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January 16, 2008

Hey, you STILL cannot rape the press....

...feel free with the others though.

Hadn't planned out this post. In fact was planning a 'happy post' - after being inspired by Ageless Bonding's Blue Ribbon post -- but then, somethings don't change.

Those who have been following Eve* are familiar with my inability to write positive things or my propensity to dwell on the negative. I swear it wasn't me this time, it's the Rapists. They are everywhere. Was doing my before-bed-time news headline reading on ibnlive.com when I came across the story: Rape is the fastest growing crime in India.

Congratulations People! The way things are going, soon we all will know at least three women who have been raped. I am not counting the 2-month-old babies because they usually die after they have been raped. Like the two-and-a-half-years old INFANT who had her throat slit by her neighbour, of course after he raped her. Wonder what hurt more.

It could be you who's reading this, your girlfriend, sister, mother, even grandmother (72-year-old women are raped as well). Going by the rising figures, we would have kitty parties for raped women or maybe Raped Ladies' Nights at pubs. After all, with so many women being raped, sooner or later some marketing company will see the benefit in making money out of it.

And why fucking not, rape is becoming a national hobby, a close second to molesting women. Oh, did I just use "fucking" AFTER coming on national TV? Oh damn, now I am really scared. Perhaps someone reading this blog will think that just because I use 'fucking' liberally, perhaps I would enjoy being raped? Some of you have wished me rape, have you not? And what was that popular 'joke': If you are being raped, might as well lie back and enjoy it, eh? Maybe that's the reason we don't have as many women reporting molestation or rape cases... Perhaps they were "enjoying" it?And oooh, the National Bureau for Crime is bothered that India cannot provide a safe place for foreign tourists. Shit. What a sad state of affairs for tourism.

Now Renuka Chaudhary, the Women & Child Development minister feels there should be a "quicker response system" and the ministry in collusion with legal bodies is looking at "Harsher punishments for repeat offenders." Right. So we wait for someone to FIRST rape, then repeat and THEN we look at harsher punishments. Interestingly, the case one has mentioned earlier -- of the two-and-half-year-old being raped and murdered -- the rapist HAD been convicted for a MERE two years earlier for raping another 12-year-old. So he comes out and then does in an infant.

This is something that had been written in June. Good news for me, with Rape Reports rising (600 % increase since 1971), I can keep re-posting my article. Saves writing. Don't think it will save me being raped. Or you. To answer Barkha Dutt's question on one-good-thing-about-blogging: It keeps me indoors and helps avoid rape. Then again, I live alone. For women living with families, the rapist often is a close friend/ family member.
______________________________________________________
But you cannot rape the press!
So, we have yet another Rape Report, and this time, the purported felon is a designer fellow by the name of Anand Jon. He is a man Newsweek magazine had declared one had to "watch out for" in 2007. Sure. Counting as of today, Jon has pleaded not guilty to 13 of 46 counts - involving 18 victims, between the ages of 14 and 27 - of sexual misconduct towards women... and kids.

I don't know what is going to happen to Jon: He is out on bail and there are allegations that some of the charges might be cases of disgruntled, aspiring models getting back at him. However, what I do know; is that I am sick of reading Rape Report after Rape Report. And it really doesn't matter if it's a Jon, 'Jahnny', Janardhan and whether it's New York or New Delhi. Despite being an almost-30, tax-paying and apparently independent citizen living in the capital city of a country that is supposedly democratic and supposedly has a legal and judiciary system too... I don't know where to look, run, ask for help, or hide.

When I had read about the girl raped at knifepoint behind a medical college in broad daylight, I decided never to walk alone in any alleyway and definitely not behind medical colleges. Then I read that a Swiss diplomat had been raped inside her own car in the Siri Fort auditorium parking lot. It was scary because two hours before she had been raped, I had left the same auditorium after watching two films. I was alone. I have never been to Siri Fort since.

