Reams have been written about the Dec 16th Delhi gangrape. People have addressed the issue at 3 levels:
1. Reaction: Kill/castrate/hang/shame/punish the perpetrators of the crime.
2. Analysis: It happened because Indian society is repressed or judicial system is slow or police is toothless or worse, complicit or the girl was to be blamed or the stars were to be blamed or chowmein was to be blamed
3. Polarization: Attack and ridicule at people whose reaction or analysis disagrees with ours.
The gruesome incident seems to have significantly reduced the space for free speech, respectful debate and multiple perspectives. This polarization and antagonism is sure to come in the way of any sustainable solution. Here's why:
There is a current India.
And there is an India of our dream - The ideal India.
The current India has a lot of people who are not like us. They think differently, have different mindsets, and therefore, act differently. This current India can be mapped on two axis - Mindset and Economic power. It looks like this (this is simplistic but mostly accurate):
And it betrays the fact that at the time of independence, we chose a democratic system of governance and a constitution based on justice, liberty, equality & fraternity without really believing in it. This inauthenticity is coming to fore and is at the core of most issues facing our nation.
----------------------
While we are at it and while we work to create the India of our dreams, here's a handy guide for the women of my country. I don't mean to be presumptuous or pedantic but this is what I would say to my sister, my daughter, my wife and female friends:
Take the locus of control of your safety in your hands. The whole exercise of asking men to change so you can be safe, betrays your underlying sense of powerlessness. Let's change our country but while we do it, let's be safe:
a. Learn personal safety. Be a person who others can't mess with. Judo, Boxing, Pepper spray, Chilli powder - whatever works for you. While we wait for the country to become safe, let's start by becoming a person who can take care of herself.
b. If you are partying late, be with people you know and be sure you have a female friend, who you and your family trusts, with you.
c. If you are out late, don't be alone. Ensure there is a trusted friend with you. Avoid public transport that is secluded.
d. If you befriend someone on the internet, do not meet him alone the first few times.
e. If you are choosing to wear a short skirt or a cleavage showing top, ensure you are in a place where that's an accepted form of dressing and with people who don't see it as an invitation to make a pass.
f. Drink but do not accept drinks from strangers. Also, it doesn't hurt to ask a new male acquaintance offering you drinks, to drink it himself.
These can be clubbed under 'common sense' and would hold true in any country or any culture. And these can avoid at least some of the instances that we keep reading about in the papers.
Jai Hind
1. Reaction: Kill/castrate/hang/shame/punish the perpetrators of the crime.
2. Analysis: It happened because Indian society is repressed or judicial system is slow or police is toothless or worse, complicit or the girl was to be blamed or the stars were to be blamed or chowmein was to be blamed
3. Polarization: Attack and ridicule at people whose reaction or analysis disagrees with ours.
The gruesome incident seems to have significantly reduced the space for free speech, respectful debate and multiple perspectives. This polarization and antagonism is sure to come in the way of any sustainable solution. Here's why:
There is a current India.
And there is an India of our dream - The ideal India.
The current India has a lot of people who are not like us. They think differently, have different mindsets, and therefore, act differently. This current India can be mapped on two axis - Mindset and Economic power. It looks like this (this is simplistic but mostly accurate):
Most of India does not really believe in the principles enshrined in the Preamble to our constitution. Ask any husband or mother-in-law about the equality of women and they'll scoff at you. Women have long been seen in the image of Annapoorna, Mata, the provider and the home-maker. So when Mohan Bhagwat says that “A husband and wife are involved in a contract under which the husband has said that you should take care of my house and I will take care of all your needs. I will keep you safe. So, the husband follows the contract terms. Till the time, the wife follows the contract, the husband stays with her, if the wife violates the contract, he can disown her.”, he is merely repeating the vows that most Hindus take at the marriage altar. We ridicule him at our own peril because he is giving voice to a million who think exactly like him.
