Young minds working for a big change

I came across a post on Face book where young students a international social group  of a college in Chandigarh, India  had gone to a shelter home with few defence personnel to teach self defence to young minor girls. Off late, the city was in limelight for many odd reasons with media from around the globe covering the stories. The recent case of stalking by the son of chief of Haryana’s BJP unit has an obvious reference here. In the same city of modern India, a 10 year old girl delivered a baby girl through c-section. She was impregnated by her own uncle-Mother’s brother.  A class 8^th students was raped in a park in Chandigarh on the day when India was celebrating its 70^th year of Independence. The park is hardly two kilometers away from the Parade Ground where the big wigs of the town were engrossed in celebrations.

The program so envisaged by these young students in a city that symbolizes the Liberal India could mean a lot.  My healthy chat with one of the organizers pursuing Bachelors in Psychology gave me an insight into the present state of mind of the youngsters in India, and why they had adopted this project for a social cause.

“Sexual abuse has become shameful national time pass”, he said. “It’s rampant in different forms,” he added. Getting to hear that from a young boy of 19!  Incidents of molestation are by themselves disgusting but the after effects are even more awful.  The media adds insult to injury by reporting these cases in a careless manner and sensational way. The concern for the grieved is less, and getting more audience is their  objective. The response from the people in power is to blame the victim where as they should be concerned about their safety and security. Their dreadful analogies and statements overlooking these misdeeds that hurts the most. A case of adding insult to the injury? I asked the young boy. “Much more than that, when such comments come from the fourth pillar of democracy and from the lawmakers. It makes us wonder about the basic character of the nation and nation builder. We have to hold out heads in shame,” he added. “With those narratives by our political class, we don’t feel good enough to face our fellow girl students. These comments are sickening,” added his another teammate. Their reason for calling the cases of molestation as a “national time pass”!

These young students seem to be on a right part at least with clear idea of what’s troubling the young girls and in turn upsetting India.  But imparting training on self defence to young girls?  “We got fascinated by the slogan “Save the Girl Child”, when it was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now with these incidence, it is difficult to believe that we will be able to save a girl child. India may be able to take all the girls to the schools, but will we be able to educate them?” asked a young girl accompanying them.

“Can we instill confidence in her? Can we make believe in gender equality? Can we make her self- reliant?” Followed a set of questions by the youngsters. The next one poised by this young chap was even thought provoking. “What do you do when the perpetrator is from within the family?”  A real issue that is too troublesome. With this case of young girl of 10 years whose plea to abort the child was refused by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana as it could be fatal for both mother and the child. The perpetrator Uncle could be set free as it has happened in unaccountable cases in India.

“Sensitisation ! We got to know that one school had organized a talk for girl students on “Bad and Good Touch. Where they were sensitized about what can an acceptable touch from even a relative and where they have to draw a line,” came the reply from the students and they went on to highlight how the same training was conducted at this camp too.

It was good to note that such trainings were organized for both boys and girls. Indeed their assertion that right parenting is the key holds good as a universal truth. And if parents put in an effort to teach the girl child and the boy child the same, it would lead them to a better direction making them better and responsible citizens.

Where the law takes it own time to deliver justice, media has other priorities than reporting and politicians prefer taking a dig at the victim than improving the system, these young students are certainly on the right path, and if more can join from other cities, it would revoulitinse they way the largest democracy in the world treat its women folk. However, they may not be able to educate the class that needs it the most. The political class. They have to be taught that their ill ill-thought misogynistic remarks have no place.