In the quest of a Progressive Mindset...

What happened in Delhi a week ago is horrifying. It’s unnerving. It’s infuriating. The brutality cannot be described in words. It is scary to even think about. It is scary to think about that girl, her pain, mental and physical. So what do I do next? Run away from the problem? Start blaming? Start protesting? Or come u  with constructive methods and ideas to curb this ghastly problem?

 Running away from this is a roadmap for the fools so there’s no point in wasting any more time over it

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 It’s important to blame. It’s important to be able to identify those who would share the onus. This is a very IMPORTANT step because if we make a mistake here then we’re losing track of the root of the problem. So we got to be very discerning at this point. Is it the government? Is it the political executive? Is it the administration? But we shouldn’t stop here. We go further into the hierarchies. Is it the prime minister? Is it the president? Is it the Ministry of Home Affairs and/or other ministries? Is it the Chief Minister? Is it the Lieutenant Governor? Is it the Commissioner of Police? Or does the problem actually lies somewhere in the society itself? Now the discerning would understand that the onus cannot be left to hang on one entity by itself. No singleton runs Delhi let alone India. There is nothing singleton about administration, about governance. It’s a group effort. So the onus lies on all these elements. And we, the students, the so called ‘Youth’, are as much as a part of it. So next time you’re holding your placards criticizing the Delhi Police or a Sheila Dixit or a Sonia Gandhi or a Manmohan Singh and such others DO NOT forget that there’s always MORE TO THE STORY!

 Now that you’ve decided whom you’re going to hold responsible it becomes imperative in times of such social calamities that you PROTEST. It’s important to tell the authorities that we’re not an unenlightened race that doesn’t know what’s happening behind closed doors. It’s important to keep them pressurized. And here I know that the SANE would agree that this step HAS TO BE PEACEFUL. Two wrongs do not make a right. What happened at India Gate was only a ‘protest’ till it wasn’t violent. So where you do SEE that violence has been adapted by some amongst you, the least you can do is to KEEP AWAY FROM THEM. It’ll be better enough to identify them and notify the Police authorities but that’s your call.

 Now that we’re done protesting or taking a break from it and if you're literate then how about ‘stretching’ our capabilities a little further. How about if we go back home open our laptops and Research on the meaningful steps that the government can take, is taking or has taken already? See why we are failing time and again with all the initiatives hitherto undertaken. Understand why our police is still working on colonial lines and not moving towards sensitizing themselves for an extensive and better disclosure with the people. See why some politicians are still behaving like animals in the Parliament and worse that some are given a ticket to contest let alone elected with ‘Rape cases’ heretofore running against them. Understand why an IAS officer walks the path of righteousness and gets transferred 21 times in the twenty years of his service. Understand why quid pro quo is a reality in almost every aspect of public life. Understand how at times a Prime Minister is rendered helpless because of a coalition government in existence. Be aware and then Spread awareness. Understand ‘their’ problem because it is actually “our” problem. Talk about it with your friends, parents and relatives because that will be “spreading the word” in the true sense instead of asking people not to attend the Republic Day Parade. Read newspapers, editorials, exchange views at different forums and levels and most importantly ‘agree to disagree’. The fact that those in power are not doing what is ‘right’ does not imply that we should follow suit. The Lok Sabha Speaker, Meira Kumar  very rightly stated that, "No legislation can be made to control the mindsets and the mindsets have to change."

 The ‘Protest’ will only bear fruit i.e. long term fruit when our thoughts and actions are justified and when they are sure to create a change. If we do all this progressively I’m sure each one of us will be able to channelize the anger, frustration and desperation that this incident and many alike have rendered upon us. 

Let’s BE the future of tomorrow that everybody keeps talking about. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD!” I pray for the girl every day. I hope she gets well soon. 

Nitish Bhardwaj