Yezidis last hope remain Hindus and India

As Islamic State warriors are closing on to Sinjar Mountains, the Yezidi fighters, most who took up whatever arms were available even kitchen knives, are finding it hard to believe that world is still not worried about the fate of thousands of innocent men, women and children whose sole mistake is that they worship Taus Melek or Peacock Angel whom Hindus know as the Commander of all Gods Murugan/Karthikeya/Sanath Kumar. While discussing with them the situation they are in, they show fear that either they will be killed or be converted; the latter of these two fears is what they consider as bad as death itself.

Taus Melek and Murugan are one?

But the most potent question that many Indians are asking is why are Yezidis trying to forge bond with Indians and particularly with Hindus? What is their motivation? Is there something sinister behind this outreach? Some even argue as to why must Hindus get involved with a group that does not even identify itself as a ‘Hindu’ and has traces of what several feel, concepts, that do not exactly blend with Hinduism.

Murugan, the commander of all gods, is whom Yezidis claim to worship.

Keeping these questions in mind I asked a Yezidi man, as to why do the Yezidis feel that Indians, and particularly Hindus, would like to help them? His answer was straight; he said that it was because ‘there is no one else who would like to help us without converting us and we are aware that only and only Hindus are like that.’ This 44-year old man, who goes by the name of Hatim is a guide by profession and based in Dohuk, is absolutely sure that the ‘Hindus will help and India will help.’

But the question is why must India help Yezidis who have no known connection with India for thousands of years? To this he did not have an answer except that ‘will you not try to help your cousins if they are in danger and left India for Iceland? I know you people help (everyone)… (those too) who have no bond but we know you and we like you. Won’t you help?’

Killed for being ‘Devil worshipers.’

Many may not find this argument or should we say a helpless and defeated plea convincing, certainly when we shun emotions and measure each thing in terms of value addition, then this helpless community of a few millions (some claim them to be as less as 5, 00, 000) staring at the biggest genocide of the 21st century that promises to wipe it out completely, is not worthy of investing in. Assuming this to be the way forward, now let us consider why India or Hindus ‘should not’ help the Yezidis. The only reason of not helping the Yezidis is as that they hold no value, and in any case there is always the defensive argument like when there is a fire in our very own house then why go to Iraq (youngsters waving Islamic State flags is a reality in India). Plus there is one more like has India done anything for Pakistani and Bangladeshi Hindus and Sikhs, who share immediate ties with us? Then why bother?

Plea for help

The Chief Editor, International Strategist and Founder of http://www.AmritWorld.com Mr. Amrit Pal Singh ‘Amrit’ explains this aspect in a conversation by saying that ‘India went to Sri Lanka to fight LTTE. Indian Army was sent to Maldives in 1988; in the case of Yezidis none of this has happened nor may this happen. But we are still in a position to help; all that are needed are manpower and money.” Explaining further he also gave another example of Fiji, where Mahinder Chaudhary, a Hindu Prime Minister was thrown out by the army. He said “everyone spoke against his removal, he was a staunch Hindu, but India did nothing, on the other hand New Zealand went ahead and sent a warship and Fijian Army hastily retreated. Mr. Chaudhary traces his roots to Haryana but did India bother? For no less than 56 days did the Fijian Army keep him captured.”

For Yezidis, he said that they are a very tiny minority in Iraq and now, since Kurdistan will soon be an independent nation hence they (Yezidis) will again be a minority there, but not as small as they are in Iraq. They will be just a religious minority and not an ethnic one so considering this scenario if India or Hindus help Yezidis it would be helping the soon-to-be independent state of Kurdistan. And therefore any help will only strengthen the bond between this new state with India, and the benefit? Well! This would be an oil producing friendly country in the heart of Middle East.

Brothers? Are we?

