Poverty

I was walking towards the bus terminus after a long exhaustive day at work.

Not that I had a colored-collar job, but being a software engineer also exhausts us; mentally. People talk about the ease of working as an IT professional; full time AC, good salary, posh environment etc. There are a lot more complications in this job which can be understood only by people who live through it.

Though there are multiple buses that go to the terminus a kilometer away from my residence, I prefer taking this bus as it goes close to my home. This bus comes once an hour and is mostly crowded. It is also an economy bus.

I was startled by a loud scream from a kid close by. I looked around and saw poverty stricken people sitting at the corner of the terminus. They were new comers to the locality. There were few male and female members, few kids and an infant. All of them looked very confused. The male members continued to talk among themselves which seemed like they were trying to decide where to go then.

The infant continued to scream at the top of its voice. It had been screaming for more than a few minutes then. But the lady who was carrying the infant seemed to be less worried. She tried patting and swaying it a few times but did not try further.

“Hello” I heard someone close speak at the top of their voice. It distracted me.

“I am waiting for the bus. I will be there in half an hour or so. Wait for me.” The lady conveyed her message and cut the call not waiting for any response. She turned around looked at me and people close by and understood that she had spoken too loud. A small smile crept up her face. There were many people at the terminus by then. Few hawkers went about selling their stuff. The dusk was approaching and sun was very mild.

It suddenly struck me that the infant had stopped screaming. I turned around to check if the lot had moved. The lady who was holding the baby had covered its face partially. I assumed that she was feeding it. After a few minutes, a slow wind scooped up dust blew and it made me turn my face again towards the side where the lady was sitting. The wind had moved the cover over the baby’s face too.

I was shocked.

The lady was holding a piece of brick to the baby mouth. Yes, brick; a piece of the one that is used in construction. The baby continued to lick and suck it as though it was very much used to it. I was so baffled. Tears pooled my eyes. I walked towards a roadside shop, got few packs of biscuits and paid for them. I also located my bus at a distance.

I walked back into the terminus, straight to the lady and lent her a pack of biscuits; my eyes stuck to the baby. I handed over the remaining packets to the kids. The lady’s eyes looked at me in pain. I could see that she was trying to convey that she wasn’t doing it on purpose. I moved away and boarded my bus.

Luckily, the bus was empty and I got a seat to rest. I just then identified that I had been shivering and pouring down with sweat, unusual for that time of the evening. Tears trickled down my cheeks and something hard rolled up to my throat. I felt so stuffed up. I had already started bothering about the baby’s next food.
.
.
.
Poverty.

India's daughter - Nirbhaya!

Nirbhaya had been in the air for quite some time. People had been talking, complaining, arguing over the incident since then. One of the rapists committed suicide; 4 of them have been sentenced to death and the other juvenile accused was given 3 years of imprisonment – maximum as per the juvenile laws.

We have spoken over and over about the incident and most of us know the intricate details of it. Many of us had followed the case day in and day out. So, the 'India's daughter' video would be just a recap of the tragic event. We could want a different sentence, amendments or response from the Supreme Court. Whatever it is, I personally have a soft corner towards the family and the girl. More than all, the ban on this video is just going to complicate things.

The interview of one of the accused had been out a few days before. He feels that a girl should not fight back when she is being raped. He states that only housekeeping and household chores are for girls. These are the most ridiculous statements that I have ever heard. Fighting back is the instant reaction that anyone would pick when something against their preference happens. Be it at home or out. When the negative feeling is at the highest, say during a rape, we obviously would react. Don’t we spank the mosquito when it bites us? Do we just try to shoo it away? Reacting is the instant reaction. Housekeeping and household chores could be a woman’s job by her choice not by compulsion. I am not against full-time homemakers; but that needs to be by her choice. Nobody has the right to compel her to stay back home.

I would like to go over the statements of the defense lawyers of this case.

Mr. A.P. Singh is ready to burn his daughter alive in front of his relatives, if she causes disgrace to the family by involving in premarital activities. Why does going to a movie with a male friend with the consent of the parents have to bring disgrace to the family? Who is giving him the right to burn his daughter alive?

Mr. M.L. Sharma accepts that India has the best culture and there is no space for woman? Without women where is the society? Why can’t a guy and girl remain friends? Doesn’t he talk to his female colleagues? Aren’t there any women at all in his team and batch? Why does friendship have to depicted or portrayed as a physical relationship?

When Mr. Sharma says, as a part of our culture we do not let our girls go out of house after 6:30 or 7:30 PM, why did Gandhi say “The day a woman can walk freely at midnight on the roads, that day we can say that India achieved independence”. We can easily state that he had mentioned that statement for the law and order conditions that prevailed then. But Gandhi always wanted women to stand equal to men in three platforms – education, trade and public service.

Brigham Young said, “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation”.

So many leaders and activists have emphasized on women education and equality. It establishes the importance and necessity of it. If education is the thing that differentiates the people and their attitude towards women, then why are these lawyers not open minded? Has money become more important than a woman’s education?

As per words of other political and social leaders who have spoken about this rape case: (Shame to address them as leaders!!)

- They argue that it is fault of the man and woman. This could be an acceptable statement if the girl wasn’t properly dressed or provocative physically. Being a medical student and a very responsible daughter, we can easily assess her attitude.

- When it is a rape, how can a girl enjoy it? Then it is never a rape. Psychologically, if a girl is undergoing sexual activity which is not of her preference at that moment, be it with her actual partner or otherwise, her body reacts differently and she cannot enjoy the activity. It is not the same with a guy!

- How can rapes be accidental? Aren’t they intentional?

When people in a society’s high cadre (politics, law and spiritual) speak such nonsense, then listening to ridiculous statements from people who are from the lowest of it is not uncommon at all. So education and social status alone is not going to change this mindset. Educating the society could be a step in this process. But it is not the foremost. Creating a social awareness is the most important step.

Social awareness means to conduct camps and preach the necessity and importance of considering everyone as co-existing human beings and respecting their individuality. It means to counsel every individual to create a change in attitude irrespective of age, education, status and designation. This should happen to men and women but more consciously towards women to lay a strong foundation of courage and open mindedness so that they can guide the next generation.

Expecting a women friendly society at least for the generations to come!