A Desperate Plea for Awakening!!!

She has been known by many names recently… Nirbhaya, Damini, Amanat, India’s Braveheart, India’s Daughter… The girl who lived through an ordeal of 13 days to awaken the nation!!! She brought the country together… People from all walks of life stepped out of their homes to discuss questions which were earlier plainly discussed while watching news or over a cup of tea… where is our country heading???

Questions have been raised on the safety of women… not only in Delhi but across the nation! But I guess it does not end here. Her death marks the beginning of a new revolution! It’s just not the safety of women which is the concern, it is much larger!

As we have learnt since our school days, the government, such as in a country like ours, is supposed to be by the people, of the people, for the people… But is the government really for the people? The high level drama that we have seen on talk shows, the statements made by several representatives of the government, the reactions from the police are all examples of how disoriented our government structure is and how their lack of responsibility has affected our daily lives!!!

How obnoxious can people sound when they say that girls should be properly dressed to avoid instances of rape or rape attempts!! Or that women should not step out of their homes late night because it instigates rape!! Instead why not take action against those men who have get into such acts.. Chemical castration maybe a step towards improving the situation, but can it really end it?? Why not formalise sex education in India, why not legalise prostitution?

Today as we bid farewell to “Amanat”, it is time to raise the questions – What steps are the government taking to handle the situation? What actions are going to be taken to bring about a drastic difference in the overall law and order situation in the country through a series of amendments in our age old laws? What are we doing as a society to change our mindset? I completely agree with Sunita when she rightly mentioned on a talk show recently that it’s not the “rape victim” who should be hiding their identity, but it’s the rapists who should be hiding themselves. Also when she bravely states that she should not be called a “rape victim” but a “rape survivor”.

I guess it is this mindset which will help equip all of us individually to bring about the change in society which we all hope for. Maybe then the fight that Amanat had put up with, during and after the heinous act, would be rightly justified.