Interpreter of Maladies
Monday, May 16, 2005
Inhuman and whyThis blog is not in order to descry the rape incident that took place last week in Delhi-now populary knows as the Dhaula Kuan rape incident-I think enough has already been written about it. Also, because I dont feel that it is all white or all black as it seems, my views might not resonate with the million others that have rattled the country is this past one week or so. Rapes are a blot on humanity's face. Sex by force is one of the worst crimes that can be committed against a women and a physical assault as brutal as a rape not only disfigures a women's physical and mental balance but it also places a big question mark on the state of a country's society, its entire social structure. The dhaula kuan incident in Delhi is not shocking as shocks are experienced if something out of the ordinary happens, but crimes against women have become a norm in Delhi and so "its all in a day's life". My thoughts on getting to know about the incident was, "how unsafe can life be, in public, for a solitary woman". I felt anguish and pain at not being able to do anything about it and I also felt a huge relief as I was not the one who was hurt. I know its selfish but when you are a lone girl living in a city like Delhi, such spasms of relief are not uncommon.
My surprise and remorse at the incident roots from two things: the incident itself and the reasons which led to it taking place. The lucid details of the rape, well molested and fleshed out by desi tabloids like TOI and HT are all over the country so I wont get into that but the reasons behind that are something that deserves a word or two. The girl in question walking out at 2 am near a dhaba at Dhaula Kuan is highly suspect. Which well meaning and sensible girl would even think of taking a walk at 2 am in the night at a place like Dhaula Kuan. Just why would she do that-for a meagre tea break !!! When societies go out of hand and when cultures start denigrating, one has to rise to the occassion to brace himself/herself against evil. More and more women in Delhi are becoming vigilant and are responding to the challenge that society is setting against them. In times like these, coming across incidents like the Dhaula Kuan one, makes me wonder, what was in the mind of that girl when she was walking at 2 am near Dhaula Kuan. Probably she also failed on her part to protect herself. If its a jungle out there, you should try to civillize it but also protect yourself, foremost.
The Indian rape story goes far beyond the criminal grime or the poor police situation prevalent in the country. It is more to do with the socio-cultural and the mental framework of the people that reside in this country. More with the kind of flux this nation finds itself in. When there is this so called modernity sweeping across metros and small towns alike but our conventional hypocrisy fails to budge aside. We shun the thought of our girls wearing low rise jeans and tank tops but also watch pornographic tapes in closed rooms at night. Such is the duality of thought, the split character of a nation like India. How is this affecting our social fabric? Vehemently. When girls complain about rampant eve teasing, why dont they also look back and see how they behaved in the first place. Its not one person's fault. Its a mutual responsibility. Rape is inhuman and animalistic but your security is in your very own hands.
The media is another factor which is convoluting the already complex situation in the country. TOI and HT-which I guess are the biggest paper media brands in India are leaving no stone unturned in catering to the subjugated and ignorant sexual mindset of today's youth. Has media forgotten its responsibility towards the society, of building a culture, of reporting the truth.
All this makes me wonder, what lies in the future and what is the future of my country and the youth, if there is any future at all...
