Disgusted by what happened today.

I work a 1:30 PM to 10:30 PM shift, and my company provides a cab facility. It usually takes me around 11:20 PM to reach home. I’ve never felt Hyderabad to be an unsafe place—in fact, there have been times when I’ve taken an Uber alone at 3 AM without any issues. But tonight was deeply unsettling and downright disgusting.

On my way home, my cab driver sped over a waterlogged area, causing some water to splash onto a group of three men on a scooty. They immediately started cursing, using the M-word, and then went as far as stopping the cab to yell at the driver. The driver, trying to diffuse the situation, repeatedly apologized. But instead of letting it go, one of the men chose to catcall me, saying, “Hi, baby.”

What made it worse? My fellow passengers—grown men, at least 30 years old—just laughed.

It’s absolutely disheartening that even with a company cab, an escort, and male co-passengers, I still felt unsafe. And the fact that people find catcalling amusing is beyond infuriating. This kind of behavior is not okay. No woman should have to tolerate this, and no one should normalize or laugh at such harassment. I’ve genuinely lost a little faith in humanity tonight.