When a nation choked.

The end came in the wee hours of morning. Then started a deluge of “Breaking News” broadcasts and sure enough, by the time you were holding your morning tea and newspaper, you pretty much knew what the frenzy was all about.

“Nirbhaya” aka “Damini” aka “Amanat” aka “India’s Braveheart” aka “India’s daughter”, most pertinently, “The Delhi Gang Rape victim” passed away today, 29^th December, 2012 at 4:45am in a hospital in Singapore. The various “metaphors” attributed to the girl may not do actual justice to who she really was; because at the end of the day, she was just one of us.

This faceless, nameless 23 year old has stirred a modern day “revolution” never witnessed before. She has, in an unfortunate way, become a “martyr” of sorts. And all it took was one fateful night that would not only alter (sadly) her life but that of an entire nation.

Yes, there was an anger seething inside among the youth, there was an impatience simmering within. We wanted answers since a long time. She became the trigger point for a mass “re-awakening” and “re-assessment” of a nation that calls itself a “Motherland” and yet projects an increasingly miserable record of crimes against women.

The so- called “violent” protests were replaced by sombre, stoic candle-lit vigils across the country. Public places in New Delhi which were out of bounds for these “protestors” were still kept shut (a fear among our political leaders and police force, which in my opinion shall always remain unfounded).  It was a shameful day for us Indians as a race, as a country, as a nation that prides itself on giving respect to her “Mother”, a majority of the populace that is fearful of incurring the wrath of the Mother deity (Mata) when they do something wrong or by dishonest means. At one point, one would actually question: “Is there any humanity left?” “Have we become so immune to such issues that we walk along with blinkers all around us?” “Are we so heartless that although we may know that such incidents are recurrent, we still “ignore” them and brush them away since we are so caught up in our own lives?”  “Will there ever be justice?”  These questions may sound very open-ended and philosophical but they are just a grim reminder of the reality that we are living in and the future we are heading towards to.

Today, I am not incensed with anger, rather I am ashamed. There is this feeling of defeat and helplessness that is pulling me down. There is that loss of hope, an absence of reassurance and a cold feeling that we are sitting on a ticking time bomb which has just half exploded. It seems to be a vicious cycle that such barbaric acts against women are repeated again and again and seem to follow a ghastly trend. Are we always waiting for the next one to happen? Are we always going to be dependent on our media to bring such matters to the forefront and sensationalize it to open our eyes?

Various committees have been constituted to look into matters concerning crimes against women and bringing about a change in archaic laws and their implementation. Similar sentiments have been echoed today as well when it comes to fast tracking cases (and mind you, I do not think this is a *rarest of rare case*), wherein women have been outraged of their modesty in the most horrific manner. Suggestions and solutions have flown freely from person to person. But what happens when it comes to actualizing them and having a sense of accountability?! They just seem to vanish in thin air.

Certain politicians decided to cash upon some good photo-ops but were in for a rude shock. The people had had enough. The support and words of (fake) encouragement coming from the political leaders cut no ice with the people and failed. It was too late. When the time was right, these government servants decided to keep quiet because they could not quell a growing dissent within the minds of the general public and thought of playing the ever successful- "wait and watch" policy. What we as a people wanted to hear were words of support, of a will, a pledge that they would do something and bring about change on a war-footing. We wanted to hear an honest apology, a sense of accountability coming from them, a sense of onus that yes, we faltered somewhere along the way and have denigrated our women, we as servants of society with powers vested upon us have been found lacking in carrying out our duties to serve our people. Yes, this is what would have made a difference to the girl holding a placard and standing at India Gate.

The debate shall continue to rage on, again, depending on the sensibilities of our media houses. The media is a double-edged sword and plays an important role in establishing the potency/impotency of a news brief. If the news flickers out, it is soon relegated to a ticker on a news channel or page 15 of a national daily. The question is, will this episode too reach a sorry, forgetful end since our memory is so fickle and that is precisely what some politicians are secretly hoping for?

Laws need to be amended no doubt but there has to be a strict implementation of the same. The punishment meted out to the convicts must act as a deterrent to anyone who even has a fleeting thought of committing any barbaric crime. In fact, it is not the victim who should be stigmatized or ostracized from society, but these “lumpen elements” that do not deserve even the slightest sympathy or support. Why should they be asked to cover their faces while being arrested or taken for questioning? We need to see their faces to serve as a terrible reminder that such pests do not deserve to be called human and should be denounced from society as a whole. It is these filthy beings that need to cower down and fear the wrath of a people and have their conscience rip themselves to shreds. These words might sound harsh and forceful but this is reality and the fact of the matter is, a majority of them are heartless and unrepentant.

As I end this write-up, a chill runs down my spine; not the kind when you are afraid but yes the kind when you feel devoid of security, belief, trust and hope. Tonight, there are a million thoughts streaming in my mind and I have mixed emotions and I really don’t know how to put them across but I have just penned a few of them here with the “hope” that some of my fears shall turn out to be unwarranted and irrational. But then again, I can only hope.

It is saddening because words indeed, have dried up.

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.

The melancholy of being Malala.

Ironical, isn't it? The name Malala is of Pashtun origin and literally means sad/melancholic and is also the name of a warrior of the Maiwand battle against the British.

And at present, as I write of today, Malala lies on a hospital bed in Birmingham, England under the watchful monitor of the English/British doctors. This so, post an attack on her by Taliban gunmen who were against her propagating women's education in the ravaged SWAT province in Pakistan.

Malala Yousufzai is a 14 year old girl from Mingora, SWAT province in Pakistan. She was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen for the reason as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Due to the seriousness of her condition, she was airlifted to the UK where doctors have been providing her with the best quality care as the world waits with bated breath on when she regains consciousness or when she will mouth her first word post a barrage of surgeries.

I do not intend to write a biography on Malala or describe what she did. Thanks to the click of the mouse button, information is aplenty. What I do intend to voice here is the fact that her stoicness in the toughest of times, her indomitable spirit has started to resonate among the hearts of many a young women in Pakistan's Taliban "stricken" regions.

But what about several other 'Malalas' who may have gone unnoticed or are still under the shadows? Does it really take an NYT documentary, or felicitations by different governing bodies to make Malala heard or stand out? Should she have just cowered under the shackles imposed by the "re-established" Taliban regime? Many other voices may have already been drowned in the ensuing 're-Talibanization'.

No. Malala should not become a martyr of sorts. Yes. She deserves a carefree childhood. She deserves to be educated, not outside her country, but in her homeland. Her friends and sisters, brothers alike should be so proud of her. Her grit and determination are semblance to her maturity. It makes you look and feel small when one constantly whines about not getting to do what one wants despite numerous opportunities. And here we have Malala, who in spite of all the odds, stood tall straight into the face of the extremists and who now is on her way to slow and hopefully steady recovery.

I pray that she recovers fully (both physically and psychologically) and emerges stronger than ever to carry forward her 'wish'- to empower herself and many other young girls like her in her country.

Amen.