It's a date that has been etched in our memories forever. December 16 2012 will not be forgotten easily. For a country that has already surpassed the hundred and twenty five crore mark in terms of population, it had to be something out of the blue to shake a sleeping nation out of its slumber. Sadly enough it came at the expense of a young girl. Leaving behind yet another helpline number and another committee whose recommendations will be reviewed and re-reviewed. Yes, it happens only in India.
For a nation which calls its holy land as "Mother" India, the social status of women, in spite of the numerous efforts and schemes, has been in a state of free fall over the decades. Even six decades after attaining independence, the streets are not safe. The "involuntary contacts" persist. We boast of arsenals of advanced ammunition an excellent GDP, advancement in space science and technology, renewed diplomatic relations. We have icons in virtually every field, be it sports, politics, economics, literature; but each time a girl steps out of her house she is under a constant threat. The fact is that the rape incident which occurred on that unfortunate night was not the first which happened in our country. But it was the sheer brutality and savageness which prompted the nationwide demonstrations. From our primary classes we remember that man is a social animal, perhaps we are still animals who don't know a thing about a civilized society yet.
Rapes and eve teasing are given coverage in the media in such magnitudes because they are the tip of the iceberg. They are observed on a vivid scale as it is a phenomenon which is somewhat centralized with the urban population. If we widen our perspective, the plight of women in modern India is much more acute than it is actually perceived. Female infanticide, sex trafficking, domestic violence, dowry, abduction; these are just to name a few o fully functional mature society has imposed on the female kind. The laws have always been in place and so have been the loopholes. The culprits ditch the bars and roam around in the open, with the devil inside them unscathed.
And then comes in the question of being juvenile. How old one has to be to commit a hideous crime such as rape and murder? If there cannot be an "appropriate" age for them to descend to a nadir, then why can't we pursue the punishment the guilty likewise? If we can render a culprit who is 17 years and 364 days old as juvenile, then perhaps we must simply accept that ours is a juvenile nation- a nation which does not dare to look beyond the obvious. We create these escape routes and then battle our wits and reasoning on live video feeds. the heat from these discussions is used to cook political ambitions. If the rules have to be changed then they have to be- for what lies ahead of us is an abyss.
How many candle marches, protest rallies and demonstrations we conduct, it is simply not enough may well never be enough.. What we need in real is an educated society where respecting women doesn't come as an option- it comes as something which is as natural as breathing. Where women don't suffer from social hiatus, where there is equal participation irrespective of the gender- both on paper and in practice. For these helplines numbers are not only of any use like today- but a society where they are not needed at all. that is what we aspire as a part of this generation- a modern India, true to its name.
For a nation which calls its holy land as "Mother" India, the social status of women, in spite of the numerous efforts and schemes, has been in a state of free fall over the decades. Even six decades after attaining independence, the streets are not safe. The "involuntary contacts" persist. We boast of arsenals of advanced ammunition an excellent GDP, advancement in space science and technology, renewed diplomatic relations. We have icons in virtually every field, be it sports, politics, economics, literature; but each time a girl steps out of her house she is under a constant threat. The fact is that the rape incident which occurred on that unfortunate night was not the first which happened in our country. But it was the sheer brutality and savageness which prompted the nationwide demonstrations. From our primary classes we remember that man is a social animal, perhaps we are still animals who don't know a thing about a civilized society yet.
Rapes and eve teasing are given coverage in the media in such magnitudes because they are the tip of the iceberg. They are observed on a vivid scale as it is a phenomenon which is somewhat centralized with the urban population. If we widen our perspective, the plight of women in modern India is much more acute than it is actually perceived. Female infanticide, sex trafficking, domestic violence, dowry, abduction; these are just to name a few o fully functional mature society has imposed on the female kind. The laws have always been in place and so have been the loopholes. The culprits ditch the bars and roam around in the open, with the devil inside them unscathed.
And then comes in the question of being juvenile. How old one has to be to commit a hideous crime such as rape and murder? If there cannot be an "appropriate" age for them to descend to a nadir, then why can't we pursue the punishment the guilty likewise? If we can render a culprit who is 17 years and 364 days old as juvenile, then perhaps we must simply accept that ours is a juvenile nation- a nation which does not dare to look beyond the obvious. We create these escape routes and then battle our wits and reasoning on live video feeds. the heat from these discussions is used to cook political ambitions. If the rules have to be changed then they have to be- for what lies ahead of us is an abyss.
How many candle marches, protest rallies and demonstrations we conduct, it is simply not enough may well never be enough.. What we need in real is an educated society where respecting women doesn't come as an option- it comes as something which is as natural as breathing. Where women don't suffer from social hiatus, where there is equal participation irrespective of the gender- both on paper and in practice. For these helplines numbers are not only of any use like today- but a society where they are not needed at all. that is what we aspire as a part of this generation- a modern India, true to its name.
