debriefing for re-entry

it strikes me only now when i am mentally preparing myself to get back home that northern europe is completely free of chootiyas and haraamis. unbelievable but my year here has been absolutely free of any sexual harassment bar a couple of exceptional encounters.

when i walk in the city, i don't have to shrink so that my boobs don't stick out too much into the public space. if i am returning home late at night and someone walks past me on the street, the hairs on my nape don't stand up in fear of an assault. on the streets, i don't fight everyday battles against non-physical violation of the male gaze.

i don't know whether the commonplace disrepsect for a woman's body and the swarms of depraved hormonal lunatics are a product of patriarchy or sexual repression or both, but the streets of delhi are a regular battlezone.

and i am already tired at the thought of the daily skirmishes.