A Poem of Outrage: A Woman’s Fight to Reclaim the Streets

Nupur Saraswat, a spoken word artiste, was denied a hotel room in Hyderabad as she was a single woman traveller.

Even after 70 years of independence, if a single woman can’t get a hotel, are we really free? asks Nupur.

(Photo: The Quint)

When a hotel in Hyderabad refused to give her a room because she was a single woman traveller, her first reaction was of confusion. The confusion soon became rage.

Nupur Saraswat, a spoken word artiste, has now turned that rage into a campaign to reclaim the streets for women.

“Even after 70 years of independence, if a single woman can’t get a hotel, are we really free?” she asks.

When I landed up at the hotel, I was told that I will not be allowed to get the room I had already paid for because I was a single woman travelling by myself. After my conversation with the manager, they offered me a full refund but threw me back on the street, which they originally said was unsafe for me.

Nupur Saraswat, a spoken word artiste

Her confusion soon turned to rage when she realised it was the hotel’s policy not to give a single woman traveller a room. But, a single male traveller can get a room.

Enraged, she wrote a Facebook post which received a massive response. Not only did a friend offer her room for the night, several women shared similar experiences they had faced.

The entire episode inspired her to write and perform about this injustice. How do we make our streets safer? It can happen only if women normalised their presence on the streets.

“We are here to make our presence felt on the streets after 8 pm, and we are here to fight a battle so that the girls who come after us don’t have to,” she added.

Cameraman: Arvind Dev

Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan

Producer: Tridip K Mandal