When I’m in Kolkata over the winter, I try to take in as many concerts as possible, and one year, during an all-night session of the Dover Lane Music Festival, I stepped outside for some tea, leaving my friends in the auditorium. As I stood in line, someone behind me grabbed my bum, hard. I spun around and began to loudly berate the man standing immediately behind me, about my outrage at this treatment. He stared past me as if I weren’t there, denying that he’d done anything.
A bit later, as I stood drinking my tea (and still a bit shaken), the same man approached me and apologized! This had never happened before, or since. Clearly the guy could not admit his fault in front of his friends, but at least he did acknowledge that he’d done it, and it was wrong.
I’m very glad to see you people bringing so much public attention to this issue. The more we fight back, the more these men will realize that this behaviour is simply not appropriate. Here’s hoping your daughters never have to know what Eve Teasing is!
Posted 6th March 2007
