Warriors of the Night

We name our daughters Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati; we worship the divine feminine power in the temples but oppress, repress and even attack the feminine power amidst us. That is the irony in the way India sees its women.

After the safety of the daylight fades, women are seen as easy prey by the predators of the night.

We mark the nine nights of Navratri, the festival of the goddess, by celebrating the dedication and valour of nine real-life women who brave the challenges of the night to pursue their dreams.

PART - 7

The Fearless Caregiver

The nurse at JJ Hospital advises women to officially report even a small unwelcoming gesture of anyone while at work in a written format.

Shweta Kondvilkar, 38, staff nurse in JJ hospital, Mumbai

Round-the-clock shifts, emotional outbursts of relatives of the patients and at times, being the only woman on the floor at night in a huge hospital—Shweta Kondvilkar, 38, has had various experiences as a medical caregiver. Her motto is— “do not react and report immediately”. She’s experienced ward boys not wanting to take instructions from her because she is a woman, has seen “unfriendly gestures” from colleagues and faced aggression from patients’ relatives in case of an unfortunate outcome of the treatment. “I report everything in the written form. For example, usually people understand a relative’s misbehavior out of emotional outburst, but if a nurse reacts while on duty, no one will understand or support her. Hence, I believe in being vocal, and submit all concerns in the written format which leaves proof behind. The moment you sense even a small intimidating gesture, you must raise it by writing about it officially and not by entering into a verbal altercation,” says Kondvilkar, who works as a staff nurse at the J J Hospital in Mumbai.

The hospital has its security measures in place round-the-clock. When nurses take rounds in the night to check patients’ details, a security guard accompanies them. Citing the example of the gruesome Kolkata rape and murder of a woman doctor, Kondvilkar asserts that it’s important for women to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings. “What others do is beyond our control. We must learn to defend ourselves,” she says.

While performing her duties, Kondvilkar emphasizes that one should not trust anyone blindly and always be aware. “Never trust a guard. Not even another woman. I am very saddened by the fact that from what I have read in news about the Kolkata case, the victim had dinner with a group of colleagues that included females. The ones who tied her hands were females. She chose to rest in a seminar room that couldn’t be locked from inside is shocking. Also, reports said that the crime scene was tampered and the room was renovated. It’s a racket. It’s not possible to physically fight back. The victim was exhausted after three days of rigorous duty. My humble advice to all women is, sometimes reacting makes matters worse. Be aware of the people around you, and try to keep safe distance from individuals whose gestures are doubtful and immediately take official action to keep potential predators on check,” she says.

Nurses, she says, are more vulnerable than doctors because they are present with the patient round the clock attending to all the needs and also patiently handling the relatives. “Hospitals are well equipped and they usually stand by every woman who feels intimidated,” she says. Kondvilkar recalls the example of Aruna Shanbaug who, while working as a junior nurse at King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, was sexually assaulted in 1973 by a hospital janitor. “She was bed ridden for years. The hospital stood by her and took very good care of her,” she says.

A dedicated professional, she states that she is proud to be part of a hospital that felicilated nurses for the care given during Covid. “Usually doctors are felicitated but no one appreciates a nurse,” she says.