Is Delhi Safe For Women?

The recent gruesome murder of a female journalist in Delhi in the wee hours of early morning is shocking. Once again Delhi is under the scanner.

"Is Delhi safe for women?". No it is not. But then it never was. I have lived all my life in Mumbai. The image of Delhi was always that of a city extremely unsafe for women. I grew up hearing that. And so as a Mumbaikar, I always had this bias against Delhi and particularly the men in Delhi. Could not bring myself to take up a job in Delhi or get married to a guy from Delhi. Simply because of its negative reputation as far as safety is concerned.

Delhi's bad track record goes much before Mrs Sheila Dixit started her tenure as the CM. Eve teasing, harassing women, killing for dowry, the Tandoor case, Jessica Lal Murder, Arushi murder and now this...all of it has happened in Delhi.

As a working women, as a resident of another sprawling Metropolitan (Mumbai), I am in agreement with Mrs. Sheila Dixit to a great extent. It is indeed being a bit too confident and adventurous; to be out alone in a car at 3.00 am in the morning. Be it Delhi, Be it Mumbai, Be it Kolkatta or Chennai. A female (more so alone) is always vulnerable. Any where in the world. And lets accept this. It is a fact. One is only safe till such a time that an incidence like does not happen.

It is not what Mrs Dixit chooses to say that decides the culture of a city. It is the people that make the culture of a city. Over the years I have visited Delhi for work and had an opportunity to stay for extended periods such a month or longer too. I found men in and around Delhi to be extremely rude to women, chauvinists, unruly, crude and vulgar. Being educated or well dressed has very little to do with this. Men in Delhi (again I am reiterating some class/sect) live in primitive ages as far as their treatment of women is concerned. Abusive language towards women, road rage and other such aggressive behaviors are largely displayed in public against women.

Few days back, a TV news carried the story of a pregnant women being beaten by her in-laws for dowry. Again in Delhi. Cruelty to women is a way of life in Delhi. Be it towards a strange women, a daughter, a wife or a mother. More so if you are a foreigner.

It is not Mrs Dixit who needs to apologise to media or any one else; it is the men of Delhi who must apologise to WOMEN. It is the men in Delhi who must come out in the open and protest against those of their gender. It is the men of Delhi who have to restore their credibility.

The channel where she was employed too shares the blame. For their careless attitude towards the safety of a female employee. They made her work late in the night; but shied away from the responsibility of providing safety and security. Knowing very well how unsafe it was to venture out in the night on the roads of Delhi. The news channel is cunningly diverting peoples attention from their own mistake and piling on to Mrs Sheila Dixit.

No city in the world is safe in the night. Be it London, New York or Manhattan. There are enough night crime in New York or London or any other large city in world. Not only against women, but men too get targeted and killed.

Unfortunately all the apologies in the world will not get their daughters back. Jessica or Arushi or Soumya. They are gone for ever. What happened was most unfortunate. It could have been very easily circumvented through proper safety and security measures.

May god give strength to the bereaved family.

Let us learn a lesson and move on. Let every event and incidence in the society not become a blame game.

Media has become a carrier of bad news for the nation.

Sometimes I ponder about whats happening around us. Economic growth, science and research, technology, life style and social changes, education, longer life span....so much of positivity.

On the other hand there is increased crime rate, terrorism, dangerous life threatening illness and viruses never heard before, degenerating moral fabric, breaking family and societal systems, fanaticism.....so much negativity.

Are things really so bad? Or are we being misled? By whom?

Media is to blame. Irresponsible, insensitive and sub standard journalism. The 24 hour news channels have become a nuisance. No censorship, No cultural sensitivity and off all no humanity.

Anything is the name of the game to get TRPs and then ad revenue. The same clipping (of barely a few seconds or a minute or two duration) is played and replayed through out the day to increase the TRPs. And not only is it shown many times over on one channel it is shown many times over and many channels. Let me illustrate this point. When the Jaipur bomb explosions happened; the video footage was repeated nothing short of 20 times during the day for about 3-4 days. Which makes it 60-70 times in a span of 3-4 days. Now if there are about 10 news channels and all of them replayed it with the same frequency, the same event was telecast about 600-700 times on the television all over the country. No doubt people absolutely panic when ever even a small explosion happens.

And this applies to types of news. Recently a Karnataka MLAs wife went missing and her body was found hanging in a room in Delhi. The video footage of her body hanging was all over the media being replayed and replayed. No censorship that there are small children sitting in front of the television watching.

