So for starters, I’ve been trying to avoid topics that may at some point be distasteful to a larger section of society or even spark a controversy for a long time, but today however seems to be an apt time to delve into opinionated posting once again. What surprised me the most and inspired me into writing this was all the noise about the BBC documentary “India’s Daughter” that was posted on “youtube.com” the other day. This after protests in India and also a ban on the documentary being screened in the country. The parliament was abuzz with MP’s going crazy( always fun to watch the circus isn’t it?) All the more surprising, all this two days after banning beef in Maharashtra.
“One can’t help but wonder, what the government prioritizes more, the safety of cattle or that of women
in the country. While it is rather heartening to see them give such importance to livestock, what happens with the women is a different issue all together, such a pity.” a friend of mine remarked recently. I do understand the sentiments of the beef eating public and why they would take to such statements, I mean, I must admit I do love my hamburgers as well! I, however for once would not say the government prioritizes its cattle over women. Getting to the more important issue at hand here, what was it about the video that warranted its banning? Or is India just going through a ban anything and everything phase right now? I mean, PMS-ing women are more consistent with their behavior. Oops, did I touch a nerve there, no offense to all the women, you’re all wonderful people( most I’d say) and then there are also those monsters 😉
To all you out there who may already know this, I must confess, I am an Indian and I am a man. Putting two and two together, voila, I am an “INDIAN MAN!” Does that make me a rapist? Do I look at every lady on the street and otherwise artfully violating her in different ways? Oh no I don’t, but then again, male hormones do come into play every now and then, and you appreciate beauty for what it is, women, cars, bikes, everything :boys, they say will be boys! So yes, like every living creature, I appreciate beauty, women as I’ve been told check us out as well. I bet you didn’t know that! Do I feel strongly about the need for punishment in such cases? Hell yes!
So India’s daughter! The documentary, one hour in length was banned by the Indian government. What makes it more interesting is that it was a BBC (read imperial) production. In a country that’s been ever so moderate and welcoming to all sorts of influences and people, such a ban seemed out of the ordinary. This documentary , about the gruesome rape of a medical student in the capital of the country in 2012 and more so about what happened after: the views and statements of the prime accused, the defense lawyers on the case, the victims’ parents, families of the accused, judges on the case and also analysis from people who’ve been in some way part of the call for justice for such cases. So what was it that made this particular incident special? It was one of the most documented and publicized rape case I had come to know of in my lifetime, we’re keeping in sync with India here.
The sheer brutality of the incident makes me squirm, the sociopaths that were part of it should most certainly be punished. but a question that haunts me is, why make such a documentary it, about the people involved in it? India, a country of 1.2 billion people and so much diversity, differences in opinions is commonplace. Also, once must understand that taking into account all the unemployment and frustration among people crime is commonplace as well, not just hose against women, but any sort of crimes. In the past year and a half that I have lived abroad, one thing, I’ve understood for sure, crimes take place everywhere. Crimes against women, also take place everywhere, but do we get to here about it? We must possibly rethink that! If statistics are to be believed, crimes occurring in other so-called developed countries (USA, UK) is way higher than that in India, consider this, and also the fact that India’s population is so many times larger than either of theirs, why do we get all the attention I worry.
The documentary showed nothing one would not expect from the accused. The above said sociopaths, had no remorse for what they had done. Contrarily, they seemed very much to enjoy all the attention they were receiving and the chance to be seen on TV worldwide. These nobody’s of yesterday from the lower strata of society who barely made two square meals a day now had the opportunity to be famous. There is no such thing as bad publicity they say, holds true I guess. Irrespective of what they said, they’d still be shown to the world, painted bloody criminals. So why not put up a brave face, right? What pained me was the content of the show. If it was awareness that the BBC wanted to create, what exactly about was this awareness? If it was a social change they wanted to make, to send out a message to all potential criminals out there that they must be very careful about what they do, they sure made a mess of it.
Typical sociopathic behavior suggests a social outcast craving for attention, exactly what we’ve now managed to give them, in the process very conveniently tarnishing the image of a developing nation, that seems to be the center of a lot of foreign investment in the near future. If it was awareness that they wanted to create about how the mentality about rapes and crimes against women in the country was changing, they sure haven’t documented that. Instead you have excerpts from what the criminals and their defense attorneys(equally disgusting views) had to say. In a country and culture where women have always been cared for and looked after with utmost respect, a society that has lady “goddesses” literally, these words are disgraceful and contrary to the value system.
What good did this video do? People say we are afraid and disgusted to accept the problem within, hence we ban the video. My question is as to how much more should we acknowledge the existence of the problem? That’s something we’ve been actively doing for quite sometime now. But what action is being taken on it? If that’s the awareness that you wanted to create, probably that’s the kind of documentary you should have made dear BBC. Fellow people, if I may ask, what’s your beef with banning this video? Don’t we all know that the problem exists? Haven’t we demonized these criminals enough? Isn’t it time, we let actions talk instead of protests.
Why are we sitting and streaming the views of sick people when we know that we could very silently go about the business of delivering justice? And the Brits and the Americans would do great if for once they focused on the troubles in their lands instead of poking their noses into how we dealt with matters. We must as well realize that as a nation, we have great troubles that needed to be sorted out and this must be a call for social change, in a consistent but quiet manner.
I repeat I do not for one moment sympathize or empathize with these criminals, but I do not subscribe to giving them undue attention. They are what they are, criminals with mental sicknesses, its high time we dealt with them that way, giving them absolutely no unwanted attention. The safety of women in our country should never be in question, it should be a priority of every citizen of the land after all we do pledge “ALL INDIANS ARE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS”. Mutually we can grow, and help, but mutual inactivity will only kill us slowly.
Unrestricted Madness Flows 