India - a country of rapists?

Do you know what made Phoolan Devi an Indian icon? Because of an impression, true or false, that she murdered her rapists to teach them a lesson. And do you know why Gopal Kanda lost his elections recently? Because he is understood to be the real reason behind the death of Ms Geetika Sharma and her mother. Can you recall why the IPS officer R K Sharma was running for cover? Because someone pointed out that he had exploited a lady journalist Shivani Bhatnagar. And do you know what had made Ruchika Girhotra, a tennis player, resonate with our collective feelings when she stood up against another infamous IPS officer S P S Rathore ? Because she had exposed a rapist's intentions. Do you know where did the talented and promising movie star Shainey Ahuja go? The rape blame consumed his career. - For God's sake let us think twice before painting this country as a place of rapists. That the Indian mass felt outraged on the Nirbhaya's case was no exception but only a culmination of the continuous testing of our collective patience.

We have always raised our voice - it is also logical to feel outraged and disgusted, but let us never ignore that India is a place where rapists run for cover. Rapists can do almost anything to hide their face and identity. This country has no history of celebrating rapes and instead has been instrumental in making the life hell for the rapists. Apart from the alarming lack of will that our administration has exhibited over the years in delaying the justice to the victims where our country needs to correct itself in a major way is the manner in which we treat our rape-victims. Yes, there may be many elected politicians who are facing serious rape charges but for heaven's sake refrain from concluding that they get elected only because of that.

On yet another serious note, allow me to say that when a father asks a girl to take precaution, when a brother begs her to be cautious – isn't it completely insensitive to blame them of having rapists' mindset? What purpose does it serve when we justify blaming a helpless well-wisher to be possessing a rapist's attitude? Aren't the slut walking and kissing protests targeted only to provoke a large section of well meaning members of the society by blaming them and the entire society as a rapists' society?

I have been brought up in a family where even boys who used to roam around aimlessly or only for unnecessary fun was considered bad. We boys were not given easy permission to watch even a late night movie. We were asked to change our association if we were seen to be a part of a group consisting of students who were not career oriented. We were, thankfully, even beaten for not taking our health, behavior and studies properly. I am pretty sure that I am not alone sharing these experiences here. I would not deny that these restrictions were more on the girls within the family but to say that boys were left on their own would be only a conspiratorial misrepresentation of the facts. Where we have erred probably is that when the society realized the need to have career oriented girls, in its intention to provide them the desired liberty it neglected a desired care for the boys. Boys, instead of allowing the girls to become at par with them, almost inadvertently, went beyond their desired limits trying to keep their earlier parity intact. Mistaking that boys will remain the same, they were probably not given proper attention during this development and were allowed to enjoy an uncontrolled upbringing.

There is no escape from building a system that has a potential to deliver the justice sooner. But that is only an administrative solution that can help us only in setting examples. On the other hand, the society must also prepare itself to educate men and boys – sensitize them – and make them aware about the modern needs of the society where even girls need to be educated and career oriented. Unless the new generation is imparted with these values through the education, our old values that were meant for our earlier society structure will keep on confronting with the recent reality. And the criminal minds will keep on extracting, manufacturing, manipulating and misrepresenting reasons to justify the unjustifiable. Let us not allow others to get a chance, intentional or otherwise, to see us through the minds of these rapists.