Disturbing

Everyday in the papers I read of some busybody who has the time and the inclination to lodge a public interest litigation against some actress or model who has gone against ‘Indian culture’ by saying there’s nothing wrong with pre-marital sex, or more recently because another offered to strip if India won in the World Cup. If you want my opinion the first lady was just telling the truth (which according to the Indian Culture Guardians is a no-no especially for a woman) and the second woman is desperate for attention. Finally she didn’t even keep her word, so one can’t even admire her guts (or other assets she promised to have more obviously on display.)

But going back to my original point, there are worthy Indian citizens who have energy, and righteous indignation enough to lodge cases in the “public interest” against such women, because after all it is a known fact that grievous mental and physical harm is caused to Indians when a woman is sexual of her own volition (be that in good or bad taste, that’s a different issue and a matter of opinion.)

I have just taken two examples from an embarrassingly high number of such cases. One would think we live in an otherwise perfect, crime and injustice free paradise that citizens can worry their little heads about such “improprieties”. What makes my stomach churn is how far from the truth this is. Recently (and just bringing this up makes me nauseous but it has to be said) the papers had reported that a gang of thugs in Pune were ambushing courting couples and forcing them to have sex with each other while they recorded it, after which, of course, no doubt as ‘punishment’ for being so licentious the men took turns raping the woman. And guess what? The police can’t consider this a case until ‘someone files a complaint’.

I don’t know if I missed the report where many public minded citizens then sprang to the defence of the victims of these horrifying crimes, and lodged PIL after PIL, but I’m guessing The Indian Culture Police didn’t really think these incidents worth their outrage.

What’s going on here? What’s behind this attitude? It’s fine for a woman to be a victim but not the mistress of her own body, is that it? Well let me tell you something, that’s not Indian Culture. If you had a little bit of sense of history you’d know that.
Anyway, that’s all I have to say. It’s disturbing.