Are Chennaiites ready for a Slut Walk?

CHENNAI: Generally considered to be a safer city than most, Chennai’s conservative nature acts as a veneer for the subtle forms of sexual harassment a woman goes through everyday on the streets. Keeping in line with the recent international movement of women, the city may soon see a ‘Slut Walk’.The statement of a Canadian police official saying, “Women should avoid dressing up as sluts in order to not be victimised” was the spark that ignited the passionate response in so many women. Blaming women for a crime against them might not have been the best idea, since no women would ask for the brutal physical and psychological pain that is rape.Starting in Toronto, Slut Walk became a worldwide phenomenon: women taking to the streets, bearing placards, wearing slutty clothes. The movement then spread to India, modified to suit our more conservative aesthetics. The message remained the same, if not stronger, for women came in their everyday clothes. The first one, held in New Delhi on July 31, saw more than 1,000 participants, both male and female.Shreya (name changed), a college student, says “I did wonder what the response to a similar event in Chennai would be like. Hopefully, something good will come out of it.” So far the response to the Facebook page has been good. The idea is still in its nascent stage, but going by the posts on the page, it may soon become a reality.With 646 persons willing to attend the walk and 216 who say they may attend, the response in five days has been phenomenal. Discussions on the page have suggested a more appropriate name for the walk, as the word ‘slut’ may not be understood in all its connotation, and some may even find it so offensive as not to support a good cause. In Delhi, the term Besharmi Morcha, Hindi for shameless walk, has been used.One of the members, Tamara, posts, “I’ve visited Chennai annually for the past 15 years, but this year I had an extremely frustrating trip. This summer, I got to a point where, though I’m not a Muslim, I wanted to buy a burkha so that I wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not I would be sexually harassed that day.” Similar posts give an idea of what the women who live in the city go through on a daily basis.Another member, Kshama Adka, says, “Its Chennai! You’ll probably get harassed even if you wore clothes covering every inch of your body! You’ll probably get harassed while the slut walk is on! The intention is well appreciated but pragmatically ...  something to be thought about!”Most women in India are wearing either a salwar kameez or a sari when they are raped  — starting a debate on whether our national dress incites rape as well.There have also been voices of dissent, and some taunts, mainly from men or boys. There were, also, feeble attempts at humour, such as those by a Siddharth Raghunanda, who asks, “Sexually Promiscuous Walk?” are not let off lightly. Women of all ages are welcome, as are men. The place and time of the event are yet to be decided.