Walking the ''Slut Walk''!!!!!!

  Walking the slut walk!!! Is that the cure to the infection of eve teasing? Could it do enough in Toronto, Canada and Chicago?  Do comments like ‘’ women should stop dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized ’’ an insult for a girl or a boy? Are women here not raped in salwaar kameez? Starting since the 1960’s, when the Indian women started going out to colleges, working independently, the problem of eve teasing has grown at an alarming rates. Every day 480 cases of crime against women are reported, 45 women are raped and 19 dowry deaths occur on ordinary basis. Every hour 5 women face cruelty at home, about 4 cases of molestation are reported.

   Do these stats. not make the society ashamed of itself? Why is it that women are not allowed to go to late night parties? Why are their restrictions on women, to be dressed the way they want to or else be tagged as sluts as done by Constable Michael Sanguinetti?   We all already know the answers to all these questions, but now its time to accept it. It’s time to accept that we are weak enough to fight back. We blame the things on the society, and accept it as a part of our life. We take the serenity and fortitude of women for granted.

    The consumerist culture of India sells women’s body as an item of consumption. All the cosmetic ads, perfumes want women to look sexy and hot consciously to attract men. Fashion designers, toothpaste makers to soap makers all try to entice girls to use these products and be sexually desirable. Every where in our society women are being projected as sex objects and women themselves do not seem to be far behind in projecting there sexuality as ‘bait’  to become a film star or a model.

   Maqbool fida hussain the renowned painter of Indian origin is considered as ‘’Picasso of India’’. He had to go for an exile to Qatar, for he painted gods and goddesses of Hinduism unclothed. Our culture is reluctant to appreciate the piece of art which today is renowned worldwide. The legendry artist had to live his last days away from India unwillingly.  Did this culture of India just forget about the Hindu text KAMASUTRA, where KAMA itself means sensual and sexual pleasure? It is the same culture which dispirited our tennis player Sania Mirza, after she came back making India proud as she was the only Indian women to reach the fourth round of grand slam. A Muslim organization had issued an edict demanding India’s teen tennis sensation Sania Mirza cover up during matches, describing her short skirts and sleeveless shirts provocative.

   So is it this culture and Indian society, who will determine whether slut walk is right or not? The women are back with a bash and Delhi will se a ‘’slutwalk artharth besharmi morcha.’’  Who says it is morally wrong? Is it the society, who itself is morally zero and blame things on traditions, freedom, democracy and modernization as convenient?  They know how to talk around but feel the pain only when something happens to their own daughters and sisters.

    We need more women like Umang Sabharwal or the stats would jump further and the victim will still be the accused. 20 crimes on women every hour. 57 rape cases everyday. These facts are enough for Indian women to sign up for karate or martial arts for self defense in a male dominant society. Slut walk is yet another movement initiated by the women where one may debate the usage of word ‘’slut.’’  But the issue is not this word. The issue is the world that wants to inflict violence on women and use her clothes and sexual history as an excuse. India is a country where we have athletes like Pillavulakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, chief ministers like Mayavati, Sheila dixit, president like Pratibha Devisingh Patil and the president of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi.

    Who says women in India are not powerful???  It is just that they are patient and strong enough to bear all the soreness.

 It is rightly said by   Anais Nin-

                                  There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud

                                   was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

NOW IT’S TIME TO BLOSSOM FOR WOMEN AS THE BUD IS ABOUT TO OPEN.

             

  Dedicated To The Society, do think about this!!!!!

''Men are allowed to have passion and commitment for their work ... a woman is allowed that feeling for a man, but not her work.’’

                                                                                   -Barbra Streisand

   This is true for the world we are living in, where women perform 66 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of the food, but earn 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property. According to a report women constitute 70% of the population living below poverty line in the rural areas. They constitute for 89.5%of the work force in agriculture, 55-65%in the farm production, 94% in dairy production and 51% in forest based small scale enterprises. Will these figures raise questions in our minds now, when some one asks ‘’ if women are weaker than men.’’???

   When did our society started accepting women to be weaker than men??? When did women started to raise their voice to secure a respectable status in the society???  When did they start feeling the need to secure a position in the society and not to be looked down upon by men??? Women enjoyed equal status and rights, as men, in the early vedic period. But, when practices like sati, child marriage, devadasis crept in the society, in the medieval period the woman’s position started deteriorating. Reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra fought against these evil practices, and fought for the upliftment of women in the 19^th century British raj.

