Arrest the Issue

We believe that the police who offered the parents of the 5 year old rape survivor , should be arrested. We also believe that the police man who slapped the protestor should be arrested. We also believe that merely arresting the police does not arrest the issue.

Sustain your plan for change. It's a long walk. Be tireless. Got to keep at it.

Small Step. Big change

Blame comes too easy. Step out of it.

#SafeCityPledge

Vardi Ki Izzat : Are you worthy of this uniform?

Translates as " Dear Police Inspector, Who should respect the uniform? - You first."

A 5 year old child was raped in Delhi. She was found after 2 days. The police offered her family Rs.2000/ and asked them to keep the issue quiet.

A protestor was slapped and hit by the police.

The police men have been suspended. Not arrested. Suspended.



via Gautam Bhan on FB 

The words "has been suspended" are gnawing at me again. A top cop, a middle cop, a bottom cop, an ordinary cop -- they slap, they abuse, they violate, they refuse their duty. Why is suspension an appropriate and the only response? Remove the word cop from the news headline today and a man slapped a woman in public. Bas. It's called assault. The response is not suspension but a criminal complaint. Unless cops realise the law applies to them as well, we can't move forward. Assault. Under the new laws, non-registering an FIR comes with six months imprisonment. These are crimes - they merit justice, not suspensions.

Via Shuddhabratta Sengupta at Kafila
"We have to ask where these 2000 Rupees come from. In all likelihood they represent a fraction of the floating fruits of extortion that are available in any police station on Delhi. And just as the extortion nexus between police and private transporters was one of the factors that enabled the rape and murder in the white bus in December 2012,so too does the peculiar detail of the police extortion economy feature as the key ingredient in the clumsy effort to ‘cover up’ this latest incident. Policemen can do this and create the objective conditions for a culture of rape on Delhi because they are confident of being able to get away with it.

Let the men in uniform know that their badges and insignia are the marks of shame."

tiny pink spots ≠ inclusion

#SegregationNoSolution

Pink Taxi Service, for women by women

Women's reservation Bangalore Bus

Women's train compartment, Bombay

Ladies Special Pink Bus, Bangalore

Women's seat reserved in Tokyo Train

Women only auto rickshaw, Delhi

women only park , Iran

women's compartment, Delhi Metro

Safe City Pledge #Delhi #Kolkata

Delhi Action Hero Noopur

Delhi Action Hero Nishtha

Assistant Police Commissioner of Women Grievances Cell

What's your #SafeCityPledge?
https://www.facebook.com/SafeCityPledge/
http://safecitypledge.in

#ParliamentWatch

Justice Verma Committee Report

AMENDMENTS TO CRIMINAL LAW:
Alchemizing Anger to Hope- Arvind Narrain in response to the report below

26th January. Republic Day. Make it yours. Ours.

symbol designed by Peter Griffin Dear Citizens/ Action Heroes in Kolkata + Delhi You are invited to Republic Day meet at Allen Park (Park Street/ Camac Street cross) You are encouraged to examine, interpret, accept, claim, assert the notion of citizenship We will be doing the following: 1. interpreting the Justice Verma report 2. discussing the notion of citizenship for women 3. creating #SafeCityPledge placards on learning to be a citizen. To being autonomous women. To making Republic Day our own Bring a fellow citizen along. Male/ Female/ Differently Gendered. Time : 3 - 5 pm FB > twitter > In Delhi  the "Freedom Parade"  Time 2 - 5 :30 pm Mandi House to Jantar Mantar > In solidarity.

24 hour Tweetathon #SafeCityPledge

#SafeCityPledge
24 hour Tweetathon
January 19
#rape #safecities #sexualviolence #citizen


Each citizen affects change. You are invited to participate to a 24 hour twitter event that pushes an urgent 360 degree approach to building safe cities.
                                                                      
                                                                      

         Guideline:

• be self critical 
• be optimistic 
• be hopeful 
• try avoiding blame game because it often only goes in circles 
• examine your area of expertise and how you can pledge change within that. example- if you're a journalist- how can you pledge change that affects the way you report sexual violence. or if you're a gynaecologist- can you be self critical of the system you are part of and pledge change? or if you're an architect or an urban planner or a politician or a movie maker. think of how you can affect change. make your pledge.#SafeCityPledge 
• Dream an ideal city. Be imaginative. Ask 'what if' ? 
• Believe you can affect change. 

