Have you ever bathed under the open sky? The last time I did was when I was 10 or something and we were still allowed to bath by the handpump in our underwear until yesterday. Then puberty happened and those days ended. When I lived in a flat in Delhi, we had a terrace and I always dreamed some days to just take a bath on the terrace. Only a dream that I slowly gave up on.
Then I came to Kheerganga, I had never been to a hot water spring. And here we were supposed to bath nude.
It took a long time getting comfortable to the hot water and the naked people. But what needed even more work was being comfortable in your own semi-naked bodies. And then moving to naked. It was the such a free movement. You know how it feels when you get within the comfort of your own home and take off your bra Rachel style. Taking the bra off right under the bright sky with the mountains in view was thousand times that feeling. I don't think I could ever be more comfortable with my body.
I don't know how this sounds but this is how I would justify segregation. I am talking about the well discussed topic of women coaches in metro. Until people let women be comfortable with nudity, we need secluded places. Until people let us be comfortable while we are travelling, we need women coaches.
