On the streets

December 19, 2014 05:16 pm | Updated November 10, 2021 12:33 pm IST - chennai:

A colleague and I ventured into the ‘dangerous’, lecher-infested territory that is Ritchie Street, last evening, to stretch our legs after a whole day of sitting on supposedly, excellently-made ergonomic chairs. Or to be precise, loiter around. I write this as #whyloiter, a campaign started on December 16, is becoming popular online.

We’ve all been victims of friends who’ve shown up late to the movies. Of endless waits for a bus or an auto that never shows up, particularly when you are desperate. What do we do then? Some of us look through our phones, while the rest of us make-do with people-watching. What then, when you have nothing to do and have exhausted every sociable and solitary option? I don’t know about you but I’ve spent most of my young-adult years boarding random buses to explore the city.

Loiter has such negative connotations: my mind conjures up images of strict teachers who have asked me with such contempt, when they have seen me wandering along the school corridors, “Why are YOU loitering?” I want to answer them now with a “why aren’t YOU? It’s so much better than classes!”

What is so awful about aimless walking; taking in the available scenery, and exercising our right to kill time in a public place without being harassed? If you’re at a park, look for loiterers of the female kind: they’re canoodling, exercising, attending to their children, or chatting with friends — there’s always a purpose, no one wants to take a risk. Before you dismiss this as a bra-burning feminist rant (feminist — yes, bra-burning — no. They’re expensive), it’s to remind women to reclaim public spaces. Whether it’s a dance on the road à la a Tamil film song ( 12B ’s Jyothika is the answer to Kadhalan ’s Prabhu Deva), or discussions over tea, loiter to make a stand.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.