Thursday 4 April 2013

Wom-Ba-I

Wom - Women
Ba - soul (Egyptian mythology)
I - the nominative singular pronoun, used by a speaker in referring to himself or herself

Wom-Ba-I: Women are the soul of Mumbai

A world without women would be like a body without a soul. Human beings were created to coexist in mutual harmony. Humanity CANNOT survive without either men or women. Increasing number of crimes in our country has fostered feelings of hatred and dislike for the opposite sex.


Considered as one of the safest cities in India, Mumbai is feminine in its essence. Mumbai stands for: Mumba: the name of a goddess and Aai: mother. But do women really feel safe in this metropolitan of myriad dreams? And is any place in India really safe for women?

For people like me who live in Delhi, Mumbai is a Utopian city - a place where dreams are nurtured, developed, and allowed to mature. But the underbelly of Mumbai has a different story to tell. It isn't immune to crimes against women. Sad stories do lurk behind closed doors. Open roads do not always lead to expected destinations. Be it home or a public place - safety isn't guaranteed anywhere. But change is possible.

Change begins at individual level. It is very easy to criticize the society as an armchair critic. Turning a blind eye to social evils depicts nothing but pusillanimity. Taking action is important and perhaps the only solution.

You too can bring about change through WOM-BA-I:

Willingness - to accept each other as human beings and to work towards a better society

Open-mindedness - to tackle issues without prejudice against any gender

Maturity - to accept others and treat them as you treat yourself

Boldness - to say no when necessary

Awareness - about what's happening in the society and always being on your guard

Inculcating - feelings of respect towards women from childhood

I recently attended an IndiChange Meet organized by IndiBlogger and Times of India in Mumbai. I realized that even one step towards positive change can bring about a revolution. On my part I am posting the train helpline number shared by TOI at the meet: 9833331111. Now your duty is to save this number and share it with at least five people. Make it viral so that no woman ever feels unsafe while travelling in Mumbai Local.

This post has been written for IndiChange: Mumbai for Women organized by Times of India and IndiBlogger. To know more, click on the banner:

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8 comments/suggestions:

Anonymous said...

Woow!!... You surely gave a lot of thought in constructing this post!!....

asteria's canvass said...

There is a much needed (read desperately needed) wind of change to blow out here, hope it does soon.

Sriram said...

Don't know if you noticed but the title is a play on words that identifies the struggle of women beginning from the 'womb'.

Chapters From My Life said...

Great suggestions.. Now to see how many will follow this.

Unknown said...

"Wom-Ba-I"
I appreciate your interpretation.
I have been writing:
"Mum-Bai"
Mum+ that keeps mum.
Bai= woman (in Marathi)

I also interpret this MumBai is a fat mistress that runs a brothel where commission agents (dalals) get rich, sex-workers (sic) are exploited.
One may take it or leave it.

Anonymous said...

interesting perspectives, enjoyed reading this blog post.

Unknown said...

a very thoughtful post... keep updating .loved it.!!!!

Tamasha-E-Zindagi said...

Wohoaaa! Wow! what a post. Such thoughtful writing and expression of words. Amazing.

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