Along The Way, We Lost Direction Somewhere

Years ago, maybe close to a decade back, when I was in school, our Hindi teacher was discussing a story we had in our course. My memory about the time has faded, but I do remember that it had something to do with dacoits in medieval India, i.e. around 15^th century.Our teacher said that during those days, even criminals had certain ethics and morals. No warrior would hit another when they were unaware or fallen. Even a hardened criminal, whose profession it was to loot people for money, would never assault a woman.

 There was this one anecdote, where a widow was travelling in a palanquin through a forest. As was always the case, the palanquin bearers found their way blocked. The dacoits gradually emerged from the shadows. Seeing that they had unknowingly blocked the way of a widow, they apologized profusely and let the procession go. Please note that this was the 15^th century. Being a widow in those days was a huge deal. The woman had her ornaments taken away, had only a white sari to wear, had her head shaved, and could never dream of ever getting married or having a life. The sati system was quite prevalent those days. Those who chose not to give up their lives on the funeral pyre of their husband led a life of misery. Even the dacoits knew not to add to her woes.

But then, in the span of around half a millennium, something happened. 

The land where Durga, a goddess, was worshiped became the land where women began to be used and thrown away like a perishable item. It became a fad to have 10 girlfriends. If you didn't  you were not cool enough. Making MMS's is another fad, the trend taking pace with the DPS MMS case, and then again with the spate of car gang-rapes in Surat in 2009.

According to September 2012 statistics, a woman is raped in India every 20 minutes. This is only as per the ‘official’ data. This brings India to the 3^rd position on the shameful list. In Kashmir and some north eastern states more than 200 0 women have been raped, but are not registered. Why? The army is the culprit.

As per 2011 statistics, Madhya Pradesh tops the list of reported rapes at 3406 during the year. Delhi city is rape capital of India with four hundred fifty three rapes which were reported in 2010. It is around 1.8 times more than rape cases reported in Mumbai during the same year. Nagaland has lowest rape crimes with 23 cases being reported in 2010.

The problem with rape, according to analysts, is not that the woman is physically violated. It is with the idea that the rapist carries. Women are not supposed to be out in the open after dark. They are not supposed to dress in a particular way, not supposed to drink or be with the ones they love. In short, not have a life. They feel they are punishing the woman for violating and flouting these rules.

The idea is shared by various religious and political leaders as well. RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat is of the opinion that rape happens in ‘India’, not ‘Bharat’. By that, he clearly pointed out that women in cities, who wear western clothes, and follow a westernized way of living, are more susceptible to rape. A study by Mrinal Satish, faculty member of National Law University, Delhi, acts as a tight slap on his face. He has used the court data and observes that 75% of rape cases take place in rural India. His observations are based on the cases reported in Criminal Law Journal from 1983 to 2009.

The recent gang rape case, that occurred in Delhi on 16 December, 2012, has revealed the ugly face of India to the world. No concrete action has been taken yet. Police are still more concerned about a 17 year old juvenile, and how he couldn't be held responsible for his heinous actions. Being gang-raped by five men is a different thing. Having an iron rod rammed up your uterus, so badly that it damages your intestines and painfully kills you is a different story altogether. If that wasn't enough, even after she and her friend had endured the ordeal, and lying naked on the road, none came forward to help them. It just shows the levels of moral degradation we have reached.

The incident has generated international coverage and was condemned by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, who called on the Government of India and the Government of Delhi "to do everything in their power to take up radical reforms, ensure justice and reach out with robust public services to make women’s lives more safe and secure". Public protests took place in Delhi, where thousands of protesters clashed with security forces. Similar protests took place in major cities throughout the country. But then again, we are talking about India. Here criminals are given Z category security. Common people can rot on the roads.

Our international image has hit an all time low. I wonder how hard it is going to hit the tourism sector. If Indian citizens themselves don’t feel safe, why should foreigners feel any different? Remember the Scarlett Keeling case in Goa? Remember how her mother was harassed? Being called a gypsy, tramp, prostitute, and what not.

I personally, wouldn't want my mother, wife and other females to live in such a country. And I certainly would not want my daughter to grow up in a country where she can be sexually assaulted even as a baby. Is there enough time to change the nation before that? My hopes are low, but I sincerely wish to be proved wrong.