Shumail at 20:50, 4 February 2026

2026-02-04T20:50:00Z

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{{Short description|Indian transnational movement}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
'''Besharmi Morcha''', also known as "Slutwalk arthaat Besharmi Morcha", is the Indian equivalent of [[SlutWalk]]. This was an organization started in 2011 by Canadian women who protested Toronto's police public statements suggesting that women could avoid rape and sexual assault by the way they dressed.<ref name="Sarah Bell uk-13739876">{{cite news| last= Bell| first= Sarah| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13739876| title= Slutwalk London: 'Yes means yes and no means no'| work= [[BBC News]]| date= 11 June 2011}}</ref><ref name="SlutWalk homepage">{{cite web| url= http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/| title= homepage| publisher= SlutWalk Toronto| access-date = 8 May 2011}}</ref> They have conducted events across the world for education about this issue.

The first Besharmi Morcha took place in [[Bhopal]] on 17 July 2011,<ref name="Bhopal001">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/Bhopal-Besharmi-Morcha-gets-lukewarm-response/Article1-722532.aspx |title=Bhopal Besharmi Morcha gets lukewarm response |work=Hindustan Times |date=18 July 2011 |agency=HT Media Limited |author=Pereira, Aaron |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426072333/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/Bhopal-Besharmi-Morcha-gets-lukewarm-response/Article1-722532.aspx |archivedate=26 April 2012}}</ref> followed by Besharmi Morcha [[Delhi]] on 31 July 2011.<ref name="BBCHindi">{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/india/2011/07/110731_slutwalk_delhi_vk.shtml |title=दिल्ली में निकला बेशर्मी मोर्चा – Shamelessly out front in Delhi |work=BBC हिंदी – BBC Hindi |date=31 July 2011 |agency=BBC |author=विनीत खरे – Vineet Khare |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702013744/http://www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/india/2011/07/110731_slutwalk_delhi_vk.shtml |archivedate=2 July 2012}}</ref> Besharmi Morcha [[Lucknow]] took place on 21 August 2011.<ref name="Lucknow001">{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2380885.ece |title=After Delhi, Bhopal, Slutwalk makes its Lucknow debut |work=The Hindu |date=22 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805114828/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2380885.ece |archivedate=5 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="Lucknow002">{{cite web |url=http://www.newkerala.com/news/2011/worldnews-52108.html |title=Slutwalk in Lucknow |publisher=NKDC Media Solutions |work=NewKerala.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905013725/http://www.newkerala.com/news/2011/worldnews-52108.html |archivedate=5 September 2021}}</ref>

Besharmi Morcha [[Bangalore]], coordinated to coincide with similar events in [[Singapore]], [[Kuala Lumpur]] and [[Hong Kong]] on 4 December 2011, was cancelled by police after they received objections.<ref name="BangalorePolice001">{{cite news |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/karnataka/why-bangalore-cops-cancelled-permission-for-slutwalk-155371 |title=Why Bangalore cops cancelled permission for SlutWalk |work=NDTV.com |date=9 December 2011 |agency=NDTV Convergence Limited |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301004820/http://www.ndtv.com/article/karnataka/why-bangalore-cops-cancelled-permission-for-slutwalk-155371 |archivedate=1 March 2012}}</ref> A police spokesperson said that groups opposing Besharmi Morcha had "threatened to hold a 'violent protest'".<ref name="BangalorePolice2">{{cite news |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_slutwalk-cancelled-as-they-had-it-coming_1621500 |title=SlutWalk cancelled as they had it coming |work=DNA Daily News And Analysis |date=5 December 2011 |agency=DNA |location=Bangalore |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122041500/http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_slutwalk-cancelled-as-they-had-it-coming_1621500 |archivedate=22 January 2012}}</ref> Dhillan Mowli, one of the organisers, reported that she had been told that the event was "not part of Indian culture".<ref name="TrustLaw001">{{cite web |url=http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/bangalore-slutwalk-cancelled-as-not-part-of-indian-culture-report |title=Bangalore SlutWalk cancelled as not "part of Indian culture" – Report |publisher=TrustLaw – Thomson Reuters Foundation |access-date=5 December 2011 |author=Bhalla, Nita |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20240526005029/https://www.webcitation.org/68FAjimzm?url=http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/bangalore-slutwalk-cancelled-as-not-part-of-indian-culture-report |archivedate=26 May 2024}}</ref> Mowli also said, "The vice-president of a women's organisation called me and said that if any women were seen in skimpy clothing during the Slutwalk, they would be beaten with brooms."<ref name="TrustLaw001" />

Christie Thompson, writing for ''[[Ms. (magazine)|Ms Magazine]],'' observed "...women aren’t marching for the right to walk down the street dressed in barely-there clothes, as critics suggest. They’re fighting for the right to walk down the street. Period."<ref name="MsMag001">{{cite news |url=http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/07/06/slutwalk-delhi-starts-immodest-discussion-in-india/ |title=SlutWalk Delhi Starts "Immodest" Discussion in India |work=Ms Magazine |date=6 July 2011 |author=Thompson, Christie |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409155705/http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/07/06/slutwalk-delhi-starts-immodest-discussion-in-india/ |archivedate=9 April 2012}}</ref>

