It you look up etymology, Haryana could possibly mean “The Abode of God” (in Sanskrit Hari means God and Ayana means home”. This Abode of God has witnessed 20 rapes in 40 days! I do not know why I had to start my reportage with this, but it keeps the leer on my face alive.
At an age when I out discovering the mysteries of the world, I was left wonderstruck by my neighbours. After showing all possible symptoms of being a miser family, they threw this grand party celebrating the birth of their son—20 years after their marriage. With two teenaged daughters in tow, who were more than happy to “finally have a brother” they “faced” the society and danced their hearts out that day. I do not remember attending even a single birthday party thrown for these girls. Anyhow, I was just not happy that day. With my brother just three years apart from me, I grew up to believe that parents get you first and then get you a sibling. Blame it on me being really young back then, but I remember spending sleepless nights over the thought that even I might have to put up with another younger brother and watch my parents embarrass me with their dancing skills.
My parents did not teach me things like caste, creed, religion et al. It was much later in life that I found out that this embarrassing family traced its roots to Haryana. Even today, I can hear the reverberations of the slap that was planted on my face by my mother when I mocked at the fact that they are from Haryana, an explanation for their behaviour.
But dude, tell me one thing, what do I make out of a state that has a highly skewed sex ratio of 877 women for every 1000 men? Where a son is witness to the atrocities the mother goes through in the hands of his drunken father every night? Where the brother grows up with facts like his sister will not be given milk to drink or would eventually be dropped out from school? Where families believe that girls are a burden? Where brides are burnt down for not bringing “enough” dowry? Where girls are killed in the womb itself? Slap me again if you want to, but answer my questions. How on earth do you think, such families can bring up decent young men? Why will such men not commit a heinous crime like rape? It is committed daily, yes, within the family, just that it goes unreported. Then why on earth is the entire world creating a big deal out of it when they go raping women out there? Oh well, well, because the rest of the world believes in installing some sort of rights with the hands that rock the cradle.
It is a fact that there are very few young girls in Haryana to match with the number of unmarried young men. Hence, they go out equipped with their instruments—dead brains and frustration!
But mind you, it is not endemic to the state of Haryana; it in fact is epidemic to the whole of the nation.
Damn you families who cannot teach your sons to respect girls. Instead, leaders who should bow in shame, come up with suggestions like marry off your daughters the day they attain puberty! Mr Sube Singh, the honourable member of the Khan Panchayat, we heard you. Nice suggestion. One doubt though, one of the sons of your land raped a six year old. Should we have married the innocent child at birth? What about this married young woman, wearing a saree and a sleeved blouse, sindoor, bindi, mangalsutra and bangles, who was gang raped? Was her voice was too meek to be heard by your deaf sons? Marriage did not guarantee her anything Mr Singh!
And which bloody politician was it who said “rape is mostly consensual”? Beware fella, buy yourself some brains, else bury your brawn! Soon a day will come when women will take over from here. Shall we start pulling down lungis of men who roll them up too hight? Or pinch men who pee out there in the open with needles? Or blind you with acid if you even dare to look up at any girl? Better still, just march you down naked on the streets for stepping out after dark?
What is it with victims being blamed? Do you not feel that it defies logic? Probably this is what we can expect from Khaps like Jitender Chhatar who was quoted by Times of India, a national daily, saying “”To my understanding, consumption of fast food contributes to such incidents. Chowmein leads to hormonal imbalance evoking an urge to indulge in such acts.” So it is China at work this time? To eliminate competition from the beauty pageants, it is dumping discarded strands of unhealthy white wheat chowmein on the Holy sands of India so that we have a high number of raped girls who are dejected to even participate?
Just shut up and learn to respect women—your mothers, daughters, sisters—teach the same to your sons.
We still rock cradles, it will not even take half the effort to rock your world.
Bent Views 