A LETTER TO THE NATION

Parvathy Ramesh is the first guest writer to this blog. In her facebook profile, she tells you that she is ‘Intense, passionate and very expressive’. Well, you will know about that once you read her fiery letter addressed to the people of this nation below. And oh! Did I tell you she is a classical dancer? No? Well, she is. And also she is seeking a man who would dance to her tunes forever.

My dear fellow countrymen,

I hope this letter finds you all good… Or, maybe not. Because, I’m not. I don’t seem to have the good spirits anymore. How can one have, after having one look at the headlines of the newspapers? Headlines which seem to be screaming out countless cases of Gang rape, Child abuse, Acid attacks, Molestation. The count which keeps increasing everyday. And each more horrifying than the last. Each... more cruel.

Indeed reading about rapes and crimes against women has become such a regular feature, most of us habitually would read and shrug it off. Some may empathize, discuss about it. But eventually the news gets forgotten by the end of the day. Honestly, who has the time to actually think over so deeply? You just pretend you are immune to all this, because of who you are. It is easier that way isn’t it?
It is shocking to note the alarming rate at which crimes against women are taking place in the society nowadays. I have lost count of all such cases being shown on TV and written about in the papers. Statistics reveal there has been a 336% increase in child sexual assault cases in the past one decade. One in every three children faces the trauma of abuse. And this stat, when 85% cases are not even brought to light! It is even more shocking if we take the cases of acid attacks... How cruel and vile can one get; to throw acid and scar a person for life? How violent can one be to brutally assault a five year old? And yet, there is no specific answer to this. Law can only offer punishments; it’s the mindset of the people in general which has to be changed.
And it is always the same agonizing story - the case gets media attention, it trends on twitter, people post and comment on facebook. Our so called ‘leaders’ express grief and offer condolences, and announce compensation packages. Surprisingly, it is always the way how women conduct themselves and their way of living which is stated as the triggering reason behind such crimes. All this happens for few days… and then all of us get back to our own lives and pretend everything is fine, until another brutalized rape victim turns up.
Depressing isn’t it??
The root of the problem lies in the very traditions we take pride in. Somehow, the morals and values have gotten misplaced grossly. And blaming the police or the govt. will not help at all. As for them, the Aam Aadmi can as well go to hell. The Police wield such clout; those who are supposed to be law enforcers themselves turn out to be abusers.
Hence, it is an honest appeal to all the self respecting men. Please do not rape. Please do not pass sexist remarks on any women. And ensure nobody around ever does too. And to those who do indulge, get a life. Seriously, please do. It is not at all cool. Stop flashing your masculine tag. Add us as your friends and interact with us instead of stalking us online and downloading our profile pictures onto your phones, that’s creepy. It is not that every man is to be seen as a potential rapist, but it would be appreciated if you make us feel safer around. Respect us and earn the respect back in our eyes.
We don’t need any compensation; we just need the freedom and liberty to move around without any fear, without being judged. We want to be respected, not looked upon as an obscure object of desire. We want to have a life, we deserve!!!
While we all rightly condemn the brutality of the rapists and attackers, what is more needed is to act immediately when the situation calls for it. For we have become a society of onlookers, rather than doers. Let us not be all so self serving, but rather let us raise our voice collectively.
The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself. We must find the change in ourselves. Let us all collectively strive towards making a socially conscious community… a community with a heart. Rather than the one we have right now which brutalizes our children and women.
Only then we shall have a nation. Today, all we have is a country with some political borders.

Yours sincerely,
A Woman