When Asaram says that “She should have taken God’s name and could have held the hand of one of the men and said ‘I consider you as my brother’, and should have said to the other two ‘Brother I am helpless, you are my brother, my religious brother", he's applying his received wisdom to the situation because in his world, woman is at the mercy of men. Beseeching the aggressor to validate his male ego is an accepted ritual.
Ditto that for the MLAs and MPs advocating longer dresses, overcoats, night curfew and the works for women. They are applying their knowledge and beliefs to the situation.
This is real. They are as much Indian as any of us. We might not like what they say and what they believe in, but they are here. And they are the majority. So what should women do? Should they accept this reality? Should they fight against these outdated mindsets? What should we do? The answer begins with the ideal we are aspiring.
The 5 steps to an Ideal India (in no particular order)
I do not suggest that we create a new shared vision. Our constitution has given us a great ideal - that of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The challenge is to make it truly a shared vision. And put it into practice with integrity.
I might believe that women are better as homemakers than at career but it is not my decision to make. In the India of our ideal, every women will have the liberty to choose whether to stay at home as a homemaker or step out as career woman. Ditto for what to wear, where to go, at what time and with whom. No male can accord this right to himself - it is not his decision to make.
Are we there yet? Far from it. Most women in India don't even have a choice. Theirs is a life of survival - abject poverty perpetuated by gross illiteracy. Get enough drinking water, enough food to feed her family, enough clothes to cover the bodies, a roof over her head. Their conception of honor is shaped and colored by the conditioning of their economic reality and their patriarchal upbringing. No wonder Abhijit Mukherjee and Mohan Bhagwat said what they said. These women don't know what is possible for them and hence don't ask. And their silence is taken as affirmation that things are ok. Unless the economic and education levels of women in India improve, there is little hope of our constitutional ideals coming to bear. This is step 1. Fundamental. Affirmative action for women. Can we implement RTE for women first? Can we ensure adequate boundary walls, toilets for them when they come to school? Can we have special scholarships for them? Can we have special training, coaching and mentoring for them? If our women are educated and empowered, half the abuse will disappear (rhetorical but am willing to bet on it)
What happens when people do not act as per our ideals? What happens when they commit crimes? The 'conservative haves' see themselves above the law. The lack of justice delivered, has emboldened them to a level where any excess is fair game for them. Whether it is breaking rules when it suits them or bumping anyone who is an inconvenience, they do anything to achieve what they want. And they don't fear any consequence because there isn't any. It is an old boy's network and the only way to get in is with money, mostly ill gotten. Our judicial system needs to uphold the idea of justice. Our laws have to be strengthened to prevent abuse - child abuse, women abuse, any abuse of power, instance of which, we see everyday around us - man over woman, rich over poor, political goonda over hapless layman, policeman over hawker, babu over businessman, business tycoon over employee. Police has to be decriminalized and depoliticized. Cases need to be dealt with faster. We need more judges. We need to demand it because the 'conservative haves' will not allow it. This is step 2. Constitutional, Judicial and Institutional (mainly police and bureaucracy) Reform. And justice delivered.
And what about the crimes committed by the 'have nots'? What about the daily incidents of robbery, murder, rape? The 'have nots' mostly lack the scaffolding of moral fibre that a basic economic well-being, a good upbringing, role modelling or education create. And it is easy to imagine why we, the 'haves' rankle on their nerves. 24 hour news channels beam news of wedding invitations coming with Rolex watches followed by the Delhi CM announcing that ₹600 is enough for a family of 5 for a month! And news of a tycoon flying everyone and his grandmother to a Jaipur palace where elephants wait to get them to their rooms is followed by news of homeless dying of the winter cold and seeking refuge in Sulabh toilets. A man pushing a cart is honked and glared at by the driver of a BMW for slowing him down. It is not that people who have wealth, use it as they please. It is that there are so many people without any of it and they have to suffer the excesses of the rich in front of their eyes, day in and day out. A constant reminder of what they are missing. A constant reminder that the state has failed them. Unless we bring them out of poverty and illiteracy, the spiral of violent crime will continue to increase. We ignore this at our own peril. This is step 3. A well researched poverty alleviation & education program that is not only based on subsidy (give a man fish) but on sustainable employment / entrepreneurship (enable him to fish).
