Nirbhaya!

Got up this morning with this uneasiness! It was around, 4:00AM, when I was woken up by a, I believe was a car horn blaring non-stop (as if someone kept they hand on the car horn and didn't let go). It lasted till about a little past 5:00AM. Tried to sleep for some time and then again woke up. Picked up today's newspaper - filled with rage and anguish of the public about Nirbhaya's death. I didnt understand what to feel - shame, anger, pity - for these people who today have all come together as a girl was brutally raped and then died! What had happened when so many other cases of molesting, rape, incest, domestic violence, female infanticide came up and nobody did a thing?

I laughed at this thought that all this outrage is in the moment - for 1-2 days or maybe a week at best. After that we all go back to our regular lives, gossip about this over a cup of tea, show pity for the family, show anger against the men who committed this heinous crime and then comfortably forget about it. After all who has the time? We all have our worries to think about.

I remember when 3 years ago we started working with these farmers and some responsible citizens for saving the old seeds, our crops, our food, I felt so much disgust and helplessness that I cant do a thing about what we are eating. The daily food on our plate is filled with modified genes, tomatoes have pig genes so that they can stay ripe, infant food has so much modified starch, its side effects are a major concern for the growth of babies and the list goes on. I thought I shall at least try to make an effort to educate people. So I started this page called "Kisaan". Sent the link to hundreds of "educated" people on Facebook, but not one was interested in reading this. Poor farmers who are committing suicide for a meagre 5000Rs are trying to do what they can in the minimum resources that they have, but we are too busy. Who cares? We are getting cancers, diabetes, tumours, and so many life threatening diseases from our food - but who cares? I finally just deleted the page. No one is interested.

So today when I read the posts on Facebook, I didn't know whether I should laugh at these people or just ignore them just like they do all the time. Nothing new is happening today. Celebrities are going crazy showing their outrage on twitter - Shahrukh says "i am so sorry that i am a part of this society and culture. I am so sorry that I am a man. I promise I will fight with ur voice. I will respect women, so that I gain my daughter's respect." Obviously he can protect his daughter with all the money and resources he has. What do these people even know about what the common man goes through - trying to run their home, struggling in the local train, worried about the safety of their kids? They are never interested in seriously doing something for society. Shahrukh Khan spends some 100 crores to make his kids happy and makes a film like "Ra One". Did the thought even cross his mind that this money could have helped thousands of lives? Instead if he had helped someone in need, wont his daughter be proud of him?

Cant remember one celeb who contributed to society. They have charity balls, fund raisers, contribute to Greenathons, tweet when some crime happens, but what have they done more than that? They donate lakhs of rupees without even once checking whether this money is being utilised correctly or not. Their personal foundations - ah! thats the least of their worries. Who will manage it? And obviously they wont pay from their pockets, so funds have to be raised and then again!!! Personal foundations are more like PR exercises, donate something once in a year - have a press conference and then forget about it.

Anyway coming back to Nirbhaya - what were these people thinking about when Ruchika Girhotra was molested by an IGP, Jessica Lall was murdered, Sonali - acid was thrown on her face, and so many more? They just protested, did candle marches to show solidarity and then went back to sleep. Our country and its people are in this state of coma - just like Aruna Shanbaug who was in a state of coma for 37 years after a brutal rape by a hospital sweeper. She never woke up and neither will we.

Dont we understand that we need to stand up and take control now? The government is only interested in making statements, filling their pockets, getting their PR, reflecting - just like Sheila Dikshit says in today's Times of India and then not taking any stringent action. They make false promises, convert any issue into a political game, do multi-crore scams, use their power and money against the poor and do nothing about it. What did they do in the so many cases that have occurred before?

Educated people like us comment, show rage, helplessness, and then dont even go to vote - the politicians make hay while we sit in our AC cars and homes and discuss these problems, issues, instances...

Why are we still following the age old Ambedkar law? Every country in the world has stringent law systems to punish offenders. But in our country a culprit gets 7 years of sentence and then goes scot free while the woman quietly suffers in a coma for 37 years. Can you even imagine - 37 years of your life on the bed, not moving, not saying anything, just suffering!!! The thought makes me shudder...

So people cool down, calm down and stop complaining if you dont want to stand up and come ahead. Atleast an Aamir Khan tried to make the country aware about the various issues that our country is facing - in villages, in towns - dowry, domestic violence, incest, honor killing, marital rape - there's so much to do - but we are glorified cowards who just discuss and discuss and then turn around and forget about it!!!!

Feel only shame, disgust, sorrow, pain for such people!!!! Its a relief that Nirbhaya died and didnt have to see the sorry state of our people and face any more humiliation (is there anything more humiliating for her after a gangrape?) in her life!!!!