But keeping the money dynamics aside, even if India, or Hindus as Yezidis want, come to their aid then it only makes sense as they are a very small minority, plus the adoration and loyalty with which they look up to India with is something that several crore illegal Bangladeshis will never be able to do. So the choice for India is simple, and surprisingly, without any dilemmas. Just manpower and money is needed to help this minute minority, no need to send armed forces. Protecting Yezidis today makes sense as it will benefit Indians tomorrow.

How Yezidis and Hindus are forming a bond slowly but surely
Hindus and Yezidis must be credited to be looking at each other with curiosity and that too with extreme positivism. Small efforts have already been undertaken by both the communities, like Yezidi students in Bangalore going to celebrate Diwali with Hindus after visiting Murugan temple, Yezidi kids especially asking Hindus to help them, Qasem Sesho appealing to Hindus and Yezidi groups meeting Hindu leaders etc.

Small steps to a great start?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has already gone a step further and has promised to aid Yezidis displaced by current turmoil. So, we can presume that so far everything is positive from both the sides, but yes, only time will tell how Hindus and Yezidis take this relationship forward and whether both are ready to cement the bond further.

Hindus and Yezidi students celebrating Diwali in Bangalore

Our cowardly silence while Yezidis stare at one more genocide

As I write, there is a palpable fear that the Yezidi murders at the Sinjar Mountain will be one of the bloodiest ever in the history of mankind. The Islamic State fighters have encircled the Sinjar and their supporters are gleefully declaring their intentions to the world while all this while the Yezidi community will keep running from pillar to post to get at least one man in power, one man with a heart and one man with means to as much as hear and bail them out. But the fact is that so far all the powerful men, be it the Obamas, Putins, Merkels, Keqiangs, Modis or the Cameron’s, have just paid little or no lip service to the cause of the Yezidi human rights violation.

A little tweet says it all…

In the past two months I have spoken to no less than 100 Yezidis and these innocent people are only asking to be recognized as proper human beings and just be given a place to live safely and not see their sons being butchered or their daughters be treated as another sex slave. Is it too much to ask? Apparently yes, because they are Yezidis.

Conveniently branded as devil worshippers by Islamists, for worshipping Taus Melek, whom most Hindus recognize as none other than Lord Sanath Kumar/Karthikeya/Murugan, the Yezidis have shown more godliness than any of the many people of God. The resilience, the faith and the belief in humanity that this small minority, just in a few millions, has shown should have been enough to shake the collective conscience of the world community but as it has always been the case, we have let them down again. There are hundreds of genocides against Yezidis and we are still debating whether this, the current one, qualifies to be called genocide or not. United Nations is busy discussing the ‘measures’ but so far no help has reached at ground level. It is sad but the truth remains that the United Nations has been a mute, ineffective and callous spectator of one of the biggest humanitarian crisis of 21st century.

Yes he is the ‘devil’ but not those who want to kill him
(pic credit: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk)

Now, the big question that we must ask is that why have the Yezidis been left all alone? How many of their people must they be willing to sacrifice so that we take notice? How many of their daughters must be snatched from them to be sold off and raped, that finally we believe that indeed their rights have been trampled upon? Despite all talks of bombings, the increased concerns, the increased media reporting etc, the fact remains that the Islamic State remains as defiant and as domineering as it was two months back and this is indeed surprising because so called United Nations and all powerful bold leaders have refused to pay heed to the silent pleas of Qasem Shesho and the loud protestations of Vian Dakhil. Whatever be the reason for their silence, for now the best would be to evacuate Yezidis and bring them to a safe refuge, while taking up Yezidi volunteers and train them for active combat against Islamic State fighters.

Tears and wails that have failed to move human hearts (pic credit: picturesdotnews.wordpress.com)

The Yezidis, just like other ‘normal’ people, deserve the right to protect themselves from this assault and all the future assaults that will come their way, and they (the brutal assaults) will, because the hatred that they have faced for thousands of years for worshipping a Peacock Angel will not leave them in peace. It is time that common people across the world come together to save the Yezidis from blatant, ruthless and devilish ethnic cleansing that is taking place at the hands of Islamic State. Let us not disappoint them anymore.