Lastly, What happens when people who are supposed to serve and protect us, turn on us and start abusing their power? What happens when they plunder our resources, are ready to do anything as long as the price is right and are driven by recovering their election investment than any sense of public service? Why is it that 150+ MPs have criminal cases against them? How do we get criminals out of politics and bring back the sense of service? This is step 4. Electoral Reform. We need a transparent system of political funding (that Indira Gandhi abolished) to prevent black money of criminals and favor-seekers we also need. And we need to debar candidates with criminal record from contesting (with safeguards to prevent abuse with false cases to prevent good candidates). This will clear the way for the 'liberal haves and have nots' to contest elections. We need a fresh transfusion of clean blood in Indian politics and we need it real soon!
This begs the question: Why isn't this being done? I'll answer this with another one: Whose interest will it serve? The 'conservative haves' who rule India do not see it in their interest. Status quo is in their interest. We have to hold them to account. Show them the inauthenticity between what they proclaim (the constitution) and what they practice! Unless we, the 'liberal haves' stand up to demand that we practice our preamble, we'll continue to be taken for a ride. This is step 5. Public protest. Peaceful but forceful.
These 5 steps can lead us to the India of our ideals. The India of our dreams, as mentioned in our Preamble. It would look like this (again, simplistic but close):
The 5 steps to an Ideal India (in no particular order)
I do not suggest that we create a new shared vision. Our constitution has given us a great ideal - that of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The challenge is to make it truly a shared vision. And put it into practice with integrity.
I might believe that women are better as homemakers than at career but it is not my decision to make. In the India of our ideal, every women will have the liberty to choose whether to stay at home as a homemaker or step out as career woman. Ditto for what to wear, where to go, at what time and with whom. No male can accord this right to himself - it is not his decision to make.
Are we there yet? Far from it. Most women in India don't even have a choice. Theirs is a life of survival - abject poverty perpetuated by gross illiteracy. Get enough drinking water, enough food to feed her family, enough clothes to cover the bodies, a roof over her head. Their conception of honor is shaped and colored by the conditioning of their economic reality and their patriarchal upbringing. No wonder Abhijit Mukherjee and Mohan Bhagwat said what they said. These women don't know what is possible for them and hence don't ask. And their silence is taken as affirmation that things are ok. Unless the economic and education levels of women in India improve, there is little hope of our constitutional ideals coming to bear. This is step 1. Fundamental. Affirmative action for women. Can we implement RTE for women first? Can we ensure adequate boundary walls, toilets for them when they come to school? Can we have special scholarships for them? Can we have special training, coaching and mentoring for them? If our women are educated and empowered, half the abuse will disappear (rhetorical but am willing to bet on it)
What happens when people do not act as per our ideals? What happens when they commit crimes? The 'conservative haves' see themselves above the law. The lack of justice delivered, has emboldened them to a level where any excess is fair game for them. Whether it is breaking rules when it suits them or bumping anyone who is an inconvenience, they do anything to achieve what they want. And they don't fear any consequence because there isn't any. It is an old boy's network and the only way to get in is with money, mostly ill gotten. Our judicial system needs to uphold the idea of justice. Our laws have to be strengthened to prevent abuse - child abuse, women abuse, any abuse of power, instance of which, we see everyday around us - man over woman, rich over poor, political goonda over hapless layman, policeman over hawker, babu over businessman, business tycoon over employee. Police has to be decriminalized and depoliticized. Cases need to be dealt with faster. We need more judges. We need to demand it because the 'conservative haves' will not allow it. This is step 2. Constitutional, Judicial and Institutional (mainly police and bureaucracy) Reform. And justice delivered.
