Technology has changed the meaning of teasing.
Now it is called "approaching" or simply "just communicating". Quite sophisticated, eh?
Now just a click of mouse or press "send" and all your feelings get transported to your target... the recipient of all your fantasies.... right or wrong.
It was not so some years or couple of decades back.
It seems so amusing to recall the desperate ways the boys / men used to " communicate" their desperate feelings to the girls unknown to them.
On the road, in the market, traveling in the bus or train....
Just anywhere.
Not to mention the catcalls. That was pretty decent. :)
The girls used to be mostly shy and embarrassed and hardly in a position to protest loudly.
Avoid the offender. That was the best escape route.
When I compare those little ways of eve teasing, I find them quite juvenile as compared to the present times.
Some of them seemed to be so innocent !
For example, riding a bicycle and whistling a song while passing by the girl.
Or sing a song ( even if it is a cacophony) :)
I remember my own experiences.
Initially, as a kid I used to get alarmed at such things.
Change the route to the school. The guy wouldn't find you.
But how come he could trace you and follow you till the school? Like a body guard. He wouldn't say anything. Just cross you on the road, take a turn about, again pass close to you, never uttering a word and disappearing when you reach the school.
Harmless fellow.
One day my father followed me at a distance so as not to alarm the guy and catch him red handed.
But some sixth sense must have told the guy to stay away from me that day. So he maintained a decent distance and kept on cycling and disappeared .
He never followed me again.
When I was about 15 years, I was walking alone on the road coming from the college. Some unknown face (well they are all unknown, unseen faces) slowed his cycle beside me and gave a slight pull to my shawl . How cheeky !
Best thing was that these creatures were simple daredevils in that age.
Not serious offenders.
But when I started commuting frequently by the bus, I encountered a different category.
This quiet, seemingly decent person sitting next to you is after all not so much at peace with himself as he seems to be.
Young boys were not so eager as compared to married men and aging uncles who wanted some respite in greener pastures.
Imagine a scene.
Any lady / girl must have experienced it.
You are sitting quietly in the bus.
Suddenly you find that the seat has shrunk and the man sitting beside you is finding it hard to squeeze in the narrow seat.
His arm is grazing against you.
He feels it absolutely necessary to cross his arms on his chest.
And
His fingers try to grope you.
He thinks you need scratching !
Well, you try to accommodate the guy.
You squeeze to the corner of the seat.
But still it is so tight ! This seat.
Every other seat in the bus seems okay.
But Not yours !
What do you do?
Two options :
Be miserable
Or
Make the seat wider for yourself.
Miserable.
Yes I did feel for a couple of times initially.
One doesn't know much about the world, its ways. One is so young and inexperienced.
One is shy and embarrassed.
What will people say?
And perhaps this uncle will come to his
senses and stop leaning on you.
How soundly he sleeps ! He doesn't know he is falling on you, bumping into you !
How naive one is.......
Then I learned.
These very uncles in the bus taught me the tactics of this "warfare" in the bus.
Fighting for one's dignity.
The bus seat was never narrow and tight again.
No one sitting beside me ever fell asleep. Rather they lost their sleep.
Every attempt to touch was met by a push or jolt or slap. My body responded alertly.
I could breathe freely....
But I made a mistake once.
I pushed an innocent boy sitting beside me.
Coming from my hostel, I boarded the bus to my city.
The driver of the bus thought he was flying a plane instead of driving on the Indian roads.
So the bus "flew". :)
We were sitting with our hearts in our mouths, fearing a collision any moment.
This guy sitting beside me, bumped into me a couple of times.
It was not his fault.
The whole bus was shaking and jolting at the turns on the roads.
But out of habit, I pushed this guy and asked him to move away.
Poor thing was sitting on the corner of the seat, half of his butt hanging in the air !
The pilot of our bus took one nasty turn on the road and this helpless guy sitting beside me accidentally bumped on my shoulder.
I slapped hard on his shoulder and pushed him.
He felt hurt in his heart.
Really hurt.
He hadn't done it on purpose.
He got so annoyed at me that he suddenly got up angrily, looked at me and said, "You are a mad one! ", and changed his seat.
I felt sorry for him.
I mistook him for the usual lecher stuff.
Now after all these years when ever I remember this incident, I can't help smiling...
Just can't forget the look of bewilderment on this guy's face.
Has the time changed him?
Or
Has he retained his values?
His decency?...