Please share this appeal made by Yezidi leader Qasim Shesho and his men fighting a lonely but a very brave battle on Sinjar Mountain:

Why Meerut Gangrape and Forced Conversion Case Must Ring Alarm bells in India

The victim in green being accosted by well-wishers

Several rape cases have happened in India, and law and order certainly is an issue that needs an urgent look-into, but why do we need to closely monitor the Meerut gangrape and forced conversion case? Let us first see what this case is about; a young girl goes to a madrassa to teach children at a salary of just Rs. 1500, all in good-faith on the advice of her Muslim friend, the madrassa officials kidnap her and rape her continuously while keeping her drugged in a solitary confinement. Her fallopian Tube is removed so that she does not get pregnant and sexually serves them long enough, and at the time of this abhorring sexual torture she was also being brainwashed to embrace a religion that she had neither shown inclination for, nor was willing to embrace. While in the captivity she finds 40 more girls there and hears that some of them would be supplied to Saudi Arabia. Now, coming back to the response her plight has created. Most people, ably led by Indian media, are busy calling this as a one-off incident that need not be given too much importance for the sake of keeping public outrage under control. But think about the other side; this girl could have become an icon of Hindu-Muslim unity. She could have become the face of a modern India that does not degrade anyone on the basis of religion as a Hindu girl was proudly teaching in a Muslim religious institution despite severe objections from her own family. Right from the beginning to the time till she escaped and came to seek help in an unwilling and unsympathetic police station, she showed enough grit. But no one is feeling anything for her own strong conviction in the idea of ‘India;’ her supporters call it her one ‘big mistake’ while the accusers feel that she ‘asked for it.’

What both sides forget is that the Meerut gangrape and forced conversion case is shockingly similar to the horrid stories that have emerged from neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, where Hindu, Christian, Sikh and Buddhist girls are often targeted by abduction, confinement in madrassas, rape and conversions. Sexual grooming awoke Europe when young women and even little girls were being targeted by Islamists. This is actually a plague that is spreading everywhere, and we can no longer play blind to an imposing monster anymore. The first Meerut like case, that actually caught the world’s attention emerged from Pakistan’s Sindh, was of a teenage girl Rinkle Kumari who despite severe pressure from Hindu community and even United States still continues to languish with a ‘husband’ who was her abductor. A similar case was reported from Bangladesh where a 16-year old Sagorika Haldar was first raped and brutally murdered by the rapists as she continued to resist them. These are not isolated cases, as per a report (and these are conservative numbers from Pakistan i.e. the cases that actually get reported) Movement for Solidarity and Peace in Pakistan, close to 1000 minority girls get tagged and later targeted by Islamists and forcefully converted year after year. The numbers of Bangladesh are even more alarming but there is a common thread between the Islamists in both the countries and that is the growing influence of those who clearly target minority women with rape as a tool and when they are met with resistance, they embark on teaching them a lesson by first gangraping them and later marrying them to the abductor/rapist, stifling the woman to a life-long torture of rapes and other forms of harassment. This is what has been happening in these two countries and anyone can draw parallels to this case, that has come to light now, with several thousand cases reported year after year from these countries. The modus operandi is also the same; first finalize and tag a woman and entice her with sweet talks or friendship, then try and brainwash her with ‘false religion’ stuff and if she still does not agree, then rapes, tortures and conversion, post which they are married off to old men or worse shoved into flesh trade. It is for this very reason why Meerut should ring alarm bells now. In fact, we should have been alert from the moment people rioted in Azad Maidan and targeted Amar Jawan Memorial but we turned a blind eye, and now we have Gurudwara attacked in Saharanpur, ISIS flags and supporters in Kashmir and Kerala, Amarnath Yatra stalled, pages and posts in favor of ISIS and anti-Shia posts on Facebook and Twitter and we even have youngsters wearing ISIS T-Shirts. It is a known fact that radicalization is present in today’s India or else how can anyone ever explain the reasons of young and affluent Indian Muslims joining in the global Jihad and travelling to Syria and Iraq? In fact, to assume that these are isolated incidents and not part of a global Jihadi network, is nothing but foolhardy as ISIS has clear intentions of taking over the world with horrendous and radical means and it is under this context that Meerut gangrape case needs to be seen.

