From Shakti to punching bag!

Women – where are you in this fast evolving world of rapid changes? There have been discoveries, inventions, progress and most importantly from a social perspective - cultural changes.
As the pillar of the human race, you climbed the mountainous slopes of evolutional metamorphosis and the moment you reached a certain comfort zone, the downhill journey commenced। There have been so many positives around you and yet, you’ve allowed only a negligible part of the rays to reach the recesses of your mindset।

You dear reader might be wondering what this rant is about? Let me get straight to the point। I’ve been following this utterly disgusting case of the Chauhans from Mumbai who over the last 9 years have been involved in sexually abusing their daughters। The first reports suggested a Tantrik advising prosperity in business if the father slept with his 12 year old daughter. Both the Tantrik and the father took turns over the last decade to scrape the oozing wounds of this poor girl’s soul. It was only when the duo’s cross hair fixated on the younger daughter did the older girl break her silence and stunned the entire world with her ghastly story. Their maternal uncles helped the girls to lodge a police complaint and book the culprits.

Most of us read this news in the comforts of our homes, frowned at perverted mentalities and sipped on steaming cups of teas mentally multi-tasking about the various agendas that were lined up for the day।

The reports next day were gorier! The mother had abetted this unforgivable happening for years and she was witness to many a ruthless abuse.

But what got to me was the victim’s plea in the court of law। While they requested the strictest of punishment be granted to their father and the Tantrik, they sympathized with their mother. They wanted her no harm and acquitted from all charges quoting her helplessness before their domineering father. They were protecting a woman who herself had an affair and consensual sex with the Tantrik for years.

I have very rarely felt such revulsion for my own clan! We talk of woman empowerment, the epitome of Shakti and what not. And here are perfect examples of people who have been so perversely conditioned that they have lost all judgments of acceptable human behaviours.

We women are not helpless. What we lack is the courage to blaze our own path when we are wronged. What we lack is the strength to look at reality in the eye and not be afraid. And above all, what we lack is the belief in the inner strength that each one of us so possess that can move mountains and make history. But we cower in acceptance of any barbarity that is cast our way simply resigned to all things familiar. We want the easier path. We rather lead a banal life with sleazebags than wander into the harsh unknown territory.

We keep repeating clichés like “it’s a man’s world and his rules”. The question is why did we let them have their way? We may be physically weak but even the men admit that we are the stronger one when it comes to emotional resilience. Why did we not strategize and use our bargaining skills to get them to take the middle road? How did we come to a point whereby any behavior was acceptable?

Most of us are just panhandlers who haw and hum and carry on with our lives. There is not a single filament in our insipid bones that wants to bring in any attitudinal change. And if we the sufferers are so passive, how can we expect any ground moving changes from the men folk? I rest my case as I append a well know Durga stuti that sums what I said perfectly.

(In Sanskrit)
Ya devi sarvabhuteshu, Shaktirupenasamsthita, Namastastyai Namastastyai Namastastyai namo namaha.

Meaning –
To the Divine Goddess who resides in all existence in the form of energy
We bow to her, we bow to her, continually we bow to her

©BuntysBanter 2009