There are times when you are silent due to ignorance or indifference.
There are times when you are silent out of insolent rebellion.
There are times when you are silent as a form of avoidance or escapism.
There are times when you are silent because you are at a loss for words.
The past week has been the latter kind of time for me. I have been grappling for the right words to express my thoughts and emotions adequately – thoughts that make my insides churn with every new development in the Kolkata rape-murder case.
*Interesting side-bar: The Indian Standard Time zone is listed as Asia/Kolkata by the tz database also known as the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) database. Why so? “The name of the city of Kolkata was used because it was the most populous city in the zone at the time the zone was set up, though this is no longer true.” [Source: Wikipedia]
That said, what holds true for Kolkata holds true for the times of India that we live in. And the Kolkata rape-murder news flashing across networks this past week has been nothing short of shocking and horrifying for all of us in India.
‘Nirbaya’ in 2012, ‘Abhaya’ in 2024 – nothing seems to have changed in 12 long years, certainly not any less fear among the women of India, as these pseudonyms are meant to suggest! On one hand, as we celebrated our 78th Independence Day, I was so proud of how far India has come in giving women equal opportunities, right from the role of President of India to corporate leadership, and so very many other roles and positions. But on the other hand, I know Mahatma Gandhi’s quote struck a chord, making every Indian woman question whether we are truly free in our nation at all: “The day a woman can walk freely on the roads at night, that day we can say that India has achieved independence.” Our famed poet of yesteryears, Rabindranath Tagore, also expressed similar sentiments in his often quoted poem:
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high…
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”
Is this an issue of freedom?
– I wish it were that simple! There are far too many layers to peel back and expose. Freedom is just one of them.
Is this an issue that concerns the medical community alone?
– No, I honestly think not. This could happen anywhere at any time to anyone.
Is this an issue that affects every Indian?
– Yes.
– And No. It is not limited to India. It could happen anywhere in the world. At least in India, we still have some voice to raise against this injustice. Truth is, there are parts of the world that experience this and worse, but their voices are either never heard or never paid attention to. Worse still, the victims are often demonised, while the world cheers the perpetrators!
Is this an issue that affects every woman?
– Absolutely, yes! It should!
Is this an issue that affects every human?
– Absolutely yes again! If one is human at all.
My point being, this is far bigger and deeper an issue than we are making it out to be.
Sure, we can tell parents and teachers to teach children about “good touch-bad touch”. We can teach our boys about respect as much as we teach our girls about safety. We can teach and learn self-defence, increase security systems, pressure the justice system for more stringent laws to protect victims and ensure punishment for the perps. All this is good.
But I do want to address one issue that very few are thinking of or talking about at all. The very same media flashing this as “Breaking News” is also responsible for making millions in the porn industry as well as from television, movies, ads, social media, and on-demand content, most of which objectifies women, glorifies sexual gratification, and even makes light of unwelcome propositioning. Why, almost every song and dance sequence ever is just that! Am I right? Or am I right?
Is the Indian media willing to be responsible for nurturing this pervert mindset in our nation and making money off it?
Are our filmmakers, script writers, directors, producers, song writers, actors, and actresses willing to take a stand to stop producing and participating in content that inculcates sexual depravity and perversion?
Are our creatives and content creators – the social media influencers, performers, stand-up comedians, artists, book writers, designers, editors – willing to produce content that does not have to include sensuality and sexuality (however subtle or artistically licensed) in order to gain more visibility and popularity?
Are industries ready to sell their products without having to sexualize them in order to boost sales?
Are the mafia involved in sex slavery, pornography, paedophilia, and a plethora of other sickening and illegal activities willing to lose millions of dollars in order to live lives of integrity?
Are those who watch porn and shamelessly feed the monstrous mafia behind it willing to put an end to their twisted addiction?
Are we all making an effort to watch media that is clean and call out the nasty?
Are we lobbying for cleaner content on television, on-demand, and on the big screen, including ads? Or are we passively willing to swallow whatever is dished out to us thinking we are not in control?
Are we encouraging social media platforms, brands, influencers, and channels to continue producing inappropriate content by our nonchalant consumption, or do we take the effort to flag and speak out about it, taking required action to stop its distribution or promotion?
I invite us all to take a deep dive and introspect ourselves rather than blaming the government, the hospital, the police… whatever. That’s the easy thing to do, play the “blame game”. Don’t get me wrong. Whoever is responsible for this particular crime must be brought to justice.
But, truth be told, if the answer to the questions above is “No”, then every one of us involved in any of the activities mentioned above is also indirectly responsible for this crime. Yes, as much as it pains me to say this, you and I are responsible for these rapes and murders in our nation!
Remember, we are meant to be a democracy – of the people, for the people, by the people. No doubt, it’s difficult to take responsibility ourselves and be the change we want to see. But IT IS TIME we Indians – ALL OF US – take our responsibility seriously!
