Zero Tolerance – When enough is enough.

I have never understood the whole concept of eve teasing. What does a guy think will happen by making snide comments at a passing girl? Or by staring at her in a very obvious way and hard enough to burn holes through her. What do they hope to accomplish by commenting on a random girl’s body, her dress and whatever else it is that intrigues or amuses their terrifyingly pervert minds. Do guys who indulge in such ‘activities’, hope that the girl will be so amused or even aroused by their ‘wit’ that she will throw caution to the wind and run towards them to wrap her arms around them? Or do they hope that the girl in question will feel embarrassed and belittled by their taunts, which will in turn gratify their own sad and insecure egos? Sadly, either of the above psyches doesn’t indicate a healthy state of mind. If anything, it borders on freaky (and not in a good way).

The idea of eve teasing might, and I cannot stress this enough, only might have gained (for want of a better word) ‘popularity’ from clichéd Bollywood movies where the hero follows the heroine around making random passes at her. Initially the heroine may be cheeky and spew out scathing retorts, but eventually she falls for the charm of his ‘macho’ and ‘daring’ and even ‘romantic’ ways (for instance, the movie Saathiya, which is but one of innumerable movies. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the movie. But in retrospect, let’s face it; Vivek Oberoi’s character was indulging in eve teasing, however diluted the whole idea may have been). Anyway, perhaps, this recurring concept may have made many misguided young men think that the hot girl who boards the same local as him will eventually fall for him if he continues to tease her. But as the seriousness of this apparently ‘harmless’ act reached dangerous levels, all romance evaporated and it came to be known as ‘eve-teasing’ in India. In most other parts of the world where people could truly grasp the gravity of the situation, it took its rightful place under the heading of sexual harassment. But as many would say, what’s in a name? Nothing if you think disaster and apocalypse mean the same thing. Classifying it as ‘teasing’ shows nothing but a sense of naivety and ignorance for the heights it has reached today, as properly demonstrated by the Keenan and Reuben case.

It was the Keenan and Reuben case that unmasked the true nature of this crime, its terrifying gravity. When two friends stood up to defend the women in their group, they got stabbed to death. But the fact that the culprits were ready to commit cold blooded murder in public is not nearly as scary as the fact that the people standing around did not bother to come forward and help; even as the women were screaming for assistance as they watched their friends, Keenan and Reuben, being stabbed. Reports also said that the emergency helpline number of the police kept ringing for several minutes before there was any response (the number is ‘100’, for those of you who don’t know. But I, for one, have lost faith…) One cannot help but wonder if, god forbid someday, some other woman who is unfortunate enough to be caught unawares on her own, is harassed, molested or even raped in broad daylight, will the people just stand around and go about  their own business, pretending  everything is normal? Even if she does have company, will her friends have the guts to do what Keenan and Reuben did?

There are too many questions; but sadly, very little answers. Some even go to the extent of saying that girls are inviting eve teasing by dressing ‘provocatively’. I won’t even bother explaining how this statement is so wrong on so many different levels. And the fact that people even put up with this is argument is frankly, disturbing. As lawmakers in the corridors of power still turn a blind eye to the situation, ignoring the vastness of the problem, I wonder if the women in this country will ever be safe enough. Even the laws that are created to tackle this problem are rarely enforced with the intensity they should be. True, it’s easy for me to just sit back and write lengthy essays about morals and principles and criticizing the government for its inadequacy.  True, many might wonder if I will ever have the ba**s to do what Keenan and Reuben did on the fateful day they were martyred. You know what, just like every self-respecting friend, brother and man out there, I hope I will. Because I know, for a fact, that I have at least that much self respect and soul left in me to comprehend that I won’t be able to live with myself if, god forbid, I fail to do so (and all those of you who just watched as Keenan and Reuben were being murdered, I really don’t know how you do live with the guilt of not having done a thing. But then again everybody makes mistakes, even if they are as heinous as this one.)

I don’t know whether this menace will ever stop. I don’t know if the women of this country will ever be able to walk into a crowded bus or a local without the fear of being groped. Cities like Delhi have already succumbed to this menace to a large extent. We can only hope the rest of the country doesn’t follow suit.  But till then I hope for the sake of all you women out there that the law enforcement acts with appropriate severity.

Or, if I am not going overboard, may I suggest pepper spray?