The madrassas have now emerged as a cause of concern as they do not confine themselves to just imparting the ‘knowledge’ anymore and we really cannot blame them either because the funding comes from abroad and so does the dictation. The madrassas will have to abide by the ideology of the donors or else they risk losing out on money therefore, regulating madrassas is important for national security and communal harmony while dealing with the errant radicals with iron hands is very important at this stage or else India could turn into another battle ground sooner or later. Infiltration by radical Bangladeshis and LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba) agents is a known fact and the lack of protests by Deoband and Muslim organizations in such cases point to a dangerous path that lies ahead.

Also, for media and political parties who have shown virtually no concern for either the victim or the situation that India is in and have remained mum to serve their brand of ‘selective secularism,’ we must remind them collectively, that they are doing a great disservice to India’s secular fabric that has allowed us longevity and also a liberal view that has kept this multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-linguistic country together. Meerut gang rape and forced conversion case must be an eye-opener; brushing aside such cases won’t take them away but yes, careful handling could help contain radical and terrorist elements who wish to destabilize this country.

P.S.: While discussing this case with a Pakistani Hindu activist he agreed that Pakistan’s one big mistake was to turn a blind eye to rapes and forced conversions that are now rampant there. As a result, he said, today Pakistan is battling terrorism on its own home ground, because the first thing that it (radicalization) demolished was the idea that Muslims can co-exist with Hindus or other non-Muslims. This feeling that Muslims cannot co-exist with non-Muslims is now leading to bloodshed and more bloodshed, as more and more communities, even Barelvis, Shias, Ahmadiyas and Christians are being targeted by the radicals as they believe this would make them superior to others. Now the big question, are we staring at a similar situation in India?

Rapes: Why Angelina’s concerns are good for India

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie’s concern on rapes in India echoes the clamor for justice that is growing by the minute in the Badaun rape and hanging case and several other such cases that have come to light from all corners of the country. But despite knowing that the law and order machinery has broken down, the apologists are up in arms to gag media from reporting these cases citing big population, poverty and even data from the developed world to pinpoint that such incidents happen everywhere.  Angelina herself is on their hit-list now, all thanks to her concern for women rights in India. Yes, rapes indeed happen everywhere and yes, India has a big population, in fact China is the only country ahead of India when it comes to population, but yet why do we not see that it still has lower number of rape cases?

Also, the biggest question to ask is, that which country has the honors of first recognizing the female energy (FEMEN is a modern day volatile version), and who first associated a woman with a Goddess? The answer is India and India alone. The oldest religion of the world and also of this country had several women of valor and honor who still inspire the current generation. Lopamudra, Gargi, Rani Jindan, Kitturu Rani Chennamma, Jijabai, Anandi Gopal Joshi, Savitribai Phule and several millions of women have fought shoulder to shoulder for the betterment of this country both in the battlefields and also in the scientific and spiritual domains. When this country has such rich past then why is it that today women are not even safe in the womb of their mothers? Why is it that the Goddesses of India are being raped and cruelly hung from trees or being burnt alive (as was the case in Kolkata Gangrape case)?

Is it that all of a sudden the Indian men have turned savage or is it that the patriarchy is again coming back with vehemence? The fact is that none of this is true; gender stereotypes are breaking fast and patriarchy dies by every second when a girl chooses a pen instead of procrastinating in front of age old customs.