==Translation==

Besharmi Morcha ({{langx|hi|बेशर्मी मोर्चा}}) is most often translated into English as "shameless protest" or "shameless front". It has also been translated as "March of the Shameless"<ref name="Reuters001">{{cite news |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-58547420110731 |title=Hundreds protest rape in conservative India's toned down "SlutWalk" |via=Reuters|date=31 July 2011 |agency=TrustLaw – Thomson Reuters Foundation |author=Bhalla, Nita |location=Delhi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220230456/http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/07/31/idINIndia-58547420110731 |archive-date=20 February 2017}}</ref> and "Shameless Campaign".<ref name="SouthAsiaDaily001">{{cite web |url=http://southasia.typepad.com/south_asia_daily/2011/07/the-not-at-all-slutty-slut-walk-of-bhopal.html |title=The not-at-all slutty Slut Walk of Bhopal |publisher=[[Mayank Chhaya]] |work=Blog: South Asia Daily |date=21 July 2011 |author=Chhaya, Mayank |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312043344/http://southasia.typepad.com/south_asia_daily/2011/07/the-not-at-all-slutty-slut-walk-of-bhopal.html |archivedate=12 March 2017}}</ref> Besharmi Morcha was chosen as the name in India to address its diverse cultural aspects and languages.<ref name="NameChange001">{{cite web |url=http://www.rememberoursisterseverywhere.com/events/slutwalk-new-delhi |title=Besharmi Morcha, "Shameless Protest" |publisher=rememberoursisterseverywhere.com |date=21 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312041251/http://www.rememberoursisterseverywhere.com/events/slutwalk-new-delhi |archivedate=12 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="NameChange002">{{cite news | url=https://www.oneindia.com/2011/06/18/no-slutwalk-in-delhi-as-besharmi-morcha-takes-over-aid0120.html | title=No 'SlutWalk' in Delhi as 'Besharmi Morcha' takes over | work=OneIndia News | agency=Greynium Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd.}}</ref>

The word "[[slut]]" does not translate directly or equivalently into Indian languages such as Hindi. The nearest equivalent direct translation of slut is ''ranɖii'' ({{langx|hi|रंडी}})<ref name="RandiTrans">{{cite web |url=http://en.bab.la/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A1%E0%A5%80 |title=Hindi-English translation for "रंडी" |publisher=bab.la |work=bab.la Dictionary |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220115014/http://en.bab.la/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A1%E0%A5%80 |archivedate=20 December 2012}}</ref> meaning "prostitute".<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/world/asia/15iht-letter15.html?_r=1 |title=Ready or Not, New Delhi Gets a Women's Street Protest |work=The New York Times|date=14 June 2011 |agency=The New York Times Company |author=NILANJANA S. ROY |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911191232/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/world/asia/15iht-letter15.html?_r=1 |archivedate=11 September 2011}}</ref> Organizers worried that observers would believe that protesters were identifying as prostitutes, or seeking the right to be prostitutes, rather than protesting to protect women's safety and achieve freedom from sexual violence.

Besharmi ({{langx|hi|बेशर्मी}}) translates as shamelessly, brazenly and even boldly. It may imply a quality of obscenity or obscenely.<ref name="BesharmiTrans001">{{cite web |url=http://dict.hinkhoj.com/shabdkosh.php?word=%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%80 |title=Get Meaning of besharmi in English. बेशर्मी का मतलब अंग्रेजी में जानिए |publisher=HinKhoj InfoLabs LLP |work=hinkhoj.com Hindi to English dictionary |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221110223/http://dict.hinkhoj.com/shabdkosh.php?word=%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%80 |archivedate=21 December 2016}}</ref>

Morcha ({{langx|hi|मोर्चा}}) is closely linked to the idea of protest and action. It often indicates political protest and has military overtones.<ref name="MorchaDictionary">{{cite web |url=http://dict.hinkhoj.com/words/meaning-of-%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE-in-english.html |title=Get Meaning of morcha in English. मोर्चा का मतलब अंग्रेजी में जानिए |publisher=HinKhoj InfoLabs LLP |work=hinkhoj.com Hindi to English dictionary |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121102917/http://dict.hinkhoj.com/words/meaning-of-%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE-in-english.html |archivedate=21 November 2011}}</ref><ref name="MorchaDictionary2">{{cite web |url=http://en.bab.la/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE |title=Hindi-English translation for "मोर्चा" |publisher=bab.la |work=bab.la Dictionary |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401000452/http://en.bab.la/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE |archivedate=1 April 2015}}</ref>

Besharmi Morcha has multiple meanings that are not readily translated into English. It is generally summed up as meaning "shamelessly and boldly protesting in a united way that others may see as wrong or even obscene".

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Social issues in India}}
{{Sexual abuse}}
{{Rape in India}}

[[Category:Feminist theory]]
[[Category:Cultural studies]]
[[Category:Misogyny]]
[[Category:Rape in India]]
[[Category:Feminist protests]]
[[Category:Protest marches in India]]
[[Category:2011 protests]]
[[Category:Women's rights in Asia]]
[[Category:Violence against women in India]]
[[Category:Sexual harassment in India]]
[[Category:Feminism in India]]
[[Category:History of women in India]]

Besharmi Morcha - Revision history

Shumail at 20:50, 4 February 2026