Nirbhaya’s story demonstrates how a society can completely fail an
individual at all levels – from the barbaric rapists to dehumanized bystanders,
police and medical personnel – all within a couple of hours. But, it is also a
story of how a society unites to reexamine and redefine social norms. Indian
society has changed markedly over the past few years and youngsters are
increasingly taking public stands against social problems. However, the
government has not caught up with this rapid transformation.
Practice
of banning peaceful expressions must go
Societies progress best
through public debates. Books, movies, documentaries, public speeches and
interactions make these exchanges of ideas possible. The social progress made
in India has only been possible through these open exchanges of ideas. There
was a time in the country when things like: travelling to a foreign land, widow
not choosing to become a Sati after husband’s death, interaction between
“untouchables” and other castes, or inter-religion/inter-caste/inter-regional
marriage and widow marriage - made people uncomfortable and were considered
sinful.
Today, Indians have completely
abolished the first two and have developed robust legal systems to tackle the others.
This progress has been possible because the previous generations critically
examined these outdated and bigoted traditions. A lot of fiery exchanges, debates, arguments
and movements by numerous people have made the social transformation possible. Without
this, India would have socially been stuck in the medieval era.
In fact, India’s inclusiveness,
and willingness to recalibrate longstanding traditions have been key to its
continued success as a civilization. This cultural flexibility has helped it
adjust with dynamic socio-political scenarios, accept (not just tolerate)
foreigners and their culture, and yet maintain unique identity. Of course, this
trait is not exclusive to India. China, like India, has continuously readjusted
to dynamic social norms as its social narrative encompasses eclectic influence
of traditional Confucianism, Buddhist and Daoist ideas, communist ideology, and
more recent economic liberalization. The Europeans have historically struggled more
with social transitions, and succumbed to the cycles of violence. When they
went to the other parts of the world, they fought with the natives – and so
failed to digest the idea of peaceful coexistence and acceptance. Although
since World War II Europe is more stable and peaceful, it continues to struggle
with multiculturalism. Nonetheless, Europe’s prosperity and prominence in the
current worldorder can certainly be attributed to its robust reexamination of
social norms and ability to drop off the baggage of its historical conflicts.
It is also important to
remember that the history of US is filled with some of the darkest chapters of
humanity – from the genocide of Native Americans to slavery and segregation.
However, through dynamic public debates, the modern American society has become
a more just, equal, and free.
The one thing that history
teaches us is that the best way of resolving conflicts is through dialogue and
public debates. You can ban free expression, but the issues in question will
persist, and the situation may even worsen over time. In most cases, when
peaceful expression is denied, people become frustrated and resort to violence
in order to vent. All this can be prevented if people are allowed to express themselves
and be heard by those in power.
The Indian government needs to
stop thinking like a paranoid autocratic regime and reflect the sentiments of
its people. The new India is confident. It is comfortable with deep
introspection and rectification without any feelings of national inferiority or
resentment. Arguments on the higher rates of rape and violence against the women in the west, and being
suspicious of the hidden agendas of the documentary maker and broadcaster do
not help India. Regardless of who made the documentary, Nirbhaya’s story has
shook up the conscience of the Indian society. The least the government could do
is encourage the serious and necessary examination of how women are treated in
India. In fact, being an Indian, I would be proud of my government if it had
sponsored such documentaries and kept it publicly available for all adults. We
need to raise the level of public debate in India. The government must join its
people in taking on the social problems head-on.