A small child is found dead in Asaramjis Ashram with his head inside a bucket. There goes the media replaying the same footage all over the television.

The murder images of Arushi and her servant Hemraj still haunt me in the night.

26th July images of flooded Mumbai are being replayed, year after year news channels. As a result even if there is no flooding people in Mumbai prefer staying home. Causing huge financial losses to the city.

Media has become the bad news carrier. Media is bringing depression, stress and hopelessness in our lives.

Media is to blame for making things look so grim. By exaggerating them beyond reality.

I come back to where I started from. Economic growth, science and research, technology, life style and social changes, education, longer life span....so much of positivity. Why isn't media talking about this. Why doesn't media carry good news into our homes and over drawing rooms?

Arushi Murder Case - Will there be justice?

Let me clarify. I didn't know Arushi. Nor did I know Hemraj. But now I do. Because of the exhaustive coverage of the double murder case by Media.

Almost a month and a half past the double murder in Nodia. It still remains a mystery. I have been following this case very closely. Was very hopeful when CBI took charge of this case. But now gradually the hope is fading away. There hasn't been any significant breakthrough for the CBI too in this case. At least that is what the media is presenting. I am not blaming CBI or the Noida police too. It is such a complex case!!!!And the media attention is not helping at all. Media is more spoiling the case than making it.

This case has brought out the sleuth in the common people. Everyone started thinking like a detective. This could be the case, that is how it must have happened, so and so must be the culprit....Speculations and more speculations.

But it is certainly a baffling case. Or is it that the facts/evidences have been distorted by the criminals to such an extent that the CBI too is confused and lost? There isn't any trail or evidence which can lead to the culprits. Everything has been planned and cleaned so well. If such is the case, then it is the work of some very intelligent and smart person/s. Which is not possible for a common servant. It has a higher and sharper brain behind it.

If the murders were done on the spot or spur of the moment and not planned, then how come the evidences have been destroyed so easily? Questions, questions and more questions. I want to sympathize with the parents of the young girl, but unfortunately, her parents have been presented in such poor light by the police and the media; that I am no longer sure if they are deserving of my sympathy. What if they are party to the crime?

With ever passing day the chances of a breakthrough get dim. Will Arushi and Hemraj ever get justice? Now the chances are less. May be some day natural justice will take over.

A young, innocent life lost. For no apparent reason. Very sad.

Degenerating moral fabric - Arushi Murder Case and Neeraj Grover Murder Case

Two gruesome murders in two of the biggest Metros of this country have left the nation shocked this week. What is further shocking is the association of educated and highly placed people with both the murders.

case-1 : In a suburban township near Delhi, an educated father slits his 14 year old daughters throat and leaves her to bleed in the very house where she was born and grew up. Everything is done very calmly and with meticulous planning. Police claim the mother could also be an accomplice in the crime.

Case -2 : In suburban Mumbai, two people (a man and a woman) conspire against and innocent young man, murder him brutally, chop is body into tiny pieces and then burn it to hide evidence. Everything is done very calmly and with meticulous planning.

Police is struggling to nail the culprits in both the cases. Reason there is not enough evidence, no eye witnesses, most important and shameful for the society is that the neighbors claim they did not hear anything nor did they see anything suspicious in both the cases. The motive in the both the cases is not clear. It may be more an impulse than a plan. Which only goes to prove that people are loosing calm and control at the slightest provocation. Alarming.

What is happening to our society? What for? Where are we heading as a nation? In this mad race for economic progress we have heavily compromised on our human values. We have sunk below the societal values, reached the pits as far as human values are concerned.

It is like a slow poison which is working on our nervous system. Desensitizing us from our surroundings. Immunized, reaction less to our society. Professionally highly productive; personally completely defunct.

Through my blog I want to express my disgust with whats happening around. I remember in one of my earlier posts, I had quoted something about the praise and accolades which the movie Tare Zameen Par has received from all. The subject is good, but there are many more important matters which require attention.

"Every child is a special child"....the promos of the movie say. What is so special about children in India? Dyslexia is the least of the problems....There is nothing wrong with the children, it is the adults who need a spanking! To value the child and give each child a morally sound upbringing, health, happiness and education. Every child is a special child in the Kingdom of God. They are his tiny messengers....."

I am particularly sad because it is Arushi's birthday today. Dear child, may god rest your soul in peace. From wherever you are forgive those who have done this. Else they will never find peace.

I urge you to condem this act of crime. Please leave you comments.