The Year Gone By: Looking Back at 2012

World is gearing up to welcome 2013. Well, that’s good news because this means the world survived 2012. Lets face it, the Mayans probably ran out of rocks to carve their calendar in. But when you think about it, did humanity really come out unscathed this year? This year has been eventful to say the least. From a staggering increase in heinous crimes against women, to celebrating the death of a terrorist, to losing some of the greatest Indian iconic figures, we have experience one of the most dramatic years ever. As we say good bye to 2012, there are certain things that we hope to have learnt this year.

The year started with a gang rape in Park Street, Kolkata. This incident ruffled a few feathers but a bigger outrage was reserved for the CM’s “insensitive” remarks regarding the incident. This was followed by a spate of similar incidents all over the country. Not a single day passed when the newspaper did not report a rape or murder of a woman. This year very clearly, and unabashedly, showed that women are far from being safe in this country and the worst part was, the women were asked to accept that complete lack of security and live accordingly. All year various isolated incidents warned the people to take notice, take steps to prevent more such incidents but it all fell to deaf ears. Instead of taking measures to prevent the perpetrators and rapists, the women were told, “don’t invite rapists, don’t provoke the male gaze”. Then, the last straw came in the form of the most brutal rape of a 23-yr-old woman in Delhi. Her male friend who was accompanying her was beaten and tied up. Then the woman was raped by six men, beaten and then violated by an iron rod. All this happened, shockingly, inside a moving bus. While the woman faced this kind of inhuman torture, the bus roamed the streets of the capital city unchecked even though it was flagged due to several transgressions earlier that evening. The girl’s intestines became gangrenous and had to be removed. Having suffered two cardiac arrests and the infection slowly spreading throughout her body, she fought bravely for 13 days. She finally passed away on 29 Dec. This gruesome incident brought the youth to the streets in protest in Delhi and all over India. The intensity of the protest (which grew to include young, old, men women from every city) showed just how deeply this incident had affected each and everyone. Many policemen were seen trying to manage the huge crowd, and then firing tear gas shells and water canons to disperse the crowd. Had even one of these policemen or patrol cars (who are so busy dispersing protesters)  tracked down the flagged bus, this would never have happened and that girl would be safe today.

          Studies show that violence against a suppressed group increases significantly when they try to come into prominence. The racial attacks against blacks started only after slavery was abolished. The moment the blacks wanted rights to live in the same society, the white supremacists unleashed brutality upon them. When homosexuals asked for their rights to love, marry and adopt, various cases of gay-bashing (some even leading to murders) began to be reported. We have seen time and again, the dominant society or community does not want to be challenged. The moment they are asked to share the power or status they have, they become insecure and lash in a way they deem fit. That’s what is happening in India at this point. Women are no longer child rearing machines. They have a name, an identity, a status, and most of all, independence and respect. The spate of crimes against women re-establishes the same pattern.

Ajmal Kasab was finally hanged. The lone terrorist captured alive during the 60 hr siege in Mumbai in 2008, Kasab’s death sentence finally carried out. While most expressed relief that finally justice was served, some by their gruesome comment and open celebration of the death made the civilized society uneasy. I, however, had a different thought. We all remembered the spine chilling terrorist attack, but how often do we remember the unlikely heroes which this incident threw up? The brave NSG commandos and an impeccably carried out search and rescue operation, the Christian nanny Sandra, who saved the life of 2-yr-old Moshe whose parents (the Rabbi and his wife) were killed in the attack, the hotel staff who risked their own lives to save those of the guests, those who put themselves in the line of fire to prevent others from getting hurt, and the police constable Tukaram Omble who refused to let go of Kasab even after being shot multiple times.
 Life continues; denial, grief and acceptance come and go. If one has to go down that memory lane, one might as well send up a silent prayer for those heroes, the living and the dead.

This year also saw the passing away of the most legendary icons. From Dev Anand, the evergreen hero to Rajesh Khanna the original superstar. From Pt Ravi Shankar who introduced Indian classical music to the world to Yash Chopra who taught generations how beautiful love can be. These men touched millions of hearts all over the world. While Pt Ravi Shankar attracted George Harrison as his disciple, Yash Chopra has a lake named after him in Switzerland. These men brought a touch of peace, love, friendship in our hearts through their work. their departure have definitely left the world a darker place.

2012 has had its ups and downs. It has been an emotional as well as an educational year. We were forced to see and acknowledge our flaws, insecurities and mistakes. We need to learn to respect each other for who we are. We need to be resilient and strong and fight for the right causes. And most important of all, we need to learn to be human again. With that, lets welcome hopefully a happier 2013.