All within the current sombre mood:
What is the answer of the now-much-asked, million-dollar, most-sought-after questions?
Why does rape occur? What is THE solution?
For starters, it –
A) can happen everywhere(even in the likes of ‘superpowers’ like USA)
B) can happen to anyone(rich/poor, dark/fair,decent-dress/skimpy-dress,married/unmarried,child/adolescent/old age,beautiful/ugly..)
C) can occur at anytime(from the darkest hours to the brightest noon)
D) can be done by anyone (rich/poor,relatives/strangers/friends, businessmen and executives/workers and labourers, north Indians/south Indians/west Indians/foreigners…)
By ANY means, it will be safe to say that our country single-handedly has enough facts to substantiate all the above. There are no generalizations, and no specifications. With a phenomenon so omnipresent, so unpredictable, so prevalent and yet so localised,what can be THE solution?
It is not only contradictory,but also highly ironic that India with all the glorious history/cultures/ethics/morals which it so lavishly boasts of and advertises of is also a place which is strikingly unable to maintain the sanctity of its women,or to control the obscene,obstinate-cum-hypocritical attitude of its men.
The blame game for the same can range from the government,to the police,to the sad state of politics,to a selected strata of people or for the more odd- minded: to the women themselves. And this blame game has and will continue for an indefinite amount of time.
But do we have THE solution? No.
So where do we,the women stand at the end of all this mania and outcry?
There has been a huge change in my mindset after the Manipal-incident.
If abduction and rape can occur within a 500m radius of my hostel and on the roads I tread upon so often,I might be next. If not here,anywhere else.
Perhaps it is a consequence of seeing a only-on-tv-heard-of-crime so up-close and personal..but whatever it is and wherever it may lead to-
I now believe there is NO solution to this problem.
Of course, now there will be barricades, there will be more security personnel and lights,and there will be buses,and promises…
But a tad too late for her?
As for the rest of us..if not here, someplace else?
No,it is not about being cynical or giving up good old hope. It is just about accepting the reality,accepting that what is,is what really is and thereby taking my safety in my own hands. Call it the perks of being a girl (if you may).
There is no thinking that this cannot happen to you.
There is no hoping that things will change( At least, not anytime soon)
There is no reliance on anybody else for your protection and goodwill.
Rueful as it might be,this is what it has come to.
Save yourself to the best you can,because there is a predator at large: the man.
I agree with everything you said. However, the last sentence just hit me in the face really hard.
“Save yourself to the best you can,because there is a predator at large: the man”
Your father, brother, friends, cousins include men too. What are you implying?
Hey Abhinav,
Had absolutely no intention of offending you ego(or of any
alpha-male for that matter)
I only wanted to imply and emphasize the seriousness and
urgency of the situation: that being, our self protection against the obviously anti-social male elements should be primary.
That said, the rest of us know where we stand 🙂
The main root cause and 90% time when a rape takes place It’s under the influence of alcohol, also presence of free pornography adds to the list. The ideal solution is to sell alcohol in remote locations, far from any educational and public institution. Hardcore pornography and violence related material should be banned.
There is no immediate solution to this problem. The mindset of most males is very twisted when it comes to women: they think of them as objects.
This is NOT entirely instinctual or natural, the media has coaxed them to do so. In TV and movies, women are mostly depicted as objects.
Until a massive, collective change in the mindset occurs, what the author says holds true.
Banning alcohol and pornography wont do any good.