Let's Go for a Walk//Exploring Women's Presence & Histories in the Gullies of Chandni Chowk

3.2 MAIN OUTPUT: WEBSITE

The collective experiences of the participants find their expression on the website, bearing the same title, 'Let’s Go for a Walk: Women’s experiences from the gullies of Chandni Chowk.’ The website functions as a dynamic tool to showcase the experiences and perspectives of these women, aiming to initiate a discourse around them. It serves as a platform for sharing their journeys and narratives, providing insights into their relationship with the alleyways and the broader public space.

By featuring only six participants, the website offers an intimate view of their individual interactions with public spaces, providing a micro-level vantage point. Incorporating a blend of visual elements and their shared observations, the analysed data is presented through a combination of graphics and visuals. These visuals spotlight the 'moments of pause' experienced by each participant during their walks, employing silhouettes and highlighted objects to illustrate what captured their attention. Additionally, through the showcased videos, the website’s viewers are invited to virtually accompany the women on their walks, providing an opportunity to witness and immerse themselves in the streets from the women’s unique perspective.

a wider discourse on these crucial matters.

Please note that the subsequent sections offer a summary of the observations made through the participants’ walks, and the full analysis of this study can be explored on the website

The website as a digital tool serves two main objectives. The first is to foster awareness and comprehension of the perspectives of women within public spaces, specifically, the gullies. Secondly, it seeks to inspire women to venture out for leisure, cultivating a sense of enjoyment and comfort in their urban surroundings. Additionally, it hopes to join conversations surrounding gender dynamics and safety considerations, inviting Fig. 16: Let’s

5. For more information please visit: https://letsgoforawalk.cargo.site/

Go for a Walk: The website

Fig. 15: Let’s Go for a Walk: Landing Page

Fig. 17: Videos from the participants. Available on website

The subsequent section provides a concise summary of the participants’ individual experiences, offering insights into their perspectives on the walks.

Upon closer examination of the collected data, it becomes evident that the participants interpreted the guidelines in their own unique ways. Some recorded themselves walking through the entire stretch, whereas some only documented parts they thought were integral to the research. This may have also had an impact on their experience as participant 3 states in her document,

“One can also note that due to the constant presence of a camera which was used for vlogging/documenting the entire walk, perhaps people were unwilling to engage negatively. They become more aware of the fact that they are being recorded in case they behave negatively towards women.”

Another important observation is that one of the participants was unwilling to travel to Chandni Chowk all by herself, especially in the evening. She took a friend along therefore on a Sunday afternoon making them participants 4 & 5. This further emphasises the perception of some gullies being unsafe, keeping women from truly enjoying their urban experiences.

“I had a negative preconceived notion of the streets of Chandani Chowk. When I signed up for this activity the first thing I did was, called a friend who could tail me during the walk.”

Though these participants walked through the gullies separately, they were never a few hundred metres apart so they could spot each other at all times. Her friend talks about it not being as uncomfortable as she imagined,

“The CCTV cameras do reassure one in such crowded space; however, I would still not venture to Chandni Chowk alone. You can get lost in the throng of people and it feels like there are 20 eyes following you everywhere with eager shopkeepers chasing you every few minutes.”

Through the imagery shared by the participants, there were also some observations in the way participants walked through the gullies according to their convenience and perception of safety. While the longer stretch of the walk was along a wider gully, Chandni Chowk Road, well-lit and pedestrianised, the last two to three hundred metres of the stretch were in a comparatively narrower gully, Gali No.4, not as well-lit as the previous one and more chaotic and crowded. Hence, participant 1. made a conscious choice of not entering the second stretch noting,

“There were moments when I still felt a tinge of concern to enter the narrower lanes where the crowds could become overwhelming.”

The participants’ detailed experiences is beyond the scope of what has been presented in this section. The full documentation, therefore, is shared on the website.

Fig. 18: ‘Moments of Pause’ diagram for Participant 1

Participant 1

Saturday, 6.30pm

3.4 REFLECTIONS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE WALKS

The walks undertaken by the participants of this project might not appear to make a substantial impact, but it is these same routine tasks that the research study aims to scrutinise. Reflecting on consistent observations from the walks of the different participants to piece together the experiences of these women in the gullies of Chandni Chowk, the study seeks to understand the impact it had on their relationship with the public space.

Participant 2

Sunday, 4.30pm

Section 1.1 titled ‘Women in the Indian City’ discusses ‘female fear’ in relation to the gendered violence the city of New Delhi faces. In Chandni Chowk, the levels of fear may not be of an alarming nature. Additionally, out of consideration for the project’s purpose and the well-being of the participants there was no intention to ask them to visit unsafe parts of the

city. Although Chandni Chowk is a widely frequented part of the city, there may be spaces that women may want to avoid. Simultaneously, there could be segments of the street that they are comfortable visiting or would willingly consider in the future. These segments might contribute to their collective experience, potentially reflecting nuances of the urban environment that might be inconspicuous at first glance. However, when we aggregate the results of the walks, these nuances become apparent. As we navigate this section, we go through the analysis of the participants’ walk in the two primary subsections. The first titled, ‘Feminist geography’ questions the presence of women on the street. The next, ‘Perceptions of Safety’ helps us understand the different ways in which safety is perceived in public spaces by different women.

Participant 3

Wednesday, 8.00pm

Participant 4

Sunday, 1.30pm

Participant 5

Sunday, 1.30pm

Participant 6

Thursday, 6.18pm

Fig. 19: Analysis of walks for all participants.

3.4. Feminist Geography

The term ‘Feminist Geography’ was apparently discovered by Margaret Wente, a columnist for Globe & Mail, to prove that humanities and social sciences were worthless enterprises. Leslie Kern uses the same term to reconcile the meaning of feminism to its function in actual public space. She says, “A geographic perspective on gender offers a way of understanding how sexism functions on the ground” (Kern 2019, p.13).

During the analysis of the different walks of women who undertook the activity in Chandni Chowk, there was a noticeable difference in the way men and women populated the streets. In the context of the project, ‘Feminist Geography’, simply translated to the quantity of women compared to men present on the street. One could potentially argue that there might be more men than women in the city overall. However, given that this market area is recognized for accommodating a larger number of shops for women than for men, the analysis seeks to raise the question: where are the women? This outcome doesn't necessarily imply that women have limited access to this area; they still visit, but it remains an interesting observation. Participant 4 notes,

“The men to women ratio was not at par, but being a woman on the main road I did not feel scared.”

The diagram illustrating this section, shows the different paths taken by the participants and employing coloured circles shows the difference in numbers between men and women on their walks. The inclusion of a diagram to illustrate the paths taken and the gender distribution adds a visual element that enhances understanding. This visual representation can be an effective tool in conveying the findings of the study.

Fig. 20: Feminist Geography: Exploring the presence of women in Chandni Chowk