For those living alone, food is either self-prepared, care-of-fast-food or courtesy the area dhaba. But since the day I read about the girl picked up near a dhaba by men in a car; I'd rather go hungry or have instant noodles every night. So perhaps I can avoid the Mobile Rapist -men in cars who kidnap women and rape them - by not going to a dhaba. But how do I avoid traveling alone? Autorickshaws are the most common mode of transportation - buses mean crotches pressing into your bottom - for many a car-less single woman in the city. And yet, autos are open from both sides... and the Mobile Rapists have been known to pull out women from autos. I come to Noida everyday, in an auto. The other day a dead body of a woman was found in her car, on the Expressway.

The other day at a red light, a motorcycle stopped next to my auto and the man riding it, winks and blows me a kiss. It was a policeman in civilian clothes; his number plate said Delhi Police. I got out and asked him what did he think he was doing and if he had ANY shame being a policeman and all... He got off the bike, stood his full height - about five feet eight, I am five feet small - and said, "Stay quiet, as a woman you should know when to speak. And do what you have to do about it, let me see." Before I could call 100, he zooms off, threatening to BEAT me if I opened my mouth. Right. Yes, I did not take down the number or was too slow to do it: Many of you commented earlier saying that being a journalist, the LEAST I could do was take down the number. Point being: When a trained journalist forgets the basic in a given situation -- dont fight, first take number -- how many women will really do that? Usually, you are just too scared.

I narrated my angst to Mishraji, my rather apathetic, water-stealing, neighbour. He said, "Madam, you are getting unnecessarily bothered, you are not model, so you will not get raped; and that apart, you have press card, just flash it and tell them they cannot rape the press." And they will stop?

Original on What Goes My Father: But you cannot rape the press.

23 comments:

Usha said...

A Policeman? I guess they think they can get away with this kind of thing - after all the kind of people they deal with day in and day out would cow down under these threats. Sad you could not note down the number - I wish we could publicly humiliate him.
Oh so you cannot rape the press - can we arrange to have press badges for all women in rape-able age?

Mystique said...

"Stay quiet, as a woman you should know when to speak. And do what you have to do about it, let me see."

wtf wtf wtf???
and yeah, rape and molestation's becoming like a national hobby.....man, are we the indians that sexually starved?
the population boom speaks otherwise.

Zorba said...

WTF!! WTF!! WTF!!


if this thing had a voice, these three words would raise 250 decibel noise which would eventually wake up the fucking system.


and yeah, i wish there comes a time when lawmakers change our redundant and shamefully useless IPC to add Capital Punishment or equal to it for this spineless tribe who call them men.

the mad momma said...

glad you posted this here. I seem to have missed it. and yes, it doesn't matter what your profession. a leering male isn't always easy to deal with....

Anonymous said...

Ohh! You stole my thoughts. Me and my mom and my doggy for a night walk after dinner. On one of those days after reading all stuff about rape [esp. the mmolesting case of 2 women by 80 men], I had become bit finicky about going out at night. To prove my point right we saw a Qualis come and stop in the middleof the road we were traversing repeatedly [ we do 5 rounds]! I picked up 2 BIG stones, just in case. But nothing happened, but I was still shaken.
Because the car didn't go till we crossed the road and went home.
We have decreased the perimeter of our walks and do it a bit earlier, but still the fear factor clutches my heart everytime.
It doesn't help having a 2 wheeler either.

And about the policeman? We had 2 cases here. A policeman drunk, raped a 12 yr old [where as her comanion.a 16 yr old escaped] and another shot at his wife.

Respect for women is at its worst ever. Sex is all that men see and to tell the truth education doesn't help either nor does dignifying jobs.

Anonymous said...

Veens...thanks for that. I was thinking that I am the ONLY paranoid idiot walking around. :|
:( what are we to do? And the men who love us? Somehow....women perhaps subconsciously learn to deal with it...but what am reaslising is that the men in our lives feel even MORe vulnerable. They are supposedly the protectors and yet, there's not much either can do. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

just read your blog for the first time today. A friend had recommeneded it. I went through about five or six posts. I must say that I am impressed and happy.

Impressed that you can inject humour into situations that could easily drive someone like me into blind rage.

Happy that there is a voice like yours out there. To speak against the rapes. To talk about women as normal human beings whose approach to their needs and wants are no different from men's. (Though of course there are differences in the sexes). To bring respect for women without the stereotypes in which and only in which society decides to grant so called respect to women. (I am rambling.)

