When I enjoy writing quirky pieces of humor then why are my thoughts and words directed to a well of seriousness?
Is it because they involve a blood-curdling, stomach churning atrocity on an innocent eight-year-old and now an eight-month-old girl child?
Is it because it took a #nirbhaya, #kathua, #unnao and so many others that went unreported for lawmakers to be forced into taking more stringent legal provisions against these hideous crime?
Is it because I enjoyed a carefree childhood surrounded by adults who only saw a little girl at play and absolutely nothing more?
Is it because? Never mind.
While we raise our voices against the din of injustice, are we doing enough to bring a change in our own homes?
What about those men who deem it their right to a place on the table first with a piping hot meal served to them with all the women in close attendance to wait on them while even the pregnant woman gets her turn only after the men have had the lion’s share?
Or that parent-doting son who sucks up every iota of his parent’s attention and love simply because he becomes the rightful heir to the Patriarchal throne while the daughters are a mere responsibility who have to be safely married off.
Or the daughter-in-law who silently bears the brunt of becoming the inevitable punching bag of the men and even the other women in the family for every misfortune that has occurred since her arrival into her husband’s household.
If we do not stand up against these barbaric acts against women and the girl child now, we are not human enough.
Change begins at home and it begins now.
Imperfectly Perfect 
You echo my thoughts Pranitha. Yesterday we were watching a re run of the movie Pink. And both hubby and I were discussing the same topic. It is high time we educate our sons to respect women. Unless they see that change at home, it is difficult to change the society.
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Absolutely, Radhika. Yes, the movie Pink is one movie that depicts it very well. The manner in which the evolving culture that is confused about the fine line that divides respect and dominance. The papers are filled with only that these days and it is terrible.
Only we can start the change and we start it now.
Thank you, Radhika.
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Very sorry state of affairs. It’s our mindset that needs to change as a society. It’s a blog on our country’s image. We are one of the biggest economies in the world but half of our population is still living under wretched conditions.
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Every day it is a new incident, another girl/woman, a new hashtag. It is worrying. My heart goes out to all those helpless girls/women. This mindset needs to change.
Thank you, Siddhartha.
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Absolutely Pranitha. Change begins at home. No child is born bad or evil. Dreadful circumstances, bad experiences and wrong upbringing make a child a monster. We need to take a deep look within ourselves to fix what’s going on. In schools, colleges and in the office when we allow a male friend to poke fun at a girl on her physical attributes, we end up unconciously saying its ok to do so. Your post is apt!
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So glad you agree, Smitha. Yes, it is what the child sees and learns that he imbibes and it becomes him. Every news that is trending is about rape and another girl child or woman. It is worrying.
Everyone is complaining about the bigger aspects like the judiciary or political parties or the government but other than complaining, what are we doing?
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couldn’t agree with you more.Yes. Women ought to be respected, irrespective of age, relationship and hierarchy. And that respect must begin at home. right now period!
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Loud and clear! Absolutely, Doctor. We need to do that for all our daughters.
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It gets my blood boiling to hear such atrocities. Earlier we were taught to be careful with strangers, but nowadays it is required to be careful with everyone around us. So I feel the solution lies somewhere deep that we have not yet identified, apart from changing people’s mindset.
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Just open a newspaper and you are bound to find most of it related to this kind of crime. Crime was always there but now things are just going out of hand. A friend said that she has stopped reading the paper as it depresses her, but I wonder if in this case ‘ignorance is bliss’. We need to act and act fast.
Glad you agree, Megala. Thank you.
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very true Pranitha. My heart is ripped into pieces reading such atrocities on innocent children.In mythology, we read about demons who caused harm, but at least people were aware that they could cause harm. Now a days, it’s so scary, in the facade of humans, there is a person waiting to harm young and old alike in the most goriest form. It feels terrible.There should be an instant justice,which probably might deter these inhuman characters.
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Oh yes, Deepika. I have begun to think that those demons had a little more heart, a little more thought into their actions because these humans who have been responsible for their inhumane actions can only be categorized as worse than them. How can they do what they did to an eight-year-old or to a baby who does not even know to scream? What do we call such people?
I hope that fear is instilled and instilled soon, in the meantime, let us begin change at home.
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You have raised thought-provoking questions and we need to stand up against the wrongs whether it’s at the dinner table or small acts perpetuated that goes a long way. As humans, we have tolerated things for too long and our daughters are bearing the brunt!
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Yes, Vishal. These are small acts that change the mindset of little children who see that the society approves of their wrong doing. The children who suffered and died at the hands of their perpetrators are not going to come back but at least we can ensure that it does not happen again. Thank you, Vishal,
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This is truly close to heart matter for most of us. The discrepancies that are so innate to households are annoying to enraging. Change when takes effect at these basic levels will create massive change at a broader level. Your post is perfect conveyance of this perspective.
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Thank you, Pragalbha. A sweeping change can occur if we were to make sure that as much as our daughters are protected and taught when they need to stand up for themselves, our sons have to be taught how they need to treat the women around them.
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You are welcome Pranitha.
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Yes, yes, absolutely yes. You have brought the very bare and raw truth which sadly most of us still fail to admit. Humanity is dead if we still don’t get it.
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Yes, Moushmi. After what happened to those little girls, we who are silently watching will be as liable as those criminals who committed the crime. So glad you agree, Moushmi.
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We must not forget those innocent ones…your words are a stark reminder to us all…thank you for bringing our attention to these heinous crimes against our sisters and brothers!
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Yes, Kim. The news and papers are filled with such crimes and it is worrying. Yet, hope is not lost. If we all stand together and fight this injustice, we can help secure our future and may be divert our attention to more pressing matters like global warming and rising sea levels rather than what humanity is doing to humanity.
Thank you, Kim.
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Yes I so agree with your words of truth and reality Pranitha, change begins from within and our societies all over the world need to change for the better. Look at what is happening around us, it is shameful. Thanks dear for the share.
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Yes, Kamal. It hurts to even think what the little girl’s mother will be going through. It is sad. Hope we can all contribute to bring about a much-needed change.
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True I too hope we could all contribute in our own ways to stop this madness.
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