The problem in the cases of rapes in India is that it has become a tool of oppression in the hands of supremacists. Often the targets are from weaker communities, mostly poor and Dalits, who are now making inroads into the mainstream, thanks to a liberal push for reservation by the Indian government. The age old feudal structures are being challenged and just to keep this structure alive, the dominant class is using the archaic practice of targeting the female folks to keep the male ones under their boot.

Fortunately, the society has woken up to this reality and Indians (men and women both), are coming out in full-force against rapes, but the problem is the lawmakers who in their lust to grab more votes try to victimize the victim while protecting the accused often under the garb of castes, religions and even under the archaic juvenile laws that act against the victim at all levels. It is highly likely that a woman raped is poor and so is the rapist, but it is the cause of women that the lawmakers try to weaken while protecting the accused because they presume men to be their own ‘people.’

One example of above mentioned scenario was the Delhi Gangrape case of 2012 when it was common to hear lawmakers, cutting across all parties, openly chiding women for instigating men to commit rapes by wearing provocative clothes, eating noodles, carrying cell-phones and God knows what else! The women were told to watch out as men being men could not check their lust. But unfortunately for them, neither men nor women are amused by such sexist ideas any more, and the march of justice for rape victims continues. How far it would go is for us to watch out, but for now this movement is strong and is determined to boot out this menace and is certainly not ridiculing Angelina Jolie but thanking her for speaking up on behalf of the hung goddesses.

Feature report: What an Indian woman goes through during menstruation

The copyright of the image rests with Namta Gupta. Free to use after crediting.

Millions of women in India dread the time when they go for their menstruation cycle. The shining economy and rocketing clout of India is just one side of the story. The AC Neilsen report undertaken with the help of Plan India on ‘Sanitary Protection: Every Woman’s Health Right’ in 2010 painted a rather grim picture of menstrual hygiene of Indian women. The report claims that only 12% out of the 355 million women have access to sanitary napkins. As per this study, 98% gynecologists’ use sanitary napkins, but their patients have their own good reasons to avoid them. Gynecologist Dr. Abha Sharma feels that awareness has increased but still there are patients that use cloth and face vaginal and urinary tract infections. At times it is good economics that play on the woman’s mind. As Meera Das, 35, a mother of two, feels that with some spare money in her hands, she may also opt for the napkin but in her house only one has that luxury. Her 14 year old daughter uses a napkin, but that too only when she ventures outside. In her native village also, women choose old rags.

A. Muruganandam, apparently the first man to wear a sanitary napkin, who started what he calls a ‘white revolution’ by making and distributing cheaper sanitary napkin, has an equally sordid tale. Muruganandam, who later founded Jayaashree Industries to help the cause of menstruating women, talks about the day when he saw the cloth his educated wife was using during menstruation and noticed that the cloth was so dirty that he could not even wipe his scooter with it! When he told her to use a sanitary napkin instead, his wife snapped at him saying that if all the women in the house started using sanitary napkins then the family will have to cut down on the milk budget!

Not much different is the study put forward by the Pardada Pardadi NGO in Anoopshehar, Uttar Pradesh. Renuka, the spokesperson of this NGO elaborates that many girls have to drop out of their schools when they enter puberty. The AC Neilsen report puts the dropout numbers at a staggering 23 percent. The research undertaken by the Pardada Pardadi showed that the inability of pubescent girls in handling their periods due to non-availability of material or knowledge lead to their desertion of schools. ‘And expensive sanitary napkins are not an option for many women in India and other parts of the developing world,’ Renuka quips. People at many places do not even understand what a sanitary napkin is or what it does. ‘The awareness is so low, that when I went out and asked for a sanitary napkin from a chemist, he wrapped it in a brown paper. The chemist and others sniggered; they thought it was something unwanted like a condom!’ recounts Muruganandam. Accessibility and reach-ability is also a roadblock. A woman that has to travel miles to fetch one pitcher of water has little time to go and buy a sanitary napkin and add another mile to her arduous regimen. Like the case of Harpyaari Devi, 70, a matriarch with 2 daughter-in-laws and 3 pubescent granddaughters, says that in her village no one would buy these packets as there is not a single shop selling them. Her daughter in laws, have found a better way of handling the issue; they do not venture out when they are in their periods and use cotton or rags. They even lose out on daily wages as a result, but what can be done?

