Where Are The Women? Connaught Place, New Delhi
Photo Documentary on Gender And Public Space in 5 Indian Cities, this is first part.
An edited version of this piece was first published on Firstpost.
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According to a 2016 poll conducted by Thomisson Reuters Foundation New Delhi was found to be the 4th most dangerous city for women. According to National Crime Records Bureau data of 2015, Delhi was India’s rape capital with 1,813 rapes in 2014, up from 1,441 in 2013. Delhi’s Connaught Place (CP) is one of Delhi’s most busy area. Spread across an area of 1.80 sq kms CP is world’s 9th most costly office location. Lakhs of people visit the area on a daily basis for both business and leisure. The Rajiv Chawk metro station located at the center of Connaught Place alone has an average daily foot fall of over 5 lakh. The density of population in Delhi is the highest in India with 11, 297 people per square km and there are 876 female per 1000 males. The population is largely urban with 86.21% of average literacy. In an area like CP one should be able to observe women and men accessing and enjoying the public spaces equally. The following observation emerge from the photo shoot conducted by me with support from Delhi based group, ‘Delhi Photo Expeditions.’
In general in any given space whether public or private it can be observed that women have a constricted body language. Women are conditioned to not occupy too much space. While men would spread out, stretch their arms and legs, lie down whenever and wherever they wish.
In spite of being one of world’s most busy and commercially active area, CP is not the most bright and lively. There are several patches and narrow lanes which become dark and deserted after sunset. Some of these lanes are also pre-occupied by unscrupulous men, making these spaces unsafe and inaccessible for women.
The service industry consisting of some of the city’s best and richest hotels and restaurants operate till late at night but the female workers often have to negotiate early day time shifts or compromise on daily wages since the working environment are not safe.
Foreign nationals are highly vulnerable as they navigate the lanes and by-lanes of CP looking for local tour guides or simply taking a stroll. In Jan 2013 a 51-year-old Danish tourist lost her way back to her hotel in CP and was gang raped in a nearby public park.
There are many benches and slabs all around the inner and outer circle in CP for people to sit and relax casually. But these areas are largely occupied by only male, sometimes small groups of females, females accompanied by their husbands or partners or families, but almost never a solo female.
The pedestrian subway is always considered unsafe zone for women as they are dark and deserted. In several media reports women have shared that they will rather take the risk of crossing the busy road by foot than take the subway alone.
Wine and liquor shops are considered highly dangerous zone for women. While the present shoot is not enough to make a conclusive statement but almost nowhere in Delhi does a woman feel safe to visit an alcohol shop alone or even with male friends.
Paan and cigarette shops are also considered highly unsafe. However both in case of alcohol shops and paan shops gender and class intersect with each other and gives a complex picture. A paan shop located in the well-lit corridors of CP’s inner circle selling imported cigars, cigarettes, lighters, chewing gums etc are considered relatively safe for modern young girls. While the shops located at narrow lanes or under the trees or pavements, selling local tobacco products including bidis remain a complete no-go zone.
While buying a cigarette from a well-lit sophisticated shop maybe less of a taboo but women smoking in public is still a very un-womanly act and may invite a whole range of uncomfortable behavior from men who think smoking in public is purely their domain. Young women of CP desirous of a smoke therefore have identified a special secret zone near the famous Odeon Milan Pan shop where they go for a smoke.
Parking areas in general in Delhi are considered unsafe for women as several crimes are reported to take place in the parking areas. In 2003, a Swiss diplomat was abducted and raped in her own car parked at the Siri Fort complex parking lot. In 2013, a teenage girl was allegedly gang-raped by three to four unidentified men and dumped at a parking lot in CP. In CP too most of the parking lot seemed unsafe as they are very dark with vagabond men looming large doing drugs and other anti-social activities. Even during day time, women have to navigate through the parking lot as men loiter in these areas and ogle at women.
To end on a positive note, I did come across a bunch of badass women who broke a plethora of gender stereotype by reclaiming the public place like they should. The next stop is Mumbai.
