Feminist Activism in India

I’m not sure how many of you follow Indian news, or if the attack in Mangalore drew international attention, but I’ve been thinking quite a bit about it during the last month and a half. To give you a bit of background, women have been harassed in India for years for walking together with men before marriage, wearing jeans and t-shirts and other “revealing” clothing, going to pubs, etc. It’s not only civilians who have been harassing these women, but police as well. There is also a sizable portion of the population who feels that the police have a duty to monitor such women.

My friends and I have had personal experience with this. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been sexually harassed on the streets in India. Friends of mine have been grabbed, and others have been accused of being “whores” for walking with men after dark. Hotels and restaurants sometimes won’t serve a white woman with an Indian (or Indian-American) man because she must be a prostitute. The plight that commercial sex workers face at the hands of the police is much worse.

Okay, so what happened in Mangalore, Karnataka? In late January about 40 men from Sri Ram Sena (a right-wing Hindu group) attacked mainly women in a pub in Mangalore. Their claim was that such women are destroying Indian culture and that it was their duty to save them. Since then, there have been numerous attacks on women reported throughout Karnataka. I’m not sure if this is because the number of attacks has increased or because there is increased media attention focused on this issue. Several men have been arrested but none have been prosecuted because many of the women who were attacked are too ashamed or afraid to step forward.

The attack in Mangalore has sparked quite a debate in India. What I find so interesting (and upsetting) is that the debate isn’t only about whether or not women should drink and/or go to pubs in India, but also whether inciting physical violence against them is an appropriate response. About a month ago there was a television program that somewhat sensationalized the issue by using the term “CULTURE WAR”. Regardless, the show was fascinating with people from numerous different perspectives discussing the issue: the BJP (a right-wing Hindu political party), alcoholics, women and men from many different backgrounds, and middle to upper middle class feminists (it should be noted that while street harassment happens to all women in India, it is mainly middle to upper middle class young Indian women who attend pubs).

Each perspective used its own language: the BJP party condemned the violence but supported the cause of “saving women” from western culture (and since women are the gatekeepers of Indian culture, saving Indian culture as well); alcoholics skirting the gender issue by condemning alcohol because of its addictive capacity; a few women and men who discussed the immorality of alcohol; and feminists claiming that the attacks were a violation of human rights, that it’s not the responsibility of women to preserve “Indian culture,” and that India is such a diverse country that there is no such thing as a singular frozen Indian culture in the first place.

There’s no doubt that in India pubs and bars are historically a male-oriented space, and that women have a profound effect on the organization of that space upon entering it. During the one time that I entered a bar in Mhaswad (very different from any city bar), the crowd went silent, the bartender was reluctant to serve me, and once he did serve me he shoved me into a room and closed the door. While I know that part of the reason he didn’t want people to see me was that he wanted to make sure I was safe (as an aside, I’m not a fan of protectionism), I also think that my presence was seriously disrupting the people in the bar. They had absolutely no idea what was going on and why I was there. I just wanted a drink!

The feminist response to these recent attacks has been pretty amazing. “Pub-going, Loose, and Forward Women” from all over the country are organizing under the Pink Chaddi Campaign. These amazing women organized over 1,500 pairs of pink underwear (some as smelly as possible) to be sent to Muthalik (one of Sri Ram Sena’s leaders). They also all went to a pub on Valentine’s Day and had a drink (both alcoholic and non) for Indian women. What a hilariously poignant and playful way to say fuck you to Sri Ram Sena, the BJP, and the Indian government. Since then, the Pink Chaddi Campaign has organized events all over Karnataka, from Take Back the Night events to peaceful protests and silent demonstrations.

The response to this movement has been somewhat mixed, as can be expected. Muthalik (who obviously has no sense of humor) is threatening to sue each of the pink panty senders for defamation. Other people are blaming these women for blowing the issue out of proportion and not focusing on more “serious” issues such as dowries, illiteracy, and poverty. One person even went so far as to say that it’s immoral for wealthy people to waste their money on alcohol. Other people had issues regarding the public perception of the campaign, that people would write it off as an organization led by Christian women in a predominantly Hindu country (some of the organizers are Christian but there are also Hindus, Muslims, Jains, etc. involved).

Feminist activism has a strong history in India, and I’m really happy that women have taken a strong stance against violations of their rights. For those of you interested in following or participating in the campaign (it’s become a worldwide effort): http://thepinkchaddicampaign.blogspot.com.