A better, safer Delhi

'one should not be adventurous.' remarked Shiela Dixit , the women friendly chief minister of Delhi, addressing the press after a TV personality was brutally murdered in the wee hours of the night.

A couple of months later everyone saw a mob audaciously molest a woman in front of a mall right in the heart of Gurgaon , all that was forgotten after a series of ridiculous remarks and fake assurances by prominent people of the city blaming everything from western outfits to interaction between men and women for the crimes.

In the wake of the recent bus rape it all seems so much more ridiculous. If watching a movie in the presumably safe area of Delhi at the logically acceptable safe time is adventurous enough I don’t know what isn’t.. It makes me angry, angry and scared at the same time.
Not too long I was followed by an SUV full of sleazy eve teasers just because I had female company, this event invokes shivers thinking about what might have happened that day, thinking of the victims also does the same , I am sure the guy won’t be able to sleep peacefully for a long - long time, as for the girl we all pray she recovers from this trauma somehow.

Cities don’t commit crime , but there’s definitely something very wrong with the fabric of this city at the moment. Yet I’m not talking about the traffic sense or the basic lack of politeness or the cocky temper which makes one pull trigger at the drop of a hat. All this has been discussed to death so many times. Lets face it , the city is not safe and that’s the biggest issue staring us in the eye. Delhi is not safe , not for women , not for men , not for anyone who doesn’t have a significant political clout. No point trying to neglect it any further , no point saying that crimes happen in other cities too and this is no different. Mumbai , Pune, Bangalore all have stories of gruesome crimes committed on women, but a Delhi –like fear factor is not a part of routine elsewhere. That’s perhaps the first thing anyone hears before shifting to Delhi.

I’m scared to ask my sister to come home all by herself from the metro station, scared to ask a friend to meet me in a mall, in fact , even scared to be out on the streets all by myself . This culture of vulgar display of power scares me , be it physical power, monetary power or just the power of having a gang behind you.

What’s unfortunate is that the people have accepted this fear to be an essential part of the city’s persona. Nobody wants or expects that to ever change. We shouldn’t live under this fear , stepping out after sunset shouldn’t really be the ultimate adventure , having dinner with a female should not be remotely risky, taking public transport should not make our heart pound.

Don’t get me wrong , I love this city , it’s food , it’s world class infrastructure , it’s enthusiasm in celebrating all festivals alike but safety is too big a compromise for all this, it’s not a city we all can be proud of, not yet.

I demand a safer Delhi , not just lesser number of rapes and crimes statistically but a feeling of being safe , where the distance from the metro station to my home doesn’t seem adventurous . A safer national capital where the mind is without fear and the head is held high.

PS: I am a Delhi male and I'm not a rapist. I am apologetic about sitting through all this helplessly, apologetic about knowing that i can't change much.