The Lights are still Out!

Very recently, I came across a play by Manjula Padmanabhan
called Lights Out. An extremely disturbing play, it shows a group of middle class people coming across a gang rape in progress and  doing nothing to intervene. In the first half of the play, the characters go out of their way to ignore the heinous crime; the next half, pretending that it does not concern them. In fact, one of the characters suggest that they take a picture of the crime because its not often that one comes across photos of "authentic gang rape".
As the play ends, we are informed that it is a dramatization of a real incident which occurred in Santa Cruz, Mumbai in 1982. The entire reading leaves a deep impression on the readers, but the final revelation gives you goosebumps. It suddenly makes you feel unsafe even in your own home!
This play was written 31 yrs ago. Lots of things have changed since then. But has anything really changed for women? We can all answer unanimously. NO.
We talk about empowerment, women having successful careers, women establishing their own identities, reaching the pinnacle of success in every field. But how does all this matter when a woman cannot step out of her house and feel safe? I was born and brought up in Kolkata. One would think that I know the streets, know how to commute and can do so confidently. True, but not the whole truth. For every girl that travels through the streets of this city, its an uphill battle everyday.

• You can always feel the the vulgar stares lingering on you when you walk down the road, no matter what you wear.
•  For those who wait for public transport everyday, you would think that once you get an auto-rickshaw or a bus, your troubles are over. But not for us. For girls, its just the beginning. In a crowded bus or a metro, you can always feel people leaning towards you. If you protest, they blame the crowd. Then suddenly you feel a hand brush against you, feeling you up. You try to move to some place safer but the stares and grins follow wherever you go. Finally you get off at your destination and heave a sigh of relief.
• For those who travel by auto, the nightmare is different. When you are sitting in front, some drivers move away from you, allowing you to sit comfortably, their elbows tucked in so that it doesn't make you uncomfortable. But most do the opposite. Elbows tucked out touching you inappropriately, leaning toward you every chance they get under the pretext of steering and making you want to jump out of the moving vehicle.
• Don't, even for once, think that the girls who manage to sit at the back of the autos get off easier because some passengers have the same tricks up their sleeve.

Years have gone by, mentality remains the same. When a character in the previously mentioned play suggests that they take a photo, you cant help but think about that girl in Assam who was molested on the street by 30 odd men and a TV cameraman filmed it for "breaking news".  Is this really the country we want to live in? Isn't it high time that the society changed?


Padmanabhan's Play, Harassment, Women's safety in India, Violence against women

Darkness (Part 4 final)

Peter was petrified. What would happen if he comes up? He could almost taste the fear in his tongue. He strained his ears. He could hear Jean’s voice and a deep male voice conversing. The man did not seem agitated, which was a good sign. But he could sense the fear in Jean’s voice and he also knew that the fear was for him. He heard them move around a bit. Soon the formalities and customary exchanges ended. Jean made some comment about Joyce being away all the while and his remarks grew more and more curt and irritated. Peter realized from his reactions that Joyce was slightly drunk. Seconds turned into minutes as Peter waited for Jean to come up. After almost an hour he finally heard the final burst of abuse and heavy steps storming off. But thankfully Joyce didn't come up. Apparently his room was somewhere downstairs and he stayed there. Sometime later, the door of Jean’s room opened and she appeared. Peter breathed a sigh of relief.

“Tomorrow morning before Joyce wakes up, I’ll take you to the rail station. A train leaves for the city everyday and you have to be on it if you want to live”, Jean whispered in an uneven voice. Peter didn't know what to say. He was recovering well but he had not considered the possibility of going away so early. He stared at her. There were tear tracks on her cheeks. He knew that with Joyce back he couldn't risk staying with her; he also knew that he did not have the slightest intention of leaving her.

The next morning was like a blur of colors of the town and whispers passed between them. Peter and Jean stole out of the house very early. The streets were empty so they did not have any trouble on the way and reached the station even before they had anticipated. The train was waiting at the platform.

She helped him get onto the train. “Take care of yourself”, she said, her voice cracking. Peter could not bring himself to leave without her. He felt like he was leaving a part of himself with her and he was terrified that he would never get it back.

“Come with me. You don't have to stay here!” he pleaded.

“He’s my family Peter” she said.

“But he’s not worth it! He doesn't care what becomes of you and you know it!” Peter could feel a hint of anger and desperation in his voice.

“I know. But I have to believe that someday he’ll realize what he was done and that day, he'll need me to be there for him.”

Peter felt a tear slide down his cheek. Jean’s eyes were tearful but her face, resolute.

“I’ll come back for you when this is over”, he said.

Jean smiled, “I’ll wait.”

The train blew a whistle and sluggishly started moving forward. He waved at Jean,eyes fixated on her face for as long as she could be seen. She was smiling and waving back. As the train left the station, the black pillar at the perimeter hid her from view. Then Peter finally turned his head and looked ahead, to the approaching horizon. The world out there was fast moving toward him. It held an uncertain future. Peter knew that this time around, he would make it. Jean had gifted him his future and he would make sure that the future would be worthy of the two of them. He would succeed; for himself and Jean.

                                                The End