Rape is a bestial act. There is no small rape, big rape, heinous rape or worst rape. Idiots categorise so. Any violation of a woman is bestial. Whether rape, molestation, groping, eyeing, is a violation.
There is a natural attraction between man and woman. It is our mind and our depravity that discolours this naturalness. It has nothing to do with etiquette, literacy, education, customs. It has to do with growing up. It has to do with emulation. Anything else is bull. I heard of a case where the rascal followed the rape protocol to the last element and then pleaded insanity. Bull.
What India Gate represents is the angst and anger of the students. Genuine and spontaneous, till the rascally political elements and crude Babas attempted to take over.
The government is at best inept. At worst, inept.
So, what is to be done? Let us all congregate at India Gate? All the billion of us? For eternity? Let us all pray that the protests be calm and peaceful and not lead to traffic jams? Let us all sit in our armchairs and tweet and FB and what not for time to come?
You think change is the by-product of social media cacophony? Or non-stop live coverage on television?
Let us all do the one thing we usually do not: Think. Let us all not do one thing we usually do: Yak.
Simple question to all journalists: Had this very gangrape occurred far from South Delhi, would it have received such attention? Wait. Before the worthy and ideal among you begin to rant, let me tell you that for the last 48 hours all news channels had ‘’inputs’’ from Jammu, Tripura and Meghalaya about similar, sordid instances which are yet to touch if not our hearts, at least our TV screens. So, there are.
The spontaneous energy is threatened by this social media rant and television diarrhoea. I can see the anchors struggling to say the same thing over and over again. The graphics have become repetitive. The tweets and FB outrages are, if not limited by the users’ vocabulary, monotonous.
That is the biggest dis-service all of us, this lot empowered by the communication revolution, are doing to that energy. Just as before.
Let me ask again. So, what is to be done? Hang the six rape accused? Hang, for good measure, Shinde, Sheila Delhi Police chief? Why spare the Prime Minister? What about the President? Or shall we force the government to call a special session of Parliament for the venerable members to observe two minutes silence? Hurriedly amend the laws and make it legal to hang every rapist?
Will all these actions stop rape? Will all males be honourable thereafter? What if rape occurs even then? Shall we amend the rules once again to see that the rapist is hanged twice, thrice? Perhaps stone him to death? Castrate him in public? What if rape occurs even then?
Our attitudes need to change. The way we see women, the way we talk about women, the way we treat women, whether an infant or a granny. Whether fair or dark. Whether pretty or otherwise. Whether a maid, a wife, a daughter, an aunt, or a friend, or a sex worker. A woman is not a serf. A woman is a self. Like you and me.
Let our attitude towards the law also change. What is the point of making hanging compulsory when the sloppy police investigations fail in courts? Let us make that beat constable accountable so that he or she is on the look out for crime. Let us make that SHO accountable who sincerely takes the complaint of the victim, encourages her to do so if she is hesitant, then wastes no time reaching the crime spot and gathering evidence. Let us all help him trace he culprits. Let a strong case be made against the culprits. Let there then be fast-track courts to deliver justice.
Otherwise, as long as the criminals are confident of our policing system, they will continue to rape.
But is that all? Hang the rapist and rape forgotten? What about the victim who has to live in this society? How can she be confident that people do not stare at her? That they will not allow the tragedy to weigh her down? That they will allow her to pick up the strings of her life once again?
If we can help her only by yakking and doing lives, then better not help her. I still recall how Indian broadcast journalism traumatised a young girl from Uttar Pradesh called Gudiya on live television and then did not bother to even run on the ticker that she had passed away. So don’t give me crap about values and newsroom ethics and TRPs. Someone who happens to own a national media house recently said he was in the advertising business. And I haven’t seen any journalist seriously challenging him.