Here's how you can get involved before Jan 19
1. Tweet this
2. Take a pic of yourself with your SafeCityPledge . If you dont tweet- you can email in the pic to blurtblanknoise at gmail

3. email in with ideas and suggestions

Event on FB

Against Castration

to read the entire article visit Kafila

The most recent demands for castration can broadly be divided into two categories: popular and legal. Here we wish to problematize both, the legal and popular demands for castration by drawing out the reductive understanding of rape implicit in this demand; and by tracing the problematic notion of emasculation-as-justice driving this demand. We call for a suspension of the demand for castration on three broad grounds, listed here and discussed in greater detail below:

-          The logic of castration as legal punishment locates the threat of rape squarely in the male body (specifically male genitalia), reinforcing the heteronormative paradigm of peno-vaginal penetration that feminists have been trying for decades to dislodge from Indian rape law.

-          Such a punishment obscures the role of institutions in enabling and preserving rape. It also delinks sexual assault from structures of caste, class, sexuality and disability, which shape sexual violence.

-          The popular demand for castration relies on a logic of emasculation (napunsak banana) that actually re-centers “good,” protectionist masculinity as the way to creating a safer environment in our communities.

'Women only' solution?

'Women Only' trains from 7 am-9 pm in Tokyo.

revisit an old post



Compilation of recent conversations about the women only train service in New Delhi:

Action Hero Ratna: Will hijra's be 'allowed' in the women's coaches? In Bombay trains they do travel in the women only compartment but from what I've seen don't sit down, even if there is place.

One the one hand it may enable mobility for women who previously didn't travel or traveled very little because they felt unsafe,on the other hand of course it doesn't solve anything,

maybe women who don't agree with it shouldn't use it, and instead travel by the general coaches?

Action Hero Annie: that poses its own set of problems. women who choose to not travel by ladies only coaches are seen as fair game sometimes. the 'why are they here if not to be felt up' logic. I once argued with a male cousin about women's seats in buses. I said I would never make a man vacate his seat so i could sit down. he said he would wonder at what kind of woman i was, if i refused to accept the offer of a seat in a crowded bus.

train of difficult choices... where do you get off?

What do you wish to do this Saturday at Cubbon Park?

Remember the wish list you prepared for things you wished you could do in your city?


Here's one more!

What are the things you would love to do at the park in your city?
(build the park wish list below)




Amrutha Bushan: * i wish i could smile whole heartedly at each and every person i saw in a park without worrying that i was inviting trouble.

* i love minimal clothing. i wish i could wear them on a daily basis;even to a park.

Dianne Sharma Winter: if i could be there I would wear a pink tutu and do handstands all across the park to the astonished cheers of my family and then someone would come along and offer me a job in the circusand i would take it

Shreyasi :I want to lay down under a tree and stare at the sky with music
blaring in my ears!! :) :D

Yasmin: I want to be able to take a nap in the park.

Aarthi: I want to skip the rope + read a book.

Saraswathi: I wish to whistle my favourite songs in public.

Jasmine : I am going to write a letter to a dear friend.

Natasha Hemrajani: i wish i could sit on the grass all by myself in tiny
shorts and soak up some sun and read and nap
without a care in the world without people staring
at my skin or at my lack of company and without
random men mouthing lewd songs at me because
this what they do when a woman appears
alone and vulnerable and skimpily dressed.

Bedatri: i want to get wet in the rain-from top to bottom,to the innermost strings of my garment and then walk back home without feeling guilty and i want to sit on the front seat of the auto and enjoy the breeze without twisting and turning in order to avoid those sudden brakes and what they bring along.

Lindsey Rieder : When I lived in Jaipur I always wanted to sit on the bench in the park near my house and enjoy watching the birds and squirrels and all the kids playing.

Soumya: I just want to plonk myself comfortable PJs in whichever position and dream away

Chitra: i wanna listen to my ipod and dance on the streets, not just bob my head and walk......

Alexandra: I am from Canada, and will be trying to erase the horrible tanline I have gotten from wearing Salwar Kameez everyday, while simultaneously entertaining my puppy whose name is Tombi.

and you?

