Mridula Sinha
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ACCORDING to an anecdote when Brahma created the world someone asked him, “Who will protect your creation”. Brahma replied, “I have created mother, she will be the protector of my creation.”
Mother of every living being is not only the protector of her progeny, but she is the protector of the generation also. This way she took the place of the Brahma also. She is the creator and the protector. The world is changing every moment. In the process of civilisation the concept and work of the mother have not changed. The Indian civilisation is the first and best ancient one, which carried the theory and practiced according to its belief that the motherhood of the women should be well protected by the society as well as by the existing form of the government. The stories of forest life also tells how the animals gave protection to a female when she used to deliver child.
After giving birth to her child she used to protect her child. It is well known fact that child of human beings needs much more time of raring and caring. Mother with the help of father takes care of child’s all round growth.
In the process of civilisation the learned people of the society came to the conclusion that where the women is given respect, God will be present there.
Women have not been demanding, but she has been commanding safety and respect. In our villages people used to give respect i.e. proper care to women. In our childhood we have seen that women used to travel in a palki on the shoulders of four men. The palki was well protected where two men holding lathi (weapon) in their hands used to travel with the women. At the time of any attack or mishappening, the six men used to fight till their death. Even the illiterate people of the village were conscious of their duties towards the protection of women. The women were treated as the respect (ijjat) of men.
Why the same traditional society has lost its essence of the culture? Why the government, as well as the society is not able to give safety to women, which she deserves? Why a certain group of youth has not been given moral education that carries the value, that women should be given respect? Why our education curriculum does not carry any single lesson which teaches moral values?
There are so many questions which the incidence and death of ‘Damini’ has left before us. This is the time of mourning her death, and not showing anger, time is for introspection. The whole society has to introspect and find out the lapses of its duties in protecting women. The government is in the dock. The prime duty of government is to maintain law and order situation. The rate of incidence of rape, sexual harassment of different kinds is increasing day by day. The datas of metro cities indicates that Delhi, the capital of the country is unsafe for women. We have been celebrating Women’s Day for empowering women. Giving her education and teaching her skills to earn money is not enough. While chalking out plans to make her empowered, the governments as well as the society must plan for the safety of women. Giving her safe surroundings where she can move freely without any fear is also one of the major step of empowering her. Because enabling to move everywhere is also some kind of empowerment. Educational empowerment needs safer surroundings also.
In metro cities one easily looses his or her identity. Nobody recognises another person. While loosing his or her identity, one can do what he or she wants. We can see a certain class of youth, who have enough money in pockets, have not been taught controlling their passion and desires, which had been the main theme and object of the Indian education. Neither parents nor teachers even think of teaching moral values to younger one’s which starts and ends with giving respect i.e. protection to women.
From the last three decades, women organisations are protesting for the welfare of women. They are demanding protection of their constitutional rights. So many acts have been formulated, but the acts are not implemented properly. Justice is not only delayed it is even denied. The culprits are not punished timely. The punishment is unable to create fear in the society, specially in the mischievous youth who are planning to assault, women of any age. These incidences are taking place everywhere. The crime of rape is not a new thing for the society. But now a days it has taken a new shape. Gang rape’s rate is increasing. The rapists kill the women after rape. In case of Damini, the intention of rape was same.
This is not the sign of persons who want to enjoy sexual acts. They are mentally ill people. They are sadist. They torture the victim until her death. These types of men deserve not only capital punishment but some thing more than that. Capital punishment is also much lesser for them. They deserve torture and a long time punishment which can create fear on the mind of others. Delayed justice does not have any effect on society. Actually the punishment and award should effect much more others than the receivers or both.
The society must awake and think of educating our youth. We need not import ideas and ways of protecting and giving respect to our women from abroad like the techniques of development in other area. While introspecting, we will find the ways and means of protecting the protector. i.e women. Our tradition society has been protecting them. Of course, the living situations and ideologies have changed a lot, but we have to follow the same ideology in a new situation. Only the ways and means will differ.
We must keep in mind that women are special. They are not only equal to men, but more than that. Nature has sent them for performing special responsibilities for mankind. Society has also allotted special jobs to them. In this time of equality, we must consider women special for society. In the name of ‘equality’ we have created battlefields in families, offices and roads also. Incidences of rapes are also a kind of battlefield result.
Let us try to disband these battlefields. Women are women. They must remain women first. But their problems are not only theirs. These are the problems of society as a whole. The culprits must have the fear of society and law, not only of police. Police cannot reach everywhere. Society’s existence is seen everywhere.
If women stop their works, the world will stop. The death of Damini has awakened the society. Let it remain awakened. In democracy only the awakened people can teach lesson to the government which is not taking the pain of protecting of the protector.
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