I Think: The public outrage after Nirbhaya’s rape was futile
Ganesh Chandra, labourer, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh
I do not read newspapers daily, although some days when my work starts late in the evening, I do go through Amar Ujala. The newspapers these days are flooded with stories of rape.
I was in Delhi when the Nirbhaya incident took place. I was working at a construction site in Lakshmi Nagar, and I remember how outraged people were. Some even wanted there to be a city chakka jam. I took part in a protest rally for the first time in my life and seeing the public outrage, it seemed to me that no woman would be raped again — ever.
But things went back to where they were. Rapes didn’t stop… the police, the government, nothing changed! I became so disappointed that I decided not to read about rape cases or engage in protests. Ye sab faltu baatein hain (it is all futile)… I have to focus on earning for my family. But I am a human being, and whenever I read about an incident of rape or molestation, I feel ashamed of being a part of this society. I thought the Nirbhaya case would wake people up, but it didn’t.
I am happy that the Supreme Court upheld the capital punishment for the rapists. This shows, bhagwaan ke ghar der hai, andher nahi (there may be delay, but not denial in god’s abode). But I also think this will not change the situation. Criminal minds will not be scared by this, because they are ruled by lust.
The media can educate people, create awareness by publishing educational stories for young people, broadcast good films about rape cases and the victim’s life after the incident. Our media should stop their saas-bahu(loud and fractious) analyses. It is highly annoying.
A lot could have changed after 2012, had we as a society realised our follies. The problem of rape will be there as long as there is unemployment, because young people sit idle and consume dirty content from the internet.
It is time for all of us to question the government — with the media leading the way — about job creation. We must shift the focus of young people on work rather than polluting their minds with the kind of rubbish we talk about these days.
