THE LUST TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY
Arriving in DELHI as a white, tall, 'beautiful', western, scandinavian girl was somewhat the beginning of a very complex story of DELHI public space.
To what extend do women and men have the freedom to live their lives
and behave as they wish in DELHI?
And for that matter people in rest of the world?

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS TRIVIALISED AS 'EVE TEASING by ROAD ROMEOS'
Meeting in DELHI with the Indian artist Jasmeen Patheja, she told me about the phenomenon of EVE TEASING and ROAD ROMEOES in Delhi. She works daily on www.blanknoiseproject.blogspot.com
EVE TEASING means; Indian men teasing Indian and foreign girls in the streets in the night. EVE TEASING is sexual harassment turned into a joke. Boundaries of what is 'normally' legal is collectively being pushed further and further accepting EVE TEASING and restricting thousands of Indian women everyday at every hour.

EVE TEASING ranges from; young men called 'ROAD ROMEOS' hanging in the streets 'vooing and commenting' on a girl's behavior, because these men believe she is 'too proud', 'not dressed properly', 'too shamefull to look at' and 'out too late in the night'. When asked why these indian men behave like this, two young male airhostess students replied:"It's human nature. This is how men are. They cannot help it. It is hard to understand women".

THE PITFALL OF ANXIETY AND JUDGEMENT
I didn't want to fall into the pitfall of ANXIETY and JUDGEMENT of the other sex or my own sex, and end up broadening the GAP between male and female. It is not human nature to restrict the other sex, neither for men nor for women.

DON'T LET YOUR FEAR EAT YOUR DREAMS
Thus - I decided to work from Creative Action's point of view, trying to bring in involving play, joy, open-mind, and re-open public space to women. This meant trying to COMMUNICATE to the heart and bones, asking questions away from the traumatic field, and into the deeper healing resources of every human being:
What do you dream of doing in Public?
What do you dream of wearing in Public?
What change would make this a fearless place for you?
What change would make you take the buss again?

LAW PROTECTS ONLY MODEST WOMEN
Indian Law section354 IPC says that one is likely to be imprisoned or charged with fine if one has outraged the modesty of a woman. Thus Indian lawyer Astha Arora, among thousands of other indian women question themselves the notion of the quintessential indian woman- virgin, mother, buxom, who lowers her gaze, has long hair and most importantly is a MODEST woman.
What does modesty mean?
What does it connote?
Does the law say that all women who are modest are protected and others not?

RESEARCH
On my travel in DELHI I talked to indian middle class girls and boys, Astha Arora a young lawyer, SAHELI and JAGORI women organisations, Crime Against Women Cell in Delhi police, young men in the streets of delhi, and practically everyone I would meet, who would like to talk on the subject of SEXUAL HARASSMENT & personal freedom. The meetings revealed complex opinions on the issues of sexual harassment, genderroles, parentalroles, city infrastructure.