BENGALURU : Sometimes shared experiences or rather the absence of those shared experiences can bring people together. Growing up as a woman, one does not need context to understand statements like ‘It’s too late to go out in that area’ or ‘Hey! Make sure you are on call with someone if you are going there late at night!’ and on and on it goes. Feeling unsafe in dark narrow alleys, even if they are crowded, is a common thread that binds women from diverse walks. This is why organised night walks for women has seen a steady rise.
Gully Tours started organising night walks for women around streets like Chickpet and Cantonment area (priced at Rs 999) recently. “Our idea was to make public spaces safer for women. We thought of providing a platform, where the walks would happen in the evenings, especially when there’s a little bit of a hesitation to go out in crowded areas,” says Raksha Shenoy, one of the tour leads.
Charusmitha Rao (40), who has been part of one such night walk to Commercial Street, was apprehensive about exploring the darker alleys at night. “The part I liked was that it was a night walk in one of the most crowded parts of the city, where we had to go through dark lanes, and crowded streets,” she says.
For Deepa Satish, an old Bengalurean, these walks are also about making public spaces more dynamic. “I have gone to Chickpet as a student to pick up books and have never seen the area like that. It was a unique experience because I never thought there could be such a rich history in these alleyways. My grandmother used to walk through Chickpet to her medical college and it was an isolated walk for her. Now being on this walk made me feel nostalgic,” says Satish.
According to Prithvi Hegde, who is involved with the social group We Walk at Midnight, which organises night walks across the country, starting this in Bengaluru was an impromptu decision. “I knew someone who had been organising the walks in Delhi and I thought we should do something here. We have done walks in Malleswaram, Nagarabhavi, MG Road, and Sanjay Nagar, the experience of walking at night is completely different. Sometimes we would just walk and find a place and sit and sing there,” she says about the walks which are not charged. They put out a post on social media for which anyone can sign up.
While Hegde believes that these walks are empowering women, she agrees that there are limitations, in terms of inclusion. “Many women are not allowed to come out during the night. There was a point when we were not sure if this would work,” says Hegde.
Like Rao points out, “When you see a group of women confidently walking at night, it’s a very powerful visual for others to see, which will encourage more women to do it, which is the ultimate goal.”