I think it is time we had “the talk”. Yes, you all know what I am talking about, it involves a lot of touching and a lot more of denying. And practically, every girl in the town has been through it.

Sexual harassment in public vehicles is a much talked about issue amongst various women’s rights organizations and informally in groups of young girls who love to share their encounter with “the touch”. I have been in few of those groups where they claim to either not know how to differentiate a touch from harassment or become absolutely embarrassed to even speak out in public. There used to be jokes about how we could carry needles and sharp objects; and any time someone tried to touch our bodies, all we needed to do was attack as slyly as they tried to touch us.

Jokes apart, my encounters with “the touch”; and here I am absolutely loving how I can use the word ‘touch’ to make you uncomfortable; have been a mixture of confusion, anger, outburst and at times, giving up. The giving up is usually accompanied by a sense of confusion, the inability to distinguish what just happened and the arrival of the micro-stop station.

I am not one of those who pride in tolerance; for I have shouted and screamed at guys who have passed sly comments. However, harassment in micros is a sensitive topic. Not only are you accusing this person of violating your body but you are also making a public show of the whole incidence. Now, if the guy is to deny of such intention and instead, plead innocence; the embarrassment is yours.

But my point is: isn’t that embarrassment better than the embarrassment of being violated physically and psychologically? I would rather make sure the guy who dares to touch me in micros miserable and publicly humiliated to the point that he would never attempt to violate someone else than let him just pass by because of the benefit of doubt.

The way to do it is be polite. Bring into notice that the guy’s leg, or arm, or whichever part of his body is causing you discomfort. Keep into consideration that a micro is usually congested to the point where every one is trying to not cross the other person’s private space. A ‘nice’ guy will apologize and turn the other way. And for the rest of the journey, maintain a stern gaze and bold body gesture. That; and the confidence that no one can violate you.

 

Microphile loves to travel however, since her fantasies of travels into the Egyptian pyramids and Saharian deserts are, well, mere fantasies; she makes do with the hazardous amount of traveling she has to do in micro-buses, aka, micros. She loves to read while traveling in micros. All that traveling has most probably caused some spinal/brain injuries that she is unaware of; while she continues to travel by micros every morning; observing the mundane and writing about them in this blog.

http://www.parakhi.com/blogs/2012/02/08/talk-about-the-touch

Yo parakhi le ramro ramro lekh lekhcha je hos interesting good writing keep it up

i remember in my days nepal yatayat chadio seat kahele napaone kochakoch basno bhanda bahira condoctor ko cheo ma eauta khutta vitra eauta khutta bahira  hawa ma hallaera travel garda its not fun it sucks definately same thing in bikram tempo , and micro busses . and ya there is always another pervert , pocket mar, gajadi tyape  in the bus obviously its sajha bus sajha tempo sajha micro bus and everybody can ride in it paying the prescribed money not like sajha.com where we don't have to pay any money .

about desperate sex harraser khalasi and other men its just sad