Satyamev Jayate: A Newfangled Social Movement

Every television audience was in a state of boundless suspense till the most expected debut TV program by Aamir Khan went air on Sunday (May 6) at 11 am on Star Plus. And I was equally hinged to my conviction that the program would be an out-of-the-box creation, not because Aamir Khan during his entire career in Hindi film industry has proved to be Mr Perfect, but often he has convinced to public that he is not just an entertainer, rather he is the epitome of social movements at a time when the citizens of this country have lost faith in our system, be it political, bureaucratic, or judicial. Aamir Khan just proved it right. Absolutely right. The program was worth watching for every genre of audience across social hierarchies.

Many would question the format of this program for its semblance with reality TV. But it was an altogether different breed of program that Indian TV viewers got to experience it first time with a different expectation. I wish all the viewers would at least internalize that difference. Started with a quite moving emotional anecdote by touching upon the role of mother in everyone's life and then building up the synchronized viewers' empathy, Aamir logically came down to brass-tacks – the sordid state of female foeticide across the country.

Although everyday we come across with myriads of reports on female foeticide in newspapers and television programs, what's different here in this program was the story-telling by Aamir along with glaring evidences from a panel of victims who certainly were not only from the lower strata of our society, which is often misconceived by majority of people, rather an eye-opening case was there from an elite family living in the capital of this country. Remember, the victim who's a doctor and married to a doctor as well and lives with a family of educationists ranging teachers and professors, essayed her story with great poignancy. Unbelievable. Under the hood of elitism and false tradition, how these hypocrites are engaged in such heinous crimes without fear for the consequences.

What's more startling was that when a Delhi-based doctor revealed that how the government in 70s started sex determination test in typically government hospitals as a measure to check the growing population of this country - the most abhorrent fact that any citizen of this country would like to assimilate. And that was a hard fact indeed. The program that was started under the auspice of government patronage eventually multiplied its tentacles and now the sex determination test is a Rs 1000 crore plus industry in India. The politicians and government machinery in tandem have been beguiling us for many decades and still we hardly have time to introspect.

The nexus was even deeper and devastating. When two journalists, who carried out sting operations on “female foeticide and integral role of doctors” across many districts in Rajastan, exposed the dirty kinship between government and judiciary, the trust of public in a democratic system could have touched the nadir. In the recent past we have observed the fashionable judicial activism in selective cases; however, when it comes to an endemic social issue, the same loaded activism loses its steam.

I wish the viewers of this program couldn't have expected more than what Aamir reiterated at the end - the magic wand. When the Prime Minister of this country helplessly cries that there is no magic wand to check corruption, on a very distinct and compelling note Aamir accentuated, yes there is a magic wand, and it's we the citizens of this country. Only we can bring in the desired changes in this country by participating in such movements. A great thought indeed. Kudos Aamir. Hope you equally overwhelm us in the coming episodes.

Age of Consent

What could be more hypocritical than denying the fact that the growing rate of adolescent sex among Indian teens over last two decades has been well documented in Indian media and other social agencies and then passing a Victorian bill to increase “age of consent” in order to create more confusion around decriminalization of sex among youngsters. The septuagenarian law makers of India are far from the social reality. If the bill on new “age of consent” passed by Union Cabinet last week is anything to be believed, then digest this: a boy of 17 having a consensual sex with her girlfriend of same age could be punished under “rape charges” of IPC because moving on the legal “age of consent” would be 18.

When most of progressive democracies across the world believe in the fact that 16 is the right age for consensual sex, the old, orthodox parliamentarians of India think completely otherwise. Where are we heading? Do our parliamentarians really understand the current social dynamics?

In a country like India, making antediluvian laws is another craze among law makers. When the rest of the world think progressively and live in the present, then why our leaders are so passionate about moving back to Victorian age? Either our leaders are too imbecilic to perceive the changing social attitudes towards sex or they are blatantly inhuman to criminalize teen sex.

With growing liberal attitudes towards sex across Western countries and to decriminalize LGBT sexual activities, the most advanced nations have revisited the statutory “age of consent” and most of them have reduced that magic age than increasing it. For example, in UK, Canada, Belgium, Holland, Norway, and some states of the USA, the age of consent is 16, and in Denmark, Greece, and Sweden, it's 15. And the most interesting fact that in Italy, the motherland of our UPA chairperson Ms Sonia Gandhi, the age of consent is 14.

What's more pathetic in Indian context that our law makers still refuse to acknowledge the glaring fact that teenagers not only explore or casually experiment, but also do really have sex and even sometimes do more than the adults do. Rather than imposing upon a moralistic or ethical view on sex and defining archaic, draconian laws, our law makers would try to read the current social reality and debug their purulent mindset before passing any law.

Flawed Culture, Appalling Generation

Why Indians are so brazenly proud of their viciously flawed culture and tradition that hardly accentuates the esteem of women in our society? Perhaps, this distorted social attitude in a male-dominated society has eventually trickled down to the modern adolescents, and the result is how boys and girls in the age group of 15-19 strongly feel that wife beating is justified. Thanks to the UNICEF's Global Report Card on Adolescents 2012 that reveals 57% of boys and 53% of girls in India consider physical violence against wife is legitimate.

The history of domestic violence against women dates back to the period of Ramayana and Mahabharata, and still we Indians, rather than evolving to a progressive society after many thousand years, still live in the shadow of an obnoxious precedence. When we claim that India is shinning on the economic fronts across the globe, the one pivotal point we often miss is how shinning our attitude towards women. Reports after reports get published via various social organizations and government agencies regarding the status of women in our society; however, we never mind, given a chance, to molest a woman when she is alone or helpless. The increasing crime rate against women in all parts of India, both urban and rural, is only a silent reminder of our corroded mindset.

Our judicial system that is supposed to uphold justice for all irrespective of caste, creed, gender, and social status, is embroiled by a heap of archaic laws those are hardly relevant to the current social conditions. Particularly, in case of crime against women, the legal measures are so docile that even a victim approaches the court for justice, it takes years together to land at a conclusive point. By that time either the victim changes her stand due to social conditioning or the perpetrator gets acquitted because of insufficient evidence. Either way the woman suffers the ordeal till her last breath.

So, what's essentially pertinent at this point of time is a complete overhaul of our social and legal system. A stringent legal framework backed by an expeditious execution of justice can only bring in a visible change in our society. But till then we must not slip into hibernation and forget our civil responsibilities. We must raise our voice against all sorts of crimes against women and keep this campaign going from strength to strength. Someday, I am sure, we can proudly claim women in India are adored and safeguarded.