She isn’t safe anywhere

-by Pratyush Parashar Das

Centuries ago, when the world was in turmoil, and mother earth cried for deliverance from the atrocities of the demon folk, a goddess had been forged from the powers of all the gods combined, a goddess whose steed was a lion and a goddess who was a personification of the mother goddess herself.

She was named durga and she finally ended the turmoil of the earth by killing the demon king mahishasura, making her a universally feared and respected goddess, a goddess whom it would be unwise to cross.

Now, Indian philosophy believes that all women are but various forms of the mother goddess herself, with her basic or ingrained qualities remaining intact.

And yet, that is where the similarities end, for in this age of the Vaishya, which is currently passing through the very last phase of dwaparyug, womenkind are no longer feared, or even respected, except in the pseudo-academic and educated circles (and sometimes not even then).

Indeed, in today’s world, despite the march of civilization, and the onset of progress, the areas concerning women seem to have become even more regressive then they were previously.

If all of you are not convinced, then, allow me to show you.

Khushi Sinha, 22^nd may, 2019, 09.00 am.

The Sinha household

8-year Khushi was very excited. Her summer vacations had just begun and she had so many plans, which she could hardly wait to execute. They included swimming, playing about the house, eating the kulfis etc and so on.

So, an hour later, having dressed and become ready, she left the house and decided to go to her friend preeti’s house, which was three houses away, at the end of the street.

3 hours later, when Khushi had still not returned, her mother made frantic calls to mrs saxena, who was preeti’s mother. Her mother said that Khushi had not even passed by her house.

 Unknown to khushi’s mother, a group of kidnappers had been running a racket nearby and had been keeping an eye on Khushi for some time. Thy had drugged her and kept her bound in a n abandoned house nearby.

It took 1 crore rupees and 9 hours to get her Khushi back, asleep but unharmed with the gang vanishing before any arrests could be made. (Khushi’s conclusion)

Aarti ghosh, 23^rd may 2019, 06.00 pm

Ghosh bari (house in bangla)

16-year-old Aarti critically looked at herself in the mirror as she looked at her makeup. She squinted as she applied her eyeliner, making sure she got the perfect curve to her ‘wings’.

Ten minutes later, she completed all the checks and was good to go. She looked at herself, turned this way and that and made final adjustments to her red party gown, which had a slit from her right lower thigh.

Her hair too was perfectly coiffed, with her eyes complementing her silver light earrings. It was her crush’s birthday party after all and she wanted to look her best, and make herself the only person he looked at.

She then smiled and after wearing her 4-inch heels, set out of the house, booked a cab and arrived at the given venue 45 minutes later.

Just as she was about to take a sip of the mocktail, a friend called her, diverting her attention, making her miss the sight of a white powder being added to the drink.

As she turned around and then took a sip, she felt her vision becoming dark and the world swimming before her eyes.

4 hours later, she woke up on a couch in what was clearly not her crush’s house, with her last memory being that of the drink. She felt a slight hint of abdominal pain before realising that she was bleeding from between her legs. It was then she realized that she had been raped, and when she saw the watch upon the side table, she recognized it.

It belonged to her ‘crush’! Two weeks later, her ‘crush’ Rahul roy was arrested and sent to a correctional facility. (Aarti’s conclusion).

richa Dwivedi, 24^th may, 2019, 11.00 am

Dwivedi niwas (house in hindi)

30-year old richa Dwivedi was running late for office. As it was nearly the weekend, cab prices had shot through the roof. As she got ready to leave in a rather harried manner, her 10-year old son aaryan innocently asked her, “mumma, why are you so tensed? Is your principal strict too?”.

The innocent question prompted a smile from her, and smiling in a mock-serious manner, she said “yes, beta, he is”. She left soon after. As the cabs were too expensive and the trains behind schedule, she decided to take an auto, which would take relatively less time. From the moment she sat in the auto till the moment she left it, she had been groped at least 20 twenty times, with people brushing her breasts, or lightly touching her buttocks.

In the evening while returning, she had to fight off three molesters before safely making it back home that day. As she looked at herself in the mirror, it showed a bruised and scarred lady, with her two upper shirt buttons missing, and hair tousled. Her molesters were eventually arrested, though released immediately after on bail. (Richa’s conclusion).

Ranjana sen Sarkar, 25^th may 2019, 09.30 am

Sarkar bari (house in bangla)

60-year old ranjana sen Sarkar was a retired headmistress. Her son-in-law was coming to visit that day, with her daughter and grandchildren.

She had been looking forward to their visit and had thus decided to buy some vegetables and other things from the market to cook their favourite dishes.

On her way to the market however, she was accosted by a knife-wielding pair who kept the knife at her throat and demanded her purse, and her other valuables, with the threat being that if she did not comply, they would slit her throat.

Ranjana eventually complied and handed and handed over her purse, handbag and other valuables like her jewellery, including her wedding ring and bangles.

It was a sad affair, for neither the two youths nor her belongings were ever recovered by the police. (Ranjana’s conclusion).

As you can see above, my dear readers, these case studies, though fictional, or based on real incidents (they maybe based on them, but I do not honestly know) present a rather grim yet realistic PICTURE OF THE SCENARIO TODAY where the targets range from 8-year old children to 60-year old hexagenerians.

THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO TODAY. DESPITE Celebrating Durga puja every year with great fervour and devotion, the sad reality is, she is not safe anywhere.

Amen.