Being in a socially active and conscious university campus is a prerogative that we, a certain selected students have. We have created our own class. We discuss ideas, debate the government policies, raise our voices against injustice that happens to the people across country and world. Our voices that often create a stir. But how all this consciousness that augurs well for our country, translates into a mass consciousness and does not remain in the confines of a few section,  is what disturbs me often.

The recent rape case that had seen people from everywhere coming together and protesting, seemed to have awaken the conscience of the common man. But did it reflect the real awakening? I doubt. I just came back from a talk, held on rape cases that happen in the nearby state of Haryana with Dalit women that go unnoticed. 

To quote Prof. Nivedita Menon's words " rape is not about sexual desire but about power, misogyny and punishment." While she was getting into the flow of her discourse, she presented a point of view on whether death penalty should be awarded to the guilty, a point I had been unable to see earlier. All this while, I had read in the newspapers and heard on TV, people advocating against death penalty because of the low conviction rates. But what Prof Menon happened to stress upon was the fact that rape should be treated as any other heinous crime. It is not a murder. The girl should have the courage move on and fight back against the one who attacked her dignity. This seems easier said than done. That is why we need to erase from our minds the stigma linked with rape victims. We, as a member of society, have the responsibilty to support and create in every possible way a conducive environment for such women. The guilty should be ashamed of his misdeed and not the girl. It then releases the girl and her family from the social pressure that they come under in these situations. 

This has been an issue debated since long. And there are various angles from which it needs to be looked at. We acknowledge that patriarchal ideas that have been prevalent in the society are one of the reasons for violence against women. My mind tries to seek an answer to the question " How are we going to propagate the ideas that we discuss in this academic set up to the common man?" How does the change come about that has to be in the patriarchal mindsets of people?? How do we take them out of these obnoxious crutches, they are too eager to hold? How?