There's a pain that sleeps inside..

There's a pain that sleeps inside

It sleeps with just one eye

And awakens the moment that you leave

Though I try to look away

The pain it still remains...

These lyrics of Hoobastank's song Disappear, resonate in this write up, albeit in a negative way.

It takes a Savita for a country to amend its abortion laws; in another part of the world, a Malala is shot at point blank range, for a country and the world to wake up and protest against terrorist activities and take a stand on the rights of educating a girl child. In other news, a developed country witnesses its worst shooting rampage where innocent children are gunned down in an elementary school #Newtown which restarts a debate on a country's archaic gun- control laws. And yes, back home, the capital sees(yet again!) its most (extensive media coverage) barbaric acts of gang-rape which seethes the youth and brings back to life the topic which lay dormant- safety of women in our country.

So I stand and look around

Distracted by the sounds 

Of Everyone and everything I see

And I search through every face

Without a single trace

Of the person, the person that I need.....

Does there always need to be a 'big bang' report/coverage of sorts of some fatality(ies)/untoward incident(s)/shooting(s)and killing(s) for us as a people to wake up from our slumber? We all are invariably guilty of walking with shutters around our eyes. We only want to see what we like to see and hear what we wish to hear. 

Numerous protest marches, minute silences, candle-light vigils are observed and held by the common man to give vent to his frustration at the apathy of civic and government officials. But how many of these actually translate into something concrete? Sadly, not much. (This is with reference to our country, India). 

In the most recent furore over the lack of strong convictions for rapists, our government has once again failed  in tackling a very pressing issue which has unfortunately come to the fore at the cost of a young medical student who is right now fighting for her life. She has in an ironic way, become the trigger for a country to sit up and take notice at the direction we find ourselves heading towards.

Debates shall continue to rage but will there be anything robust coming out of them? Politicians shall slug it out with a case of verbal diarrhea and use it against each other but will the main issue be addressed? Or will they digress from the topic of discussion, as seen in most televised debates? 

The case being made in point here is not about banning provocative video games, movies, songs, disallowing girls from wearing what they feel like, etc which can play a role in moulding a certain image of women. These may be secondary factors. But one needs to educate society, us as a people, one needs to be sensitivized to certain issues and not just turn a blind eye to them or worse, ostracize  them. These are certain evils in our society which need to be got rid off. It is about time we sat up and took notice rather than turning a Nelson's eye to the incident.


Note: This post was written immediately after the New Delhi gang rape incident. Numerous developments have taken place post that which have not been added into this note. This is just a precursor to     probably another post that will go into the details and nuances of the horrific incident.