Shame!! Shame!! Shame!!

This appeared in Readers Quotient:

http://www.readersquotient.com/india/shame-shame-shame

It’s been already 1 month we are in to the New Year and Valentine’s Day is round the corner. Very soon the cities, malls and stores would get painted in different hues of red- symbol of love. The season of love will again witness some drama from the moral police claiming their 15mins fame reminding the community what they are capable of. Let’s keep the V-day aside and talk about the shocking headline of 1st Feb 2011 in TOI which caught my eye- “Bill seeks to let 12-yr-olds have non-penetrative sex”. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bill-seeks-to-let-12-yr-olds-have-non-penetrative-sex/articleshow/7400208.cms When I saw this headline, I could not believe my senses and read it multiple times to make sure what I understood is correct. Such a bill coming from Chennai of all the places in the country was a bigger astonishment. The people of Chennai who have filed case against Khushboo’s statement on Major girl’s virginity have proposed for the legal acceptance on minor’s sexual acts is startling. The bill states: “Twelve-year-old children will be legally permitted to have non-penetrative sex with children of their age. The Bill also seeks to introduce a gradation in the age of consensual non-penetrative sex (12-14 years and 14-16 years) against the existing age of consent for sex which is 16 years. It proposes that in case of the age group 12-14, the maximum age gap between partners should be two years. For the 14-16 group, the maximum gap should be three years”. The consent age for sex in Spain is the lowest -13 and looks like India is trying to prove the world that we have arrived and broken all the shackles of our rusted traditions and become global. Is this some kind of mockery of “India Shining”?

I fail to understand why do we need such a bill to be proposed in the first place? Is our country so perfect that we don’t have any major problems at hand to solve? Or is it the government’s idea of diverting the attention from the multi-crore scams and price rise? India is a junkyard of problems starting from poverty to illiteracy, corruption to racism. Instead of addressing the problems at hand we are igniting controversies and hullabaloo on the grounds of morality & ethics amongst the fellow citizens. The proposed person would get his 15 mins fame and the TV channels would get their required TRPs. Under the existing law, if two 12-year-olds get physical and if one child’s parent complains, the other can be pulled up by the Juvenile Justice Board. The panel that has members from National Commission for Protection of Child Rights felt such minor things should be decriminalized. The panel feels that child sex is a minor thing? Will the panel members be alright for their kids to indulge in such an act? I know I would not be. By saying this I don’t believe I am putting myself in the category of narrow-minded people like Shiv Sena or Sri Ram Sene. As ministers say at all occasions “I condemn such a bill” :P (pun intended). This just proves the in-capability of our judicial system and un-accountability of the parents who do not want to inculcate right morals/ethics into their offspring. Anyways we have enough perverts in this country doing, the unmentionable, we all read a lot of rubbish happening, whatever the argument/ legal explanations, by any act of humanity, this is just not permissible, 12 years of age and to allow such thoughts, this stinks big time.

If a similar act conducted by a grown up person it is considered to be child abuse/molestation, then how can such an act be justified if it is done by a fellow child. If child molestation can traumatize the child how child sex can be considered acceptable? This bill would give pedophiles a chance to exploit the law. The bill talks about non-penetrative sex but it will not be possible for young children to control themselves if they get excited. At the time of sex even a sane/adult person becomes insane and actions become uncontrollable. Moreover how will a 12 year old give Informed Consent? At an age where Children should be taught Morals/ethics and the stress should be on Sports and Education, the Government is coming up with a proposal for having sex, that too with a qualifier of being non-penetrative. Children at a tender age can't differentiate between good/bad or right/wrong. What is needed is elderly guidance to humanely navigate them through their adolescence and bring them to their adulthood where they are able to take the right decisions. In a country where talking about sex publicly is a taboo, proposal of such a bill is extremely astonishing act. 12 years is not the age for a child to be indulged in sexual activities and not even for sex education for that matter. Sex education for a child should start from at least 14 years of age. Letting them do such acts and decriminalizing non penetrative sex would lead for more acts of crime. Several questions which need to be answered first:

1) How will government make sure non penetrative act does not end up in penetrative sexual act? Will they be present to stop it? Consequences: Rise in no of 12/13 yr old pregnant girls, increase in number of abortions, Child pornography, and child sex.

2) With introducing this act of decriminalizing non penetrative sex, what would be the fate of sexual harassment acts? That law would become null and void as mostly all sexual harassment faced by women at offices would come under the category of non penetrative acts.

