End Rape, Don’t Re-define It
“I too have the right to be here
To be me
To walk wherever, whenever and however I please”
Chalk Walk Movement
The first ever ‘Chalk Walk’ in India took place in more than thirty prominent locations in the capital. The silent protest walk covered the usually crowded places like Connaught Place, Lajpat Nagar, Hauz Khas and other important places. One World News went across the city and caught a glimpse of the adventurous campaign taking place in the Delhi University area where, regular morning walkers were also joining the young volunteers.
Amidst this, we got a wonderful opportunity to interact with the organizer of the campaign, Latika Wadhwa who expressed as to why she chose writing on streets instead of the conventional candle march. She said, “We wanted women to write on those very streets where they were teased or harassed.” She further added, “We chose chalk over candles as the latter gets extinguished and we tend to lose the importance of the message. These slogans are written with chalk, hence, they will remain on the roads for each passer-by to observe and follow.”
The walk was a protest against domestic violence, eve-teasing, racism and sexual harassment on streets, in public transportation and even in households. The campaign was organized by ‘MaStyle Care’ which conducts several campaigns each month, based on social issues.
Some of the slogans that caught everyone’s attention were:
“Woman does not walk down the streets for your entertainment”
“I want to be able to sleep in an open field and to walk freely at night”
“Stop objectifying women in songs and advertisement. Honey Singh sucks”
Nikita, a MA student of Arts Faculty who wrote the Honey Singh slogan said, “I don’t like his song ‘chhoti dress mein bomb lagdi mennu’, it depicts as if we wear shorts skirts to show off our skin. Moreover, one can look hot in any dress and not necessary only in a short skirt.” Besides, she also went on to say, “I am glad to be a part of this campaign. As you can see, people are reading these slogans and I think it is good to do something to bring about a change in the society.”
Arpit, a professional photographer said, “If somebody is doing something for a social cause others should not discourage or make fun of it.” His thoughts on the campaign were, “According to me, Chalk Walk is the best way to convey a message instead of online blogging where, people are just watching or laughing at home. So, people need to participate which will gradually grow from one to thousand for people to come out and share their experiences.” Out of all the quotations, he was really inspired by, ‘Naari ka samman karo’ which means ‘Respect Women’.
More than thousand people gathered at Connaught Place to support the thought and voice their opinions. Latika excitedly remarked, “The wave has already started.”
Seeing the response on social networking sites, ‘MaStyle Care’ is planning to carry forward the movement to other parts of India as well.
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