    What happened to the pride of women in the independent India??? Indira Gandhi became the prime minister of India for the longest serving period of 15 years. Presently, our president is a women and the chief minister of our capital city is again a very diligent women. Does this means that the position of women today in our society is better than before, when Razia sultan became the monarch to rule delhi, or when Rani Laxmi Bai was leading the Indian rebellion of 1857???  Well the facts again contradict the picture of women empowerment shown to us because less than 4% seats in High Courts and Supreme Court are for women and they make up for less than 3% administrators and managers.

     This does not mean that women are not excelling in corporate affairs. Kalpana Morparia and lalita gupta are the managing director of ICICI. Sullaja Milwani  is the joint managing director of Kinetic. Neelam Dhawan is the M.D of Microsoft in India. Globally women are excelling in all spheres. Starting with the U.S secretary of state Hillary Clinton, M.D of Morgan Stanley Zoe Cruz and president of New Zeland for three successive terms Helen Clark. From politics to business firms women are  excelling every where and even  doing great in the music industry with Judy Mcgrath as the chief executive of MTV and VH1.

   But in some places the society does not allow a woman to step out of her house and participate in this fast moving competitive world. Rape, Eve teasing, dowry, domestic violence are some of the evils which surrounds the life of a women. Who is the culprit then??? What is making a women feel so insecure on facing the world fearlessly???  Is it the so called ‘’stronger men’’ of our society?? Is domestic violence, dowry killing a way to show your strength?? Well, answers to these questions are crystal clear, but not accepting them makes the society and men even more weak.

   Who says women are weak?? They have fought against these ills of this society. Activists like Arundhati Roy, Medha Patkar, Anita Desai, former IPS Kiran Bedi have raised their voice against all social issues and have devoted their lives for the welfare of our country. Walking the slut walk (Besharmi Morcha) was an initiative taken by women recently expressing the umbrage of the women against the fears of ghastly comments which they face from the opposite sex when they step down on the street.

    Women are ricocheting. Various women from rural india have come forward to take part in various sports events and are excelling in it. Some of the famous names which have got us various medals and respect to our nation are PT Usha, Shobha , Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Karnan Maleswari and many more. Women have risen to great heights and to debate on the issue of ‘’who is stronger- men or women’’, will never bear any fruit. But, what must be admired is the struggle which the women have made since the past, the self-belief which they have gained fighting against the norms of the society, that restrains them in the hollow chains of culture and dharma.

    Yes, it’s a mother who brings all of us in this world and she was never weak to endure any pain for us. It is evident that women have the courage to patiently bear all pains to achieve a respectable position in the society and that is what makes a difference. Men already had what they have now and women have earned what they did not have earlier.

   

                         The Clock Stops At The 29th min.

                       

  It is rightly said that ‘’ rape is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused.’’ This stands true in case of India where most of the rape cases are not reported to the police. The fear of loosing one’s reputation in the society is more than one’s self respect which she looses in her own eyes. If they make a case, it becomes public knowledge and then the victim as well as her family may be shunned by the society as they are seen as ‘’damaged goods’’.  Sometimes reports are not recorded by the police as the accused may be of an influential background and the victim is of lower segment of the society. Other reasons for not lodging the reports may be due to the risk of having a future where she is hit upon by immoral questions on her character. Facing the mocking jerks every nook and corner further adds on to her woes, as they form an imp. part of the society we live in and can not be ignored.

 We are brought up in a society and we are told by our parents that we should respect all family relations. And what we get back is a father having sexual relations with his daughter, an uncle molesting a minor girl, a girl been kidnapped, gang raped and later thrown on the road by some youth whom our daughters and sisters may get married later. Is this justice? Is this the society we actually wanted to live in? Is a society like this worth judging our character?

    Everyday newspaper headlines come bolting on our way like this saying ‘’15 year old gang raped in car’’. Now, the question arises what after that? If the report is filed the accused are arrested then what will be done so that this malevolence crime is neither repeated by the accused as well as those who get to know about it? Is 10 years imprisonment enough a punishment for spoiling the life of an innocent girl, who may have been left with an option of committing suicide, for the society may not accept her now? I don’t think so. Such a light punishment implies there is a tacit permit to tolerate such things. It seems rape is more like a minor offence. What happened to being the flag bearer of women’s right??

