Saloni Malhotra
Two months ago I was living in Delhi, India. During my lunch break I decided to visit my doctor for ordering new lenses. The clinic was about 500 meters from the office on a busy road. I finished placing my order and walked out of the clinic. Barely 20 steps ahead a 6 feet tall, well built Afghan man asked me something. I didn’t understand his language, shook my head and kept walking. 20 more steps and I realized he was making a pass and following me. I turned around to go back to the clinic and called my colleagues to pick me up in a car. The man turned back to follow me and minutes later as I got in the car, he was still looking for me.
But this isn’t a story only from Delhi – I have lived in Pune and Chennai in India. I have travelled extensively across the country for work and leisure. But one piece of advise has remained constant – don’t go out alone after 9 p.m., don’t walk alone on the road, if you are driving at night make sure the doors are locked.
Three weeks ago I moved to Sweden for the Social Innovation in the Digital Context course. My first week in Sweden, I was returning from a party and missed the last bus. We knew this might be a possibility and everyone told me it was safe to walk back.
I began walking back and was pleasantly surprised that it was actually safe to walk alone. I reached a street that was not as well lit/ had a feeling of being more isolated than the other and my Indian instinct kicked in. The voice in my head said it wasn’t safe and I heard footsteps behind me. I froze at first but then reminded myself it was safe. The man walking behind me was walking faster than I was and caught up; I just look at him and told him I was afraid to walk alone. He smiled and offered to walk with me till the main road, which was better lit.
Honestly I don’t have adequate words to describe the joy of walking alone and not bothering about what might happen. The incident in Delhi does not stop me from living my life but it is an irritant. And I am tired of pointing fingers at the man who harasses me, the police, the law or whatever else!
I am an optimist and I know for every man who harasses someone, there are 10 others who don’t want this to happen. I want to find the other 10 and with their help clean up our areas to make sure everyone can walk alone on the road peacefully, whenever they want.
Saloni Malhotra is CoFounder of Safecity, a citizen’s initiative to end sexual abuse and harassment in public spaces. Report such incidents on safecity.in with the exact location of the incident. Volunteer with safecity to clean up your specific locality/ area