This bill raises a lot of questions on the grounds of morality which is a very sensitive issue specially when it comes to our children-coz everyone is protective about their kids. This bill, if enacted, will become haven to child molesters and pedophiles. We can tolerate price rises, but how can we ever tolerate our children’s future destroyed? Such laws won't help in building a good nation and in building up those who are the future of our country. The Government should spend its time and energy on the more pressing things on hand. It’s really a Shame!! Shame!! Shame!!

Happy Republic Day !!

This article got published in Readers Quotient on 26th Jan 2011.

http://readersquotient.com/india/happy-republic-day

Another year has ended and going by Mayan Prediction we are closer to the end of the world. In a few days India is going to celebrate its 61st Republic day where we would publish India’s report card to the world. Suddenly I started feeling home-sick thinking about republic day. My parents are old fashioned patriots who ensure that special delicacies are prepared on the eve of 15th Aug and 26th Jan, since they felt it’s extremely important to celebrate the milestones of our free country. While engrossed in the thoughts of mom’s special delicacies, a little girl started tapping the window pane trying to sell some tricolors. Her tiny body and saucer eyes made her resemble the classic poster girl for poverty. She tapped on the window of my cab and said, ‘‘happy republic day saab.’’ She was shivering as she sold the plastic flags to motorists, most of whom shooed her away. She possibly didn’t know the meaning or importance of the Republic Day, but she knew that she would make some extra rupees that week. And that made her happy! For the little girl, those few extra rupees may have translated into extra bread for dinner.

Looking at her made me think where is the country heading? What is our government’s goal for the country apart from robbing the common mans hard earned money to quench their desires? Do the people like the small girl on the streets begging or selling toys are ever part of the agenda to start with? It’s been over 60 years of our Independence but how much have we progressed? What is the measure of the country’s progress? Does the country’s progress ever take into account the poor and under the poverty line people? Recently I read somewhere- “According to recent Forbe’s list of Wealthiest people in the world, there are 23 billionaires in India with combined net worth of $99bn.” And on the other hand we have around 40 % of Indians below the poverty line who can’t afford to spend even Rs. 21.6 per day to get the basic 3 meals.

Recently some entertainment channel was showcasing the minute details of the humble billion dollar Ambani Residence with 27 floors and 3 helipads as the world’s luxuriest home in Mumbai, where around 60% of the population resides in slums or streets. When one lands in Mumbai, you get the visual treat of Dharaavi (Asia’s largest slum) and the sorry state of our country which Danny Boyle has painted on the celluloid for the world to witness. It’s difficult to believe that on one hand India have few of the most affluent people in the world (www.forbes.com) who can topsy-turvy the country’s economy, while the other side of the coin is rusted with poverty where people are struggling tooth and nail to survive each day. I don’t have any complaints or resent against the rich and affluent people in the country coz they are in a way face of the country and in some ways are able to showcase the world that India is not a snake charmers country anymore. They have worked hard enough to be in their current position and are working harder to maintain that position which should be appreciated. But what about the downtrodden half of the society? Who is responsible for them? What is the government doing for their upliftment apart from making programs on the paper? The fact is, even though there are facilities/schemes being initiated, the target audience don’t get to know or avail the facilities as there is corruption in every level. By the time the huge issued amount trickles down, there is nothing left for the needy; however documentation would be available to prove that the scheme has been a huge success leading to some more such schemes.

By pointing out all the negative aspects and losing hope I might sound cynical; which is the state of most of the youngsters and educated section. With the current rate of corruption, the country is doomed for disaster and probably our generation would be there to witness it. It’s high time that we think about some measures to get the country move in the right direction. The least we as citizens can do is pay our taxes on time and don’t encourage corruption from our end as must as possible. Stop paying the traffic policemen for the lack of license or signal crossing. Follow the rules in the first place and if not, get a receipt for the paid money. I am not saying that this would change the country’s destiny but could be a stepping stone. The girl like this who is selling flags would probably end up in the metro’s mean streets turning tricks and hustling or peddling drugs, who would never see the inside of a concrete home. For such people the blue plastic sheet will have to suffice. Her bright eyes and cheerful smile will soon be replaced by a hard, stony expression. But chances are she will still be working on the same streets decade from now. Try telling people like them “Mera Bharat Mahaan”, she might just punch you.