Though not very keenly but I did follow the news about Nirbhaya, India's new-found braveheart, who breathed her last after being raped and brutalized last month. It was sad to hear her pass away... sadder still is the news that keeps trickling in. The initial fervour of stronger action and tougher laws as protection and equal dignity to women is now being diverted to fights and blame-games between media, police, laws, ministers and the medical fraternity. While I hope something worthwhile and truly noble emerges out of this whole tragic incident... that Nirbhaya's struggle for life will have brought about something substantial for those still undergoing the trauma, is my hope.
Initially I was skeptical of all the protests and candle-lit vigils held in Delhi. But when I saw that the protests continued also on the midnight of December 31, I was all praise for those young and old braving the cold and the temptation to forget it all and just celebrate the new year!
As for me, I strongly believe that more than law and patrolling, it is a proper attitude towards women in our families that will help our society. In a culture where boys are preferred (in every sense of the word and for all matters, except that of doing household chores!) girls too need to be treated with equal dignity and respect. Only when children, and subsequently young men and adults begin to see women as another human being, as a person with feelings, sentiments, hopes, desires and dignity, will this sort of upmanship and violence end.
And as someone rightly pointed out, violence against women is caused not by anger against them, but is in fact, a response (of men) to our incapacity to be able to respond to situations better than women. Hence instead of accepting the fact that women do compliment us and are in certain fields better than men, use the muscle power and 'subdue' them.
Initially I was skeptical of all the protests and candle-lit vigils held in Delhi. But when I saw that the protests continued also on the midnight of December 31, I was all praise for those young and old braving the cold and the temptation to forget it all and just celebrate the new year!
As for me, I strongly believe that more than law and patrolling, it is a proper attitude towards women in our families that will help our society. In a culture where boys are preferred (in every sense of the word and for all matters, except that of doing household chores!) girls too need to be treated with equal dignity and respect. Only when children, and subsequently young men and adults begin to see women as another human being, as a person with feelings, sentiments, hopes, desires and dignity, will this sort of upmanship and violence end.
And as someone rightly pointed out, violence against women is caused not by anger against them, but is in fact, a response (of men) to our incapacity to be able to respond to situations better than women. Hence instead of accepting the fact that women do compliment us and are in certain fields better than men, use the muscle power and 'subdue' them.
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