Dec 31, 2012...
Tomorrow
would be a new day, a new beginning,
Fading away the tears of past,
The pain which have been felt within,
will pave way for a new start,
I will be the one I was,
True to thy world,
still not perfect,
yet someone accepted,
I wished, I wish...
Fading away the tears of past,
The pain which have been felt within,
will pave way for a new start,
I will be the one I was,
True to thy world,
still not perfect,
yet someone accepted,
I wished, I wish...
Prakriti
Sharma... On the New Year’s eve, after penning down her last words hung herself
to death to be relieved from the pain which she was going through every single
moment. It was the pain which she never destined to suffer with. The poison
which was killing her slowly, made her to surrender to the death.
Prakriti
chose a fate which should have been destined for the people who were
responsible for all her pains. But, we live in such a society where humanity is
nowhere to be found. We only share opinions for what is right and what is not
rather than uprooting something which is not right. Perhaps, sharing of
opinions is the only way for us to believe that we are an active member of this
hypocritical society.
There never were the days when we would have taken a stand for someone who needed it the most. Or rather, thought to help somebody keeping aside the rights and wrongs.
“The ones who suffer are the ones who are made to suffer more.”
There never were the days when we would have taken a stand for someone who needed it the most. Or rather, thought to help somebody keeping aside the rights and wrongs.
“The ones who suffer are the ones who are made to suffer more.”
“PRAKRITI WAS DEAD”
Prakriti Sharma was born to a Business Man father and a
house wife mother in an over conservative family in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Prakriti was their fourth child.
“An over conservative ideology not only restricts or has limitations on abundance of things but also has a tendency for narrow mindedness.”
“An over conservative ideology not only restricts or has limitations on abundance of things but also has a tendency for narrow mindedness.”
This was the fourth time when her parents were hoping to be
blessed with a baby boy, but their hope
came crashing down with Prakriti’s birth. They did not seem as happy as they
were supposed to be. In a male dominated country like India, you can always
find Male chauvinists for whom the gender do makes a big difference. No matter
whatever the claims are; no matter how educated the people of the country would
be & no matter the era which we live in, India is still not so democratic
and secular. There still are the people who possess a psyche of the era gone
by. It’s a sad but a true fact that there still are a lot of gender maniac people
who always have believed that a male child brings prosperity whereas a female
child brings investments with no returns.
Preference of a male child is still one of the major reasons behind the female foeticide & infanticide. The sex ratio for the country is 841 females for every 1000 males. Despite of the innumerable laws implemented to curb the menace; these things still take place secretively.
Prakriti, while her growing years used to be treated as an undesirable child. But she could never understand the reasons for this discrimination. All a child demand is the attention and affection of his/her parents. When you are not a part of your parent’s world, it creates a void in your life. This was the void which she wanted to fill and always used to look for the things which could make her parents happy. Although, her sisters were always supportive but she never got what she deserved.
“A bird can also survive in the cage but the life which it expects to live, is a life of freedom, in the open air”
She was like that bird. She was surviving with the support of her sisters, but she always lacked the real happiness which she could have been a part of if she would have been a boy. Whatever she do in school, whether she eat something or not, she never used to be asked about any of the things unlike her sisters. She had almost become habitual with her caged life until this day when there was a family get together in her home and all her uncle & aunts and neighbors were invited with their kids for one of her sister’s birthday. She saw one of her uncle’s playing with his daughter and wondered if she could also play with her father. Though she knew what her father’s answer would be but she quickly went to him in an optimistic hope to ask if he can play with her. He refused in anger stating that there are better things to be done.
Preference of a male child is still one of the major reasons behind the female foeticide & infanticide. The sex ratio for the country is 841 females for every 1000 males. Despite of the innumerable laws implemented to curb the menace; these things still take place secretively.
Prakriti, while her growing years used to be treated as an undesirable child. But she could never understand the reasons for this discrimination. All a child demand is the attention and affection of his/her parents. When you are not a part of your parent’s world, it creates a void in your life. This was the void which she wanted to fill and always used to look for the things which could make her parents happy. Although, her sisters were always supportive but she never got what she deserved.
