Blanknoise

On the distance between our boundaries. Text coming soon

The public on the street comprises of those who 'experience' street sexual harassment, i.e. the survivors; those who cause street sexual harassment i.e the perpetrators and those who witness street sexual harassment i.e the spectators. 
Our very own stat counter on the right hand bar of the page says that 22% of the Blank Noise blog visitors are spectators.  Now its your turn to speak!
Most cases of street sexual violence go unnoticed because they are intangible , can be doubted as 'accidental brush/ touch' ( strictly in the Indian context). More often than not the survivor feels embarrassment  and shame for being sexually violated and does not wish to draw further attention. Some survivors of street sexual violence don't seek public support because of the fear that 'the public' may not always show support, act indifferent, or be one more face in the crowd watching the scene.
Blank Noise Spectators Special asks members of the public, both men and women to share what they witnessed. What was your first reaction? Was it to intervene? Was it to ignore? What did you do? What would you rather have done? Can you share your thoughts about being a spectator. If you have been a 'special spectator' , that is, intervened in the situation, please tell us how! Was it with wit and humor? Or did physically assault the 'perpetrator'? Did you walk away? Or call the cops? Or gather a crowd? Or see another spectator take charge of the situation and participate in any way. 

To participate in this online event please register by emailing us at blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com subject titled Blank Noise Spectators Special.  Link this post to your blog, and send in your blog address. We will add you to the list below.  Deadline for your post on being a spectator is August 15th.  
This event hopes to be one in the series of events planned in bringing together 'survivors'(http://blanknoiseactionheroes.blogspot.com), 'perpetrators' (male only event coming soon) and 'spectators'.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Blank Noise Team

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUG 31.
SEND YOUR STORY HERE


scroll below to see list of participants. to participate please announce the event on your blog, or forward event details to people you know. let us know you will be sharing your thoughts on being a spectator and we will add your name below. No. You do not have to be a blogger to participate!
The public on the street comprises of those who 'experience' street sexual harassment, i.e. the survivors; those who cause street sexual harassment i.e the perpetrators and those who witness street sexual harassment i.e the spectators.
Our very own stat counter on the right hand bar of the page says that 22% of the Blank Noise blog visitors are spectators. Now its your turn to speak!
Most cases of street sexual violence go unnoticed because they are intangible , can be doubted as 'accidental brush/ touch' ( strictly in the Indian context). More often than not the survivor feels embarrassment and shame for being sexually violated and does not wish to draw further attention. Some survivors of street sexual violence don't seek public support because of the fear that 'the public' may not always show support, act indifferent, or be one more face in the crowd watching the scene.
Blank Noise Spectators Special asks members of the public, both men and women to share what they witnessed. What was your first reaction? Was it to intervene? Was it to ignore? What did you do? What would you rather have done? Can you share your thoughts about being a spectator. If you have been a 'special spectator' , that is, intervened in the situation, please tell us how! Was it with wit and humor? Or did physically assault the 'perpetrator'? Did you walk away? Or call the cops? Or gather a crowd? Or see another spectator take charge of the situation and participate in any way.

To participate in this online event please register by emailing us at blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com subject titled Blank Noise Spectators Special. Link this post to your blog, and send in your blog address. We will add you to the list below. Deadline for your post on being a spectator is August 15th.
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A BLOG: no problem. what matters is your point of view. Register with us via email anyways. We will publish your ideas on the Blank Noise blog on Aug 15.
This event hopes to be one in the series of events planned in bringing together 'survivors'(http://blanknoiseactionheroes.blogspot.com), 'perpetrators' (male only event coming soon) and 'spectators'.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Blank Noise Team

The Spectators Special list of participants:
Kshipra
Kis Nakai( Kis does not have a blog to publish the Spectators Special. Her text will be published on the Blank Noise Blog on Aug 15)
Suparna Kudesia
Ritambhara Mehta
Secondwaver
Madhu Agarwal
Saptarshi at urinnersmile

