On the night of Dec 31st
2016, Bangalore ushered a lot more than just another new year. Something more
sinister but also familiar - a mass molestation of women by a mob followed by a
nightmarish CCTV footage of a girl being assaulted and molested by two men on a
scooter. Like always, there is palpable fury on every possible social and media
platform. Like always the rich and famous have 'condemned' this horrendous act,
activists are 'enraged', law enforcement agencies are on the back foot - trying
hard to convince anyone who is listening 'that they tried/are trying their
best'. Stand-up comedians have come up with new satirical acts based on this incident and as always (as if
almost on cue), somewhere in the middle of all this, a politician has gone
ahead and justified the dastardly act of the 'young men' in the crowd by
blaming the women and their short clothes. He has been slammed and every word
spoken by him has been dissected to pieces.
It appears that an
entire nation is enraged with what has happened and will not settle for
anything less than a befitting punishment for the wrong-doers. However, the
reality is far more disconcerting. It seems that every molestation, assault,
rape and murder of women is followed by the pretty much the same narrative. The
chain of events, the fury and surprisingly the shock - remains the same and
unfortunately predictable. We all now know our roles and cues really well and
with every new atrocious act of crime against a woman - we just end up
perfecting our performances a wee bit. How could they do this? What was the
police doing? Where is the law? It is the same set of questions that are asked,
albeit with noble intentions, but ultimately die unanswered. By now, anyone who
has been able to see this pattern, should know that this country and its law
has far more pressing things to do than to care for the safety of its women. It
is even more obvious that there are men across the country who almost bank on
it!
So where does one look
for salvation?
There is this scene in
the film Dangal. Early on in the movie, when Mahavir Singh comes home to find
his girls being accused of beating up two boys to pulp, Geeta apologetically
provides an explanation to what (and rightfully so) led the girls to the point
where they had to resort to violence. This is a funny scene and garners a few
laughs from the audience, but in it lies a possible solution that the women in
this country desperately need. The need to 'arm up'! Self-defence needs to be a
part of every child's upbringing in this country, regardless of gender and for
women, even age. Every school in the country needs to weave this life-skill in
the syllabus, every friendly neighbourhood gym needs to offer it along with
dance aerobics and Zumba, but even more importantly, women need to get up and
make the time to learn what to do when accosted by beasts under the guise of human
beings. What’s more, totes, slings, wallets now need to make space for the
pepper sprays and what the heck, even a small knife if possible.
Yes, there will be
collateral damage. I am hardly an idealist who believes that there can be a day
when there will be no sexual or gender-based assault in this country.
And as I am letting my
imagination running wild, here are a few possible assaults I can see
materialising - Some men, innocent of any crime, might still get hurt because
of no particular reason. A hapless boyfriend might get injured for not
returning a call or giving a thoughtless gift. A new variety of domestic
violence – one with the husband on the receiving end might also make an upward
trend. And when these assaults will be reported – my sympathies will be with
these men. I will not flinch from asking tough questions- how could she? What
was the police doing? Where is the law?
But until then I guess ‘salvation
lies within the self’!
