Friday, April 28, 2006

Chivalry - Slow Death?

An incident on the bus today made me think of my take on the issue.
It was 1pm on a Wednesday. And I was tuned into RadioMirchi (93.3FM which kicked off its operations in Bangalore a few days back, giving competition to RadioCity & a choice to bangalorians) & reading a book( have just started it.. "Stepping Out" by Mrinal Pande.. it talks about life of rural Indian women) while commuting to office through the office bus. After picking up fellow colleagues from a lot of places, the bus reached BTM layout at around 1-1.10. There stood a hoard of people waiting to get into the bus and all the seats got filled up in no time. Around 15 or so persons had to stand & commute. In those 15 people, there were a couple of gals. Watching them standing on the bus, I couldn’t help yearning for the good old times when guys used to take it as their holy duty to be courteous to women, and offering them their seats on a bus was the least they could do.

I know it’s the era of the so called emancipated women. We are screaming our lungs out to show that we can compete with guys anywhere and everywhere. We can’t just lecture about the need for equal opportunities and then expect guys to offer us seats on an over crowded bus. Shouldn’t we also stand & commute and realize what guys go through? If women are asking for equality that is what they shall get. Agreed that all the above counter-arguments put forward by guys are correct. But then there are some things which are above being just right or wrong. Don’t you think so too? Being polite and a bit chivalrous wouldn’t do anyone any harm. And I am not saying that men should be the only one doing this. It’s for everyone. Even for women. Offering your seat to a woman, an elderly person, a sick person, helping someone who looks as if he/she is in need even if they are not asking for the same. These are some things that can be followed by anyone & should be followed by everyone. Wouldn’t it just make things so much more beautiful? And don’t do this expecting gratitude. Even if the other person acted like a complete moron and didn’t appreciate your gesture, rest assured someone else will. As they say a good deed never goes unnoticed.

While I was musing over chivalry, my friend Neeraj (who was sitting beside me) got up & vacated his seat for a lady :) . And oh boy!! Wasn’t that impressive? I don’t know whether it mattered or not but I made sure he knew how much I appreciated it.

12 comments:

Ashwani said...

gr8 going dear!!
bound to think abt the points u!!
but i really do respect women :))

Chitra said...

...which reminds me of a very serious topic - reservation...!

Junius said...

i agree to u:-)
and in social life we cannot force others...

hey looks like u get quite nervous,
when u see these things...

try counting 10..9..8.....0
it helps to relax...
and helps to calm down...

Nice post,
Cheers...

Ashma said...

thanks for the feedback and also for the suggestion.. i'll keep that in mind.

Upamanyu Sarmah said...

well noticed...

Anonymous said...

well i just believe in darwin law. the fittest survive. why to help!

Saurabh Dhall said...

Actually the idea of letting some1 else to sit on our seat is nothing but so called "generosity"...its been over a year tht i am in blore...and have travelled in bus for just more than a couple of times.. and didnt get to sit at all.. lol..anyways..i dont knw wwhen ppl will start thinkin that tere is no male or female..no sc / st / obc... no hindu / muslim /xtian/ .. we all r human... and if we can start respecting the personal space of every individual then i guess every single issue is resolved.... respect.... loner...

± said...

a few good men...
thank heavens they still around...

Ashma said...

--ekalvya: can't help but notice.

--:) : Science is fine .. wht abt moral science?

--flying solo: Hmm.. ideal world.. lets c when it happens.. for now we are heading the opposite way.

--harjee: I concur.

angada said...

Chivalry has always been a very male oriented word, very gender specific. I sometimes travel by the local bus or he train in Mumbai. If it is the peak hour and esp in the evenings, when people are returning very tired from the office, it is difficult to find a person (not gender specific) being courteous to another needy person. Its a treat to find a few who look beyond their aching bodies.

Ashma said...

--angada: yeah its true.

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