Delhi's Dark Days
Its been a while since I got to sit down and pen my thoughts. Mostly because I have been busy at work and dealing with some personal stuff.
I have been in Delhi for the past month or so, and have seen a lot unfold in front of me. While I wanted to comment on it sooner, I decided to wait a bit and give my simple brain time to process what it is that I saw. In case it was not obvious by now, this post will be totally non-technical. It will be a compilation of my observations and interpretations of them. I also know, many folks will agree and disagree with my thoughts, and that is OK. Healthy discussion and diverse ideas are the necessary ingredient to mature thinking, as long as the manner is constructive and not adversarial.
Important :
I am not of a rigid mind. My thoughts remain malleable, shaped by experience and rich and diverse points of view that I come across. I do not condone violence of any kind. I respect all humans and other life forms. I do not believe in any sexist points of view. I can dream with vivid imagination, and I can observe reality with astuteness.
So, if you disagree or feel that I have not developed the thread of a thought to its end, I invite you to a discussion. The following is my rant when I learned of the death of the gang rape victim from Delhi. It is intense, so I apologize in advance if I hurt someones feelings. I wish that kid a peaceful afterlife.
'We' includes me as well.
I have intentionally not taken the young girl's name, because to me, she represents all victims, past and future.
The sad social state of Delhi (as a micro-representation of India) and my recent experience
Fact(s): A young woman (in my opinion just a kid) gets gang-violated brazenly in Delhi.
The kid remains without help for over an hr by a road side. No one helps.
My thoughts: This was not the first and probably not the last instance of such a heinous crime. It was more than rape, it was torture and sadism, characteristics of a mentally sick people. But was it just the 5 men who did this that were mentally sickened? This caused a myriad of conflicting thoughts in my mind, which was a amalgam of anger, shame, sadness and regret. These thoughts were reminiscent other things that I I observed as a youth and tried to influence change for in vain (but that will be another story).
The Indian society is now showing signs of intellectual rot. The environment is becoming less civil and more like a jungle, where the physically weak are just slabs of meat for the physically and the economically strong. How did it come to this? Who can change this and who has the responsibility for this change? How long would this take? What do we do till that change happens? All questions begging logical answers driven by intellect and not emotion. So, I am going to attempt and answer them for myself (who knows if the answers are right or wrong, but I will try and answer them for myself as sincerely as possible).
I think that the seeds of this jungle mentality started many many years ago, where we as people stopped teaching common decencies to our children. We kept teaching them that all that matters is economic progress and financial success, and we stopped caring about their intellectual growth. These children then grew up with weak moral values and their children in turn grew up with even weaker values. Across these generations, many girls have grown up assuming that objectification of their bodies was socially acceptable and many boys have grown up with very little respect for women. Children see their mothers and sisters being disrespected at home, and that disrespect is accepted as the social norm, so they grow up thinking that it is how its meant to be. This has become so deep rooted that it is disturbing.
My own experience at a local mall in Delhi reinforced this. Here is exactly what happened:
I saw a group of young girls and young boys, and I observed them. In the biting cold, the girls were dressed to display their physique. They grouped together, giggling and laughing, eyeing the boys. The group of boys, made no secret that they were ogling the girls, doing silly things to attract their attention and making sexist remarks at the girls. Their remarks were met with laughter and more giggles. The one of the boys started playing a popular bollywood number on his mobile phone.. 'Dhink-a-chika' where the lead actor dances a particular step with his hands moving while inside his pant pockets. One of the boys started dancing the same way, but to my horror, his hand movements inside his pockets were very sexual. The girls' reaction was even more shocking. The laughter and excitement grew, and they started testing furiously on their cell phones. Clearly, they did not find this act as distasteful. Furthermore, adults passing by were smirking and leering at the boys in amusement. Little kids were seeing this clearly.
I sat there on the bench at the mall, in a state of cultural shock. The girls enjoyed their objectification and the boys thought it was ok to make sexually suggestive comments about them. The adults, with their own kids found it amusing. With the feeling that I had swallowed a rock, I asked the guard standing idly by to disperse the crowd, which he did with a big grin on his face. the kids gave me a dirty look..indicating clearly that they felt that I had violated their rights.
After careful reflection, I concluded that we as a society, and as parents have sown the seeds of our own civil and social destruction and the mentality of these kids are the result of our failures. I shudder to think of a future that is made by these kids. Generations of faulty upbringing has left our generation crippled in terms of morality, and it will take at least another generation to repair this deep rooted damage. This became abundantly clear to me when blatant sexist remarks came from the family of the Indian president. I can't imagine how the entire world sees us as a nation and society, where the first family of the nation shows such a poor attitude towards women.
