Empty Statues of stone

 

Disclaimer: The following blog post contains the use of some explicit words, which may induce or cause discomfort to some people. Please read at your own risk. 

“We only worship empty statues made of stone, for our society deems females unworthy of attention or devotion otherwise, save for when they are reduced to ashes of blood and bone” ~ Pratyush Parashar Das

They say that too much of anything is bad. They say that if too much pain is inflicted on a person, that person loses the ability to feel the pain, and becomes numb. I would like to respectfully disagree, for the repeated instances of a gruesome and heinous act in our country, I’m sorry to say, have NOT made me immune to the pain and feelings of numbness that they induce. 

For those of my readers who are still blissfully unaware of what I’m referring to, yes I’m referring to the heinous crime of rape! The almost normalized rate of such an incident taking place daily has compelled me, time and again, as to what drives these worse-than-fiends blights on humanity to commit such acts, not just on adult women, but innocent, unaware babies and venerable grandmothers!

Indeed, the comments by a certain former judge of the High Court regarding this made me feel something that was beyond disgust, something so indescribable that it would be erroneous to try and frame it in writing, which is why disgust is but a safe word to use in such circumstances. 

The retired judge justified the acts by saying that “though he didn’t condemn the acts, such acts are but natural as the number of people in the country is too great, seconded only by the number of unemployed men and men in general, for whom sexual intercourse is but a primal need, preceded only by a hunger for food.” He even went on to say “that as the men had and have reached an age where sexual intercourse is but a dominant need, and that such men or most men only get to have sexual intercourse following marriage, such incidents of illicit and grotesque rape are normal because men just fulfill their urge”! 

“Urge”? Really? If that is so, what difference lies between them and animals who respond to the urge, though only to procreate, not inflict an endless amount of torture and pain which is beyond the physical. 

Personally speaking, while educating men about concepts such as consent etc are highly necessary, what is more necessary, indeed the need of the hour if you will, is to take off the kid gloves and deal with such criminals in such a manner, that the next time a man or even a group of men so much as think of committing the act or feel the urge to relieve themselves sexually upon sighting a woman, or women, they feel fear and terror instead. 

Indeed, if all of your are curious as to how this can be induced, let us go back to the year 1543-1544 or thereabouts, that is, to the time of Sher Shah Suri, one of the rulers known for his contribution to the reduction of crime in Bengal, Bihar and the other regions he ruled (which he won from Mughal emperor Humayun in the battle of Chausa) by enforcing very strict rules with respect to the punishment of criminals (such as the cutting off of a criminal’s hands or hand for something as simple as robbery and so on).

 

While such courses of action seem barbaric in the 21st century, the truth is, a ‘fair and equitable’ deliverance of justice isn’t always the answer, for it leads to men committing such acts with even greater impunity, knowing that they won’t either get caught or if caught, be let off lightly or with a smaller sentence, which pales in comparison to the lifelong suffering of the victim (if she survives) and/or her family.

What makes me even sadder is that such an act took place during what is known as Devi-paksha, or the time of the Devi, used to herald the arrival of the Mother Goddess on Earth, with her five Children. 

Tell me, my dear readers, what use is there of us cowering in fear and respect before Maa Kali or reverentially bending with our hands in a namaste before Maa Durga or her other forms for say about 5 days or so, when this is how females continue to be treated in our country? 

No wonder then that sometimes such acts feel so hollow, for “we only worship empty statues made of stone, for our society deems females unworthy of attention or devotion otherwise, save for when they are reduced to ashes of blood and bone”.

Lastly, I would like to convey my sadness and prayers towards the family of the victim, who were unable to bid their daughter farewell for the last time, for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. Amen.