Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
– Lord Alfred Tennyson
So 2008 has begun with a bang. Or rather a gang bang. With a mob of hooligans pawing two innocent women walking with their husbands. With the men in khakhi failing to react to the situation promptly. With two media photographers for whom clicking pictures of the women being molested for their front page story was more important than helping the damsels in distress. With top cop Mr. Jadhav claiming that its not possible to deploy one cop behind every individual to ensure security and that we should stop making a mountain out of the molehill. With a publication like Saamna stating that the women invited the mob with their dressing. And with anybody and everybody offering their two-pence on what the couple should have done or not done on New Year’s eve.
Shame on us. As a city, state, nation, citizens, individuals and humans. Shame on us. We do not deserve to call ourselves human beings or civilised people. We do not deserve to exist. If this is how we are going to behave after crossing all the differents Ages and into the 21st century and if this is how we are going to react, then we should really be ashamed. We have proved human beings to be the lowliest of all creatures. No, let’s not degrade the animals. They are much better than us. At least their bestiality is justified considering that they lack a sense of rational and right or wrong. But we, how are we going to justify our actions?
Why can men not allow women to live in peace? Why is it that they have to hound women at any given opportunity? What is their fault? That they have breasts (where men have none) or that they have a reproductive organ that can be invaded by men at their whim and fancy. I think its none of these. I think its because women are not as fallen as men are…that they still have yards of dignity left in them that men haven’t been able to shred…that the day they make up their minds to act as shamelessly as men, they too can go all out bottom pinching and attacking phalluses.
But they don’t and probably never will. And men may as well thank God for small mercies, ‘coz the day women decide to give the men a dose of their medicine, then not even God can stop them.
Its all very nice and easy to sit on one’s hobby horse and make statements or pass judgements. I for one do want to know how would the Jadhavs and Thackerays of the world react had the women belonged to their families? Would they have then made similar comments?
Will someone please explain to me what exactly do clothes have to do with women becoming easy prey to male carnal lust? If not being modestly covered is the issue, then men should be the ones to be molested because half the time they are semi naked. Either in shorts & vests or lungi & nothing on top. All the sadhus and hermits are perpetually semi clothed with a particular Naga Sadhu tribe even being naked. Why don’t these men of honour pick on them. No sirrah…sartorial sense is not the issue as a woman in a burqa is as unsafe as a woman in an itsy-bitsy outfit.
Oh, you will argue, men don’t have curvaceous bodies, child bearing hips, voluptous figures and protruding parts. They don’t even have a mind that will help them judge things as right or wrong. And they certainly don’t have crappy things like values, morals, principles, decency, rational, good sense, honour, respect, etc. That’s a shitload of bullshit to be preached and not practiced.
All they have is a shaft (that is limp for most part of the time and the revival of which is the foremost thought in their minds) and an idle mind that’s a devil’s workshop. Hmmmm…problemo…that means by virtue of having a grey mass of wrinkles called ‘brains’ (which is the seat of logic) and a beating pound of flesh called ‘heart’ (which is the seat of emotions) women have no choice but to grin and bear it.
Well…well…what can be said. Women, you can’t have everything in life. If you want to uphold your dignity, maintain your identity and not be confused for men, you have to accept the roving eye and prying hands. Accept it as you would accept the husk with the grain, the thorns with the rose, the muck with the lotus, the weeds with the grass, the asura with the deva, the Lucifer with the God. But like how you would chaff the grains, dethorn the flower and deweed the garden, so you will have to do with the hands and eyes. Remove them in ways convenient to you. Martial arts, swiss knives, pepper spray cans, chilli powder or good old groin kick…anything that helps you defend yourself. Use it to the fullest.
You can’t expect anyone to help you. You have to fight alone. Speaking of which, 2007 before going gave us a glimpse of woman power with 30-year old Draupadi Kamade (a tribal resident of Yeoor Hills) pouncing on and chasing off a leopard that had attacked her 7-year old daughter. Kudos to her brave act and a salute to motherhood. In a land where fathers willingly feed their daughters to predators, there is hope in the form of mothers like Draupadi.
Let’s hope that 2008 will give us more of women power. Amen.
no shades of grey 
