In the wake of the brutality towards the 23 year old girl in
Delhi on the 16th of Dec this year, I happen to observe people’s
reactions in various social networks, both online and offline and it’s quite a
pity to see that more and more people are just echoing incidences, without
making much sense. In my observations I saw people talking over and over again
about spanners and rods, the victim’s intestines which have been reduced to
nothing, how she cannot lead a normal life any more(in case she is brought back
to life), some of them even researched about the 6 criminals and what their jobs
were. What surprises me is that hardly has anyone till now imagined that this
could happen to anyone of us (literally) and spoken/discussed of how we could
deal with it first-hand. All of us have raised voices against the government,
the police (not that I am anywhere close to favoring them), but none of us have
thought of a way out. After the crime has happened, people post and re-post
stuff, which is heinous to read...guys, we all know what happened, but do we
need to re-iterate so much, that we become numb about it? Do we really think
that posting and re-posting such stuff can help the girl in any manner? I don’t
think so! Ask me why and I will give you reasons… I have seen people post
“this” issue on their walls and soon after that they have either hit a “like”
or shared some “hilarious” video… tell me how can you feel sad and happy
together? I have seen people talk about
“this” issue, in a party over sips of vodka, while relishing Chicken Manchuria
(quite an atmosphere to discuss this)… Did you know that the only food that the
girl can right now consume is IV fluids and don’t even ask what her family must
be feeling like about food!
So, now you must have got this question in your head, what am
I up to? What am I trying to convey by telling you all this? Here I am to the
point… These crimes have been happening and they have only progressed over the
years; brutality has reached its peak, I can’t make statements on what are the
reasons why this is happening, but I sure want to tell you all to wake up to the
truth! Shake yourself up to the facts everyone. A Sheila Dikshit says she does
not have the courage to see the victim, but she sure does have the courage to
stay intact in her throne. When thousands of people joined hands to protest at
Vijay Chowk in Delhi, the government and police used water cannons and tear gas
to disperse the gathering, none of our “leaders” ever thought that this could
be a medium of addressing the country and granting the people solace by their
words and making them aware of the proceedings by the judiciary. The DGP Delhi
says that they were able to track down 5 of the 6 criminals and they are the
“right” criminals (meaning the same people who committed the crime)… tell me
who helped the police to identify and nab all these criminals in a timespan as
short as 7 days?? We all know that a crime like this with such a high intensity
of outrage can impact the government’s position… hence there is high
possibility that the criminals are not the same guys as the ones who are nabbed
for this crime, but just any other criminals, who were forced to agree that
they have committed this crime, as a saving grace to both the police and the government.
While all this analysis has been done, I have very little to
conclude. The Dos and Don’ts are very basic and I would request each of you to
live by the principles of safety at an individual level and further mobilize
them in groups.
Here are some principles of safety that I have could think of
while looking at my surroundings in general and situations like these in
particular. I have shared some of them with you to make it effective.
·
Women must start learning self-defense
techniques (make it a must for every woman, irrespective of the age), at an
individual level. If not intense, at least few of those important shots that
can benefit you.
·
Try to educate at least one child (under the age
of 14, both boys and girls inclusive) about child molestation. It could be your
son/daughter, niece/nephew, grandchildren, but make sure that they know you
well, so that your teachings should not be misinterpreted by their guardians.
·
Be wary of your surroundings when in situations
of being alone (anywhere, be it home or outside). STAY ALERT. That could mean
keeping the local police number handy, better still someone close to you in
your locality, who you can reach out to in crisis.
·
Keep a regular check on your child by way of
calls, if you leave them alone at home, while you are at work.
·
Keep asking your children about their teachers
and how they behave with them and also be a regular to Parent-teacher meetings.
·
I am not too sure if this could help, but I read
it long time ago that having pepper powder handy in your purse can really help
you save yourself against gory crimes. The
pepper powder comes to rescue to throw it in the eyes of the offenders.
·
And lastly though it does not directly relate to
principles of safety, I must remind you that you must vote for the right kind
of leaders who can stand by your safety and freedom of living.
I
would make an urging request to each of you reading this to discuss the
learnings of an accident and not just talk about what happened. I haven’t been
able to work normally for the last 4 days as I kept pondering about this
accident and wondering, what if I was the victim? If I am able to make sense to
even a handful of you, there should be some peace in my mind. Please remember
condemning the act is important, but pitying the girl cannot do any good to us
or her. Prayers will help her and staying alert and aware of our surroundings
will help us. Stay safe!
Love.
Peace. Happiness
Nirupama