And what about the crimes committed by the 'have nots'? What about the daily incidents of robbery, murder, rape? The 'have nots' mostly lack the scaffolding of moral fibre that a basic economic well-being, a good upbringing, role modelling or education create. And it is easy to imagine why we, the 'haves' rankle on their nerves. 24 hour news channels beam news of wedding invitations coming with Rolex watches followed by the Delhi CM announcing that ₹600 is enough for a family of 5 for a month! And news of a tycoon flying everyone and his grandmother to a Jaipur palace where elephants wait to get them to their rooms is followed by news of homeless dying of the winter cold and seeking refuge in Sulabh toilets. A man pushing a cart is honked and glared at by the driver of a BMW for slowing him down. It is not that people who have wealth, use it as they please. It is that there are so many people without any of it and they have to suffer the excesses of the rich in front of their eyes, day in and day out. A constant reminder of what they are missing. A constant reminder that the state has failed them. Unless we bring them out of poverty and illiteracy, the spiral of violent crime will continue to increase. We ignore this at our own peril. This is step 3. A well researched poverty alleviation & education program that is not only based on subsidy (give a man fish) but on sustainable employment / entrepreneurship (enable him to fish).
Lastly, What happens when people who are supposed to serve and protect us, turn on us and start abusing their power? What happens when they plunder our resources, are ready to do anything as long as the price is right and are driven by recovering their election investment than any sense of public service? Why is it that 150+ MPs have criminal cases against them? How do we get criminals out of politics and bring back the sense of service? This is step 4. Electoral Reform. We need a transparent system of political funding (that Indira Gandhi abolished) to prevent black money of criminals and favor-seekers we also need. And we need to debar candidates with criminal record from contesting (with safeguards to prevent abuse with false cases to prevent good candidates). This will clear the way for the 'liberal haves and have nots' to contest elections. We need a fresh transfusion of clean blood in Indian politics and we need it real soon!
This begs the question: Why isn't this being done? I'll answer this with another one: Whose interest will it serve? The 'conservative haves' who rule India do not see it in their interest. Status quo is in their interest. We have to hold them to account. Show them the inauthenticity between what they proclaim (the constitution) and what they practice! Unless we, the 'liberal haves' stand up to demand that we practice our preamble, we'll continue to be taken for a ride. This is step 5. Public protest. Peaceful but forceful.
These 5 steps can lead us to the India of our ideals. The India of our dreams, as mentioned in our Preamble. It would look like this (again, simplistic but close):
While we are at it and while we work to create the India of our dreams, here's a handy guide for the women of my country. I don't mean to be presumptuous or pedantic but this is what I would say to my sister, my daughter, my wife and female friends:
Take the locus of control of your safety in your hands. The whole exercise of asking men to change so you can be safe, betrays your underlying sense of powerlessness. Let's change our country but while we do it, let's be safe:
a. Learn personal safety. Be a person who others can't mess with. Judo, Boxing, Pepper spray, Chilli powder - whatever works for you. While we wait for the country to become safe, let's start by becoming a person who can take care of herself.
b. If you are partying late, be with people you know and be sure you have a female friend, who you and your family trusts, with you.
c. If you are out late, don't be alone. Ensure there is a trusted friend with you. Avoid public transport that is secluded.
d. If you befriend someone on the internet, do not meet him alone the first few times.
e. If you are choosing to wear a short skirt or a cleavage showing top, ensure you are in a place where that's an accepted form of dressing and with people who don't see it as an invitation to make a pass.
f. Drink but do not accept drinks from strangers. Also, it doesn't hurt to ask a new male acquaintance offering you drinks, to drink it himself.
These can be clubbed under 'common sense' and would hold true in any country or any culture. And these can avoid at least some of the instances that we keep reading about in the papers.
Jai Hind
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