When my husband and I were alone, way before the birth of my daughter, we spent a considerable amount of time both in Delhi and Mumbai. Being from Uttaranchal, Delhi was always our first choice due to its close proximity to Dehradun, our native place, even though I had done my higher studies in Mumbai.
I worked as a media professional in Delhi for about 5 years with one of the biggest newspapers of India. Being a journalist, I was fearless, confident and a go-getter, but I felt scared (yes, I did) when I would leave office at 9 pm in the night and had to walk a 100-meter stretch to board the metro train from my office at Barakhamba road.
On days I had late night shifts, I would wear conservative clothes so that I do not get unwanted attention. I would constantly look at the office clock the moment it struck 7, hoping to leave before it gets pitch dark.
While at work there was no such fear, the moment you stepped out of the office you’d be in jitters, suspiciously looking at every passer-by who would look at you as if he was born with the right to stare.
I was not alone to feel that way, many of my friends switched careers in order to get the safe 9 to 6 shift, but I didn’t as there was no way I was compromising with my dreams.
And then we moved to Mumbai…
One day my husband got an offer from Mumbai and we both literally jumped at it. Mumbai changed my life entirely and most of all, it took away my fears the day I landed in the city.
Here, everybody was busy and while nobody had the time to stop, they would make sure that they don’t cause any inconvenience to you. There were queues at the bus stop, at the local ticket counters, at the auto stand and even at the Ganpati pandals. In Delhi, that’s a rare sight!
I felt safe. I felt at home, and more importantly I felt free. There was no eve teasing, people hardly had the time to look at you, forget about following you. I would come home at 2:30 in the night (I still do) and I would be as carefree as I could ever be.
Continue reading on the next page to know what happened when the author got a chance to move back to Delhi!
Many-a-times, the ladies train compartment would be full and bustling at 1:30 in the night. In Delhi, streets in Janakpuri (the area where I was residing) would be vacant at 9:30 pm.
A year after the birth of my daughter, my husband got the “offer of his life” from Delhi and I still remember I got goosebumps at the thought of my little daughter being alone in the big, bad city of Delhi. What's more, the numerous child abuse and rape cases gave me nightmares for days.
A photo posted by Nikhil (@nikhilkashyap0) on
I gave a good thought to it and said NO. It’s not that Mumbai is the safest city in the world, but it’s free and more importantly it’s women-friendly, if there is a term like that.
While I do miss the Dilli ki sardi, the aloo chat, Khan market, Janpath, Dilli Haat, my friends, my family and the yummy street food, am never going to that city again for the sake of my daughter!
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[Main image courtesy: Instagram]
