Indian Women Celebrate \'Dented and Painted\' Moniker

Courtesy of Blank NoisePeople holding pledges, that they took as part of an event called “Painted Dented + Pledging,” in Bangalore, on Jan. 1.

President Pranab Mukherjee's son, Abhijeet Mukherjee, beat a rapid retreat after he was roundly criticized last week for dubbing women who had come out to protest in Delhi ”highly dented-painted.”

The phrase was apparently a nod to fact that the women were not students, and may have even been in their thirties, Mr. Mukherjee tried to explain. Under increasing pressure, Mr. Mukherjee, who is also a member of Parliament from the ruling Congress Party, eventually withdrew the statement, offering an “unconditional apology,” which presumably covered women of any age.

But the phrase “dented-painted” isn't going away. In fact, some women have decided to celebrate their dents and paint.

A screenshot of an Amul advertisement depicting, President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit Mukherjee.

On New Year's Eve, Citizen's Collective Against Sexual Assault organized a protest in the form of a street party called “Take Back the Night” at Saket in south Delhi, the neighborhood where a private bus picked up a 23-year old woman on Dec. 16. The woman's rape on the moving bus, and her subsequent death have inspired protests across India, demanding safety and justice for women.

The New Years Eve invite, which was posted on Facebook and circulated over mail, implored people to “Be Warm- Bring Family, Friends, Lovers, Pets” and “Come Dented and Painted.”

Prominent women in India, including Tavleen Singh, easily one of the most well turned-out journalists around, have not hesitated to embrace the phrase. In an opinion piece titled, “Painted and Dented Musings,” she panned the government's response and particularly the statement made by Mr. Mukherjee. “By the time the President of India's son made a spectacular ass of himself on national television I had already spent many hours musing, in a painted and dented sort of way, upon the behavior of the chief resident of Raisina Hill,” she wrote, referring to President Mukherjee.

After watching Mr. Mukherjee's original comments on television, an infuriated Rashmi Vallabhajosyula, a Bangalore-based marketing consultant and mother of two, set up a Facebook group called the Society of Painted Dented Ladies of India.  She thought venting on social networks would help deal with pent-up anger over the in creasingly callous anti-female remarks by those in power.  “I am a normal Indian girl telling them that I am tired of listening to the name-calling and men telling us not to eat Chinese food, not to talk on cell phones and not to wear Western clothes,” she said.

Ms. Vallabhajosyula said Mr. Mukherjee's caustic commentary was the last straw.  “It was my way of claiming the negative commentary and putting a positive spin on it,” she said of the group. “What Mukherjee said about the peaceful protesters was wrong on so many levels. It was not a stage-managed crowd that is trucked to political rallies,” she said.

What she did not anticipate was the number of women feeling the same anger.  When she went to bed that night, the group had grown to 100 members. When she woke up the next morning, it had to 250 members.  By the end of the day, 1,800 members had signed up on its Facebook page.

The group is an “un-movement” and for everyone, Ms. Valla bhajosyula said. “It is not for male-bashing but is a polite and witty forum for protesters,” she said.  As the group ballooned in numbers, members have started rallying others for protest marches and candlelight vigils.

The sense of outrage that led Ms. Vallabhajosyula to start the society was also felt keenly by Jasmeen Patheja, the founder of Blank Noise, a decade-long movement against sexual harassment, who called on others through Facebook, to gather in the streets: “Painted Dented + Pledging.”

“We will not be cowed down by such condescending comments, but we also pledge to make a difference in our lives, in our own ways,” Ms. Patheja said.

Gatherings were organized on the evening of Jan.1, in 11 cities in India, including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore, asking people to bring their personal pledges.

As revelers milled around Central Park, at the heart of Delhi, on New Year's, a handful of men and women, stood outside the gates , holding their pledges, inviting stares, questions, and attracting curious onlookers.

“He thinks that women who dress well and are turned out properly are frivolous, they cannot protest on a serious issue?” Ipshita Nath, a 21-year-old student of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University, one of those with a pledge, said. Ms. Nath had ensured that she looked her best, and turned up wearing bright red lipstick, just to prove her point.  She had pledged to “feel insulted every time a sexist comment is passed.”

Sidharth Verma, 33, who works as a brand manager in Delhi, did not wear red lipstick but was equally incensed at the dented and painted remark. “That is not how all men think,” he said, “it depends on the individuals.” Mr. Verma had taken the pledge to speak out against Eve-teasers, the name for sexual harassment in India, and to educate his cousins, friends and colleagues about the same.

The group was later joined by a few passersby as th ey walked around Connaught Place, finally sitting down for a discussion about the issues involved, at Central Park, where they were asked by the police to keep their placards away.