Can you hear a woman's cry?

It all starts with the sperm with a X chromosome which has a 24 hours lifespan fusing with an egg which lives up to three days. One cannot deny being awestruck by the process of childbirth that is still considered as a miracle by itself. We are that valuable. When I could just start feeling proud and precious about myself I’m being covered by a blanket of darkness. I enter into a world where women deserve smartphones but not privacy, salary but not promotion, freedom with insecurity and fashion along with ogling eyes. I call this world, ‘Our World’.

To all of you who know how life in a metro is, will certainly understand the ‘Act of Seconds’ which I prefer to voice out here, along with the unsaid feelings understood by none.

Act of five seconds: To avoid missing the company’s shuttle at 9.00 am She runs behind a bus that’s just left the stop. Not because she had time to apply extra make-up but because she packed lunch for her children and husband and made tea for grandparents at stay, while drying the clothes in a line and managing the house maid. Even if the bus halts, she gets an ugly stare from the passengers which she chooses to ignore.

Act of ten seconds: She is from the sub-urban part of the metro. The roads are like one of those caterpillar rides at theme parks, if you didn’t know. Travelling into the city in public transport is economical and time saving rather than getting involved in the peak hour traffic that adds stress and body strain to it. The bus driver manages to drive fast to catch up with the signal and the side-loaded bus. What is at convenience? The random physical contact men try to have, making it uncomfortable and unexplained for a woman who can’t just afford to miss taking a public transport on time.

Act of one minute: She also happens to travel with the crowd who are blessed with a job but cursed with a 9 to 5 working hours. She has to follow a routine as instructed by her superiors. If work calls even holidays becomes hectic. Why can’t she be left alone even when she’s trying to put up with a challenging schedule? They follow her in not-so-crowded areas and she is subjected to verbal abuse. All she could do is run as fast as she can to a nearby signal and complain to a police man, who lends just his ears but no help.

Act of ten minutes:Sometimes it gets late. She stands at a bus stop and its half past seven. Being a routine traveler she manages to fetch a few coins from her pocket to get a ticket easily from a grumpy conductor and the biggest liar. When does he not have ‘change’? Four coins. Four rupees. When spent over months, yes, that’s a lot of money. But that’s the minimum which she has to spend. Her eyes was fixed to the far end of the road in the right to see if she could spot the right number. Five minutes passed. The next second when she looked up, a shabbily dressed man was visible in her peripheral vision almost behind her shoulders. A girl could sense what’s happening around her. In the 8^th minute she is nervous as it was dark and the crowd kept moving. Luckily a share auto passed by and she rushed. Heart beats slowed down to normal as the auto drove away. She placed the coins in her wallet. The other hand clenched a ten rupee note. She had to spend more.

Act of one hour: The fate of having to recall such incidents that happen to women like me hoping that men would consider being a part of wo’men’ just the way it is spelt. But they say, ‘Words are just words till you mean what you say!”

Isn’t she one among your family? Why put her through the trouble when she has to undergo so much more at her workplace or back home. The few hours of freedom modern day women fight to have, the few hours when they are outside the four walls can be made peaceful by you. By you, men. Gift a woman that next time when you see her. I bet she will be grateful to you for that. You see us not confronting you in public. It maybe because we are bold, well-mannered or to avoid a feeling of being ashamed. But can’t you hear that faint little cry, a women’s cry?

From the one who prefers a crowded ladies coach in local trains,

Swetha Ananthan