Join us at 3 30 pm, Saturday, to do exactly what you wish to do there.
email us to confirm if you're coming!

The activities are individual based and not meant to be

co ordinated with what other Action Heroes will be doing.

There are no 'rules' except it would be fantastic if

Action Heroes wore a garment they always wished to wear

but did not because they thought they might be 'asking for it'.

The event will go on until 6 pm.

Every body is invited.

Bring along your friends, family or anyone interested.

Be an Action Hero!

Saturday Action Heroes include:

1. Aarthi
2. Machlee
3. Mangit
4. Shreyasi
5. Hemangini
6. Soumya
7. Chitra
8. Shilo
9. Ratna
10. Katheeja
11. Amrutha
12. Alexandra
13. Saraswathi
14. Jasmine
    
15. you?
    
16. sign up!! e: blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com
    

MAKE A SIGN

- by Ilona Granet



Make a street sign.

It can be in any city , street , lane , neighbourhood you want. You could think of signs in buses, parks, night clubs, movie halls, malls and markets- it is up to you to spell out which kind of place you want your sign in. It could even be in sites where women have experienced street sexual harassment- like here.

You are welcome to say anything you want.



Guidelines:

1. we encourage submissions that are affirmative.

2. your submission should include a brief note about which place you want to insert the sign in and why

3. it could be in any language but an English translation is important.

4. It does not need to have text. It could just be visual.

5. It does not need to have visual. It could just be text.

6. It could have both text and visual.

7. You must send us a web friendly jpeg/ png/ file, but remember not to throw away the original vector file incase yours is selected for printing!

8. you may be the recruiter- you could involve your local network to work on this.
for example- if you are a teacher- this could be a class assignment. If you are in college- you could organize a community of people to work on this.

9. Some of you might have better writing skills than visualization skills, in that case you are
welcome to send text for a street sign. Based on the response to this event we might have the option of someone with visual skills partnering with you to make this sign.

10. keep it simple

Your street sign will be put on the Blank Noise blog + flickr.
3 signs will be selected to be tried and tested in public. The selected signs could also be printed on t shirts.


Deadline: 17th May. 2009
Confirm your participation by emailing us at blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com
subject titled SIGN. We will add your name to the list below. Sign UP! Be an Action Hero.

We are always avaliable to chat with you about your idea for the street sign before your submission.



Here's what we want to say and why:

We are talking of safer cities not feared cities
We are talking of independent women, not paranoid women.
We are talking about collective responsibility- don't tell me to be even more 'cautious'.
We are talking about eve teasing as street sexual harassment and street sexual violence.
We are talking about autonomous women, not just mothers daughters and sisters amidst fathers brothers and sons.



resources/ reference
In the past we have discussed
this
and this
and this
and this
and this
and this

Sometimes we just love to walk, stand around, hang around, without looking ‘available'.

Bombay. March 15.

photo credits. Punit and Yamini


Yamini Deen reports:

After so many Blank Noise interventions, the street in my head is like a laboratory of delicious experiments- those of provocation, the test of limits .

The street tells so many stories of wooing , of harassing, of hookers , of control, of sexuality .

SO Gateway Sunday was one such experience.

I walked up and down the promenade for a while. I went and politely handed the letter to anyone who responded to me in some way-lewd, curious,anything.

Some men would look at me up and down in the lewdest way possible and get completey flabbergasted if I went up to them, smiled and handed a letter.

Guilt? Fear? Something they didn't expect?

One man came to me and said
''So you think I am eve teasing you''?
''Why did you only give me the letter''?

He later told a male friend.
'If a girl walks ''that way''..you know one assumes she is asking for sex.'

But Gateway is also a space where they pick up men/women for sex. is the line between being unapologetic and sexually overt so thin?

But I am by now extremely unapologetic about my walking.

Anyhow, in the corner right in front of a gateway of India stood a pretty white woman in a short yellow dress. When I first spotted her, men collected in a line , at a 'safe' distance and stared.

She fiddled with her phone.I handed her a letter and left.

After a while, I went there and noticed that men were taking turns to take pictures with her.

(This while she was holding our letter)

She was smiling. The crowd thickened. Rumours flew like sparks and at other parts of the promenade, fellow blank noise members overheard conversations

about Preity Zinta or 'some' celebrity being there.