Chandrashekhar Bhattacharya

Anubhav Pradhan
Amrutha Bushan
Suzanne
Rikimi Madhukaillya
Smriti Chanchani
Sarah Khan
Abhishek Baxi
Dale Copley
Trishima Mitra Kahn
Aparna Hajnis
Natasha Hemrajani
Kabir Sarin
Anant Shukla
Jasmeen Patheja
Shaji Krishnan
Varna Shri Raman
Jamie Finlay
Aparajita Sharma
Joann Canning
Fahd Hussein
Anshika Varma
Amit Vardhan
Amandeep Kaur
Ishwinder Jauhar
Preeti Mangla Shekhar
Nitin Sarin
Vivek Kakkar
Beady Sea

Holly K- Stop Street harassment

Hemangini Gupta
Kasmin Fernandes
Devika Dave
Seema Seth
Vaishnavi Bhaskaran
Trishima Maitra Khan
Nadia Saggi
Preksha Kothari
Ashok Govindaraju
Dhruva Ghosh
Sanjana Janardhan
Hemangini Gupta


You?
+ 50 people 'might' participate

WE WILL BE IN

AGRA (SUNDAY)
AMRITSAR ( MONDAY)
LUDHIANA( MONDAY/TUESDAY)
DELHI( WEDNESDAY)
KOLKATA ( THURSDAY)

If Blank Noise members, supporters, volunteers, participants would like to meet and belong to either of the three places, please get in touch with us at blurtblanknoise at gmail dot com
Would love to hear from you!

Thank you
Blank Noise Team

1. Your - age- background
Age: 29
Software Engg

2. why do you refer to yourself as an ex 'eve teaser'. what did you do?
I have given up on eve teasing. I got introduced to you by narrating my story.

3. what is eve teasing to you- what was the range of things that you did
Mostly caressing the bottom or thighs in crowded places. Rubbing private parts against the butt.

4. when and why did you stop?
Because I was punished in public.

5. how do you approach a woman stranger now? if you find her attractive?
I am married now. So no question of approaching. I have lot of friends who are girls.

6. how did you hear about Blank Noise
When I was browsing regarding eve teasing.

7. did you discuss being an 'eve teaser' , strategies and ways with your male friends?
No I used to operate alone. To my friends I was a decent guy.

8. did anyone except the woman who experienced it, really know that you could violate someone?
No. I had a decent image.

9. do you feel that 'teasing' to an extent is ok? if yes then where do you draw the line?
No it is not acceptable in any form or shape.

The answers are not meant to be seen as absolutes or solutions. It is but 1 person's experience. I thank him for sharing.

Listen and read below
In conversation with some men on the streets of Delhi and Bangalore. These men were from across age groups 19- 65 and mostly from a mid income group or low income group. Some were tourist guides, some shop owners, auto rickshaw drivers, student union campaigner.


According to you, what kind of man sexually harasses or 'eve teases' women on the street?


"It's the impulsive type of guy that teases girls"

"It's the youth that eve teases girls on the street. Another person will treat her as his granddaughter or niece. If he calls for her on the street, he will perceive her as a family member".

"The guys who try to act smart are the ones that tease women. I don't know how to be smart or play cool..I am not like them".

"I am telling you. I am from a decent family. I don't do this kind of stuff. I go out to do my work and I come back home straight after that".

"The kind of guy that teases his sister will tease a woman on the street".

"It's the 3rd class or the middle class guy that harasses women".


What attracts you to a woman? what kind of woman? what about her? what do you do then?


" Her figure. Her body. If she has a good figure I am interested in sex, only sex. I am not interested in marriage".

" ...her hairstyle. her removing her hair from her face.."

" She should look fit. Others should find her attractive. Her body- her chest, hips...she should have a flat stomach, other parts of her figure should protrude. She should have nice hips".

" Clothes? I like women in sexy clothes".

