Dear God
Sample this:
You boarded a bus and you are trying to adjust your luggage. Suddenly the
person sitting behind you starts shouting at the top of his voice claiming you
have injured his foot. He is blissfully ignorant of the fact that he is
encroaching into your designated space. Moreover, he has not adjusted the
footrest. Yet he hurls a volley of abuses at you. While you struggle to make
sense of the verbal vomit and the reason behind such behavior, his voice keeps
crossing acceptable decibel levels.
Recently when I was on my way home, I encountered something very troubling.
It makes me deeply concerned about the level it could escalate to. How fast a
casual argument can turn into a slandering match or more if you are not careful
with your words. It is alarming to say the least.
I was stunned by the fact that he was unnecessarily abusive and all set to
take it to the next level. Maine to kuchh kaha bhi nhi. At that
particular moment I was so scared and all I wanted was for the abuse to end. My
only relief was my Papa who was about to board the bus soon.
That was the longest trip I have undertaken. Every moment took ages to
pass. That night made me wonder how everyday life with that monster would be. I
pitied the women in his life and prayed for his sister, mother, daughter and
also hoped against hope that he does not have any women in his life to abuse or
beat up.
The black and blue marks on a woman’s body are abuses we can see. But
undermining her efforts, using derogatory words for her, name calling and
making her feel less are some wounds no one can see. The silent tears a woman
sheds in the dead of the night are a mortal sin on the part of the person
causing them. There is no remedy for them too. Cases like Ayesha who jumped
into the river Sabarmati with a smiling face remind us that we have a really
long way to go.
As we struggle with cases of sexual assaults, domestic violence, rapes,
acid attacks and all other physical forms of violence, we never know when we
will be able to give our women the dignity, respect, space and love that they deserve.
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