India's Daughter Disowns You. #NirbhayaBraveheart

You teach everyone that it is okay to treat me secondary as
You served him four and mine were counted till two.
You stopped me from eating beyond three and
You said that girls look pretty only when slim and lean.
You got me only dolls when I wanted to play with all, that's when
You told me with conviction that I must choose not what I want.

You said that I need to be ready right when I was a kid
You insisted everyday that I only cook, garden, sow and clean.
You taught me to put up a smiling face when I am in pain and
You label me impure for those three day because I menstruate.
You told me to cover up as I grew towards teens, that's how
You told me that I need to conceal what I have.

You groomed me and it seemed to be getting ready for a war
You did not raise a soldier but a victim of that war.
You saved for not my big day but your big day when
You were to dissociate with me to garner ritualistic praises.
You did wrong and I unlearned all your teachings, so while
You said getting slapped get me out of trouble, I ended up beating blue them all.

29 December - National Shame Day (India)

I (India's Daughter) request you to disown me because I refuse to be your definition of a girl, woman, lady...
To such an India, Am I India's Daughter - I am no more, I disown you!

Source: Google Search

Author's Note: Nirbhaya is not ashamed, it is you who call me your daughter - you are ashamed! 

Stop dragging a brave-heart in your filthy conversations. No one, no statements and no act can bring disgrace to her. That act cannot be undone, and many such acts happen across India, when India quietly prepares its daughters for the war!

Background: There is an outcry following statement made in 'India's Daughter', a BBC Storyville documentary by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin by Mukesh Singh, driver of the bus in which the rape took place. He said Decent girl won't roam around at 9 o'clock at night. A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy is. Boys and girls are not equal. Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night or wearing wrong clothes. About 20% of girls are good. The rape and beatings were to teach the young woman and her friend a lesson that they should not have been out late at night.

INDIA's DAUGHTER is the story of the short life, and brutal gang rape and murder in Delhi in December 2012 of an exceptional and inspiring young woman. The rape of the 23 year old medical student by 6 men on a moving bus, and her death, sparked unprecedented protests and riots throughout India and led to the first glimmers of a change of mindset. Interwoven into the story line are the lives, values and mindsets of the rapists whom the film makers have had exclusive and unprecedented access to interview before they hang. The film examines the society and values which spawn such violent acts, and makes an optimistic and impassioned plea for change.

(Source: IMDB)

Riches and the Poor

So how many of you know about Salman Khan's comment on Mumbai attack on 26/11 2008? What is your opinion on the entire crisis? And the aftermath!

The moment I held newspaper in the morning today, I could relate his statement to something which is highly terrorising and has been instigated by the state. Guess what? 

Lemme guess what would cross your mind, Maoists? Naxalites? Attrocities? State turning into Mafia? Land Acquisitions? Upset Tribal society?

No, none of the above, perhaps some of the above can be related to it.. True, when Salman Khan talks about the hype created as the rich were targeted. Attacks on poor is rarely of interest to anyone. Influential people make the world dance to their tunes. Its the poor who are subverted. 

Usmanpur flooded! Otherwise the city of Delhi would have been flushed. I can recall, every year such stories grab the headlines during monsoon. The State of Haryana releases water, which leads to flood threat in the capital. But in the meantime some other poor village is flooded to save who? Moreover we have a better argument to support the flooding of small villages. You see Delhi is holding CWG 2010, a big international sports event. Delhi cannot afford to project such a miserable situation, especially after thousands of athletes have backed of due to threat on Security, Health (read Dengue) etc. 

So much so drill runs have started on the dedicated lanes in the city roads are being reserved for the tourists. You see to save them from the harrowing traffic that we Delhites encounter everyday. 

How many of us? read females come across instances of inappropriate gestures, harrasment from random men. I dont think any of us would be an exception to this. These men belong to each of the segment of society, be it the affluent or the others. They seem to have been thinking that they have all the rights  in the world to insult a woman. Behave guys, otherwise soon we will get to learn that a dedicated transporation system has come in place to ferry the tourists.

My point is to begin with the floods, why the city has never considered saving and using this water? Why is it that water shortage news hogs the headlines and why do we always flood the areas where the poor reside. Furthermore, does the government ever compensate the flood victims? I am clueless about it. Save water, makea mechanism to do that, we have this opprotunity now, rather than doing it when we are head on with the crisis.