(A photo op for random loiterers, is that the new hobby of celebrities?)

Well.,after a while, about 40 men had crowded around her taking turns to take a picture with her.They helped themselves to her waist while holding her.



And she was smiling , mostly, slightly embarrassed , occasionally uncomfortable.

And maybe behind all mobs, there are a few complacent cops standing at a corner.

We asked the cops why they didn't stop anyone.

They said it was because she agreed to have her picture taken.

I was wondering then if in my mind I allowed the thought that she might have actually enjoyed the attention.And NOT in a negative way- not in a she deserved it sort of a way.

We asked her and she said 'Now , ask them to go.'

It was like a constant seesaw between comfort and discomfort for her.She never really looked threatened, to me atleast.

The only thing that worried me was how the mob gathered so fast, and mobs being mobs, can go out of control.

Which again brings me to the question of when attention is threatening, when it is mildly irritating, when it is flattering and when it can make you bawl.

Action Heroes include: Yamini Deen, Pranav Joshi, Kismet Nakai, Punit, April.

Next event: Blank Noise Bombay on March 29th. Sunday.

CALLING ACTION HEROES. REPORT AT blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com

signs for citizens

important: Blank Noise is not anti men. Poster were published on this blog- extending the argument of the previous post- on segregated public spaces.

WOMEN SPECIAL-BMTC

photo above- from a regular bus- image of women's reservation seat

photo below from

Bangalore's 'women only' buses. Painted pink.

The women Soumya C. Shekhar of Blank Noise and I spoke with, saw this as an immediate relief, as something convenient.

How do you experience public environments that are exclusively male or female?

Perhaps bloggers and Blank Noise blog visitors from Bombay/ Mumbai who take the 'ladies compartment' in the train will have anecdotes to add!

check this out:

Also see - Pukar's Gender and Space project
http://www.pukar.org.in/genderandspace/index.html

bbc- women's only hotel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/04/2009_18_thu.shtml

Iran

women's only park:

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2342417,00.html

Egypt
Women only taxi:
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/egypt/women-only-taxis-set-for-bumpy-ride-in-egypt-1.568204

Get involved- Blank Noise Opinion Poll in your city!

Location: Namita Sharma's Tea Stall. Gariahat. Kolkata.

Namita Sharma's tea stall is by the auto stand in Gariahat market, Kolkata. Every evening, eva long que lines up by her tea stall awaiting their auto rickshaw ride back home. During this stretch of time some people drink tea , smoke a ciggarete, snack a bit.

Namita and her colleagues welcomed Blank Noise as an idea. Her tea stall hosts the Blank Noise opinion poll which asks a simple but infinitely complex question-

WHAT IS EVE TEASING? LOOKING? STARING? STARING AT BREASTS? TALKING TO BREASTS? ADJUSTING REAR VIEW MIRROR? PASSING COMMENTS? CALLING NAMES? RATING? WHISTLING? SINGING? MAKING KISSING SOUND? UNSOLICITED CONVERSATION? WINKING? BLOWING KISSES? UNSOLICITED PHOTOGRAPHY? TICKLING? TOUCHING 'ACCIDENTALLY'? GROPING? TOUCHING/NUDGING IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT?/ RUBBING? FINGERING?SPITTING ON? STALKING? VEHICLES( CARS. BIKES. CYCLES) FOLLOWING. VEHICLES( CARS. BIKES. CYCLES) HONKING. VEHICLES( CARS. BIKES. CYCLES)PURPOSELY DASHING? GESTURES/ACTIONS/ MASTURBATION? FLASHING? OTHERS??

There have been innumerable debates on the blog in the past over what exactly constitutes 'street sexual violence'- Can it be in the verb of 'looking' or in the adverb of 'lecherously looking'. there are questions about what constitutes a lecherous look- and the ones who experience it will argue saying ' it's obvious. we just know!'

This is precisely the kind of discussion we want to further on the streets itself. More than for facts figures and statistics we attempt to use the form of an opinion poll to start discussions. The opinion poll also becomes a 'safe' way for people to testify and admit what they have seen or experienced.

