Young Writers Society

Today, I have come to you, not for my regular English lesson. I hope you can hear my pounding heart, and see my boiling blood. This feeling sends chills down my spine and makes me feel violated. The tendency of human beings to feel hurt and ache without any physical stimulus might not be unique, but it does exist, and it is prevalent. You too might feel the pain tonight.

Last night, I read about a mob molesting women in the aftermath of New Year's Eve in Bengaluru. These women must have been there all alone or with their brothers, friends, partner or families. Just another party, huh! She must have been very excited for the countdown, and to show off her new black dress. Her man, he must be thinking about the beautiful moment. People were out to welcome the new year, and leave the good and bad part of 2016 behind. Least would they have imagined that the countdown will become the most horrible moment of their lives. An adage says, 'what happens on the first day often repeats itself the whole year', and I pray it is not true.

Unfortunately, an egregiously bad incident happened, in our free democracy, with the women out to celebrate the new year. What happened is horrifying! A mob molested hundreds of women on M.G road, and this happened in front of friends and family. They were groped and intimately touched by filthy hands. Perhaps, the worst nightmare for a girl and someone who knows her. I believe their souls would have cried, and wept all night. I cried thinking about the brother with the rakhi, or the husband who promised to protect, or the father who never let anyone touch her. I wonder what would have done in that situation! I know, I would have been very ineffective, and I too would have felt the loneliness. Will I go mad and castrate the molester then and there, or kill myself at my helplessness!

I read about this incident yesterday night, and couldn't sleep with the images in my head. I was shocked and devastated at my helplessness. I couldn't imagine how the people who experienced this would have felt. Then my mind started revolving around in circles of pain, and action. All the past images of how we had spent numerous nights partying in similar areas came rushing back to my mind. Unfortunately, the meditation routine I started a few weeks back did not help me out, and I wonder if anything could.

In the office, I try to ignore this and focus on work. Suddenly there is nothing more important than keeping myself up-to-date with all the news around this case. But then, what could I do! People in my office, mostly Indians are discussing it, foreigners despise India a little more now and are reconsidering their travel plans to my beloved country. Well, how can I ask them to go! Can I guarantee the safety! Indians are day-dreaming about their foreign passports, and then they harangue me for my plans to go back, to my motherland. They still pray for India in the World-Cup but they do not want its problems, and I feel broken to see that even I don't want it. I too want to run away like I always had. Why shouldn't I! It is human to work for minimising the pain. Everything we do is aimed at more pleasure and less pain and it is the fundamental truth of human nature. Then I wonder if it will solve my problem! No, my family, my friends will still be there. Above all, so many other people will still be there to struggle with a section of society who has lost all the respect for the sacred goddesses we worship during so many festivals.

Then I start thinking about, what can I do? What in the world can I do to change this? Where exactly is the problem? Is it us, who is the problem? Is it the government? But we chose them. I even voted for Mr Kejriwal to get out of the circle of BJP and Congress, and then I voted for Mr Modi. I keep on wondering where is the problem, and then again my blood boils thinking about the audacity of these molesters. Why are they so powerful and we are so powerless? Why are they so bold, and we keep on thinking without any action. How did these goons become so unafraid that living in a democracy gives them impunity to perform such heinous crimes. Is it their upbringing and their values? Or is it simply our inaction, and our government's, elected by us, inability to punish.

I am a fairly practical man and always believe in equality before the law. I am in favour of capital punishment, maybe because I am afraid or I do not have the courage to pardon these people. I am cruel; I am also a heinous human being and I am sad. I feel these people should be put into gas chambers, or burned alive. Why are we not setting an example? After four years, why is NIrbhaya case still going on? Why am I sitting here and not able to do anything? Why have these incidents become so common? Shall I ask my lady family members to stay at home? Or shall I plead to the government of another country to take us in? Shall I go there and burn these people and go to jail? I remember Nehru said jail was a beautiful part of his life, and he went there for a purpose. I wonder if I will be able to handle it. I feel so powerful thinking about Mahatma Gandhi, and other people who were able to focus our attentions and ignite the spirit we all have. I feel I need to take action, I feel there should be a lot I will be able to do and reduce this problem maybe just by a small margin. I feel I can mobilise my friends and we can do a lot. Then suddenly someone breaks the cycle and calls my name! I realise my physical body, my feeble frame and my unconfidence. I realise how insignificant I am. I try to convince myself with the examples of great leaders but now self-doubt prevails. The fear of loss takes over, fear of life takes over the hatred against these men and wonder where is the problem? Can we start somewhere small? Is there a small step we can take that will take us in the right direction? I need someone to give me hope, perhaps I am not a leader but someone should be. Someone can show us the light and alleviate our plight.

Let us think about a future where no criminal goes unpunished, and the punishment should be severe than the crime. Let us think about a future where women can go for a run at 3 in the night, without any fucking minister calling her a slut. How the fuck he became a minister in the first place? Think about a future where before touching a woman without her consent, the person can feel the pain and the noose around his fucking neck. But I do not know where to start! If you do, then please let me know, and I am all ears.