But is it only rural India that is plagued by this menstrual apathy? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Even in some Urban and semi- urban areas the situation is similar. Amitabh Kumar, head of the media division of Centre for Social Research says that in the educational and medical camps that they organize, they often have to educate women about the usage of sanitary napkins and at times have to dissuade myths that pull women away from napkins. He says, that in most cases women argue, that cotton is better than the fabric and using fabric can cause diseases. Some even claim that sanitary napkins are made of recycled plastics. So how can they be any good? He feels that India is as good as sub-Saharan Africa in context of menstrual hygiene. Not a rosy picture indeed.

Issues that worsen the situation

There are various mores and practices that wreck an Indian woman’s life. Like, the patriarchal nature of Indian society and skewed sex ratio makes menstruation a taboo topic.  It is rarely discussed as the society takes the coming of period as the time of sexual awakening in a woman and wishes to put a lid on it.  The end result is that women try to curb topics related to menstruation; hence, health and hygiene are both lost. In fact, as Muruganandam puts it that ‘90% of Indian men are unaware that women undergo menstruation! Even educated men and government officials are unaware what a sanitary napkin is.’ The issue, taboo, just like drugs, is shunned. ‘Even the wives and sisters feel ashamed to talk about it with husbands or brothers’. He says, in many tribal north-east states, women use leaves, sand and even ash to absorb menstrual blood.

The absence of sexual knowledge is also a big dampener. Amitabh of CSR says, ‘sexual awareness and education is very limited and no doctor or teacher is there to help girls with basic information.’ Even Neeraj Goyal, General Marketing Manager of Johnson & Johnson India Ltd finds taboos and societal attitude as one of the biggest challenge that is faced by Indian women. As per him, ‘it is more to do with the stigma associated with it and contributes to gender inequality. So when girls enter puberty they stay at home or drop out of school completely.’

Then there is the problem of affordability. In a big country like India, with the female population of many millions living in abject poverty, the cost plays a major factor. As Muruganandam tells of a peculiar issue he has observed; he says that women try to save money by using unhygienic means but in actuality they end up paying about Rs200-500($3-$10) to a doctor at regular intervals. Desperate women even resort to removal of uterus at an early age to stop cost escalation.

But then, is a cheaper sanitary napkin a game-changer? ‘May be for the poorest and marginal folks’, says Neeraj Kumar, ‘but then why is it that in urban India where the cost is not a big issue the usage is just 57%?’ In a country where fairness cream sells more than a hygienic product like sanitary napkins, maybe there is something more than what meets the eye. And then ‘How cheap is REALLY cheap?’ He may have a point here, but Muruganandam   blames this on the perception that advertising of sanitary napkin conveys and the monopolistic hold of big corporate on this sector. In the advertisement of this product, he elaborates, comfort is highlighted not hygiene.

The basic sanitary infrastructure is also lacking in India. Such lopsided is the scenario that there are more mobile phones than toilets. And then there is another angle, like if a fairness cream reaches more household then, maybe it is more widely available than a sanitary napkin?

The way forward

The situation has improved, though not up to a desirable level. Governments, NGOs and corporations are pulling loose strings. The public-private partnership between government and corporations has changed the lives of millions of girls. Like Johnson & Johnson’s Stayfree Woman for Change initiative has already touched approximately 2.6 million girls and women. Along with UNICEF it has started a program to reach out to 5 lakh girls in the period of next three years in remote parts of Bihar and Jharkhand. Government of India has also woken up to the seriousness of the issue after all a booming economy like India cannot afford to keep half of its workforce at home. The government has started multiple projects like Kishori Shakti Yojna (10-18 years) and several others. Rs150 crore have already been earmarked for the KSY scheme to provide cheaper sanitary napkins to pubescent girls.  It is an extension of an already existing Adolescent Girl scheme that aims to provide napkins at a subsidized rate. But subsidy is not the only way out. There are novel measures too, like Muruganandam’s decentralized mode of making and delivery. He says ‘eliminating men’ from the chain and having more woman to woman contact would take the sanitary napkin to even remotest parts of India. His unique model makes it easier to make a sanitary napkin at home and women can barter it for eatables and other goods as it is cheaper than most other napkins.

