04-Jun-2014, 05:37 PM
Last week, I was forced to think about a situation that some of us must surely have found themselves in , while traveling in a bus or the metro- of having to vacate the 'ladies' seat' or asking someone else to do it.
On Saturday I saw a very lean man board the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro at Qutub Minar( an overground metro station). He was carrying a sack of stuff which was apparently quite heavy.Outside, the heat was raging savagely. He clearly needed a place to sit. The only available one was reserved for ladies. He chose to take that seat. A few minutes later, a group of young women came into our section of the train and demanded that one of them be allowed to take the said seat. It appeared from their conversation that they were on their way to a movie theater.The slightly-built man, who had barely caught his breath, complied and vacated the seat.
I think what happened was quite unjust to the tired man. I would have offered him a seat had I had one.I believe one must offer one's seat to those manifestly encumbered, pregnant women and others who are unable to stand through the journey. But I can't come to terms with the chivalrous practice of offering a seat to a 'lady' just because she happens to be a woman. Should one make such differences when helping others?
I have read and heard a number of arguments in favor of reserving seats for ladies. Most of them are riddled with generalizations and fallacies. Here is an example.
What do the members of the Nirmukta community think?
On Saturday I saw a very lean man board the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro at Qutub Minar( an overground metro station). He was carrying a sack of stuff which was apparently quite heavy.Outside, the heat was raging savagely. He clearly needed a place to sit. The only available one was reserved for ladies. He chose to take that seat. A few minutes later, a group of young women came into our section of the train and demanded that one of them be allowed to take the said seat. It appeared from their conversation that they were on their way to a movie theater.The slightly-built man, who had barely caught his breath, complied and vacated the seat.
I think what happened was quite unjust to the tired man. I would have offered him a seat had I had one.I believe one must offer one's seat to those manifestly encumbered, pregnant women and others who are unable to stand through the journey. But I can't come to terms with the chivalrous practice of offering a seat to a 'lady' just because she happens to be a woman. Should one make such differences when helping others?
I have read and heard a number of arguments in favor of reserving seats for ladies. Most of them are riddled with generalizations and fallacies. Here is an example.
What do the members of the Nirmukta community think?