“A bird can also survive in the cage but the life which it expects to live, is a life of freedom, in the open air”
She was like that bird. She was surviving with the support of her sisters, but she always lacked the real happiness which she could have been a part of if she would have been a boy. Whatever she do in school, whether she eat something or not, she never used to be asked about any of the things unlike her sisters. She had almost become habitual with her caged life until this day when there was a family get together in her home and all her uncle & aunts and neighbors were invited with their kids for one of her sister’s birthday. She saw one of her uncle’s playing with his daughter and wondered if she could also play with her father. Though she knew what her father’s answer would be but she quickly went to him in an optimistic hope to ask if he can play with her. He refused in anger stating that there are better things to be done.
“Hatred
within you turns unexpectedly bitter with time.”
She
was shattered. Hiding her tears, she went into her room. There was this
neighbor who was observing all these things closely and followed her to that
room.
(He
was one of the close friends of her father living alone nearby to their home.
He was a divorced individual and often used to go to their home for dinner)
She
was silent when he knocked. She still had a hope that it would be her father at
the door. She opened the gate in excitement but it was shortly lived. All her
hopes collapsed. He asked her if she was fine. She didn't reply to him. He
asked her twice but she preferred to keep mum. He then asked her if she would
want to play the game which she saw outside. After keeping silent for a while,
she agreed.
Children have always
been a soft target for easy lucrations.
After
the game ended, he offered a chocolate to her and asked if he could be her
friend. She felt loved and was very happy to get a friend in him. This
friendship continued and he started going to her school to pick her up daily.
Nobody at her home was aware about this and about the new friendship but this
friendship came as a gift to her which seemed to fill the void in her life.
It
has been truly said, “Man has a hunger for love which if he doesn't get tends
to find it everywhere possible.”
She
found fatherly care, motherly affection and a friendly person in him. Days
passed and she started trusting him blindly. She often used to go to play at
his home after the school and used to reach her home in the evening to feel
less avoided and let herself calm by not being a victim of discrimination. And
because nobody was worried enough, so it kept on happening for days.
And
one day, when she returned from school and thought of visiting him, she found
his home to be locked. She looked for him but when he couldn't be found, she
started moving towards her home sadly. But to her happiness, she saw him
waiting for her in his car. He told her that he was waiting for her for a long
time and they would be playing a new game that day. She was excited with the
surprise and readily agreed to go. He took her to a hotel and had already
acquired a room before. He took her inside and asked to wait. Till this time, all
she was waiting for was the new game. He started off with the rules. He told
her that whatever was being shown in the television, once it gets over, they
both would have to enact the same way to each other. She was not able to
understand the game which she was about to be a part of. She told him that she hadn't heard of this game ever to which he quickly replied that it is a new
& a different game. He switched on the television and what she saw then was
something unbelievable for a 13 year old kid and which she shouldn't have seen.
She was disturbed, shocked and ashamed. Ashamed of being with him, ashamed of being his friend and perhaps ashamed of the trust she had for him; she asked
him to drop her home.
She
was dropped at her home in the evening.
While
dropping her in, he himself went to her father stating that she was at his home
and was playing there.
He
left after all this.
She
was already an undesirable child for her father and because of his over
conservative ideologies, he couldn't accept it. It was against his morals and
asked her if she was really playing at the neighbor’s home. She kept mum. Prakriti didn't seem to be fine and her sisters sensed it. She was not in a condition to
speak. He kept shouting to seek an answer but when she didn't speak, he started
beating her. This was the first time she was physically abused by her father.
Her sisters & mother tried to intervene but couldn't help her. He didn't let anyone feed her the food that night. When he slept, her sisters silently
went to her to ask what she has been through. She couldn't control her tears.
She was in agony not because of her father but because of the incident which
took place that day.
