It\\'s a Jungle Out There.

(From Indian Express)

FORMERLY known as the safest city for women in India, Mumbai is searching its soul. After an audience of five watched a train rape, the confidence of every woman in the city is shaken. Especially those who have come from other cities with visions of a place where ''you can safely take a taxi even at 12 in the night'', to study or work. Three friends from a south Mumbai hostel meet at the Cha Bar near Churchgate early on a Saturday evening and take stock. Their hostel allows them eight nights out per month, and a generously late check-in time: 10.30 pm. But after all the horrifying headlines, are the late deadlines still worth it? ''Before I moved to Mumbai, my fears centred around the riots, the underworld and the trains. In that order,'' says Gayathri Chandrasekaran, 23, a sub-editor with Tinkle who moved to the big city a year ago after her post-graduate degree in Pune. ''But I also knew it was a really cool place. I was wary in the beginning - it is such a big city. But I picked up very fast, the trains and all that. Now I am very comfortable travelling around.'' Pampa Biswas (27), a fashion merchandiser, hails from Varanasi and lived in Kolkata for a while before moving to Mumbai four years ago. ''There was a lot of harassment of women in Kolkata. I didn't like to venture out alone. When I moved here, it took me just a month to fit in. People were really helpful. Except for one horrific experience (when I couldn't disembark from a Virar-bound train because of the rush), Mumbai has been good to me. Often, if there's a buyer in town, I take taxis as late as at 1.30 in the night. Nothing has ever happened.'' Nida Faruqui (22), a designer with Sheetal, though hasn't been that bold. ''I haven't tried travelling alone late. I feel slightly scared,'' says Nida, who moved from Hyderabad, where she was studying, two-and-a-half months ago. ''And I have been reading all that's happening in the newspapers. Each time I travel by train, I think about it. I would definitely give travelling alone in the ...