As a socially sensitive person, I express grief at the tragic
death of the victim of gang-rape in New Delhi and seek the most stringent
punishment to the accused except death sentence. While expressing my heart-felt condolences to her family, I strongly
believe that her death will mobilise the demand of all rational men and women to
strengthen our laws against rapes, ensure the dignity and safety of our women,
the struggle for gender equality, and the need for justice.
On one side, the sight of thousands holding candles and paying
their last respects to the rape victim moves us and pricks our conscience as civilized
human beings. On the other side, I could find multi-colour advertisements in
all the leading newspapers and other media inviting the the prosperous sections
of our society to usher in the New Year with parties and revelry.
I pledge on the eve of this New Year that I will struggle to make
this nation an egalitarian society. I also make it a point not to celebrate
this New Year not just for the death of the rape victim but for the simple
reason that this nation has continued to ignore the marginalized sections. Let
us introspect, at the stroke of midnight, on how (on an average of 16000
farmers every year) our poor farmers committed suicide, our Dalit and Tribal
women were raped, sexually assaulted, and paraded naked, our poor wretched
people (without shelter)died due to cold weather and how many thousands are
still homeless, jobless and die of starvation.
I don’t want my grief for the victim’s family to be a fleeting
shadow but a real one. Let us all hope that the death of this gang rape victim
sows the seed for a revolution that would bring gender equality. Again I have no right to infringe upon your
right to celebrate the New Year. Yet, kindly think for a while before you gear
up for the New Year bash!!
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