Yet another rape of a girl in UP raises serious questions on how the society views and treats the fair sex
Representative image (Social Media)
The heart searing rape and murder of a twenty-year-old Dalit girl Manisha, and her hushed and rushed cremation in the dead of night by UP police, has left the civil society speechless with shock. The froth over demand for resignation of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath is spilling now. However, the chief minister can be held responsible only for the callous manner in which his administration has dealt with the crime and the victim. In reality, it is the mindset behind such heinous acts which the society needs to examine.
Crime against women are not new to Indian cultural ethos. In fact, it continues to get leavened up by tales enshrined in our sacred scriptures. Any discussion on victimisation of women will end up with examples of mythological characters Sita and Draupadi who too suffered at the hands of their spouses and other men, while the king and the kingdom looked on. Women themselves find solace in these tales as they juxtapose their sufferings with those of these otherwise strong, powerful women.
Woman as object
Another reason for these brutal acts perpetrated on women is the perception of her being an object. Gods too have used a woman, or rather the celestial apsara, to divert a sage from his penance and make him indulge in worldly pleasures. Goswami Tulsidas in Ramcharitmanas has equated a woman with cattle and the uncouth (ganwar).
Even the abuses and cuss words mouthed by men are those that speak of atrocity on a female be it a mother or a sister. How can a civilised society tolerate phrases like ‘Maa behen ek kardi’ as a description for things gone wrong? Then there is the use of slurs f...k mother or sister, which are liberally sprinkled over conversations both happy and angry. This translates into the fact that the ultimate expression of joy or anger for men is to have sex with a woman. Do women have the male equivalents of these abuses for their own use? No. So it is a woman who is always at the receiving end.
Cinema, television and now even the web series revel in using a woman to express brute force, vengeance and outlet for frustrations. Not just those in negative roles, even the male protagonists are shown forcing themselves on women to ease their anger and to let off their steam.
Preconceived image
The society has shackled a woman in chains made of do’s and don’ts. There is an image she is required to fit in. And women have to compete with themselves and among themselves to live up to it. This adherence to the image doesn’t leave her even in the face of a calamity. Manisha’s father told the scribes, “Nirbhaya toh raat main dost ke saath ghoom rahi thi, humari beti toh khet main kaam kar rahi thi.” So, does that justify Nirbhaya’s rape?
Even the most empowered women have to live up to the images that a society imposes. When Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor walked into the NCB office for interrogation, they all wore Indian dresses, with dupattas, Sara even tied her hair in a staid plait, to conform with the image of an innocent, docile woman. I can vouch they were advised to do so by their stylists. They knew that for a woman appearance counts.
The efforts to empower girl child have remained wrapped in slogans. From female foeticide, to dowry deaths, sexual exploitation at work places to domestic violence, incest and rape, her plate remains full from birth to death. No amount of legislations has helped her cause. The tendency to put the blame of every wrong on a woman even by the family also works against her interest. A recent case in point are the misogynist troll and smear campaigns against Rhea Chakraborty. The comments in the Twitter threads of the video of a Madhya Pradesh senior IPS officer beating his wife, underline the prejudice against women.
Fighting dogmas
The fight is no more for equality as much as it is for respect. Unless the society learns to treat a woman with respect and not as an object to vent anger, frustrations and vengeance, no government will be able to stop such crimes.
Women, especially in India are fighting dogmas, fixed notions and a deep-seated perception that they are secondary. Their weapon to fight this battle is not just legislation. It is their grit and determination to fight injustice, which will win it for them.
Poet Pushyamitra Upadhyaye’s poem is so relevant today:
छोडो मेहँदी खडक संभालो
खुद ही अपना चीर बचा लो
द्यूत बिछाये बैठे शकुनि,
मस्तक सब बिक जायेंगे
सुनो द्रोपदी शस्त्र उठालो, अब गोविंद ना आयेंगे|
कब तक आस लगाओगी तुम,
बिक़े हुए अखबारों से,
कैसी रक्षा मांग रही हो
दुशासन दरबारों से|
स्वयं जो लज्जा हीन पड़े हैं
वे क्या लाज बचायेंगे
सुनो द्रोपदी शस्त्र उठालो अब गोविंद ना आयंगे|
कल तक केवल अँधा राजा,
अब गूंगा बहरा भी है
होठ सी दिए हैं जनता के,
कानों पर पहरा भी है|
तुम ही कहो ये अश्रु तुम्हारे,
किसको क्या समझायेंगे?
सुनो द्रोपदी शस्त्र उठालो, अब गोविंद ना आयंगे| -पुष्यमित्र उपाध्याय
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