Tuk tuks or auto rickshaws are very useful vehicles in places such as India and Sri Lanka because they can scoot around in the most unlikely places, are cheap to run and therefore to hire and there are many hundreds of them just waiting for you to hop in and pay for their keep. Hundreds of them, in just a small area. That's the problem, as, while they are efficient in getting you from place to place, even mounting a footpath it there is one, they seriously clog all the roads. At least the driving behaviour is better here.
One morning we hired Poppin and his tuk tuk to take us to Trivanduram principally to sort out a sim card problem that was causing Sam some anguish and then to have a look around Trivanduram. After a breakfast of dosa we left early, hoping to beat the heat.
It took some effort zipping here, crawling there, in narrow streets, waiting at traffic lights before we finally found the office. Two minutes in the cool and the problem was fixed - the booth at the airport had neglected to give us the correct code as had the people on the end of all the help seeking calls we had made. At last, a happy man and his ipad!
As I see it the issue of safety from assault, abuse and more is an issue at varying levels for women almost anywhere in the world and arises from the absence of gender equality. While, tragically, women are most at risk in their own homes, travelling, even short distances brings its own such problems. I was delighted to see a few of these tuk tuks displaying their pink women friendly signs. In other countries I have traveled in women only carriages of commuter trains and I am currently advocating for women and children only buses in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. But that's another story.
Here in Trivanduram the pink rickshaws were started by the City Police a couple of years ago after women made very many complaints of abuse, harassment and fleecing.The drivers are usually male and have been carefully selected and trained in how to behave towards women passengers. Men may also use these tuk tuks however women have priority. There are now at least two other women friendly transport options, one of them a taxi service called SheTaxis. As women make up about half the population [ "about" because of reported gender selection practices in this part of the world] I can see these businesses doing very well! There are now a few women driving rickshaws here and in other parts of India - something unheard of and impossible just a few years ago.
For most part of the trip I was hanging out of the tuk tuk taking pictures, very few of which were useful except as a memory of the day. I was delighted to see the wide variety of colours of the school uniforms - so much more attractive than the universal white of the Sri Lankan ones.
Sometimes the streets were so narrow I had the merchandise displays brush my face as we passed!
The Sree Padmanabhswamy Temple is a very important religious site to those of the Hindu faith. Housing gold and precious stones, it is said to be the wealthiest temple in this part of the world, Lord Vishnu is its principal deity, bringing devotees from far and wide to worship. As we are not of the Hindu faith we were denied entrance. This exclusion of non Hindus is apparently quite usual here in Kerala, although not elsewhere, notably at Hindu temples in Sri Lanka.
As we couldn't go inside, we were left to people watch.
I wondered if there was a special ritual taking place because all the males in many family groups went into side rooms and later appeared bare chested, as is a requirement for men entering Hindu temples, and wearing new gold bordered sarongs and shawls. The women then joined them for a family photo. They then entered the temple.
After a lovely Keralan lunch it was nap time in the cool for these two plus aged travellers!
 |
| Poppin and his tuk tuk |
 |
| Dosa, photo from Teresa |
It took some effort zipping here, crawling there, in narrow streets, waiting at traffic lights before we finally found the office. Two minutes in the cool and the problem was fixed - the booth at the airport had neglected to give us the correct code as had the people on the end of all the help seeking calls we had made. At last, a happy man and his ipad!
 |
| A women friendly auto rickshaw |
Here in Trivanduram the pink rickshaws were started by the City Police a couple of years ago after women made very many complaints of abuse, harassment and fleecing.The drivers are usually male and have been carefully selected and trained in how to behave towards women passengers. Men may also use these tuk tuks however women have priority. There are now at least two other women friendly transport options, one of them a taxi service called SheTaxis. As women make up about half the population [ "about" because of reported gender selection practices in this part of the world] I can see these businesses doing very well! There are now a few women driving rickshaws here and in other parts of India - something unheard of and impossible just a few years ago.
For most part of the trip I was hanging out of the tuk tuk taking pictures, very few of which were useful except as a memory of the day. I was delighted to see the wide variety of colours of the school uniforms - so much more attractive than the universal white of the Sri Lankan ones.
Sometimes the streets were so narrow I had the merchandise displays brush my face as we passed!
 |
| Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Trivanduram |
I wondered if there was a special ritual taking place because all the males in many family groups went into side rooms and later appeared bare chested, as is a requirement for men entering Hindu temples, and wearing new gold bordered sarongs and shawls. The women then joined them for a family photo. They then entered the temple.
 |
| Keralan Lunch |
An interesting post
ReplyDelete