The point is that your blog feels like a breath of fresh air that emancipates not just eve but adam as well ( at least tries to). For it is very hard to have emancipation for one without emancipation for the other.

So thanks for being there and speaking up.

Avi

Pranaadhika Sinha Devburman - Bat said...

Liked blog, can relate to the fear factor.

Was nearly gangraped for standing up for an eve-teasing victim in my para. Still not over it. Weirdly enough (or maybe not), nobody cares.

Anonymous said...

Hello Anna... hadnt expected you here, but 'good' nonetheless.
For the people, 'para' is pronounced 'pada' and means 'colony' in Bengali.
Anna has been known to stand up for Child Sexual Abuse victims and against eve-teasers... And this is what she gets.
Do you people remember the movie Ankush (nana patekar?) Nisha Singh who played an outspoken journo in that is gang-raped by politicians and their goons and commits suicide.

And, what?

Anonymous said...

I liked the way you have written .aw you talking on NDTV too and unlike most of my friends , who found you "interesting" , "smart" or "Savvy" I found you pretty sensitive. Because if you are not you cant write an article like this. I just have one question ...............what do you think with your experiences in life is the way out of the "Rape" syndrome doing rounds. forgive me if you feel like being treated like an agony aunt , but that is not my intention. I felt you have an answer too and just wanted to know if you think thereis a feasible way to stop this.............???

Anonymous said...

'Jhinuk'! Hey, have heard that word after aaaaages.... Na...no agony aunt thingie from me... i am still young enough to be called an "aunty". (wry smile) AH. Solution to rape? NOW you are talking...you really want to know? CRACK TEAMS. ...

I had just written down eight points here to EXACTLY what i want to do....BUT then i realised. Your name has no link to it. Also, i AM scared. WHAT if you or some psycho sees it as enticement and comes after me??

hahaha. there. one fucking tv show and i cannot write AS freely on my blog. (grim)

Zorba said...

on second thought:


since i belong to a tribe who cuts the roots and not just leaves and branches, i believe let's do some mental exercise why it keeps happening.


my POV. the inherent male desire to 'own' or 'possess' a female - or females - since the Stone Age, is one key factor. apart from this, the current scenario where an 'average' guy sees a woman making it to the top and leaving him behind, might just be the trigger that pushes him to cross the border of humanity and fall into beast zone.


what say?

Anonymous said...

I read ur "rape" post after watching u on NDTV. You raise a valid point of what's turning out to be disturbing trend. But the rhetoric of portraying all indian men as sex-starved predators and the need for indian women to be paranoid 24/7, doesn't ring true and actually dilutes your content. Otherwise I rather like your nihilistic, angry-with-the-world style of writing!

AR Sinha said...

Understanding the current state of Media in India... This is again a medium, where awareness is created!!!

BUT FOR WHAT?

Probably another piece of Intellectual masturbation as i call it...

We talk and talk and talk... Where is the ACTION!

Strange but true all of us are indeed to be blamed but what are we doing abt it?

I'm sorry but i guess I'm losing the message here.

Anonymous said...

I'm gonna whine for a while.

This is the story of the 'Blogs' family.They had this huge living room and this single very sexy bed room where the family enjoyed public time and some happy quiet time, respectively.One day a fairy mother came to the lady of the house while she was sleeping in the bedroom and whispered to her the secret to happiness.Thus their bed room was filled with this very secret magical power that made everyone stay happy.Then one day the lady of the house decided to add a Verandah to the house and invited people to share their views over a cup of tea.But at the end of the day,the bed room remained just for the family to enjoy.Suddenly one day people came to know about this magical bedroom and so started a stampede to find their share of magic.The Blogs family was immensely happy to hit the popularity chart.They invited everyone who came in search of this magical happiness with a warm smile.Soon the bedroom was filled with strangers and soon to be friends etc.While the lady of the house continued to takecare of each new addition, the family members were pushed out by the rush for happiness.Once out for a bit, reality hit...that it was this magical spell that kept blues away.The lady's eyes wandered to find her family while serving tea and sharing the secret.The family members went for a shopping therapy to find material magic.But...

nevermind.

