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Leslee Udwin of BBC had made a documentary on horrific Delhi gang rape incident that occurred on December 16, 2012. The government of India responded quickly by banning the BBC documentary from public viewing and the sole reason given was, it contains repugnant comments made by the convict, blaming the victim for rape and murder. Unfortunately, all this will once again cover the views of typical Indian men towards women. The other side of the documentary is completed ignored and misdiagnosed by giving prime focus to the response of the convict. Although it is true that, it is not morally and ethically correct to justify the horrific crime by convict without any remorse, blaming the victim and saying that, she would have survived if she not resisted the rape. Measures taken by the government like, banning the documentary, making the changes in the law and amendments to the criminal procedure code does not alone provide the solution for ongoing problem. Documentary was the actual reflection of the “Great” Indian society and culture and acting as the mirror for our attitude towards women. We can see many people around us, sharing similar views and stance taken by the public prosecutor and defence lawyer in the documentary and I am quoting the lines of them
“In our society we never allow the girls to go out of the house after 6.30 in the evening”
“There is no place for the friendship between boy and a girl before marriage in Indian culture”
“Girl is like a sweet and if it is on streets, dogs will come and eat them”
Till to date most of the men believe that women and men are not equal and housework and housekeeping is the work of women. Most of the women are not allowed to work after their marriage restricting them to house. Similar type of views were expressed by the convict Mukesh and according to me approximately 50 percentage of Indian men use to think like that only. So there is no much difference between the root line thinking of convict and Indian men. The explanation given by the convicts for rape is “they want to teach them a lesson that women are not allowed coming out after 6 pm”. How their attitude towards women is framed? It is the society makes them to develop that kind of attitude towards women. Here people use to accuse the convicts as the monsters but I contradict with their views because the monsters in those convicts are further aggravated by the Indian society. The documentary asked for impassioned plea for gender equality. According to me, humans included both men and women and the word “HUMAN” with “MAN” only getting prominence in Indian culture and society. As Immanuel Kant said that “A human being should be given respect because just he is a human being” but, Indian society manipulated the term human being as men but not women. The approach to get analyse the discrimination of women in the society can be taken from the socio economic conditions and deeply rooted myths about the women in the Indian culture and society.
Even the discrimination was seen against Indian women during medieval period in the form of sati and it is not new India. The patriarchal mindset of Indian society initiate from birth of the child with undue preference given to male child, female foeticide and worst sex ratios in the states of Haryana, Punjab etc. As Sheila dixit rightly pointed out the discrimination against the women in the family system like a brother is given more preference than a boy in the family from different aspects like food to education and most of the important decisions in family are taken by the male head. To quote her “sister was given less milk than his brother and everybody in the family thinks he is a boy and he should have more energy than a girl”. Every human is born free and there should be no shackles restricting them but still women in Indian society are with fetters. Freedom for women should be not only in the public sphere but it extended to private sphere by Simone De Beauvoir by stating “personal is political”. Domestic sexual violence and harassment is the another side away from the public sphere where the Indian family system and customs restricting the women to outburst there sufferings. Views of different politicians regarding women by the well known and admired politicians would astonish us.
“If girl is dressed decently, a boy will not look at her in wrong way” – Haryanya CM khattar
If we take the socio economic background of all the six victims; they come from extreme deprived conditions without proper education and minimum standard of living conditions. If we take a common criteria among them is – all of them are below poverty line. Crime reflects the socio economic background of the victims. The juvenile convict started working as a child labour from the age 11 for a mere income of 300 rupees for month. The conditions in which they lived provoked them to work for their livelihood. Education and better livelihood conditions can change the beast to altruistic moral human being. So now we have question our self, whom to blame?? Whether the age old great Indian society and culture or the Socio economic and poverty conditions of India or the psyche of convicts??. If thinking statistically, then 75 percent to the ongoing problem was contributed by the Indian society and socio economic conditions and only 25 percent is contributed by the psyche of convict. First of attitude and approach of Indian society should be changed and there should be a conscious transition from culture of rape and gender violence towards a progressive society with equal place for women in it. This can be achieved with proper education and changing the mentality of men from childhood onwards imbibing them the culture of women at par with men in their mind sets. Without these changes in the thinking of conservative orthodox Indian society towards women- this story never ends.
