Just how safe is Mumbai for women? Here are some of our experiences

Nowhere is safeDebjani Paul 36 Assistant EditorArea Bandra WestFile pic for representationSatej ShindeWhen was the last time you saw a tipsy woman walking home alone Probably never Itrsquos not so much about whether a place is poorlylit or secluded or in a ldquobad areardquo Even in the swanky party precinct of Bandra West yoursquoll rarely see a woman walking home alone when drunk Never have I been able to exit a bar all by myself and just stand by the roadside mdash whether to make a call wait for an auto or just get a few minutes of fresh air mdash without some creep sliding close or halting their car to ask if Irsquod like to ldquoaccompany them somewhere elserdquo Ewwhellip And thatrsquos why yoursquoll find scores of women huddled together outside Bandra bars every Saturday night so no one has to wait for their cab aloneSkywalk More like a dark tunnelMT Rizvi 22 Editorial InternArea Mira RoadI always take the skywalk when going home From Mira Road station it leads me straight to the road home It feels more convenient than dodging rickshaws and bikes not to mention dogs on the road My sister however is not a big fan Most of the lights donrsquot work which leaves you at the mercy of the streetlights below Then there are the men dishevelled often drunk cursing and fighting with each other A cousin of ours once mentioned how she never uses the skywalk unless she sees other women passing through For women at night the skywalk poses an eerie but simple choice men or dogs You can always trust the dogsGround control can we have some light in UlweArpika Bhosale 39 Deputy Assistant EditorArea UlweUlwe is a red flag for women who live there Whether itrsquos the highway connecting Belapur to Ulwe or the approach road to the Navi Mumbai airport mdash which is being touted as the next best thing in Mumbai connectivity infrastructure mdash the roads are poorly lit and desolate I would never advise any woman to travel to the airport alone at night better to have a friend pick up or drop you This is especially crucial if you are not familiar with the roads which most of the people catching flights here arenrsquot It can get confusing and there is no police presence all the way up to the airport parking Unfamiliarity with the lay of the land is always a strategic disadvantage for womenRats can behave betterTanisha Banerjee 22 Features WriterArea Lower ParelSouth Mumbai is supposed to be safe to walk through right Well not in Lower Parel Irsquove made the mistake of walking alone from Phoenix Palladium to the Railway Colony after a movie at 12 am What I saw belongs in a BBC documentary On one hand I saw multiple fat rats squirming under the foggy moonlight On the other hand I saw men lying on footpaths with their private parts out mdash thatrsquos if their pants werenrsquot entirely missing Irsquod rather have my route riddled with rats who stick to their trash than have men ogle at me There were absolutely no police cars driving around The walk from the mall to my home should in fact be a pleasant one Instead I have to take an expensive cab ride homeNo lights at Versova beachAkshita Maheshwari 21 Features writerArea Versova beachIrsquove always been told by friends to not go to Versova beach alone Living in Mumbai can be very liberating because of how much you can move around as a woman but no city is without its faults This beach is one of them Versova is one of my favourite places to hang out for a fun evening and it almost always ends in a visit to the beach mdash Juhursquos too crowded Versova beach on the other hand is barely lit and has a general nefarious vibe If you go a little further you wouldnrsquot be shocked to spot a man peeing Since itrsquos so rocky you might end up falling and getting hurt too I wouldsay if yoursquore alone avoid the spot at night