The documentary that was aired in the spirit of commemorating the International Women's Day was nothing short of appropriate. It showcased the varying degrees of views held, ranging from the most conservative to the most liberal, amongst the men and women of India, with regards to the violence against women in India.
India is an amazing country. The people are patriotic, vibrant and not to mention, intelligent. However, because corruption has been deeply rooted in this Indian government, development has stagnated and this has disabled the progress that is supposed to have taken place by now. The sad part is that the government is not ready to take on the blame of this Nirbhaya rape incident, and so many other rape cases happening in this country. If only a leader took the responsibility, and made sure that all the rapists, including those members of parliament, are adequately punished and jailed for like, will this be a lesson to India.
The reason why Nirbhaya's case was so "earth-shattering" was not just the nature of the case, but largely because of the power and reach of the media. While this case is surely important, where was the media when there were brutal cases of rape happening all over India? Did the offenders get caught? Did the police fast-track those cases? Although I severely disagree with the defence lawyer's comment on burning his own daughter, I agree with his take on punishing your own necks first. Before going around blaming the society, one should look in the mirror first.
Although I agree education is the best solution for this change of mind-set about women to take place, I think it is more than that. Firstly, each and every family must be able to treat both the boy and girl in their homes with equality. Secondly, parents and teachers must also educate boys with basic moral values, including that of respecting their fellow human beings. Educating the girls alone is not important. Educating the boys seems to be more important, so that at least it has some neutralising effect on the boys growing up in a culture deeply rooted in treating women unfairly.
This documentary film has also captured the viewpoints of the rapist. Although it makes me angry to hear him talk and to see him, it also makes me wonder how the society has shaped his views about women and their status in the society. Seeing him, I can understand how much the society is also responsible for the state of Nirbhaya and many women like her in India.
One thing that is surely proven in this entire incident, is that the media is very powerful. It has the power to shape people's opinions and change their mindsets. If only the ever-so-popular India Cinema industry bore this in mind when shooting that item song again! This shows how much of a No.1 hypocrite these cinema celebrities are! On one hand they protest for cases like this, and on the other hand you see them dancing/shooting an item song in a racy Hindi movie!! People in India grow up around watching cinemas, as it is their only source of entertainment after a hard day's work. If such item songs are shown, how much respect does a women really deserve if she can be seen as someone who has no standards!
It is time to move on, and focus on the young generation, than to look back with shame. India has a huge responsibility on its shoulders. It has to educate and bring up its young to respect both men and women, with equality. It has to teach them a lesson, that such violence against any sex, be it male, female, or transgender/transexual, is not tolerated. Not anymore... Enough is enough.