Now it is called "approaching" or simply "just communicating". Quite sophisticated, eh?
Now just a click of mouse or press "send" and all your feelings get transported to your target... the recipient of all your fantasies.... right or wrong.
It was not so some years or couple of decades back.
It seems so amusing to recall the desperate ways the boys / men used to " communicate" their desperate feelings to the girls unknown to them.
On the road, in the market, traveling in the bus or train....
Just anywhere.
Not to mention the catcalls. That was pretty decent. :)
The girls used to be mostly shy and embarrassed and hardly in a position to protest loudly.
Avoid the offender. That was the best escape route.
When I compare those little ways of eve teasing, I find them quite juvenile as compared to the present times.
Some of them seemed to be so innocent !
For example, riding a bicycle and whistling a song while passing by the girl.
Or sing a song ( even if it is a cacophony) :)
I remember my own experiences.
Initially, as a kid I used to get alarmed at such things.
Change the route to the school. The guy wouldn't find you.
But how come he could trace you and follow you till the school? Like a body guard. He wouldn't say anything. Just cross you on the road, take a turn about, again pass close to you, never uttering a word and disappearing when you reach the school.
Harmless fellow.
One day my father followed me at a distance so as not to alarm the guy and catch him red handed.
But some sixth sense must have told the guy to stay away from me that day. So he maintained a decent distance and kept on cycling and disappeared .
He never followed me again.
When I was about 15 years, I was walking alone on the road coming from the college. Some unknown face (well they are all unknown, unseen faces) slowed his cycle beside me and gave a slight pull to my shawl . How cheeky !
Best thing was that these creatures were simple daredevils in that age.
Not serious offenders.
But when I started commuting frequently by the bus, I encountered a different category.
This quiet, seemingly decent person sitting next to you is after all not so much at peace with himself as he seems to be.
Young boys were not so eager as compared to married men and aging uncles who wanted some respite in greener pastures.
Imagine a scene.
Any lady / girl must have experienced it.
You are sitting quietly in the bus.
Suddenly you find that the seat has shrunk and the man sitting beside you is finding it hard to squeeze in the narrow seat.
His arm is grazing against you.
He feels it absolutely necessary to cross his arms on his chest.
And
His fingers try to grope you.
He thinks you need scratching !
Well, you try to accommodate the guy.
You squeeze to the corner of the seat.
But still it is so tight ! This seat.
Every other seat in the bus seems okay.
But Not yours !
What do you do?
Two options :
Be miserable
Or
Make the seat wider for yourself.
Miserable.
Yes I did feel for a couple of times initially.
One doesn't know much about the world, its ways. One is so young and inexperienced.
One is shy and embarrassed.
What will people say?
And perhaps this uncle will come to his
senses and stop leaning on you.
How soundly he sleeps ! He doesn't know he is falling on you, bumping into you !
How naive one is.......
Then I learned.
These very uncles in the bus taught me the tactics of this "warfare" in the bus.
Fighting for one's dignity.
The bus seat was never narrow and tight again.
No one sitting beside me ever fell asleep. Rather they lost their sleep.
Every attempt to touch was met by a push or jolt or slap. My body responded alertly.
I could breathe freely....
But I made a mistake once.
I pushed an innocent boy sitting beside me.
Coming from my hostel, I boarded the bus to my city.
The driver of the bus thought he was flying a plane instead of driving on the Indian roads.
So the bus "flew". :)
We were sitting with our hearts in our mouths, fearing a collision any moment.
This guy sitting beside me, bumped into me a couple of times.
It was not his fault.
The whole bus was shaking and jolting at the turns on the roads.
But out of habit, I pushed this guy and asked him to move away.
Poor thing was sitting on the corner of the seat, half of his butt hanging in the air !
The pilot of our bus took one nasty turn on the road and this helpless guy sitting beside me accidentally bumped on my shoulder.
I slapped hard on his shoulder and pushed him.
He felt hurt in his heart.
Really hurt.
He hadn't done it on purpose.
He got so annoyed at me that he suddenly got up angrily, looked at me and said, "You are a mad one! ", and changed his seat.
I felt sorry for him.
I mistook him for the usual lecher stuff.
Now after all these years when ever I remember this incident, I can't help smiling...
Just can't forget the look of bewilderment on this guy's face.
Has the time changed him?
Or
Has he retained his values?
His decency?...
No comments:
Post a Comment