TALK OF THE WORLD

The word civil society hesitates to utter in public, the scene ‘censor board’ religiously cuts, an ugly accident that most of us believe that doesn’t happen in reality, not only takes place frequently in India, but also has become the talk of the world.  

What has happened to that 23 year old student on that fateful December night can happen to any other girl as well. The very thought is scary.  I don’t understand the human male psyche.  I have seen animals compete and fight amongst themselves for a female.  But I have never seen the males hurting the females and we call the molesters, beasts.

I am yet to come across a female, who has not been teased, stalked, chased, groped, harassed or abused at some stage of her life or the other.  Young girls, students, housewives, erudite and highly placed women, artists, academicians, bureaucrats, politicians, wives of politicians – nobody is spared.

How do men perceive all this?  This is one question that has always been bothering me.  I once asked a friend if he had ever indulged in eve-teasing.  He boasted of all his “Krishna Leelas” (naughty pranks). He also justified that they were all harmless pranks and that women though express disinterest or outwardly protest, heart-to-heart enjoy all this.  Do all men think so? 

The recent news headlines on molestation, abuse and incest have shaken the confidence of many women, who now feel more insecure than ever before.

Are these incidents an indication of a larger social problem which we are failing to address? Skewed gender ratios, delay in marriage, bad marriages, education that no longer gives importance to humanities, morals and values, bad upbringing, free access to porn, excess money supply, drug abuse, alcoholism and bad governance can all be attributed to the deterioration of the situation. What more can we expect in a country where the elected members watch porn on their mobiles with great excitement while in office and a member of the press, considered the “Fourth Estate”  shooting and telecasting a girl being molested on a busy street in a State Capital.  Why are men so insensitive and how can they be sensitized on gender equality?

Everywhere, there is a protest.   The protests and the media coverage have not only created a ripple in the Indian society, but also highlighted the vulnerability of Indian women to the world.

But will these protests help?

An anti-rape law is on the anvil.  We have to wait and watch how well it would be implemented. Unless we look at the problem holistically, a solution cannot be arrived at.