After a lot of anticipation and speculation, Delhi finally got its first edition of the SlutWalk. The capital's version of the protest was much tamer and smaller as compared to other cities. On a warm and humid Sunday morning, when the anticipation started building up, there were a lots of young volunteers and organisers who were running around with their walky-talkies and tense faces to make sure everything goes according to the plan (and did a good job of ensuring that there was no chaos at the venue.)
While other cities around the world had drawn thousands, Delhi drew just about 500 participants and an almost equal number of media personnel and photographers gathered in the July heat. The general notion that went around was that women will be dressed skimpy and revealing clothes as was the trend in other editions of the walk. But 'Besharmi Morcha' saw women strutting the streets carrying off the usual plain look wearing simple jeans-shirts, salwar-kurta and shirts. It was toned down and as the protesters started coming in, it was clear that there would be no mini-skirts, fishnet stockings or anything that could be subjected to 'questions'.
The organiser Umang Sabharwal said, "We are all dressed up the way all of us would be on any other day, and that is precisely the point. Because clothes are never the reason behind any exploitation, the existence is enough." The 19-year-old also adds, "I think Delhi is the city that needs the 'SlutWalk' the most. Everyone knows what the environment here is like for a woman and I think the reason why it happens the most is because we accept it."
The first-of-its-kind event in Delhi, conducted under intense media scrutiny and heavy security cover, was possibly the most peaceful march ever. The participants walked calmly on the footpaths with their signboards, discussing their reasons to participate with the media and other participants. The march peacefully gave out a strong message against the perpetrators of crime and threats from a Hindutva right-wing group proved to be irrelevant.
The organisers made sure there was no over-the-top exhibitionism at all. For instance, when the march started, a woman raised her shirt for her friend to write a slogan. As an instant reaction, volunteers ran and stopped her from doing so to avoid what they called a 'scene'. They blocked the woman from photographers and asked her to button up.
Personally, I feel the city didn't see much participation because in a city of millions, majority of its women wouldn't know what it meant. It will be insensitive to say all women are victims, but every woman in this city or any other part of the world has experienced harassment, been eve-teased, or any other form of sexual exploitation. Most of us have crossed that lonely street and have had our hearts in our throat when a man on a bike or a car crosses by. The protest, as I percieved it to be, was to fight those fears. It was to put a finger on the issue and evidently not follow a pattern that other countries have set.
The 'SlutWalk' aka 'Besharmi Morcha was nothing as many were expecting it to be. It had nothing indecent. Despite the Indian version being called Besharmi Morcha, the event had no shamelessness (besharmi) in it. But it has definitely opened up a debate. So, in coming years, there may be more participation and the capital may get a little more receptive to it. Apprehensions and debates on aping the West and crossing the line of 'traditional' values of Indian culture can be overcome and the cause can be addressed in a more deserving manner.
As is always blamed, the Walk seemed to be more a media hype than substance. Just that this time media and almost 60 per cent of the crowd was byte-hungry. The participants didn't lack any enthusiasm though Delhi definitely lost in numbers.
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