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Women drivers in India never have it easy. What it is to be a woman driver in India, this writer talks about it.
Driving was never an interest or a passion with me. I learnt how to drive last year because as a working mom, I needed some convenience in life. Simple! Well, not so simple! As soon as I took the leap to get on the wheel, I realized that not only do we “transport” (pun intended!) our society and beliefs on the road, we also take the liberty to “decide” that a woman driver is always the reason of any traffic pile-ups. Amazing! I decided to dig a little deeper and here’s what I found:
Traffic moving slowly? Is there a mess on a four-way? NO. Is it a woman driver not being able to force her car into that mess? YES.
Driving seems to be a gift which men have learnt from their wombs (not to forget that those wombs were women’s to start with). They can swerve through the road in full speed (overtake from left, right and wherever there is space) and blame a woman driver for following lane discipline and blocking their way.
Women are so “fuzzed up” in the head that they don’t know which direction to go! Forget the cabbies and autowallahs who shamelessly stand on the left-most side of the road when they actually want to take right!
This has been discussed/mentioned to death. Don’t ask a woman for directions – they don’t know nothin’! My question is when I’m a GPS-enabled driver, then what’s the harm in following a map and not knowing the exact route to my destination! Technology is meant for us too! Really!!!
This has happened to me so many times that I’ve now lost count. By any chance, if I have overtaken another car – driven by a fellow male driver, I’m shown my place and how! The egos aren’t satisfied till the “case is settled”. I’ve just learnt to laugh it off now!
I just feel that, as drivers, we need to keep our calm and get to wherever we need to go – safe. Some of us are too “cool” to follow rules and that is the real reason for traffic jams and pile-ups. Blaming it on a gender (yet again!), well, is another example of chauvinism.
So, the next time you say, “Is this a women driver?”, think about this.
Indian woman driving image via Shutterstock
A Learning &Development geek , studied English Literature in Lady Shri Ram College (Delhi University), passionate about women and their place in society, being a working mom, travelling and reading about life and things. read more...
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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