“SHE
WAS RAPED”
After
she asked the neighbor to drop her home, he denied and forcibly raped her and
also warned about the dire consequences if somebody was told about the
incident.
While
she was narrating this to her sisters, somehow her father overheard the
conversation. He came from behind and dragged her to the neighbor’s home. When
the neighbor opened the door, he yelled at her asking to repeat whatever she
was saying at home. And while she was gathering all the courage to speak
against him; he calmed her father down, took him to a different room and stated
that such things shouldn't happen in front of kids and framed a different set
of story altogether. He told him, that Prakriti got intimate with a fellow
student in her school and he himself caught her red handed. He didn't want to
spoil Prakriti’s image, so he advised her not to repeat these things again.
After listening to this, the father came out in fury and didn't let Prakriti
speak and dragged her back to home.
He
abandoned her studies, got her name struck off the rolls from the school and
made her sit at home. She was already in a disturbed state and was not able to
forget what she went through. The physical bruises and the pain, the mental shock
and the emotional breakdown were not letting her do that. Instead, she was in a
state which was making the situation more absurd for her. She was living in a
cage but she wasn't a part of it before but gradually, she started accepting
things as the way they were. She was becoming a mannequin of the destiny.
Silent,
secluded & lost.
It
continued for some days. She was in deep pains which further couldn't be seen
by her eldest sister. She made a decision of giving Prakriti what she deserved
from the beginning and bringing her back to life. One fine night, she ran away
with Prakriti when everyone else was sleeping at home and came to New Delhi.
They
both were searched but couldn't be found and at last Prakriti’s father asked
the police to trace both of them.
The
eldest sister Pratha, used to be 18 then, was a strong headed girl and was
brave enough to face things on her own. She contacted a local NGO after
reaching Delhi. She narrated the incident to them and asked for some shelter. When
asked about the place which she belongs to, Jaipur was her answer. She didn't want to let anyone know of both of their origins. She wanted to begin afresh
and leave everything belonging to their past which could follow her or
Prakriti.
They
both started a new life. While Prakriti was still recovering from her horrifying
past, Pratha began to work with the NGO and kept studying simultaneously. Her
only goal was to bring Prakriti back to life. She also made Prakriti join a
local school nearby. Prakriti was able to make a few friends and was coming out of her past, out of the curse which she shouldn't have been
a part of. She gradually began to enjoy the life.
“Bygones
of the past leave you with the beginning of the future which you can create
yourself”
7
years later...
Jan 2012...
Prakriti,
now a 22 year old independent girl was an inspiration to many of her NGO
friends and the kids who belonged to it. Her survival, the way she recovered
and changed everything used to impress many. She had become a tutor at a
private coaching institute and was preparing to be a Government teacher. Happy
in her life without a cage, Prakriti and Pratha started living together in a
separate rented flat. Prakriti used to relive her childhood while teaching all
her students.
For a
teacher, the most challenging situation is to make everyone believe that they
are equally treated. Although, it can be difficult at times to treat everyone
equally but attention is what every child seeks, so it’s always better to set
the expectation right with each one.
She
used to teach the students of standard XI-XII. The students of std.XII were
difficult to deal with. They were a bunch of irresponsible, misbehaving and
disobeying students. The more she tried to form a bond with them, the harder it
used to get. That was the most difficult phase for her as a teacher.
After constant failures, she started off with students who cared to study despite everything else they do.
After constant failures, she started off with students who cared to study despite everything else they do.
She
was successful. It became easier to deal with them. Most of them started
listening to her. But, the challenge now was to make them believe that they are
equally treated. There was one student who was repeating the class again. All
those days, she used to focus more on him to make him learn & understand
properly. And because he was weak in the studies, she also used to give him
home tuitions to prepare him well enough so that he could pass the exams. There was
one more student who didn't respect her at all and used to make a mockery of
her in front of all the fellow students. He was one uncontrolled brat. Though
she was aware about it, but used to ignore all such things.
