India’s Daughter – Where the Indian Government has FAILED

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 This progress has been possible because the previous generations critically examined these outdated and bigoted traditions.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.