The other day I went to the familiar Turkish shop to buy some spices, the store owner didn't seem as joyous to see me as he used to be earlier. This is a guy who loves Indian culture, enjoys Bollywood movies and can even speak a bit of Hindi. Thinking it might be some of his work related stress, I ignored this and made my way to the spice shelf. A few moments later, he came to me and managed to speak only these words, "In India, 6 men, medical student, girl, horrible!!"
It was that instant moment I realized he was referring to the infamous Delhi Gang rape and the ordeals of that poor innocent girl. Generally, as a proud Delhiite that I am, I try to blame all such cases on stupid/uneducated people from remote areas of nearby states in an effort to console myself and to keep the Delhi flag waiving high. But , that day I could not do that. There seemed no point in doing it as it was India to be blamed for such heinous and brutal act. I was dead silent and chose to change the topic of conversation.
I did manage to change the topic of conversation there, but is this topic really worth ignoring? Why does a girl on Indian streets late at night become an object of perverted, heinous activities? Why do men loose all their humane intellect, sense and culture to savage girls like beasts? Why? Why?
Now, with the sad news of that poor girl passing away, my mind asks me these things... Yes, you are agitated, Yes, you are disgusted, Yes, you want reforms and changes in the society, but what would they do? NOTHING!!! Do we just need more brutal punishments to deal with this issue? Is that the solution??? I don't think so. I am pretty sure that the current rape punishment in India and Germany weigh equally, but here in Germany, you find girls drinking, partying late, wearing clothes they want to wear, riding the subways and walking alone in the streets late at night and seldom they undergo such ordeal or are branded as "Tainted and Dented". This clearly says that introducing brutal punishments is not the solution. In fact, it may even be misused by some vicious members of the fairer sex to hurt innocent counterparts in the country which would again be undesirable.
I think that until and unless Indian society starts treating women equally and respectfully, these cases would not stop. Many more "NIRBHAYAS" would suffer and people who talk about Indian society with respect and weave threads of traditions and values from our culture would be disgusted by the very mention of it.
P.S. - NIRBHAYA- The only mistake you made was that you were born in such a society which also breeds beasts and inhuman characters like those bastards you encountered. Today, I will say that I am an Indian male and I am NOT proud to be one.
MAY YOUR SOUL REST IN PEACE!!!
Pic taken from fc00.deviantart.net