“Ignorance
can be a big resolution but sometimes it works otherwise.”
She didn't want to confront him, but one day he made it so terrible for her that
she had to react. She asked him to leave the class and bring his parents the
next day. After the classes were over, he stopped her.
He:
What’s your problem? Do you know who I am?
She: I
don’t have any problem. And, I don’t need to know who you are. For me, you are
a shameful student who does not know how to respect his teacher.
He: Oh
really! Why do you think I should respect you? Have you ever tried to shift
your focus on other students? No! Am I right? Just because that person is
fulfilling your physical desires Ms. Prakriti...
She:
Is that what you wanted to say? I thought you would be sorry for what you have
done in the past. Bring your parents tomorrow.
She left frustratingly...
Metro
Cities are now witnessing a phase in which the teenage is less observed with
innocence, and more with adultery.
(The
new age teenagers are informative than ever, more free and with extremely busy
parents, less fearful than ever)
He
went home and told his parents about it. When asked about the reason, he framed
a story that Prakriti only focuses on some students and do not treat everyone
equally and stated, “Because I raised my voice against it, I have been asked to
bring both of you.” Despite all of his statements, his parents were aware about
his wrongdoings.
“No
matter how hard you try to hide the things, to hide the truth, the fact is that
it is always known but seldom accepted”
June 1st,
2012...
His
parents came to meet Prakriti. She asked him to wait outside. Before she could
even begin to talk with them, they both told her, that the way she teaches the
students is not the correct way. And if she would continue to be partial with
others, they would have to take a strict action.
Prakriti:
I am sure you have been presented with a story of which I am a negative part.
Mother:
Everything told can’t be a story. I can understand that all of the things can’t
be true but everything being untrue is hard to be gulped down.
Prakriti:
I do understand your point Ma’am. What you have been conveyed is one face of
the coin but as we all know it has two faces.
Father:
So, What’s the other part of this?
Prakriti:
The other part is that there is a student in the same batch of your son and he failed last year.
So, for some days now, I have been focusing more on him to make him understand & learn properly so that he can clear all the exams this time. Having said this, it doesn't mean I don’t concentrate on other students. No other student has an issue except your son. Do you even know, what did he say yesterday? I feel ashamed while restating all that. And sometimes, he doesn't even attend the class as well.
So, for some days now, I have been focusing more on him to make him understand & learn properly so that he can clear all the exams this time. Having said this, it doesn't mean I don’t concentrate on other students. No other student has an issue except your son. Do you even know, what did he say yesterday? I feel ashamed while restating all that. And sometimes, he doesn't even attend the class as well.
Mother:
(silent) I am not sure what did he say. I don’t want to know either. What I can
take as an inference from most of the things is that my son is going out of our
control and because we stay busy with work most of the times, we hardly get
time to check what he does. I can only request you to take best care of him.
Prakriti:
as a very first thing, you should make him understand how to behave with his
teachers. And also, try to take out some more time for him.
Father:
We will make him understand. There’s only one request. If you can give him a home
tuition as well like the other student, we are sure that he will change
gradually. We have a lot of faith in you.
Prakriti:
Alright! But I would be requiring your presence while I teach him at home.
Mother:
Sure! We assure you of this.
She
began to teach him at home as well. Days passed and things were going fine. She didn't come across any issue while teaching him at his home. She started
believing that she had conquered the most difficult phase of her career. It was
almost a month.
June
30th 2012...
It was
the last day of the month and both of his parents were having scheduled
meetings in the office. His mother even informed Prakriti about it but she started believing that she would not face any issue in the absence of his parents.That day,
none of his parents were at home. After Prakriti reached, she asked him for
water. He went in and added a tasteless soluble dosage of a medicine in the
glass of water (usually given to the patients to make them unconscious). He
offered it to Prakriti and she drank all of it.
And
while she was giving him questions to solve, she started feeling drowsy and
eventually got unconscious. He stood and poured water on her to check if she is
in her senses. When she didn't respond, he understood that she was unconscious.
