The reaction from the citizens of Bengaluru has been phenomenal against the mass molestation incident that took place on New Year as many NGOs and citizen bodies gathered in various parts of the city on Saturday, January 7, to protest in their unique ways.
Also read: Bangalore mass molestation on NYE 2017 is not the first time the city has been shamed like this
In the hub of the city, on the busy intersection of MG Road and Brigade Road, gathered the Citizens for Bengaluru group to organise a freeze mob. The event -- Shame on us! Blame on us! --was meant to highlight how victims are blamed for sexual harassment.
To show solidarity, the women wore big red bindis that denote zero tolerance and carried paper moustaches to indicate how only men are permitted into public spaces.
The group was also carrying posters saying "Shame on us! Blame on us!" to denote that the incident should be a matter of collective shame, not just the victims', said the organiser, Priya Chetty Rajagopal.
Another organiser, Srinivasan Allivalli, said that the event was meant to educate, create awareness and focus on their zero tolerance policy.
An 18-year-old boy, Akshay from Dayanand Sagar University, joined the group with his friend as he believed that public spaces need to be safe for women.
"I would want public spaces safe for my mother and sister. They need to be able to move around whenever they please," he told International Business Times, India.
Another man, Kiran, somewhere in his 30s, said, "Women should be allowed to wear whatever they want. Nobody can dictate what they wear."
Nazu Tonse, a clown by profession, said that the event was meant to show that there will be zero tolerance for sexual assault. And the freeze mob would raise awareness and make media notice.
Two other college-going boys Dilip and Rahul weren't very convinced if the freeze mob would help in raising awareness, but wanted to be part of the initiative to show their solidarity.
During the freeze mob, the men and women posed in stances where the male enacted the role of an aggressor towards the woman in a ploy to use methods of performance art and street theatre to shock people into action and denounce sexual violence in all forms.
Rajagopal said that though CFB is a Bengaluru-specific movement, what happened on NYE takes place in all cities and it has gone beyond Bengaluru.
"It is every city's shame. Bangalore is probably one of the safer places that we know, but we don't have to get defensive about it. Every woman puts up their hands when you ask have you ever had a case of sexual harassment. With a freeze mob you have a chance to focus," she said.
"The focus is shame on us, blame on us. We are talking about the society, government, not just women. The public festivities have become a hunting ground now and we need to change that. We need to reclaim public spaces but you can't keep putting the onus on women. Stop blaming. Let's collectively except the blame and do something about it," she added.
The group that gathered on the corner of the road was soon hoarded with media thrusting their cameras and microphones. Soon after they began mobilising around 7.30 pm. the police showed up and carted them onto a quiet corner of the road, where there was hardly any public around to witness their use of performance art to spread awareness. The initiative was commendable, but planned in a short period of time and fell short in attracting a large number of people.
The city, which reeled with shock on the first day of the year, has gone back to its humdrum where more people gather for the opening of the first showroom of a popular smartphone company in India than an event around women's safety. Whether this is the city's resilience or apathy, only time will tell.
