By Iboyaima Laithangbam
Following the murders, rapes and other forms of racially pronounced attacks and harassments of girls from the NE region in and around New Delhi some high sounding announcements have been made to assist the these girls. And many sections in the NCR have the temerity and audacity to hit the ceiling when some Indian students are beaten up and harassed in Australia.
When my daughter, a student of the hotel management and tourism in Kolkata was informed that she had been shortlisted for a six month training course in a five star hotel in New Delhi I was naturally disheartened. I had made an appeal to the college authority to change the city. But eventually my daughter and another girl had to go to the hotel in New Delhi.
The five star hotel at Vasant Kunj is a relatively new construction. The neighbourhood had apparently sprung up recently. There are vast areas infested with copses, half constructed high rise buildings and empty fields. The area looked spooky. There was no suitable rented house for the working girls. We were informed that a Bihari was letting out some musty rooms. One has to walk through the narrow bylane partially submerged in foul smelling liquids from kitchens and bathrooms. The dark corners will be the death traps for the girls who will be returning at the dead of night after hotel duty. It transpited that two girls had been killed some time back and one of them was from Manipur. After my protests both the girls were shifted to The Lalit, a five start hotel at Connaught place.
The other girl stayed as a paying guest while my daughter and son had put up in a rented room along with a relative. I had taken my son to chaperone his kid sister since I was concerned with the increasing crime against girls from the NE. It was a wise decision on my part. It is one hour's drive from the hotel to the bus stand near the rented house. She usually arrived by nightfall. In case she was needed later in the night she was dropped at the doorstep by the staff car.
Whenever my daughter walked to the rented room some Manipuri boys staying in the locality used to blare out songs from her films. It is somewhat tolerable and decent. But some street Romeos of Delhi had started perstering her. They used to moneky chatter with suggestive and indecent words. In some cases she scolded them. But another Romeo had made serious attempts. He would board the same bus, disembark at the same stand and follow her with hurling words which left little to imagination. One evening my daughter rang up the relative. My son had in the meantime got an employment and he was in the office at that time. The relative gave a chase and the Romeo had the run of his life. Next day my daughter had alerted my son and the relative. About ten Manipuri boys had laid traps in a dark corner. But the Delhiite Romeo perhaps knew what was in store. He remained huddled in a corner of the bus and did not make any attempt to follow my daughter. It was good for him and us. Had he dared to follow my daughter there would have been bloodshed. Mercifully her training had ended and she is now at home, ready to leave for the Kolkata college.
Some Manipuri boys in New Delhi who are in journalism told me that in many cases some girls had invited trouble. Many of them roam the crowded streets in scanty dresses. During my daughter's stay there were two suicides. One Manipuri girl had committed suicide. The other Manipuri boy thought that he was in deep love with Tibetan girl. However it appears that she had jilted him. He hanged himself to death inside the locked room. The putrid body was recovered two days later when the stench became intolerable.
I cannot help recalling a disheartening incident. It was during the days when my youngest brother was a student in D.M.College. One friend of his had befriended with a girl of the same class. The father of the girl was horrified since his daughter was not for a brat like him. He immediately sent the daughter to New Delhi for studies. Some time later by brother and his friend were in the college team visiting Jammu. On their way back they had halted one night at New Delhi. They had decided to visit some bars. They entered such a bar. Soon there were merry making and boys and girls danced to the tune of the blaring music. One burly Punjabi came out dancing with a girl perched at his shoulder. The wildly gesticulating girl with disoriented eyes was apparently drunk. Those present had jeered and leered at her. My brother and his friend were shocked to see that the girl was the one who had been sent for futher studies. They quitely walked out of the bar.
Parents need to give some more attention to the general welfare and safety of their daughters apart from sending money.
This article was published on The Imphal Free Press.