The International Women's Day was observed yesterday in our country with a great enthusiasm along with other countries of the world. It provides an appropriate time to survey the scene and make a very honest assessment of what is the true position of women in India. A few days back the conscentious people of the state of West Bengal which is perceived to be one of the relatively progressive states as far as ensuring a fair deal for women, woke up to a ghastly report of a case of rape of a woman in her mid-thirties who lived alone after separation with her husband. The case is quite interesting and worth narrating simply because it provides a deep insight into the psyche of the males which continue to dominate in deciding our moral positions.
The locale of this incident was a disco joint and the woman in question was enjoying herself along with her acquaintances who offered her a lift in a car of one of them and she reported raped in the car on her way back home. This horror tale was splashed across the front pages of all the newspapers. In recent times there have been scores of such rape cases in this part of the world. But this case drew the attention of all because the incident took in one of the most prominent areas of Kolkata - Park Street - and the culprits hailed from one of the most affluent families. The way the entire episode was handled by the state administration generally reflects the same societal apathy, failure to discern the issues and turning logic on its head, polemics et al. What must have shocked all is that all these happened under the rule of an administration headed by no other than Ms. Mamata Banerjee who breathed fire while fighting for justice. She was the one who was severely beaten up by policemen at the doorstep of the chamber of Late Jyoti Basu when she took a dumb girl who was raped to represent her case! One of her ministers raised the ludicrous question on the character of the woman and went to the extent of bluntly asking what business she had visiting disco joint in late night and even casting aspersions on her character! But what tops it is Ms. Banerjee's conduct. She saw in it a larger conspiratorial plot on the part of the opposition to defame her government. The city police chief just parroted what he was made to but an unusually brave and competent lady - the head of the detective department single-mindedly pursued the case and confirmed that it was, indeed, a case of rape and succeeded in nailing the culprits.
It would be far more interesting to not that similar perversity also characterized the conduct of the Leftist regime which ruled the state for 34 years. When the modesty of a UNESCO female official was outraged in broad daylight the then Chief Minister smugly dismissed it to be too insignificant a case to merit his attention! When a slum-dweller was raped ,the head of the women's wings of the Communist Party questioned the character of the girl! If that could be the attitude of the so-called Leftist parties one can fairly the kind of odds that are placed on the path of Indian women to lead a life of dignity and a life of their own choice.
Looking at the larger question of womanhood in India and what it all symbolizes. She has been portrayed as the symbol of sex down the ages and all moral and social mores are based on this perception. Has there been any significant departure from this age-old perception? She is thrown into the world as an object of lust - negotiating every twist and turn of her life in perpetual fear, if not terror, that attacks on her body and what it has to give, might come from any direction - from any place! And by perversity of logic,she has to prove to the world her innocence - not the other way round! Though the ruling of the Supreme Court does not support it, the problem is that if the very administration which is to take the legal initiative in dealing with cases of injustice, takes such a retrograde stand vis-a-vis enforcement of women rights, we have a very bleak scenario in this regard.
Rewind to episodes of our epics! In Mahabharata at the court of Duryadhan, Draupadi was outraged by Duryadhan first by making an obscene gesture with his thigh which emboldened his brother Dushshasan to undertake the most audacious and most abominable act which is known to all. But what coarsen our conscience that none of th wise men who were part of that great assemblage dared to raise their voice against this horrendous act. What could be the reason? The same one! They might have been wise but the image of women in their minds was only that of sex. A strikingingly familiar streak in our present day thoughts! In epics we have stories about rishis, munees doing meditation and these sessions could be only disturbed by a dancing beauties - urvashis! The same symbols of sex and sensuality! The tradition ceases to hunt us - our mental imageries. The same libidinous kick drives us to fashion-shows, catwalks! In Ramayana, Sita was made to go through veritable hell to prove her chastity. If Ravana took her away - was she meted out a very dignified treatment by her husband!
A woman without a beautiful face and body can exist in our collective imagination. A woman of substance - no, no!! What do we see in our modern advertisements- scantily dressed figures of girls,women prodding you to buy what not! Have you ever come across a famous woman scientist figuring in any advertisements. This is our brand of modernism and modernity!
To get back to the original story of the woman who was the victim of rape by a gang of youths and its handling by the State Government, the message from this incident is very clear. However progressive we might pretend to have become, it just takes one incident to unmask our true selves, we continue to be slaves of the past notions and practices and ritualistically observe International Women's Day!! Nothing has much changed for our womenfolk.