Neither a saree,
Nor a stole;
Neither a Burqa.
Nor a coat;
Neither in a
dress;
With all
finesse,
No, I am never
safe here at all!
For he is always
out on the prowl!
Neither as a toddler,
Nor older,
Neither as a
daughter,
Nor sister,
Neither as a
mother,
Or a respected
another,
No, I am never
safe here at all!
For he is always
out on the prowl!
When I was five, my
only preoccupations were with Barbie, Fairies and Doll houses. But today as I
pen this article there is an innocent five year old girl in this country,
suffering because some men just have no control over their libido! And she is
not the only one; there are many like her; only differences being those cases
fail to see the light of day. Young or old, it doesn’t matter; the sex starved
men of this country (barring a decent few) seem to have embarked on a raping overdrive. Not only have we been
unable to root out the cause of this malignant sexual sickness but we have also
failed miserably in ensuring justice to those affected. We as a society have
failed and are today at the depths of despair.
Everything is in
classic disarray. Unapologetic men in search of opportunities to debase women
lurking in every nook and corner; the police failing to provide protection; the
political class embarking on point scoring journeys; judiciary failing to deliver
comprehensive judgments and human rights activists harping on tunes of
sympathy. Well that pretty much sums up the delirious condition of the sinking
ship we know as India.
But can we give
up? No we certainly can’t for it is about you and me. It is about the daughters
we would be giving birth to finally. Can we bring them in a world where instead
of dreaming about ponies and leprechauns; they have nightmares about a menacing
man? Can we let ourselves, our elders, our sisters and our precious daughters
fall prey to this trauma? Never!
However
bloodcurdling the man in question might be; however menacing the society might
be; however chilling the fight might be and however small the step might be; we
need to fight for nobody else will. We need to ring the bell! We need to shout and tell that enough is enough!
With no hopes
around,
In a mood
profound,
We sit and
wonder,
Have so much to
ponder!
The crime, the
pain,
Lives lost in
vain,
The scratches fine,
From the vicious
vine.
To bring a
change as we all dwell,
To rise above,
to live and tell,
To cast a better
safety spell,
Let’s ring the
bell;
Oh let’s ring
the bell!