Targeting girls at school would be even better as at school they would be even easier to convince. And as Neeraj Kumar puts it, once you convert one woman, it is easier to convert others close to her. Imparting education to women about hygiene and changing mindsets of people are also equally important. Gender equality and better school curriculum must be taken up with determination. Better sanitation facilities, better infrastructure and sexual education at school level could change fate of millions of Indian women and girls. But then, is India ready to tackle this challenge?

Indian Men are on the right track

The above heading is not wrong at all, although it is highly likely that some people may take it adversely but it is important to discuss the role of Indian men in the lives of Indian women.

As we discuss continuing circle of sexual violence, acid attacks and other problems, we squarely blame Indian men for all the miseries of women. Feminists pop-out from every corner and start ridiculing the Indian men, calling them everything from ‘Closet Rapists’ to ‘Potential rapists,’ as and when they wish to insult them. But as we look around, we can see that it is the Indian men who have emerged as the strongest voice against violence on women; this is unprecedented in the human history! Yes, some of the men could be sexist, but isn’t that the case with women too? If we see, we will find that the most vociferous protests against violence against women has come from Indian men, be it in the December 16, 2012 rape case (Nirbhaya/Damini gangrape case) or be it in the current UP, Badaun gangrape and murder case.

And every one of these men, who actually constitute the majority, and are protesting with rage and anguish, is not even one bit pleased with the way Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Singh Yadav, have tried to bring them on their side by ridiculing the pain of rape victims. Mulayam had just about a month back stated, on the record, that ‘boys can make mistakes.’ This was apparently to show that rape is just a little funny mistake that can be forgiven with just a slap on the wrists, but it is his sheer bad-luck that Indian men of 21st century do not subscribe to this view anymore. For example, if we see on every forum, online or offline, it is the same ‘boys,’ whom he apparently tried to appease for their votes, who are gunning for his and his son’s head. It may have been an impossible thing to witness a few years back (may be due to lack of communication channels), but now it is the men who are at the forefront of leading the fight for women rights.

In all such cases, one can see them unilaterally demanding death for the accused or castration (without even the aid of anesthetics!) refusing to think even once that the accused share their gender. In fact, they are ashamed and aghast that at least one of them is the reason for a woman’s misery. Such change in attitude can only be attributed to two things, and that is education and gender sensitization that is quickly on the rise. The uproar that each rape case creates has finally put politicians in the dock and for the first time ever, women safety has become a bigger talking point than even terrorism and corruption. Today, men join women in rallies and sometimes even lead them in protests as was evident in the Delhi rape case and in the current Badaun rape and murder case.

This, indeed, is a heartening sign for India that men are becoming more and more sensitive to women rights and have started to take them extremely seriously. All we now need is political will, rehabilitation of victims and faster trials and India will soon be the most habitable place for women. But yes, there is another issue that remains and that is, that there are certain people in power, from both genders, who wish to create an environment that puts blame on the victim or tries to trivialize her sufferings. So far, the majority has rejected them with ubiquitous and crushing force, yet India needs to constantly guard its people from such misogynist and pervert people.

For starters, voting the right way could help correct this problem but what we all also need to understand is that men are not the problem nor are they part of the problem, but they definitely are, the part of the solution when it comes to gender parity.  Joining hands with them makes a lot sense because they are the strength, along with the women, on which India can build a ‘Rape free India.’