Indian Laws, Police and Justice
Fact(s) : Police suppress anti-government protests with brutality
Politicians nonchalantly dismiss this tragedy as a 'passing moment'
Ancient laws on rape still remain unchanged. Judiciary says it will take years.
Police add nonenforceable processes supposedly to help women, but have nothing in place to ensure that they are practiced. Who will police the Police?
My thoughts: I had commented earlier that the justice system is and has never been about justice. It has always been about upholding the writ of the law. At some point in our social evolution, justice became secondary. We spend all our resources enforcing the law, even if it leads to in-justice. Why and when humans became slaves to their own laws? I will never know.
Coming to the Police, it is my opinion, based on my experience and limited intelligence, the organization neither is about the law, nor is it about justice. In my view, the Police is a government organization that is a puppet to 3 masters : The ruling politicians, organized crime and the wealthy. The concept of justice and the law is completely lost on them. They simply put up a facade of being honorable harbingers of law and order but instead of serving the people, they serve their dark masters. The organization is so anti-people that people are genuinely afraid of associating with this. People lying on the road side are often not helped because all helpers are seriously harassed by the police. Even if they are helped our hypocritical doctors refuse to treat them before being paid and before a police complaint is made. What an appalling state of affairs where every rule and situation is designed to be harmful and hard for the common man who cannot afford a lot of money. To make it worse, our sexist society makes it even harder for women, suppressing them to the point of social slavery.
In essence, justice as a concept is a bought commodity, sold to the rich and powerful. The common man can just dream of it. And alas, women are disqualified from it, putting them right at the bottom of the food chain.
Our expert doctors, do they deserve their God like status?
Fact(s): The young girl's health condition worsens.
The young girl is shipped to Singapore for no credible reason.
The young girl dies.
My thoughts: What was the cause of the infection? Why did we not send her to Singapore when that transfer could actually make a difference and the infection could be prevented? If we claim to have top notch medical facilities and doctors, why move the girl overseas, why now? Too little, too late?
The noble profession of a medical doctor has had its nobility stripped from it. It now, only remains a profession. I question the integrity and ability of any doctor who values a human life based on the amount of 'visitation-fees' the patient can give.
The victimized girl got the country's best medical experts to help her, only because she got national attention. The other female victims of this country are sadly not that lucky. Where is the fairness in that? And then, the girl gets an infection post surgery. Every one accepts this as the girl's fate. I question the ability of these so called experts who let an infection occur on their watch. Anyone with a basic scientific background can determine that an infection happens only due to less than sanitary conditions and the lack of preventative medication. Why has no one investigated these so called experts? Did they really do everything that they could to save this child?
As soon as I heard the decision of moving the kid to Singapore, I had this sinking feeling that she was being sent away to die to prevent a socio-political fallout, giving everyone the impression that every effort was made to save that life. Her death exemplifies how distant our so called top medical experts have gone from their oath. I would not let them claim their medical superiority any more. This girl was their opportunity to do something right for once, and they failed her, their profession and the nation's confidence.
The Politics of human tragedy
Fact(s): Politicians are mostly silent
No social leaders make any significant move
The Police use this as an excuse to beat up young kids
Weird anti social elements use this opportunity to turn violent and give the cops the reason needed to clamp down hard on protesters
My thoughts: It was amazing how insensitive our politicians have been towards this human tragedy, and to all tragedies as such in the past. All they have done is to get political mileage out of any such incident. None of them dared to face the nation and accept their shortcomings. Instead, they used their puppets, the Police, to do what they do the best, suppress the common people. When I was younger, I protested the reservations imposed by the Mandal Commision (which I still think was a big human tragedy with many lives lost). I rebelled, because at that point in time, I was studying and working days and nights to make a career for myself, and I could not let the opportunities rightly earned by me be a victim of senseless reservations. While some experiences are burned in my memory forever, there are some that taught me the politics of such events. It started by a few students protesting, that grew into a larger group of like minded students. Then strange and much older faces started appearing in the rallies, which mysteriously turned violent. Random students were picked up by the police, not seen for days, who were then returned in a badly beaten state. Suddenly politically marked buses appeared and they carried even more stranger people in it, that joined the rallies. Before I knew it, someone was burnt (I still do not know if it was self inflicted or not), someone was beaten to death. VP Singh, the PM, came on TV. Things became quiet. Students had to return to class because the University chancellor said that all protesters would not be allowed to give their exams. Net effect...NOTHING for the common people and students. Absolutely nothing. The government however, was overturned. The policies of reservation ended up being enforced, silently. The students were fooled, those who were not, were beaten into submission. Politics won. People lost. The human tragedy was forgotten, not even recorded in history. All that remains are the memories in the minds of my generation of students. A tragedy that keeps on hurting, but we have become accustomed to that pain, that we do not feel it.
