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other Indian cities. Their presence in the public space has been a visible and distinctive feature of the city. In terms of spatial organisation, most of Mumbai was characteristically mixed use mixed housing with different classes living in the same neighbourhood and a mix of residential and commercial buildings. That along with better street lighting and good public transport constituted a major part of the sense that the city was safe for women as they negotiated public spaces. By way of contrast, a city like Delhi was not so arranged and hence was considered unsafe by women. The Mumbai of today is losing these characteristics. The working class heart of Mumbai, its textile district, is now a schizophrenic amalgam of high-end shopping malls, residences and ofces towering over the remaining working class chawls. While inhabitants of the latter continue to conduct their lives in public spaces and on the street, the new upper-class residents operate out of gated enclaves, connecting with the city only when compelled to step out. Such a dramatic sociological shift, accompanied by a change in local politics now dominated by sectarianism, is bound to create tensions. Apart from such changes, the conduct of life in Mumbai has changed. In the past, the city was considered one of the more orderly in the country. People queued for buses, they obeyed trafc rules, etc. Today, even such minor illustrations of civicminded conduct have disappeared. From small violations to the blatant breaking of building and land development rules by the politically and economically powerful, Mumbai now showcases a culture of lawlessness and impunity. The inevitable consequence of this is the civic degradation that affects every section of the population and the diminished condence in the city as a safe space. As the Justice J S Verma Committee report pointed out, Failure of good governance is the obvious root cause for the current unsafe environment eroding the rule of law. The specics of Mumbai apart, it is undeniable that even if this city had not changed so much, it would not have remained immune to the increasing misogyny that manifests itself across India, not just in the worrying increase in violent crimes but the way women are viewed at all time. Hence, a young woman on a work assignment with a camera is seen not as a photojournalist but as a woman, out in the public space, and available. Similarly, a ragpicker doing her job is primarily a woman. Although separated 7
september 7, 2013
vol xlviII no 36
EDITORIALS
by class and profession, both are equally vulnerable. The difference is that an assault on the former stirs outrage, and can prod the lethargic law enforcement machinery into action, while the latter is ignored by media, the middle class and the police. This selective anger of the middle classes in our cities, amplied by an urban-centred media interested in covering selective
crimes, serves only a partial purpose of forcing a conversation on crimes against women. But it diminishes the publics understanding of why these crimes are increasing touching the lives of all women, not just those living in cities. And the incessant demand for an easy x exposes the inability of this urban middle class to comprehend the patriarchal roots of gendered violence.
september 7, 2013
vol xlviII no 36
EPW