Rape is the only problem India is facing
By Justice Katju
Someone sent me this message ” देश के कोने कोने बलात्कार हो रहा है, आप इसपर खामोश क्यूँ हो सर ? ”( i.e. ” Everywhere in India rapes are taking place. Why are you silent about this sir ? ” ).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_India
These days the rape and murder of a 31 year old lady doctor in RG Kar Hospital, Kolkata has been highlihted by the Indian media, and, to my mind, blown out of proportion, as if rape is the only real issue facing India.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60pg5ChhzvU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5RH8SN-uDw&pp=ygUacmcga2FyIGhvc3BpdGFsIG5ld3MgdG9kYXk%3D
While I condemn the incident, I believe there are other more imporant issues than rape, but which have been sidelined by our media.
This has motivated me to write a story which is given below :
Alice in Wonderland
Once upon a time a little girl called Alice was dozing one summer afternoon on a meadow when she saw a strange sight. A white rabbit wearing a blue coat was running on its hind legs, looking at his watch and saying “I am late”. Alice got up and ran after him, but the rabbit jumped into a hole in the ground. Alice followed the rabbit into the hole, and she fell and fell, until she landed with a loud thump somewhere far below.
She got up and saw a strange sight. A group of young women were walking in a procession carrying placards on which were written “Hang the rapists’, ‘Castrate all men’, ‘Stone them to death’ etc.
Alice silently followed this marvellous procession. At one place a child in tatters came upto the procession and asked for some bread as he was hungry. “Get lost” said one of the young ladies, “Hunger is nonsense. The only real issue in the world is rape. Have you been raped ?”. “No”, replied the child,”but I have not eaten for two days”. The ladies retorted “Then you have no problem. The only problem in the world is rape. Hunger is Maya, an illusion, as Vedanta philosophy teaches. The only reality is rape”, and saying so the procession moved on, with Alice following.
They then came across a poor woman carrying a sick child in her arms. She begged for some money to buy medicines for her child. “Have you been raped?”, asked the processionists. “No” she replied “But my child is sick and may die without medicines”. “You have no problem since you have not been raped” said the ladies, “Healthcare is a frivolous and insignificant issue. The only real issue in the world is rape”, and saying so moved on.
They then came across an unemployed young man, and asked him whether he had been raped. He replied in the negative, but added that he had a masters degree from a University but was prepared to do even a peon’s job so that he may survive. They cursed him for speaking such a trivial thing.
In this way the procession went on and on, with the processionists, who were shouting slogans against rape, being frequently accosted by persons who raised issues other than rape like skyrocketing prices, widespread child malnutrition, largescale farmers suicide, etc, whom they brushed aside with derision and ridicule, saying that you are raising trifling issues when the issue of rape was a matter of life and death for the human race.
After some time the processionists came across another group of women who had angrily blocked their path. “Please join us” said the processionists, “We are fighting for a common cause”. “And what is that cause ?” asked the blockaders. The processionists said “Our cause is that we want people to forget poverty, price rise, healthcare, malnutrition, farmers suicide, etc and declare that the only issue in the world is rape”.
“Do you even know the prices of vegetables which are touching the sky ? Do you even know how next to impossible it has become to feed our families ?”, asked the blockaders. The processionists, who appeared to be well fed and well dressed ladies, said ” That is all irrelevant. The only relevant issue in India is rape. You all do not appear to have been raped. So all is well with you ”.
On hearing this the blockaders became furious, and they fell upon the processionists with lathis, fisticuffs, etc, and this violent scene made Alice wake up, and realize she was dreaming