" I remember she was wearing a pink colour suit, I remember her hair, I remember her make up, her eyes....I really wanted to approach her. I wanted my eyes to speak to her...and try to approach her".

" I like the simple and sober girls. The girl who wears a simple salwar suit and braids her hair. she should have long hair".

"...I gave her my mobile number and said that your incoming is free and my outgoing is free".

" ...I could sit down on my knees and let her know that she is the most beautiful girl in the world".

" I like foreigner girls".


" I do have a mother and a sister. I dont have a girlfriend or wife.    Will you be mine?"

For those of you familiar with how it works in India- the most frequently delivered line to an 'eve teaser' is- ghar mein maa behen nahin hai kya? Don't you have a mother or sister at home?


Credits to Ekta and Rajshekhar from Blank Noise who were instrumental to making this happen.

Before we begin the 'Gent's Only' event we will be making publishing a few ideas that will hopefully bring to notice the range of men on the street.
For starters, we found this on youtube. Posted by someone called the 'missing agent'. This video has been called "Eve Teasing at the Party".







FUN?

Over the years we have figured that there are over 1000 ways in which you could build Blank Noise. For now, we propose 2.Every Sunday, 2 projects will be shared at Blank Noise.Blank Noise This Place and Blank Noise Action Heroes.
Both spaces are slowly building up with your participation. Thank you!
For those of you who are new to this:Blank Noise This Place: We ask you to go to the place where you experienced street sexaul harassment'- photograph it and send it to us. Along with the photo send in an account of what exactly occurred and where.

We will upload all photographs at http://flickr.com/photos/blanknoisethisplace/

All photos will be tagged on a world map. 
Let's Blank Noise This Place!
Blank Noise Action Heroes: is a separate blog, an offshoot of Blank Noise. This place collects and builds stories of resistance. We ask you to share your strategy. How did you deal with street harassment? How did you fight or respond to it?
All Action Hero testimonials sent in by you will be uploaded at
http://blanknoiseactionheroes.blogspot.com
Who takes responsibility for uploads etc?
Every city has a 2 week rotating set of 'lead volunteers' who make this happen. They send emails, put in that 'extra' bit to ensure participation. Last few weeks have had Dana Roy , Sunayana Roy from Kolkata, Suparna Kudesia from Delhi, Amrutha Bhushan from Bangalore, Nabila Zaidi from Lucknow. We encourage Blank Noise members from each city to sign up as lead volunteers towards both online events. Hope to hear from you soon!

I am prepared and I use both my hands to push him away.

extends his hand to grab

I start walking faster

I could no longer hear his steps behind me

I tapped his shoulder firmly

Too bad he tried to mess with the wrong girl

I went to the Ice cream parlor close by to get my cousins a tub of butterscotch.

I would look “ugly”, “unwanted”, and “undesirable”

Watch out for this place every Sunday morning.

To participate revisit the site where you experienced sexual intimidation in public, photograph it and send us the picture with an anecdote. I

f you would like to participate in getting people from your city involved in Blank Noise This Place, do let us know by writing in at blurtblanknoise at gmail.com

Lead volunteers on a rotating basis. Current volunteers include:
Suparan Kudesia- Delhi, Nabila Zaidi- Lucknow, Sunayana Roy- Kolkata, Amruth Bhushan - Bangalore and Varsha Chandwani- Mumbai

This goes out to any one that has been involved with Blank Noise in any way-
be it online support and participation, street interventions, documentation, research, performance / other An all new Blank Noise Volunteers Flickr Album is finally up and running! Here is the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blanknoise/ Saptarshi Chakrabarty and Purba Sarkar from Blank Noise Kolkata have set it up and are managing the flickr album. Please note that we are in process of setting this up and not even half way through- thousands of people have volunteered so far but the flickr album has only 200 photographs-

• If you do not find your photograph please let us know.
• If you have never physically met with the Blank Noise Team but been an online participant, we would love to receive a photo from you.
• If you don't want a photo- any visual that symbolizes you- a comic, a plant, a logo- send it in!
• There have also been non blogging, non internet participants - such as parents who may have participated in Blank Noise events- please send us their details as well.
• If its NOT OKAY with you to have your picture in the album, we will remove it.

