devil also wears sleek clothes and drive shiny cars and are possibly more brutal under their sheen of sophistication... i am struck by the use of the word "meat" in your article... because that is what a single woman on the road is perceived as - meat... an object of exploitation... meat has no identity, it's just a hunk of matter to do what you feel like with...
i remember incidents with other friends and family and myself - and thank god that help was near or that we were able to get away... and i also think of instances when someone, distantly familiar, faces an incident like this and is then forced to draw into a shell and feel guilty for an atrocity she did not commit!!
when will we actually start living in a world, where ALL humans are worthy of respect, where identity is sanctified, where it's not ok to grope or leer or tease and pretend that nothing happened!
feeling indignant and helpless all the same time.
and yes, the picture does not do you justice... why couldnt they put up an actual photograph instead of a sketch?
and finally - congratulations - this was a well written article and am truly glad to see it published.
hi Sayantani
We dont know each other and coming across your blog and your article was by chance... as proud I am being a Delhite and can shout myself hoarse defending it - I am ashamed of it's realities and its saddening that almost every girl here would have her own horror story. I remember what I was told after I narrated a smilar personal incident to one of my seniors in school - she told me (and no malice, am sure she meant her best) to 'Learn from it'...
@ Keka
Thank you for your well thought out and amazingly well written comment. Your anguish and indignation are there to see clearly. If only there could be an easy solution to all this.
@ Arunima
Welcome to my blog and thanks for your comment. You are right, however much we might love our city, there is this undeniable ugly side to it.
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