Failed Society: Damaged System

I have been writing on quite a few issues of late. I mostly have a very clear point of view on the happenings of the country and find blogging as a good source to express and share my opinions. But sometimes the course of events is so disturbing and there is so much agony that it perhaps gets difficult to write it all in one article. Today, I feel exactly the same. There are so many emotions that I do not understand where to start from.

We are a country that has traditionally given women the status of Goddess. But what we are seeing happening in different parts of the country has literally shocked me as an Indian citizen. I often feel sad, upset and angry on a lot of things about India, but today, more than all of this I am scared. I am scared for my sisters, in fact scared for all the sisters of India. I don’t know where we are heading towards and whether we could ever give them a safe society to live in.

These heinous crimes have indeed got various perturbing interpretations. Firstly, we keep talking a lot about it but it needs to be reiterated and realized that our law and order has failed miserably. The idea of a strong law and order machinery is not just punishing the perpetrators of crime but also to prevent crimes. There has to be a sense of fear for the law in the mind of anyone who even thinks of committing a crime and also a sense of assurance and belief in all the citizens. Unfortunately, our machinery has been a failure at both of these levels. Neither do the criminals have fear nor do the other citizens seem to have any sense of belief on the system.

Further, and this one is the most saddening observation, we have failed collectively as a society. Brutality of this kind is inhuman and goes on to show the barbaric mindset of people living amongst us. Also, these kinds of crimes are not just due to momentary impulsions, but go well beyond that. They actually are a mirror of our society- its thought process and its perspective towards women. It sounds disgusting but is unfortunately true that this act is done by men who consider themselves as superior to women and treat women as mere sex objects. What is the point of worshipping Devi in temple when you don’t have respect and ethics to treat women properly!

A crime first takes place in the mind of the criminal. It is to this notion that we have perhaps not paid enough attention and this ignorance has brought us to a point when we sometimes feel almost ashamed of being a part of this society. A well cultivated mind with values such as compassion, respect and composure would never ever breed a thought of committing a crime. Right from the young age, we must inculcate these values in our kids. We should not just try to make them intelligent but more importantly try to make them concerned humans and responsible citizens. Although it would take some time, a well conceived and determined effort in this direction would yield fruitful results in the long run and create a better society tomorrow.

And yes, coming to our politicians now. How can we ever forget them! They are the ones responsible for governing our country after all. They should be the most responsible, most considerate, most dedicated and most articulate bunch of people. But this is perhaps too much to expect from them I guess, especially after seeing what has happened over the past few days. First Unnao, where an MLA has been accused of rape and then of course Kathua, where two of the state ministers came out in a rally in support of the rape accused chanting Jai Shree Ram. They could not go any lower than this. Then there are some more of them who like always are giving this issue a communal angle and trying to deviate us from the real problem.

      

These are issues of concern for every single Indian. We are a part of this country and whether we agree or not, this country is an integral part of us. So anything wrong happening in any part of the nation has got a lot to do with us and our lives. We can no longer be insensitive and ignorant to these problems. Politicians would just do what they are best at doing- polarize us and play petty appeasement politics for reaping electoral benefits. As we have seen for all these years, the idea of depending upon the authorities and leaders for a solution has been an utter failure. It is time we rise up, understand our duties as citizens and play our part in ensuring the safety and security of our countrymen. Let us all pledge to make India a safe country for all- regardless of their sex, color, caste, creed or religion. Let us raise our voice for a better India- this time even more strongly and with a greater conviction.