Please inform us at the earliest by mailing in at blurtblanknoise@gmail.com. Or if you would like to send a picture to include in the album, you can do that too.

Please add in details such as blog address, city you are writing in from, what you do/ profession/ occupation, and how you participated in Blank Noise. Mail in at blurtblanknoise at gmail.com subject titled 'your name + photo' We hope that you will write in as soon as you can. From the rest of us at the Blank Noise Team

http://flickr.com/photos/blanknoisethisplace


"My daughter ( 46 years) and grand daughter( 22 years) were walking by the lake. A mad man lift up his lungi and flashed his body parts at my daughter. My daughter was hoping that her daughter didnt see this. She panicked and tried to change her route. He flashed again. She yelled for a security guard from an resident apartment. In the meantime I the mad man ran away.

I told her never to walk there again."- (age 77 years)

It is familiar to most of us. I could hear my mother, father, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, all well wishers say. ' just dont go there. '

How many such city spaces will not be accessed because sexual violation was experienced there?

Shabana in Manchester never stepped out alone. She never experienced street sexual harassment either.
and then again Bangalore, Tokyo, Mexico City and other cities have women only public transport.


Blank Noise This Place is building evidence.

We ask you to revisit the site and exact location where you experienced harassment and photograph it. Please send in an account of what happened with a photo of that place. This project is open to women from across the globe, across age groups.

It would be fantastic if you could get others around you involved- more so if you got people without cameras involved and even shared them.

We could organize week long events with small groups of individuals who want to participate in this.

(Amrutha Bhushan and Goonja from Bangalore will be re -visiting their site. I will be doing the same from Kolkata. If you would like to get involved from your city and get others involved too- email us!)

All photographs will be uploaded at :
http://flickr.com/photos/blanknoisethisplace

and put on a world wide map at :
http://flickr.com/photos/blanknoisethisplace/map/

To participate email us and we will add you right here. Email us at blurtblanknoise at gmail.com subject titled BLANK NOISE THIS PLACE!

Also see: http://blog.blanknoise.org/2008/03/blank-noise-this-place.html


Why are we doing this?

• Because our experience of the city is based on fear and mapped with places to 'avoid'.
  
• Because we want to break the myth of site- that sexual harassment takes place only in 'certain places' at certain hours.
• Because we want women to reclaim their city spaces and not fear them.
• Because Blank Noise collects testimonials in different forms of media and disseminates them back in public.
• To build an argument collectively.
• The collective building of evidence will trigger towards social transformation
  
• this could also be 'fun'- something for all of us to do and make more meaning once people have participated.
• for those convinced- please add more!

List of Participants for Blank Noise This Place:

• Dianne Sharma Winter
  
• Amrutha Bhushan
  
• Goonja
  
• Jasmeen Patheja
  
• Purba Sarkar
  
• Poorna Banerjee
  
• Sunayana Roy
  
• Dana Roy
  
• Nabila Zaidi
  
• you?

important: Blank Noise is not anti men. Poster were published on this blog- extending the argument of the previous post- on segregated public spaces.

photo above- from a regular bus- image of women's reservation seat
photo below from



Bangalore's 'women only' buses. Painted pink.
The women Soumya C. Shekhar of Blank Noise and I spoke with, saw this as an immediate relief, as something convenient.
How do you experience public environments that are exclusively male or female?
Perhaps bloggers and Blank Noise blog visitors from Bombay/ Mumbai who take the 'ladies compartment' in the train will have anecdotes to add!

Also see - Pukar's Gender and Space project

http://www.pukar.org.in/genderandspace/index.html