     The reported cases of rape have gone up by 700% since 1953 in India. In America the law says that a rape accused is either hanged to death or has to bear such other punishment as the court martial may direct. Are such punishments enough to make people confine this sin? Will they fear law so much that they can not even think of getting their pants down on seeing a girl alone walking back home at night? If not, then there is some problem with the law. Castration can be a solution. Cutting the root cause of the problem can be the solution. This would fright a person before he thinks of committing any such heinous crime as rape. As Saint Augustine has said ‘’the greatest evil is physical pain’’ then may be police remand and third degree torture is the need of the hour. Rape in UAE carried the death penalty, at least for ex-pats raping citizens . The best a rapist could hope for is deporation. The law making bodies have to take this problem more seriously. The accused most of the times are set free, because the officials are corrupt and easily bribed.

     Prostitution is legalized in Canada, most of Europe including England, France, Wales, Denmark etc., most of south America including most of Mexico, Brazil, Israel, Australia and many other countries. Private consenting adult sexwork should be legal as it is in most of the countries. Brothels are everywhere even in India. Though it is not legalized here, but everyone knows where to go. It is more of an implied agreement which if made legal may reduce the rape cases in India. Legalizing prostitutions debates that our culture is at stake. What culture do we have where civilizations have come and gone but people are still uncivilized? Where is our culture and traditions when a 4 year old is molested by a 40 year old?

     In our country a women would have to turn the case into media circus to have a chance at justice and 90% of rape victims would not do so out of fear and shame. The most famous example here can be seen of Ruchika Girhotra case where the disgraced former Haryana director general of police SPS Rathore   was finally sentenced to jail  20 years after he actually committed the crime. This was all done because of the media pressure.   

    1 out of every 4 rapes in India is committed in our capital, Delhi. A staggering 56% of rape accused are below the age of 25. Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal are leading the states with most number of rape cases in India. According to a data in every 29 minutes a women is raped. The time is running, the next minute coming. Just hoping that it’s not the 29^th min. of any girl’s life will not be enough. Action has to be taken now. Laws have to be reframed, to save our sisters and daughters, from the claws of the beasts roaring down the streets in hunt of an easy and lonely prey. Or else keep the doors locked and be a victim of the four walls of the house, for you never know whose 29^th min. may be near. It is said that 80% of the accused are known to the victims, so you never know if you are safe in your house or ?????????????

SURVIVAL OF THE FATTEST

It’s time to say goodbye

It’s time to part away and still stay alive…

It’s time to face the truth

It’s time to be a crook…

A crook to survive in this cruel world

A world where innocence is subdued…

Shattering of dreams is a common thing

Surviving in the den of thieves is not easy for every being…

It’s time to say goodbye to yourself

It’s time to say goodbye to your sinlessness…

Being wicked is the need of the hour

Leaving your virtue is no more a misdemeanor…

A land where backstabbers survive

A place where corruption gets high five…

Everyone busy making great wealth

No matter by hook or crook or by stealth…

The wealthier flies high in the sky

The poor is buried and denied…

What he gets is a kick from the nation

A nation that promises equality and devotion…

Now even our nation is fake

People gambling it on  high stakes…

Now, it is time to face the truth

Now, it is time to be a crook…

Crook to survive in this cruel world

A world where innocence is subdued…

Corruption

Bribing in and bribing out

Is that the reason for people’s pulpy stout?????

Rising to great posts

Welcoming bribes as great hosts…..

Making the walls lot richer

Throwing in money as if litter….

Corruption for us is an attraction

Difficult from it is repulsion…..

Mounting money in the swizz bank

Making the yoga gurus go blank…

Opposition taking advantage, to fill their empty pockets

Can even sell their country, promising a trip to space in rockets…

I am proud of my nation’s economy

Where just 100 people make up for 25% of our countries wealth….

Assiduous were only 100 people out of the billion in the country??

Or this Inequity was guided by iniquitous stealth….???

Ohh. I admire a lot our media

Concentrating always on wealth making idea….

Makes me feel that corruption is in our genes

For the rich have a hold on each and every means….

Today we promise to change the system

Today we are stern, firm and robust…

But what society takes out of us

May be sham, deceit and pretense …..

Let’s see what our country makes us into

Which itself is married to corruption….

Let’s see if we can get it divorced

Or again live in it with an immortal audacity of hope…