Women in our country are often associated with their gendered roles wherever they move and the society finds it hard to perceive them as an individual overlooking their gender. Thus, it’s a million dollar question whether the women whom we see around in our city are really recognized as a part of the city wholeheartedly by the male residents or not.
Often when a woman is alone on the streets or wishes to come out of her home’s confines to take a whiff of fresh air or enjoy the scenic blue sky; quite unfortunately she is eyed as an intruder in her own city’s space by the men around her. This in other words reminds her that after all, she is a woman in this world that favours men, and nothing beyond that. Her life outside home is simply expected to be a transit between the two destination points. Whether she’s moving on roads, alleys, is going to stations or parks, everywhere her freedom to be herself is greatly thwarted because somebody is always watching over her; i.e. the men of our city.
Delhi: Can a woman feel safe here?
The same theme is highlighted in film maker Sameera Jain’s 64 minute Documentary Mera Apna Shehar where she captures women’s experiences in the city of Delhi through gendered lenses. If you see the documentary, you really will be astonished to find how Delhi, a city buzzing with so much life and vibrancy, fences out women of its cityscape. Here women are ceaselessly struggling to sense in them a feeling of legitimacy when they are out in some public space. The mentality of the male population always makes them feel that they are an aberration to the city and thus gives them a feeling of lowness. Therefore you’ll find women looking into books or magazines even when they are not reading those or fidgeting with their cell phones when they are in some public space, like local trains or waiting for a bus. These sorts of activities allow them to battle with their insecurities as well as with the embarrassment at being ogled at by lecherous males.
‘Mera Apna Shehar’ captures the gendered outlook of the Capital city of India
‘Mera Apna Shehar’ is truly worth a watch. The documentary presents Delhi’s outlook on women through many inter-related narrative strands upholding the different intertwined layers that this strange city has. The everyday lives of many women characters are pictured in the movie. One such is Komita Dhanda, (Associate professor, Lady Irwin College). In the documentary she is captured as ‘The Woman in the City’ hanging out in public spots like bus stop, park, road side, paan shop. In most of the captured shots she is found eyed by men lecherously even when she isn’t trying to look attractive to capture unwanted attention. It’s a matter of ‘daily indignity’ in Delhi’s cityscape for women according to Jain, and indeed speaks volumes about Delhi’s paranoia for women.
The camera recorded real life pictures of the position of women in the city of Delhi, and in this context it’s worthwhile to mention of the shots where Dhanda is shown in park. When these pictures were recorded, she wasn’t aware that the camera was on so she was completely herself-Winkling her toes, scratching, lying on the grass, and doing everything that one enjoys doing in a park. The camera not only recorded Dhanda in the park but also countless disturbing shots of men who ogle her, steal glances at her, hover around her and are literally bemused due to the presence of a lone woman in the park in the evening hours.
One very notable yet disturbing sequence of the documentary is the one in which a car pulling up just next to Dhanda expects her, sort of presses her to get in one evening when she was standing on the roadside.
A ray of hope
In another part of the documentary, it is shown how a non-profit organization called Azad Foundation is training women to become expert cab drivers. These women initially meet with many challenges because the roads of Delhi are hostile towards women, and they find it a little difficult to get used to all the glaring, staring and getting shouted at but they never give up. With their stoic confidence, they bend all hostilities in their favour. "At red lights people really stare when they see a girl driving and a madam sitting at the back. Some guys try to race with me, two on both sides, my car in the middle. So I just apply the brakes and stop. 'Go race,' I tell them in my mind. 'I'll just stay here. I don't want a race'," says Savita, one of the Azad Foundation girls and her comment really ignites a flame of hope and breathes in some positivity in to the bleak shots portrayed in the movie.
To sum up, the film maker’s sole goal behind framing this documentary is reinforcing the oddity of the foul gender play that has ‘dissected’ Delhi. Instead of exposing the abnormalities prevailing in the city, she used her camera with the intention to reveal it, and she wanted to abide by the experiential mode of approach for doing so. This documentary is indeed an eye-opener for all Indians. Though it brings Delhi under the spotlight, yet there are many other cities where the same thing is happening.
No comments:
Post a Comment