The forgotten ‘daughters of India’

As the news of the death of the ‘daughter of India’ Amanat spreads like wild fire, I see a barrage of condolences across electronic and social media. Be it a celebrity or an aam aadmi, no one has been less eloquent in their expression of deep anger, grief, frustration, fury and numbness. Well if you ask me whether I also share their ‘deep anger’, my answer would be a candid NO. I am not deeply troubled or angered by this. I am just Sad and yes there is a subtle anger too.

The intensity of this sadness is same as that I get when I get to hear any other rape case. My empathy for a rape victim has always been the same, independent of whether it gets a 24-hour news coverage or a small space of a daily newspaper, independent of whether the girl is a 23- year young lady or a 40-year-old woman, independent of whether it is perpetrated in the heart of capital city or in one of those obscure corners of India’s countryside, independent of whether the whole country is united in grief for the victim or it is only a widowed mother whose heart is aggrieved. This is simply because, for me, every human life is sacrosanct, the pain of every victim is equivalent and the nature of every such crime is equally despicable.

You may accuse me of belittling a huge outcry against this horrendous crime, but let’s get our facts right. Here is a horrible rape case which attracts the attention of media because of its place of occurrence and is condemned by the parliament, the PM, the President and the almighty Congress President. Here is a case for which thousands of mourners march to India Gate and demand action — some action. Here is a case where the Indian Government takes full responsibility for the treatment of the victim with the PM taking a decision on whether the victim should be treated in an Indian hospital or a foreign one. Well I must say such great attention and care of a victim absolutely necessary and welcome. But why this much attention and focus is not given to hundreds of other rape victims? Was only Amanat the “daughter of India’, and other victims are orphans?  Why don’t people of other cities erupt in anger and protest when an innocent girl in their city is violated? Why each rape victim has to fight for even filing an FIR and even getting decent medical attention? Well the answer is that the society, the media and the politicians tend to ignore them — we are too busy to pay attention to this crime which is reported very often . We rise from our slumber only when it happens the nature of the crime is too horrible or it occurs in broad day light. Let us not be content on having fought for a single ‘Daughter of the country’.

 Let’s keep our spirit and vitality alive for each of those daughters who have gone through this. Let’s reserve an iota of anger for each of those victims who are still fighting for justice. It will make this country of Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi a safe place for women.