Ramblings..of hope..of change..post "16 dec"

Its been an year, post an incident that shook me as an individual. Yes have read about a lot of rape cases, about the atrocities committed not just on women but on children and on men. But this incident did shake me as an individual, for the first time in my life I felt fear at a personal level, the situation seemed so frighteningly close to my everyday life. I have traveled in buses at 9 PM, can’t even call that late, if faced with a similar situation would have fought on the same terms. But what happened to that brave girl, Is beyond imagination, I never thought in my nightmares that humans could do this to another human just because they got agitated when she fought back.

I have always felt about women rights, not that I have ever faced discrimination be it at home, school, college or workplace. Yes I know a lot of good men around me, men who have guided me to understand right and wrong through my lens of understanding, men who have voiced their pain and anguish alongside me and I respect those men;

But there are prejudices that do exist, there is inequality at lot of levels that does exist so let’s accept that. Incidences like rape at some level are about controlling women, as the famous line goes “showing them their place”. It is of course a bigger malice which stems from many sick mindsets and I do not think I understand many of them.

But my point over here is, after that incident I began to think about the change that we need to bring about and I feel when we sometimes talk about change we do not need a revolution to bring about a change, It can begin with you and me. It can begin within my immediate group of people, Yes I might seem mad, challenging everyday things that I should not but then If I won’t do it then I am a part of it. I need to question some of the rituals, need to question some of the everyday things, need to question certain aspects of mass media that show women in certain light.

I can’t stop a film from screening, but I can voice my opinion to whatever number of people that will listen to me, that a song cannot and shouldn't glorify stalking, and million such things. I know there are prejudices that I hold, that I need to correct and that participation in change needs to be much more than just that, someday I hope I will be able to break free and work towards that.

Image source: marklovefurniture.com

But till then, every time I remember the incident I pray for her and I hope that things will change, they need to change otherwise as a society we will be facing a situation which will question the existence itself.  We need to give our girls, first the right to life, then the choice of education, choice to choose their life partner, their career and ensure safety and equal opportunity. There are brave women who have come out in the open and there are brilliant  people who are working towards this collective dream, today I salute the determination and the courage of all of them..