IN MEMORY OF A YOUNG WOMAN: A LETTER TO ALL WOMEN
16-Dec-12 –It was a cold winter evening
in the capital when a woman was murdered. Well, what is big deal about it;
people die every day. And we, common people, know how to forget it very next
day. Moreover, she was only a woman – a comparatively less-valued human being. But,
what happened on that cold winter night was no ordinary murder.
A young woman was butchered; bit by
bit, piece by piece. And, it destroyed a lot more than that we thought it did.
The wounds on the body were as deep
as one could imagine and, it’s affect on the soul of every woman was severe
beyond anything. It hit deepest on the womankind. An ugly, naked truth was
revealed. And every woman of this country felt the coldness of being a woman: a
creature which could be used, killed, raped and tortured just because men need
to feel MEN, to show their authority and, to prove that they rule this world. It shattered a coating of ‘Sharam and Haya’ covering
women for centuries. The heart was filled with rage and with an emotion ready
to destroy all barriers asking woman to be silent. Never have been women that
scared or angry before.
A voice was raised; loud enough to
make those heard having some hearing-aid problem. Women asked about their
safety, about their existence, and moreover about what needs to be done now? They raised questions – are they here just to
be a slave, a mute sufferer who is not even allowed to talk about her
sufferings? Are they supposed to
tolerate any nonsense on their body and their soul? And why? Because ‘ye to hota
rahta h’. Because, if you are born as a woman you need to learn these rules to
survive in men's world.
But, this was more than anything to
be silent and to forget and to move on. That voice got louder.
Some rules were made but, to me,
they seemed just an attempt to slow down that voice, just to fool the women
that they care, that they are worried too, that they are serious to change this
ugly, sick society. But, in reality they are not. It doesn’t matter much to
them.
Rapes are happening every day and
everywhere; no matter how many so called ‘precautions’ a woman takes. Nothing
has changed. Not a single thing.
Two years later similar incident
happens in the same city and slaps hard on every woman’s face. So, this is
where we stand after so many efforts.
Has anything really changed over
these two years?
The law merely facilitates, it does
not change society or gender inequalities. Society needs to make some serious and
concrete improvements. But, perhaps this society doesn’t want to change. It
feels more secure, and in control this way. But, now we, women, need to be adamant
to change this system. Let’s not sit idle, hoping it will change automatically.
Let’s not pretend anymore that we have power to tolerate everything. Let’s ask
more questions, let’s raise our voices, let’s break the rule and let’s demand
what is ours but, denied, let’s do what we want to do, not what we are told to.
Because, now we are fucking tired (sorry
for the language) of listening advices and tired of taking any more ‘precautions’.
Let’s tell the world we belong here too. This is our world too.
And, let’s hope one day it will be
a better society, a better country. Hopefully, one day, men will be better men.
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