An open letter
A letter written by a former MTV VJ and actor Shenaz
Treasureywala has gone viral, thanks to social media. been written and tweeted about and shared a
numerous times. We , all have gone viral reading and sharing it with each other
and discussing it, analyzing, lauding it .
She asks for a stop to all sexual harassment and rape
activities. She wants the most influential and powerful men In India to help her,
to step in and to understand and most importantly feel how it ‘feels’ to be
groped, felt and touched in private places just because one is a woman.
They don’t even spare young girls. She writes openly,
apologizing to her parents who did not want her to speak about it. It started with her, as early as 13 years and
she could not understand whether it was the dress, or why she did not get clean
even after bathing numerous times.
Rape is a physical sexual assault and defiling the
victim by physical intercourse by violence by incapacitating the person. We,
all know what rape is; we all understand the gory impact and what it means for
the victim.
But, what we have seen is empty threats, a long drawn
court battle, where the offender is left either with a short sentence and a
fine. And, it is written he is an offender. How can we in our right conscience
allow this to happen? Are seven or eleven or in some cases five years equal to
what the victim feels? Ho is the term equated with?
Her, open letter to end this, and to serve a death
sentence is what needs to catch momentum. Everyone feels, and they are
unanimous in asking that we need to be so stern, and need to set an example.
Nirbahaya, forming trusts, and then repeated rapes, and still no end to these
heinous crimes.
Of course, there are some in the society who say she
did this to get cheap publicity and to garner more viewers for her movie, but
critics and cynics will always be there.
Hope is what sustains life, and in this case it is an
oxymoron where we need to end life to serve as an example. If this letter that
has been read by children also , in villages makes an impact and if the Prime
Minister who promises Ache Din , can warrant a change, truly we will usher in a
better brighter India.
True progress of a nation is when its 50 % of its
population feels safe and not vulnerable to walking down a street . Where she ,
is comfortable to wear , to be , to do , what she feels and not be
targeted for being a woman. Where the
men , do not blame her for being wicked, for enticing , luring them to rape
her. She is being blamed for being loose, fancy just because she eats noodles
and has a mobile. Please move forward and let the girl live, breathe and be
free , that is the biggest gift we can give her .
