As a woman I don't want to be exempted from Odd-Even rule

Five days into the #OddEven experiment, I feel I have seen and heard pretty much everything about it, both for and against.

It has been by far the most discussed topic ever since the New Year commenced and much to my dismay, even after the Pathankot attack and the earthquake in northeast India.

The immediate declaration of its success in the initial three hours on the first of January by the Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal  was both taken in a positive light and as an easy bait for trolls who have been hell bent on proving how starting the odd-even rule has been the worst thing that has happened to Delhi.

Social media dedicated an entire day to the fake pictures of the overcrowded Rajiv Chowk metro station. Even a prominent newspaper didn’t feel the need to verify the source before using the picture, all of it just to prove what a nuisance this movement has been.

In contrast, I could also see heart-warming response not only from the AAP representatives who could be seen cycling and carpooling but also from the common people of Delhi. People willingly embraced public transport - buses, metro, auto rickshaws and cabs. The enthusiasm to work for better air quality as a team suddenly emerged out of nowhere.

The only thing that troubles me deep down is the feeling that as a woman I have been excluded from this team effort. Exemption to the single women drivers and kids below twelve on the grounds of safety might not stop me from following the rule and being part of this amazing movement, but somehow I feel it is not fair that the men should carry the responsibility for a safer, cleaner air solely on their shoulders.

Allow me to be a little melodramatic here.

Will the cleaner air ask your gender before entering your nostrils? Will it say, “Ah well! You are the man who helped me purify myself. Allow me to enter you gladly.” Or will it turn cold shoulder to a woman thinking that she was exempted from this movement? 

Of course, not.

Cleaner air is everyone’s right, so it is also everyone’s collective responsibility to participate in the odd-even movement irrespective of their gender.

A lot of people have raised questions about women’s security that might be jeopardised because of this #OddEvenFormula.

I have two things to say to them.

One, when thinking about women’s safety, first think about the women who already commute by public transport and whose number is far greater than that of women who own cars. The safety question does not concern solely the upper and middle class but also the lower and underprivileged section of women. Not denying the fact that it is still a major concern, Delhi being the rape capital of India.

Second, the women who truly feel themselves equal to their men counterparts will definitely find safe ways to be a part of this movement if they want to. One such method is carpooling with friends. Not only will it give us a sense of equal responsibility towards better air for ourselves but it will also be a fun filled ride with loads of gossips and laughter on the way to work and back.

Delhi Metro’s ladies compartment can be another way to commute if one finds it impossible to share a car with a neighbour or a friend.

By exempting the single women drivers, a different kind of elitist sexism comes to play in a subtle manner because it excludes only the women who own their own vehicles.

I, as a woman who believes in equality, do not wish to be exempted from the odd-even movement.

What about you?