How in the world did he think he could get away with it?
Pallavi's attempted rape and consequent murder has shaken me in an unprecedented way.
Ever since I can remember, I have been let down by my country's gender apathy and gender hypocrisy. This is a country where, instead of swiftly deciding in which public park the rapist should be castrated or the molester stoned, abused women instantly suffer character scrutiny. The common counsel to avoid eve-teasing is "to dress decently." Here, attire or lifestyle is justified as an "invitation to rape."(1) (2)
I live in a country where women are respected only in grandiose theory. Chauvinist escapisms abound. Let's face it: India is no country for women.
When was the last time you tolerated being groped in a bus, on the street, in the train?
When was the last time someone shove his dick in front of your face in a crowded bus and have the audacity to smile in your eyes?
When was the last time you collared your molester and made a scene?
When was it that you gave up fighting because you realised molestation in some form or the other is a daily affair?
How, you wonder, is your silence relevant to Pallavi Purkayastha?
Well.
Men in this country, whether they stare, grope, rape or kill, they are becoming used to getting away with it. For Pallavi's sake, the next time you are abused, don't take it mute. Scream. Shout: NO.
Pallavi's attempted rape and consequent murder has shaken me in an unprecedented way.
Ever since I can remember, I have been let down by my country's gender apathy and gender hypocrisy. This is a country where, instead of swiftly deciding in which public park the rapist should be castrated or the molester stoned, abused women instantly suffer character scrutiny. The common counsel to avoid eve-teasing is "to dress decently." Here, attire or lifestyle is justified as an "invitation to rape."(1) (2)
I live in a country where women are respected only in grandiose theory. Chauvinist escapisms abound. Let's face it: India is no country for women.
When was the last time you tolerated being groped in a bus, on the street, in the train?
When was the last time someone shove his dick in front of your face in a crowded bus and have the audacity to smile in your eyes?
When was the last time you collared your molester and made a scene?
When was it that you gave up fighting because you realised molestation in some form or the other is a daily affair?
How, you wonder, is your silence relevant to Pallavi Purkayastha?
Well.
Men in this country, whether they stare, grope, rape or kill, they are becoming used to getting away with it. For Pallavi's sake, the next time you are abused, don't take it mute. Scream. Shout: NO.
