“I love walking in the evenings with fewer people on the streets and less light.”

What would you assume the configuration of the speaker for this statement?

In an ideal world, the answer would be – anyone, anywhere.

In a logical world, it would perhaps be a boy or a man.

So, it definitely caught me by surprise when I heard these words from a 20-year old Haripriya. My surprise germinated from the sheer disparity in our outlook towards the act of walking. My idea of walking has always come with terms and conditions in my life

• Not alone
• Avoid spaces with less light
• No unknown streets/areas
• Avoid evenings or late night
• Keep your phone on you
• Be alert

It is like an instant checklist that I carry in my sub-conscience. Having grown up in Delhi, most of us did not have the luxury of taking a walk anywhere without worrying about our safety. Eve teasing, catcalling, unwarranted stares, and curious eyeballs are perpetually out there for company. I have always associated walking with either apprehension or constantly looking over my shoulder.

Illustration by Nayanika Chatterjee @isthisart__/

Haripriya, on the other hand, talks about walking as a means to feel rejuvenated. Having lived in Dharwad, Karnataka for the most part of her life, she grew up in the lap of Mother Nature. She says that walking makes her feel peaceful. There is a strange calmness to it. She often chooses to walk during the evenings for all her errands picking the farthest possible shops and exploring new alleys/routes on her way. She loves it in the evenings because there is less light, countless stars in the sky, and minimal people on the street.

My North Indian soul was caught between happiness and envy as I heard her. What she shared is seldom experienced by girls in our country. We all grow up with “before sunset” as the unsaid curfew hour.

Talking about curfew, in 2018, Danielle Muscato, an American civil rights activist conducted a thought experiment. She tweeted, “Ladies..what would you do if men were imposed with a 9 pm curfew?”. Numerous Women responded and the most common response was ‘go for a walk’. A woman wrote, “Walk anywhere I want, by myself, without my sister freaking out.” Another wrote, “I’d go for a run during the nighttime with music in my ears”. A few men responded with surprise, shock, and saddening realization of how it never even occurred to them that walking is a gender privilege.

It saddens me to know how we miss out on the simple joys of life – smiling at a stranger, starting a conversation, sitting in a park in the evenings, exploring new routes, soaking in nature, or experiencing the calmness of nighttime. What seems like a taxing affair taught to avoid most of my life could have been a joyful activity if we lived in a world where our bodies didn’t define what we can or cannot do.

I walked away from this dialogue knowing fully well that much would not change. Nevertheless, I made a mental note to myself to ensure that I step out for a walk late in the evening, look at the stars and say hello to our dear friend gender equality by reclaiming my space.

Written By: Achalika
About the Author
Achalika is a part of the TARA Foundation, primarily responsible for designing and facilitation of Gender Sensitization Workshops. Outside sessions, you’d find her with a dog, behind a book, staring at a wall (and) or laughing at a meme.