Open Letter - 4

Dear Society,

How are you? I am not feeling quite at ease and I guess it can’t be otherwise for you. I am being constantly advised to stay happy and peaceful. On the contrary everyday news is continuously pestering me about the current state of the world. Please don’t start scrolling down; I am not writing this letter to talk about the current crisis we are in. One interesting news made me jump with a start one morning last week and I thought I should bring it to your attention. It stood out like a black mark on a plain white paper. Amidst all the single focussed news, it struggled to make space for itself. While the world is gearing up to distance every living being on its surface, a five-year-old girl got assaulted by a street-end shopkeeper.

Dear society, even in testing times like these, can we not for once expect our girls to be safe from assaults? This particular incident makes me wonder if we can ever put an end to sexual crime in our country.

I have been posing this question since that morning to every individual that pings me online. Few vouch for severe punishments to convicts, like the recent execution of Nirbhaya convicts, while few vouch for more restrictions to women, like our enlightened Godmen keep proposing. Few blame political leadership while few blame media and film industry. Few call for reforms while few call for revolution. One common statement, however, at the end of every argument is “Need for Social Change”.

Dear society, I would like you to answer this straight, “If every individual living under you shade is looking for a change in your standards, then why do you abstain from changing for the greater good?”

I understand change cannot happen overnight, but if at all there is any initiation towards change from your end no signs of it is visible to the outer world.

You continue teaching your girls that they are weak both physically and mentally. You tell them that when a man overpowers them all that they can do is to helplessly wait for a saviour. The worst thing you resort to finally is your defence of assaults in the name of temptations created by vile girls on innocent boys with their attire, attitude and aura. Well, in this particular case, it must be the mother’s mistake to send her daughter to a lonely shopkeeper feeling quite aloof and unloved because of the lockdown. How can a poor man resist such a great offer!

Assault for you is a mistake made by a man in consequence to a crime done by a girl by recklessly entering the territory of a man. Girl with no male company is not bound to trust the men on road. If she did, then she has no right to expect to go home unscathed. One can’t expect a lonely girl left with an able man be it her uncle, neighbour, teacher, driver or in worst cases her father, to stay safe and sound just because she is at home. Men, are naturally uncontrollable and it is the moral responsibility of the little girl to make sure that his mental stability is not disturbed.

Dear society, I am tired of reading all your defences for your men. For once, please try to think from the shoes of a woman. Please try to teach your men few lessons in empathy and self-control that you tirelessly teach your girls every day. We have learnt enough to stay within your pre-drawn boundaries. It is time they hear a couple of your lectures too. Because all your subjects be them men or women are feeling ashamed of your defences but are still struggling to make you come to your senses.

Before my child enters this world, I want you to thoroughly cleanse it of stereotypes and bias and make it a better place to live in. Mind my words, my child is not going to accept your defences or bias as subserviently as I am accepting them.  

Always awaiting a change,

Yours Lovingly,

An Expecting Mother.

Dear reader

I tried to do my bit by asking society to change her stand towards sexual assaults. Please try to write a letter too addressing your concerns to her. Send your open letters to mounikassc@gmail.com with a subject "Dear Society". All received letters will be posted on Dear Society page.