Virginia Woolf, writing the words quoted in the title of this post, meant something very different to what I was reminded of this evening. I was reminded of my younger self who had her poor heart in her mouth each time she was outdoors alone. Yes, it was very, very dangerous to walk on the streets of Delhi, without an older male beside you.
When I was a teenager, one of the wishes closest to my heart was to be able to walk to my destination (class, church, market or park) alone without having my soul mauled by stares, comments, jostling or even violence. Yes, violence too. I recall one time when a group of boys followed my sister and me as we walked to the local market. Inexplicably, one of them flung a stone at us, which hit me on the back between my shoulder blades. I had mild agoraphobia for years and even today my slouch gets worse when I'm outdoors.
This evening, the daughter of my former classmate (he died of cancer a few years ago) was walking ahead of me, books in hand. A Delhi Transport Corporation bus lurched towards her on a road that was empty as far as my eye could see. I was shocked. The driver, older than her dad would be today, could have run the girl over. She appeared to be lost deep in thought and didn't notice anything amiss, bless her. Reminded of my own fear-filled days, I looked at the driver and he stared right back.
Young women in other cultures can walk about, composing poetry in their heads if they so wish, and no one would molest them. But is the concept of allowing women equal and free access to public spaces alien to this country?
