Mango Man

The ‘India’s Daughter’ Controversy

Harsh Pratap for BeyondHeadlines 

17th December 2012- The day every Indian woke up to come face to face with a hideous and unprecedented rape incident that incited horror, shame and anger throughout the nation. It wasn’t a nightmare, it was a reality even worse. Soon as the word of the incident spread, thousands of young protestors marched towards Rajpath to express their resentment and aversion towards the government and clashed with the security forces that tried to confront and stop them midway. For the next few weeks that followed, virtually all news channels covered the horrific incident and its judicial proceedings, the Politicians of the ruling government went into hiding to save themselves from the media and the protestors whereas the opposition ‘netajis’ kept trying to capitalize on the situation . The flames of the Nirbhaya Gang rape case had engulfed the entire nation in such a way that every individual from every nook and corner of the nation could feel the pain and plight of the Indian women. It can be said that the flame that engulfed the entire nation, ended up lighting a small flame inside everyone. The perpetrators were all caught and rewarded maximum sentences for their crime. Unfortunately, Nirbhaya could not be saved. After fighting valorously for nearly two weeks, she died. But that was not the end. She left behind a question in every single Indian’s heart- “Till when?”.

Since then, almost all women safety laws have been updated in a bid to make them more effective and stringent, and to honor ‘Nirbhaya’, the fearless. But, has anything really changed?

Facts reveal that in India, a girl is raped every twenty minutes. And these are the cases that are reported. Just try picking up the topic of Women safety in front of any senior politician or police official and the blame game starts. Some blame the girls for wearing ‘provocative’ clothes while some blame the westernization of our culture. But the ‘true truth’ is, the fault is ours. We ourselves are responsible for the ‘misfortunes’ of every Nirbhaya in this country. When will we actually learn to look at ourselves and accept that it’s not a girl’s provocative attire that instigates a rapist, but our very own patriarchal society and it’s norms that does?

Enter ‘India’s Daughter’, a documentary by Leslee Udwin that aims to bring the spotlight back at Nirbhaya and every other Indian girl that has been harassed or sacrificed for a morbid male’s carnal desires. As soon as the controversial excerpts from the filmmakers’ interview with one of the convicts, Mukesh Singh, spread, it shook the top orders for reasons still unknown. Things get worse when we deny the society an opportunity to retrospect. Running from a sensitive and controversial topic is human-especially-Indian nature, but what is the point of banning a documentary that intends to show us the mirror? When asked about her views on the ban, Mahima Sharma, a first year student of Commerce at Delhi’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh College said: “I don’t understand what purpose this ban is going to serve to this country or its women. Why do we have to run away from accepting that we are actually facing a severe problem within our nation? I don’t think the airing of the documentary would have spoiled India’s international image but I am quite sure that the ban definitely will!” When questioned about what she thinks has or has not changed in the male-dominated Indian society, she says: “The laws have got a bit stricter, that’s it. The wrong people are now using the new laws in the wrong way, things are getting out of hand. Our society doesn’t need stringent laws more than it requires men to change their mindsets and give women their share.”

The strong support that the documentary has garnered from the Indian youth is a clear indicator that times have changed. We have eventually learnt to admit that yes, it’s our fault. With little help expected from the government or the security forces, it’s time for the youth to take matters in their own hands. What other options are we left with?

So is it the beginning of a new, silent civil revolution? Maybe. Or maybe it isn’t. Maybe this revolution wasn’t ever born, maybe it was always there, confined (or embedded?) inside a woman’s fear and tolerance. Time to change things. Time to prove that the little flame is still alive.

PS- ‘India’s Daughter’ fell victim to female feticide in my country, hence it will never be aired here officially.

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