The opinion poll is bilingual- for Kolkata it is in Bangla/ Bengali and English. We are getting them made in English with Urdu/ Hindi/ Kannada/ Telegu/ Tamil/ If you would like to volunteer with translations do email us asap! always at blurtblanknoise@gmail.com

By asking someone from your neighbourhood /locality to host the Blank Noise Eve Teasing Opinion Poll you are getting them involved in the process of taking agency, and also being an agent yourself. The opinion poll could also be in your college/ office/ apartment block/ market/ anywhere- email us- let's discuss your ideas

You will need to provide your local Blank Noise agent with 2 ink pads( red and blue) for people to put their thumb print.

In the next 2 weeks individuals/ Blank Noise members from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Lucknow, Kolkata will receive the opinion poll charts. If you belong to any of these cities and would like get started - email us right away!

If your city is not mentioned and you would like start this process in your city, write in and we could have an entire bunch sent in to you. You could also be the opinion poll distributor for your city or town.

You will also receive an email with detailed instructions on how to introduce Blank Noise/ the issue of 'eve teasing' and how this process can be documented.

Coming up is an interview with Namita Sharma on her experience of hosting the opinion poll. The interview will be conducted by members of the Blank Noise Kolkata team.

We look forward to your emails! blurtblanknoise@gmail.com

Blank Noise Agents : people who are participating in Opinion Poll project to further discussion about 'eve teasing'.

1. Barkha Madhok- New Delhi- Will install the poster in her office.
2. Ashish Asgekar- Goa-will translate the opinion poll to marathi
3. Nabila Zaidi- Lucknow- will translate the opinion poll and distribute opinion poll sheets in Lucknow. She is also installing the poster at Avadh Girl's College.
   
4. Sharath V- Bangalore- has translated the text to kannada. The text has been further edited by Blank Noise bangalore.
5. Girish Pandit- edited Kannada text.
6. Meghna C edited the kannada text.
7. Soumya C. Shekhar edited the kannada text.
8. Nisha Chandwani - Mumbai added the word ' pinching' to the opinion poll list.
9. Siddarth Mukund Srivastava- New Delhi- is translating the opinion poll to Hindi.
10. Poorva Dutt - New Delhi is also translating the opinion poll text to Hindi
11. 
    

Bangalore. Feb 11!!

Bangalore/ Sunday/ Feb 11/ the group meets at rest house road at 4 :15 pm.
Please call Blank Noise at 98868 40612 and confirm. Get out! Get it started!

Action Heroes include:

1. Paige Trabulsi
2. Surabhi Kukke
3. Soumya C. Shekhar
4. Yamini Deen
5. Manisha Sharma
6. Kunal Ashok
7. Naina Brahma
8. Amrutha Bushan
9. Ahaana
10. Archana Srinivasan
11. Sanjana Janardhan
12. Anusree M. Jois
13. Laura Neuhas
14. leslie
15. Madhu Krishnan
16. Isha Manchanda- Video Documentation
17. Chris
18. Vishal Talreja
19. Arati
20. Tharunya Balan
21. Chinmayee Dutta
22. Sujata Bhatt
23. Mahima
24. Gayatri
25. Priya
26. Suman
27. Smita Kalburgi
28. Vivek
29. Nivedita Kalburgi
30. Sneha Singh
31. Nishank Pathak
32. Nisrin Azeez
33. Sathish
34. Navneethan_+
35. Amit Belani
36. Vasudha Chandrashekhar
37. Naini
38. Anees
39. Aparupa
40. Manasi
41. Urmila
42. Uditi
43. Lara
44. Swati
45. Ramya
46. Seema
47. MunMun
48. Mallika
49. Kalavati
50. Priya
51. Neeti. G
52. Nandini C
53. Tanuja Mukherjee
54. Sargam
55. Priyanka Chaurasia
56. Myrthe
57. Spriha
58. Priyanka K
59. Huda
60. Sowmya
61. Pushpi
62. Tanvi
63. Dipti
64. Nilisha
65. Sira
66. Divya
67. Sadhvi
68. Rutika
69. Sharvari
70. Sanaa
71. Honey
72. deepika arwind
73. anna joseph
74. prachi murarka
75. nida shabbi
76. Sharath V
77. Pallavi
78. Anamika Mukherjee
79. Chitra Badrinarayan
80. Shravanya
    
81. Smriti Chanchani
82. Vishal Thacker
83. Sumati + 10
84.