Today, a girl, just wanting to go back home, died a painful death after 13 days of struggle, the result of a pole stuck through to her intestines. She died because some drunk morons couldn’t control themselves. And like every problem, the whole of India is intent of blaming and pointing fingers. Some big shot offspring by the name of Abhishek Mukherjee said (forgive the paraphrasing) that women have nothing to do. They dress up at night to go to clubs and wake up in the morning to protest. How eloquent and thoughtful of you Mr. Mukherjee! Did you think of that all by yourself?
The aggregation of the opinions of fools like Mr. Mukherjee is what stops us from seeing the real problem. The punishment for rape isn’t severe enough to go through a drunk haze or a big bank balance or strong connections or the male ego. Public travel should have video cams. Emergency call service should be facilitated. Intoxication should be better monitored (especially in a country where it is so suppressed) with better security. The stigma around rape has to go. Women should not be afraid to report cases or speak out. But you know what’s most important? Boys at home should be taught that they are no better of worse that their female counterparts. Every mother should be the one doing it. It baffles me that it is usually the mother that neglects to put such sense into her male child. It’s a simple lesson really. Respect the girl like the girl respects you…
My heart goes out to the family of Amanat (or Damini as she remains nameless) and I pray that no girl has to endure such a painful end. If there is light at the end of the tunnel, it’s that in a country where women have been dismissed as the less worthy gender, protests are being carried out and the message is loud and clear: give Amanat justice. Protect your women before they go away. Protect your future before it crumbles like the integrity and dreams of the girl who was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Stop Waiting For Summer 