What have we done?

What have we done?

We call our dear country 'Bharat Mata', but what do we do to her own daughters?

We all proudly boast of the footsteps India has taken towards the future, but have we forgotten our daughters? Is this country only for men? When it comes to our daughters, it has more or less remained all the same. Women are still looked upon as mere flesh-and-blood multiplier machines without a heart or soul of their own. They are the toys men crave, and like every toy, used and thrown. They are the toys they vent their desires in, shamelessly without the humanity of the human race. The women of our country are still forced to hide beneath a veil of fear and still hide behind their fathers and brothers. 

So, what is it that you are trying to say? That this country is meant only for men?

Despite several leaders of the past tying the broken shards of our nation together, we still haven't recognized our women.

A girl is born. You feed her with fear and shame and teach her to serve, not lead. You teach her to sacrifice, not possess. You teach her flight, and not fight. You teach her to submit, not dominate. You teach her to obey, not retaliate.You teach her to live for man's wishes, not for herself. In short, you teach her to be second, for the first must always be a man.

If at all a woman manages to rise despite the hurdles you throw at her, you brutally exploit her and make sure you quench that small flame of hope she has, into mere smoke. You make her repent her mistake of being born female in this incorrigible mindset of her country, that glorifies its men and humiliates its women. Eventually, you nail it hard in her mind that this country only justifies its men by blaming the women of lacking modesty.

On December 16, 2012, our nation witnessed one such daughter losing her life in the brutal hands of men. Fellow Indians, you say a woman must exist in the protective shadow of men, but what difference did it make? In the end, India just lost yet another innocent daughter. The ruthless animals pounced on the chance and ripped her apart.

By what means can one defend the men?

On 10 January, the defendant of the rapists, Manohar Lal Sharma, said in a media interview that the victims were responsible for the assault because they should not have been using public transportation and, as an unmarried couple, they should not have been on the streets at night. He went on to say: "Until today I have not seen a single incident or example of rape with a respected lady. Even an underworld don would not like to touch a girl with respect."

He also called the male victim "wholly responsible" for the incident because he "failed in his duty to protect the woman". ("2012 Delhi gang rape," n.d.)

If a woman cannot dress the way she wants to without the fear of a man's eyes, what 'development' are we talking about? Is India, in the name of 'progress', moving in the wrong direction? From this statement, a solid national truth reveals itself - that India is filled with such dogmatic men who don't bother about the truth and justice that Nirbhaya needed, all for the sake of their own benefits. They are the men who place a barrier and let down the daughters of this nation, in the pursuit of justice they deserve. Such filthy men must not even attempt defining a woman's modesty and respect, when they don't hesitate to put down that of another woman's.

March 20, 2020. Nearly eight years after this horrific crime, the Government has finally woken up to the fact that these convicts, be it the rapists or their lawyer, must pay the price for the damage they have inflicted on the daughters of this nation. Finally, the convicts have been robbed of what they value the most - their filthy lives, which no longer had any reason to be spared. I appreciate the courage of Nirbhaya's father, who fearlessly, like his daughter, mentioned his daughter's name, for it was not his daughter's name that should've been kept in secrecy, but rather that of the convicts, who must be ashamed to voice their name here after. His daughter's name had all the dignity to be known, and I respect that.

The names of the rapists no longer deserve to be spoken about, and I feel Jyoti Singh, the Delhi braveheart, will remain an echo of this shameful history this country holds and should send a shiver down the spine of any man, who attempts to exploit another daughter of our country. We have sacrificed several, and this must happen no more. Despite so many after Jyoti, I don't think we will be able to witness a change in the future of this country.

What are we doing for our women? Instead of sending wishes for Women's Day to all the women you know, why not celebrate her everyday? Celebrate your mothers and sisters with respect and encouragement, and let's make sure we don't sacrifice yet another Nirbhaya in the future.


#RIPNirbhaya #TimeForJustice  #WellDoneIndia