Fair Indian 
Pavan sir, first I have to admire your writing skills and thinking ability. I would like to comment on khattar’s statement. If you look at cultural dressings like saree… the part below bossom and navel part as well as back part of women are completely showing… but this is acceptable by our society because our goddess use to wear the same… but a jeans and tshirt which exposes less parts of women body then wearing a saree, is offensive because it was not included in our culture…!!! So what…??? Include it. Because you belive or not, people will go for convenience. That is the universal law… thatswhy we all men wear shirt n jeans instead of kurta jhabba… why this can’t be for women??? Dis ws dedicated to mr. Khattar. There was a quote published on TOI… ” Girls are raped , not because they wear western clothes, but only because BOYS RAPE THEM…!!!”
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radical sachin…i admire your brave comments…..
extremely impressed with this statement….. There was a quote published on TOI… ” Girls are raped , not because they wear western clothes, but only because BOYS RAPE THEM…!!!”
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Well explained Pavan. Thanks for enlightening on key issues. I agree that preference was given/is giving more to Boys than Girls and it is inbuilt and habituated in most of Indians. Five years ago I also used to think in a similar way, but now I am distant from such kind of discrimination. Women should have equal rights and freedom as men. Indians’ typical mentality should be changed to pave the path for women’s equality with men.
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I accept to the larger part of your discussion. But I want to share my thoughts by looking at other side of coin.. Defence lawyer made a foolish statement “Indian culture don’t have any role for women”
What a crap statement it is. I completely object to his false statement. Indian culture largely based on Hinduism. Base of any power is a women. For example you call Sri rama where sri represents lord sita Devi.
There is a reason behind sati which was even practiced in Greece and other historical countries. If a king dies in battle, the queen was overtaken by the opposition king who won. In order to protect themselves from the beast they used to dye.summary of narration is that Hinduism does not teach u to disrespect or become a foeticide. Hinduism teaches you that every women except your wife should be treated as ur sister or mother.
You claim that most of them are orthodox. I object this time. If you want to dig out the reason for this brutal bitchy behavior of these arrogant cunts. I have an explanation for you. All these damn things happening because of our half cooked brains. Neither western nor Indian traditional culture.
This arrogant cunt Mukesh spoken such kind of nasty shit whichmight be put in his mouth by the defence lawyer or other. Apart from the poor socioeconomic status reason behind the rape is that they are boozed and from the documentary it is clear that these MEN are isolated from the society long back. They are psychic.these may be the potential factor drove them tothe brutal and violent thoughts.
By just blaming the culture and rewarding people as orthodox may not be true at least for larger part of people who really follow Hinduism.
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bro, I agree with you that problem doesn’t lies with hinduism….it lies with the Indian society….one thing is common…In all the societies there exits some kind of discrimination against women….But the culture of rape was prevalent in India….still i can see number of people around me….who doenot allow their wifes or sisters to work and restricting them to household works…only 10 percent of the men think progressively in India…and coming to convicts….the brutality of the rape is aggravated by boozing but how there attitude to wards women is being framed….is rape without brutality is acceptable????….they are telling directly that women doesnot have the right to come outside after 6.00 pm and they want to teach her a lesson….only the brutality factor of rape relates with the psyche of the convicts…Indian society holds more responsibility in every rape than the convicts….at last Hinduism and our age old vedas and upanishds tells us to respect the women…”yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra devata”…but is the Indian society following that???….if every women except your wife should be treated as ur sister or mother…if we follow strictly there will be no rapes in india….
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After seeing kapil sir’s comment, i also like to express one more view. Indian culture does not teach us to restrict women… Neither it teaches us to insult other customs of any religion… But people are being deceived in the name of culture and society.
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