The Youth, the last hope or the lost hope?
As always, the young people are any nation's soul. Like every soul, it has the good side and the evil side. The good is seething in anger and frustration in its seeming inability to turn the tide, the evil is the by product of generations of corrupted social and moral values. They are the ones committing heinous acts of brutality and torture, and it is them weeping at the human tragedy that results from it. They are the ones who decide the fate of the nation and they are the ones protesting for a better future.
Is it not a true paradox and irony of a nation's fate where the problem gestates the true and only solution?
As far as I am concerned, hope is something that we do not have the luxury of losing. It is something that we must hold on to, even in the most desperate of times. So, I do have hope that there will come a time when I will not be ranting and raving like this (its like screaming in frustration at a dumb wall). I hope for a universal and fundamental change, and no, I am no Utopian, I still am a realist.
Aditya's Simple Minded Solution (or SMS)
This perhaps is going to be a very controversial area of discussion, I know. I have given plenty of thought, sometimes my sentimental side took the upper hand, sometimes my (small but scathing) intellect took charge. Overall, I took a pragmatic approach which according to me is practical and doable in the right circumstances. So, read on, with a cool head..I hope to make some sense.
I truly believe that a nation's youth has the power, potential and responsibility to bring about massive change in a society. This has to be done in a very calm, organized and committed way. No change will be instantaneous, it will require a virtue missing in our youth i.e. patience.
Short term : Endure the Labor pains
Immediately, the youth must self-police themselves. The regular Police cannot be relied on. Teach each other and use peer pressure to influence and enforce a positive change, starting with oneself. As a individual, strengthen ourselves, and influence others to be stronger. With strengthening each link in the chain, a stronger youth can be more effective. The social bleeding can be stopped. Since no change will happen overnight, the females of our youth have a harder task at hand. They have to assume that they live in the jungle for now and are surrounded by wolves. In such an environment, you can either be meat, or you can be a lioness. I encourage every female to assume the role of a lioness, and every young man to act as a supporter to this fearlessness.
Now for the most controversial part : We must remember, in our sexually oppressive and morally bankrupt society of today, the inner wolf of every hormone driven young man is easily unmasked. All ladies and young women, please use your common sense. When walking between a pack of wolves, please do not act like bait, you will be bitten. Sadly, till the jungle turns into a meadow, I cannot think of another way to prevent any further violence against women. I know this is unfair to women. But, in my simple way, I can live with unfairness in the short term if it helps prevent violence against women, but only in the short term.
Every young person has the responsibility to help turn this jungle into a lush garden safe for all, and that change begins within each one of us.
So I hope.
Medium term : Perform required surgery
No matter how strong a society grows, there will always be wolves in sheep's clothing. That cannot be prevented. It must however be dealt with. I do not condone violence of any type, but no act of sexual oppression and violence must be tolerated at all. Since no government agency can be relied on, use your local social youth associations to the maximum extent. Use self-policing (not being vigilantes). Use local neighborhood watches, raise awareness. Use social non violent means to apprehend social criminals and pressurize local authorities to take action. Make sexual crimes such a horrible taboo that it becomes a deterrent.
Surgically start removing these cancerous elements of the society, through smart organization.
So I hope.
Long term : Congratulations, we have given birth to a healthy non sexist society
This is the most vital part of my vision. The youth of today should channel their rage and frustration to fuel their drive for a change. They need to become the politicians, civil servants, Police officers and social leaders of tomorrow by working hard today. I do not think a change can be brought about from the outside, but from within the system, else we risk total anarchy (case and point Egypt). Teach your children, your nieces and nephews strong moral, social and civil values especially respect and dignity towards women (BTW I disagree with lots of prominent socialites and literary figures who refer to women as 'the weaker sex'). Start this now, it will bear fruit in the future for sure. Do not expend your energy in mindless acts of violence and protest.
The youth should not see themselves as an agent of change, they ARE the change themselves.
So I hope.
So what can Aditya do?
Yes indeed. I asked myself that question. After all, its easy to preach. All I can say, is that I can make a sincere effort to emulate the changes I preached and try and infuse the next generation with a high moral and social standard. Just this one thing, if I am able to do with full sincerity, I will be happy with to start. I do not make lofty aspirational goals that I cannot meet..I remain true to my dedication to simplicity. However, if the opportunity presents itself to me, to make a deeper change (any change), I will make every effort to follow through.
And so says I...with melancholy and a pregnant hope.
