<p>Rape. This deed is rapidly becoming the new face of our nation … move over engineers, doctors and IT folk! Not that rape is new to Bharat.<br /><br /></p>.<p> It has always been part of our national underbelly, which was routinely swept under our desi carpet. So, my countrymen, let’s all just shut up for a couple of minutes and check out the current national mindset that has served to place us on the global map for the worst possible reason! What follows are entirely my views with no apology for them.<br /><br />Many decades ago when my parents realized I had an uncomfortable way of calling a spade a spade, they constantly advised me to call it a ‘teaspoon’ instead (no prizes for guessing why). I’ve tried to be a good daughter and generally followed their excellent advice but not this time. Truth hurts and we need to confront ourselves with it as a nation if we are to regain our ‘civilized’ status. <br /><br />Right now, we are a billion+ morally challenged, ostrich-like entity, that sees only what it wants to while pretending the rest will somehow go away. Not to forget, our ‘handlers’ (read leaders) are our role models. They define this lack of morality and we tamely follow. Leaders rape the country and citizens rape each other! Cool underbelly, eh?<br /><br />Starting point<br /><br />Since our melodramatic media covers rapists who sit fearlessly in Parliament on the back of our misguided votes, we will proceed to the ground reality amongst our aam aadmi and aam aurath. As a starting point, let’s reflect on the deification of the male child that’s pandemic across Indian society. Male foetus are never aborted! And from birth, doting family members indulge male children in every possible way. Tantrums follow if all whims and fancies are not immediately serviced.<br /><br /> Hence, are only boys answerable when they grow up to believe that the sun arrives each morning only for their express personal gratification and to hell with others’ needs especially sisters? Not to forget that all of this is religiously reinforced and fed to a lumpen population that feeds on regressive and irresponsible TV serials. <br /><br />This then, is the underbelly that controls day-to-day ambience in most households and is responsible for on-going discrimination against the females amongst us if we get to see light of day. Women aren’t even guaranteed the Right to Birth never mind the Right to Education. <br /><br />Womb-rape has successfully and shamefully skewed the gender ratio across the country! Women are frightened to give birth to their own kind and so go along with the dastardly practice of female infanticide lest they are murdered too … and I’m not joking.<br /><br />Eve Teasing<br /><br />Anyway, when these boys are fully grown, their psyche has morphed sufficiently for them to believe that all women exist for their pleasure alone. Starting with vicious ‘eve teasing’ which would have imprisoned them in many other countries, most Indian males enter adult society as overgrown infants who still expect, even demand constant indulgence and get it too. However, in adulthood, it is often dangerously uncontrollable lust that wants to be satisfied at any cost.<br /><br />Coupled with the lack of self-discipline, the stage is set for aam aurath abuse, molestation and exploitation everyday and everywhere. No holds barred. Ironically, if a brave woman speaks up, our male dominated society goes all out to silence her. No one will help a woman in distress because the prevailing attitude is always ‘she must have asked for it’ (though I do wonder how a five-year old would ‘have asked for it’?). <br /><br />Yes, our government, the police and the kangaroos in the khap courts are to be blamed for continually failing women citizens. But we as a society are also squarely to blame for our failure to care for all our children equally in our homes. Without doubt, our prejudicial and discriminatory behaviour is responsible for the impunity with which rape flourishes today. <br /><br />Well, here’s an open invitation to confront and accept the error of our collective ways and change our collective mindset to create a just, humane and equitable society. Just do it!<br /></p>
<p>Rape. This deed is rapidly becoming the new face of our nation … move over engineers, doctors and IT folk! Not that rape is new to Bharat.<br /><br /></p>.<p> It has always been part of our national underbelly, which was routinely swept under our desi carpet. So, my countrymen, let’s all just shut up for a couple of minutes and check out the current national mindset that has served to place us on the global map for the worst possible reason! What follows are entirely my views with no apology for them.<br /><br />Many decades ago when my parents realized I had an uncomfortable way of calling a spade a spade, they constantly advised me to call it a ‘teaspoon’ instead (no prizes for guessing why). I’ve tried to be a good daughter and generally followed their excellent advice but not this time. Truth hurts and we need to confront ourselves with it as a nation if we are to regain our ‘civilized’ status. <br /><br />Right now, we are a billion+ morally challenged, ostrich-like entity, that sees only what it wants to while pretending the rest will somehow go away. Not to forget, our ‘handlers’ (read leaders) are our role models. They define this lack of morality and we tamely follow. Leaders rape the country and citizens rape each other! Cool underbelly, eh?<br /><br />Starting point<br /><br />Since our melodramatic media covers rapists who sit fearlessly in Parliament on the back of our misguided votes, we will proceed to the ground reality amongst our aam aadmi and aam aurath. As a starting point, let’s reflect on the deification of the male child that’s pandemic across Indian society. Male foetus are never aborted! And from birth, doting family members indulge male children in every possible way. Tantrums follow if all whims and fancies are not immediately serviced.<br /><br /> Hence, are only boys answerable when they grow up to believe that the sun arrives each morning only for their express personal gratification and to hell with others’ needs especially sisters? Not to forget that all of this is religiously reinforced and fed to a lumpen population that feeds on regressive and irresponsible TV serials. <br /><br />This then, is the underbelly that controls day-to-day ambience in most households and is responsible for on-going discrimination against the females amongst us if we get to see light of day. Women aren’t even guaranteed the Right to Birth never mind the Right to Education. <br /><br />Womb-rape has successfully and shamefully skewed the gender ratio across the country! Women are frightened to give birth to their own kind and so go along with the dastardly practice of female infanticide lest they are murdered too … and I’m not joking.<br /><br />Eve Teasing<br /><br />Anyway, when these boys are fully grown, their psyche has morphed sufficiently for them to believe that all women exist for their pleasure alone. Starting with vicious ‘eve teasing’ which would have imprisoned them in many other countries, most Indian males enter adult society as overgrown infants who still expect, even demand constant indulgence and get it too. However, in adulthood, it is often dangerously uncontrollable lust that wants to be satisfied at any cost.<br /><br />Coupled with the lack of self-discipline, the stage is set for aam aurath abuse, molestation and exploitation everyday and everywhere. No holds barred. Ironically, if a brave woman speaks up, our male dominated society goes all out to silence her. No one will help a woman in distress because the prevailing attitude is always ‘she must have asked for it’ (though I do wonder how a five-year old would ‘have asked for it’?). <br /><br />Yes, our government, the police and the kangaroos in the khap courts are to be blamed for continually failing women citizens. But we as a society are also squarely to blame for our failure to care for all our children equally in our homes. Without doubt, our prejudicial and discriminatory behaviour is responsible for the impunity with which rape flourishes today. <br /><br />Well, here’s an open invitation to confront and accept the error of our collective ways and change our collective mindset to create a just, humane and equitable society. Just do it!<br /></p>