And about the post...the raped women club is actually a good thought.And if the men who raped them could also join it would be a smashing reunion.All these porn n stuff that adds the nasty thoughts.Is there an year in history where there was no rape at all?I dont really believe some men will stop being animals.What can be done is women to rise above, join some alert groups and just watching out and not being stupid etc.And on the other side,mothers teaching young boys.If they dont know what to say,which most dont, maybe its time for us to educate ourself what we need to teach children to make them better individual.Again who has the nerve to say 'rape','sex' etc in remote villages of India.Education itself is foreign to them and I'm here talking about sex education.blah.Children in 5th grade in US knows all about how a child is born to menstruation.Its time we take off that shy mask and talk for heavens sake.

Anonymous said...

Dear Maverick
Awareness is created for people to be, well, Aware. Given that MUCH awareness is being created there are still a shocking number of apathetic responses. As for 'what is being done', there really is no mass solution. Humans are not the dogs of Bangalore that we can horde them into buses and then kill them off, even the rapists that is. Rape is about power and dominance and a mind set and that mindset needs to be changed. Perhaps mass lobotomy would help, but then again, IF we dont find the rapist(s) who do we operate on?

To bring the point VERY clearly to you: DONT rape a woman. If you see a woman being raped/molested, PLEASE try and help. IF your friends and you discuss women in terms of i-would-love-to-shove-it-in-that-chick etc, please stop.
Is that CLEAR enough?

Maxine... the Family has to realise that the lady of the house could not have done without them. Families by their nature are in the background for every lady of the house who becomes a consummate hostess. And the family should not desert... there wont be no house for the lady to be a 'lady of the house'...

Anonymous said...

A friend who read the post here emailed to me."These people talk and talk,is that not so easy?ha ha ha"!
And a similar comment here too.

Lets talk and talk and talk and talk.And tomorrow you talk about the talks/discussions you had here with someone else and start a new.And come to a conclusion where all agree that rape is wrong etc.So that the brain takes in the message and keep it somewhere there.Then one day when one of your friend looks at a girl and says lets have some fun with her..or whtever, you dig out the stored message from the talks you had here or elsewhere and say a simple NO.And also discourage your friend and convert him too.
When you are aware,you are responsible to act for it.Does not mean starting a fight club against rape.Its people to people.Spreading awareness.Refreshing the brain.

So talk.Discuss.

I see too many hits and lesser comments.Say something too,it will only help,I promise.

Anonymous said...

Eve..the desert word never came up.And wont.

Sig said...

ahhh....those stories scared the shit out of me, but I'm glad you posted them.

that policeman really ticked me off - what happened to protecting the public???

"Stay quiet, as a woman you should know when to speak. And do what you have to do about it, let me see."

A HUGE WTF there.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm/....maybe we should wear tee shirts saying WTF.

But seriously...i sometimes wonder...god forbid...IF at all, i were...raped, would i come out? Would my family support me? :|
honestly, i still dont know and saying we-shall-cross-that-bridge-when-we-come-to-it is a scary reality. do i want to get on that bridge? Hmmm...

Itchingtowrite said...

policemen are the worst..they break q to get priority treatment, they get free stuff from local vendors and hitchhike from auto drivers (each deserve the other though)

radiohead said...

been through like the whole of this page n all the previous posts n all .. n this one .. is d true criticism ..

Recently I went wid a frnd of mine (gal) to a local trade fair kinda thing .. n with all tht junta staring at her with those eyez .. it was so uncomfortable .. u can protect her ..shell ur arms arnd n direct her away frm all tht shit .. n thn i realised n evn told my frnd .. tht we as a guyz grp do a lot of fun ..spotting out gals n all ofcourse .. n it is now tht I feel how bad or scary one can feel ..one on the other side ..

I wish our society was more open or is it gettin on the verge? nd the junta would not be named so .. only if thy could be called people n not the junta ..(skippin the wrd dehati ofcourse) ..

newyz this post was something amazing ..cheers !!

Unknown said...

The word terrifies me - I have 2 daughters , one planning to apply to JNU . I die a million deaths just sitting here and wondering what might happen and along comes Renuka Chaudhury with her nonsense babble . I have never heard f anything more offensive than punishment for a second time offender- and we call ourselves progressive ?