Be The Change...

Today, 365 days have passed to her suffering. A suffering so ruthless that it led to her death. She who had not even seen all weathers of her life had succumbed to this brutality and lost this precious life in her very youth. Some call her ‘Nirbhaya’, some call her ‘Jyoti’, one may call her by many adjectives but the fact remains that She was ‘Just another Woman’ in a male dominated country called India.

When I say, India is a male dominated country it actually is even though we may have stepped in the Twenty First century but the age old sufferings of women still continue. Female feticide is still rampant. Harassment of a Daughter in Law is like a birth right of the in laws. So if a woman is not safe in her own family, how could one expect her to be secured in the society?

Eve teasing has become the nightmare of almost every woman, making her civil life miserable. When one can’t bear this, there is more to it; RAPE! Nirbhaya or Jyoti’s was only one of the few examples which got exposed due to the alert media and the angry public agitations which followed. But how many such inhuman incidences must be going unheard, one can only imagine.

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Nirbhaya’s death saw a sea of Humanity crying for her, fighting for her, fighting for the justice (which is usually delayed in our country). The court too this time was on its toes, announcing death penalty to all the accused it had struck back giving a strong message that such atrocities won’t be tolerated. All though one knew that the Girl’s life couldn't be brought back, but this was indeed a justice to the brave heart.

One had thought that the court’s verdict will put a check on man’s devilish tendency which compels him to rape, but alas it was not true. One may find me a sceptic but the incidences which followed made me believe to disbelieve. More rapes followed! And this time the city which was known for its security towards women was also on the Rapists’ hit list, Mumbai!

So even after a year has passed, the question still remains unanswered, “Have we learnt a lesson?” because, even today the women in our country remain unsecured and the administration callous.

They say that there is no man in this world who has not seen a woman with a desire. This may be true but this is also true that the one who can overcome this lust and can respect the woman is a ‘Real Man’ (May be ‘MARD’ in Hindi is a better word in this context). One needs to change the way one thinks. A man should realize that a woman too is a human and she too deserves the same respect (or may be even more) as he expects from her. Strong values need to be inculcated therefore a father who teaches his son to respect a woman is far more worthy than the one who restricts his daughter’s freedom (may be just to protect her, ‘Saat chya aat Gharaat’ in Marathi is a similar way of protecting a girl by restricting her freedom after seven in the evening).

Looking at the administration won’t help but looking inside oneself will. Introspection has become the need of the day so that one can inculcate right values, right respect towards women in oneself. Thus, becoming a catalyst who can change the world.