Mumbaikars are showing their support for the original Slut Walk movement by organising events and online campaigns
Mumbaikars are showing their support for the original Slut Walk movement by organising events and online campaigns
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One week ago, a barrage of female-targetted expletives would greet anyone logging on to the India page of Facebook. The attempt was to lay the foundation for Slut Walk India, the feminist protest march that originated in Toronto, Canada.
The Delhi-based organisers were unlikely to be prepared for the severe backlash the idea would receive, which compelled them to rename and postpone the event from June 25 to the end of July.u00a0 It is now the Besharmi Morcha. 
Sudeip V Nair is organising a women-only tribute concert called Audio
Slut to pledge support to Slut Walk in Canada
Co-organiser Umang Sabarwal says, "Not all people understand the meaning of 'slut.' So after much debate, we zeroed in on the (new) name. It's got a larger reach."
The Delhi participants of Besharmi Morcha were also asked to tone down the dress code as a safety measure, so as not to make the protest too provocative. A move that is clearly another attempt at moral policing and contradictory to the very premise of the Slut Walk, which was born out of a reaction to protest sexual violence by taking to the streets dressed in "slutty clothes".
Lesson learnt
Learning from their controversy-hit Delhi brothers, a host of Mumbai's protest-happy revolutionaries are treading a more cautious path by organising covert events inspired by the original feminist movement.
Event company Bombay Elektrik Projekt's Sudeip V Nair has decided on a sonic protest. Called Audio Slut, Sudeip has put together a female-only tribute concert for Slut Walk that will be held this Saturday at Zenzi, Bandra.
"My idea is to pledge support to the Slut Walk in Toronto by organising a concert dedicated to victims of sexual abuse," explains Sudeip.u00a0
Audio Slut will feature female singer/songwriter Cherry Fernandes and DJ Saarikah. "This is not a street protest. This is just a means of lending support," clarifies Sudeip.
Silence the whistlers
31-year-old creative professional Harrish Iyer is also hoping to spearhead a movement against the 'whistlers': men who resort to street sexual harassment through the Seeti Bajaao movement.
"I haven't yet decided on a date or venue. But it's tentatively fixed for July 17. It's an online campaign for now, where I am encouraging people to share their stories of abuse. I'm also looking for a woman to take this forward," says Harrish, who has been a victim of child sexual abuse.
"I had earlier called the event Maal Chaal but, like Slut Walk, I faced a lot of opposition," he says.
The origin of Slut Walk
The Slut Walk protest marches began on April 3 in Toronto, Canada and became a movement of rallies across the world. Participants protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance. The rallies began when Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto police officer, suggested that to remain safe women should avoid dressing like "sluts". The protest takes the form of a march, mainly by young women, where some dress in ordinary clothing and others dress provocatively.
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