Second issue is the comment by Salman Khan, I feel he has said the truth. Why did he apologise then? Probably because this byte was given to a Pakistani channel. And BJP did not help but tap this opportunity to strengthen its hindutatva agenda.

CWG 2010, I am really happy that these games are happening in India. It will bring in prosperity and beautification of the city is already visible. But my point is why is it being done to receive the foreigners? Why did the government never think about the capital before? Why is the civil society being taught to behave now? I, as a citizen of the nation, of the city, have to be treated with if not equal, but more respect. Because I am again amongst those who, in the near future would be voting under section 49 (o).  

Author's Note: People here criticise, probably that is what I am doing through this post. No one seem to be convinced that CWG could happen in Delhi, around three weeks to go for that. No one could take a democratic remark by an actor, ultimately he had to say sorry. No one heard the villagers, who had their houses flooded! Isn't it cruel and violent?

P.S.: Islands of prosperity cannot sustain with the sea of deprivation

Feminism need not be male bashing~

No more male bashing, uttering the F*** word each time she is irritated with the biases that revolve around gender. Feminism is more about understanding the problems that out society has bred, and correcting the same.

I am also a feminist, but I don't hold men redundant. Men have their own special role in this world. The hypothesis that stem cell research have held men redundant will remain a hypothesis! But I hate the psyche of some segment of men, who think that its their birth right to think that they have all the knowledge in the  world to decide how society should function. Thankfully I am brought up in a setup where I had minimal encounter on gender issues, and thus I feel that I am able to judge it better.

This takes me to a few observations, and the foremost is Dibakar Banerjee's Love Sex aur Dhokha (LSD) . Movies are no big formula, they come out of the society, similarly LSD revolves around three stories, and I wish to quote the first where a couple elopes, gets married and the family accepts them. Later it is investigated that that the boy and the girl had been smashed, cut into pieces and found by the police in a plastic bag.

The second issue over feminism here is the fuss over Women Reservation bill. The first question that clicks my mind is do we in this century need a women reservation bill, and that too which limits the participation of women to 30%?

Third one being, criticizing women drivers. Its been ages that I have been observing women driving pretty well, but unfortunately I still find people commenting that women cannot drive well.. huh!

The point I wish to make here is that over ages we see people speaking on awareness, woman's rights, raise voice against harassment / bad mouthing. For how long do we have to move on with such tendencies. It should come as something inherit in the society, but it seems otherwise! I understand that newspapers are acting as chaos mongers, but they do bring the true picture, we still read on dowry deaths, unsafe Delhi and what not! I do still find eve teasers often, for how long should I fight? I am tired of it, but they are not!

Author's Note: Yes I am angry and I hate this biased, unjust and uncivilized society!

Call for peace!

I don't hate Pakistan, neither do I love her!

I don't hate probably because I happen to have refuge ancestory, who came to Delhi during partition. Since childhood I have been narrated stories of how my grand-parents braved crossing border, how many lost their lives during partition, how some witnessed rape, were helpless, they could not blame anyone! Some of my relative still live in Pakistan as during the time of partition they could not come to India. I might sound similar to many fellows. I don't love because I have never been to my ancestral land, don't know how it smells early in the morning. I am not familiar with the narrow lanes of its cities. But I guess that once I will go there I will feel familiarity with the country courtesy the tales that have been naratted down generations. 

The ongoing IPL controversy has made me to publish this post on how much I hate my own country men. People like Parveen Togoria, Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, Narendra Modi; organisations like RSS, VHP, BJP, MNS! The domocile politics shaping into communal big ticket vote banks, which time after time issues fatwas on Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to go to UP and Pakistan respectively. The mob mentality of localities who spread violence across Mumbai. Are they feeding Indian populace on what to speak? I wonder how can they have a strong political base in Maharashtra? I am very angry.. and wish could do something about it. I hope that Judicial Activism come of age in India in interpreting the constitutional rights, fundamental right where a Shah Rukh Khan calls for peace amongst India and Pakistan by inviting Pakistani cricketers to play at IPLs. Isn't it a cute friendly gesture, a call for peace? 

Author's Note: Big cities need people with big hearts. I am a delhiete and extend an invitation to all Indians to come to Delhi. So next time when some tom dick harry like Bal / Raj  Tharkey (its no typo error, I mean it :p) suggests someone in a shabby tone to exit Maharashtra, Delhi welcomes them with an open arms!