It has been exactly two years since a young woman died after she was gang-raped on a moving bus in New Delhi. Last month, as the anniversary approached, Pramod Singh, the state president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, which campaigns on social issues, decided it was important to mark the occasion but couldn’t decide on how to do it.
“We wanted to do something powerful, so we thought of staging a performance on a moving bus,” says Singh.
“We wanted to see if people’s attitudes toward sexual harassment had changed and, if they hadn’t, to try to spread awareness about women’s right to be safe on public transport.”
Singh approached the theatre director N K Sharma for help.
"I had the intriguing brief to come up with a mini-play that could be performed in the journey between bus stops," says Sharma, who went on to create Are You Listening?, a seven-minute skit that has been performed on more than 54 buses across New Delhi in the past few weeks. It is meant to force commuters to think about women's safety – an issue that has become a hot topic again after a finance executive was allegedly raped by an Uber driver on December 5.
Singh trained eight DYFI activists – six men and two women. One day last week, I joined them as they boarded a crowded bus at 11.30am outside the city’s top government hospital on Ring Road.
The actors stood in the aisle for a minute. Then, one of the women swung around and accused the man behind her of groping her.
He answered back aggressively, yelling that if she didn’t want to be hassled, she should stay at home or at least “wear less revealing clothes”.
“The way you are dressed, you should expect to be groped,” he shouted.
She slapped him hard. “What’s wrong with my clothes? What kind of clothes will make me safe?” she screamed back at him.
As more actors joined the fracas, they waited to see if any of the passengers would intervene to challenge the assailant or intervene on behalf of the victim.
“The reactions have been dismaying,” says Suman, one of the actors. “Most people don’t react at all, they leave me to fend for myself. And a lot of men just watch as though it’s some kind of entertainment.”
On the day I was there, the majority of men, mostly in their 20s, watched the ugly scene [the acting was excellent] without backing the woman. Only one middle-aged man and a smartly dressed young woman spoke out, the former trying to calm the assailant and the latter to shout: “Who are you to tell women what to wear? We’ll decide what to wear ourselves.”
Two sisters, Kushi and Uma Khan, who were seated right beside the group, did nothing. However, when it was all over and the group started handing out leaflets to explain why people must speak out when women are being harassed, the sisters applauded the effort.
“It’s important to get people to think differently. Men’s behaviour won’t change until they realise they won’t get away with it,” says Kushi, who confesses to not speaking out for fear of getting hurt.
One of the actors, Sanjay Kumar Singh, says the most disappointing responses come from female passengers.
“Invariably, they blame the woman, calling her immodest, out of control and responsible for ‘arousing’ men. One woman told Suman she should dress decently but Suman was wearing a modest Indian outfit,” he says.
After the gang rape of 2012, India plunged into self-lacerating criticism and revulsion over the average Indian male’s conduct towards women, but not much has changed. Commenting on the Uber taxi case, Rajnath Singh, India’s minister of home affairs, said that 25,000 rapes were recorded in the country this year and called it a “national shame”. A few days ago, the Indian model and actress Shenaz Treasurywala posted an online letter to “India’s most powerful and influential men” – including the prime minister Narendra Modi and the Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan – in which she asks them to campaign against rape and sexual violence in India.
And while the DYFI’s skits on the local Delhi buses are a step in the right direction, attitudes remain resolutely patriarchal and biased. Only a handful stepped in to help: one man steered the woman away from the assailant; a few senior citizens took her side but failed to confront the assailants; and an elderly woman grabbed the assailant by the collar and told him to behave.
Sharma says the response confirms the pressing need for more campaigns to change people’s perceptions about women’s rights.
“I wanted, through this piece of street theatre, to get people to realise that by watching silently, they are allowing violence against women to happen and they are responsible,” says Sharma.
On the bus, Sanjay Kumar Singh talks of the women who have no sympathy for the victim. As though to prove his point, just as the skit finishes, a middle-aged woman dressed in a sari makes an angry remark at Singh before getting off the bus.
“What did she say?” I ask.
Singh shrugs and makes a wry face. “She said it’s all this exposing of skin by women that’s responsible – but her sari revealed her midriff while Suman was totally covered.”
artslife@thenational.ae
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
more from Janine di Giovanni
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The%20specs
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