An
hour later...
She
regained consciousness. And before she could even understand properly what has
happened, Prakriti was shocked and devastated. She was exploited again. The footprints
of the horrifying past didn't leave her. And while she was gathering herself
up, he told her not to complain against him in future.
He:
Don’t you think we should have more sessions like these? Rather when you are
awake... I believe in a tit for a tat... So, make sure that you don’t cross my
way again...
She
was broken. Again! She covered herself up and left his home.
Shameful!
Demon! Brat...!
Blah!
Blah! Blah! We would be having many more words like these to relate to the
situation, especially to the teenage boy who did this. But, believe it or not,
this is an actual mirror to the society we are living in. The psyche of a major
part of the dominating gender has always been like this. The only difference is
that it now affects the teenage as well.
He never
understood his mistake. He was only looking for an opportunity to take the
revenge, to teach her a lesson so she doesn't speak against him. He knew what
he did, but didn't know its implications. It’s just that he found it to be an
easier way to take revenge.
Prakriti
was quiet and disturbed. It was when Pratha asked her about the issue, she
broke down in tears and spoke about the curse which was laid on her. Pratha was
a stronger woman this time. All those years of sufferings, she has learnt to be
able to stand for the things which are wrong and to speak for the things which
are right. She took Prakriti to the hospital to get the proof that she was
raped. Once doctor confirmed, she took her to the police station to get the FIR
lodged against that person. Pratha didn't want to see Prakriti in the same secluded state in which she used to be
before. Prakriti’s childhood murmurs of getting abused physically by their
neighbor still used to resound in her ears. She made every possible thing to
make sure that he was punished for what he has done. It was Pratha’s efforts
only that he was suspended from the school.
And
because rape is severe crime treated with zero tolerance, so he was arrested.
But
once this news out broke to his parents, they left astonished. It’s never
possible for a parent to believe that his child is involved in such a heinous
activity. They didn't believe it. His father was a very resourceful man, so he
was able to get him out on bail. When they asked him about the whole allegation
which has been put against him, he clearly denied it stating “I can
never think of doing it to anyone, you
know she is after me since school, she just want to destroy my career.” This
time, he was able to convince both of his parents. They agreed that their son
is not wrong, and Prakriti surely has wrongful intentions.
On the
other hand, Pratha went over to file a case for rape against him in the
jurisdiction courts.
It has
been often observed that jurisdiction courts in India has failed to give timely
justice to most of the victims, whether they file a case for rape, dowry,
murder, loot, molestation and a lot of other things. Cases remain pending for
days, months, years & decades depending upon their complexity. For a case
as popular as Arushi’s murder case, it took more than 5 years for our
jurisdiction to decide the fate of the culprits. For Jessica Lal’s case, it
took even longer, rather more than a decade.
Justice
delayed is Justice denied. Most of us have heard this phrase. But, it’s not
applicable in our country. Our country seems to believe in a different ideology. An ideology according to which justice being done with a delay is nothing less than
justice. We have seen the victims dying who appealed for the justice during this
process but that is a different case altogether.
The
day was finalized for the hearing. He was presented in the juvenile
jurisdiction court as he still had to attain an age of 18, an age which is
necessary for any individual to be able to get presented in the higher
jurisdiction courts even though they are framed for crimes as big as rape,
murder.
Medical
Certificates, FIR, a lot of proofs were submitted. The case began. Then, it was
the arguments from the defense and her lawyer which made her feel even
disgusted. Things which could have been avoided easily were presented in a
manner which made her feel more ashamed.
After
several repeated hearings, nothing concrete was coming out of the court room.
Then came the final date of hearing, the judgment day...
Dec 30th,
2012...
With
all the evidences shown and arguments acknowledged, he got convicted on the
charges of rape. But, because he was still a minor in the constitutional terms,
so he was sent to the jail for juveniles for three months.
3
months jail to a minor on charges of rape? How is it justified? If a person who
knows how to rape, how can he be considered as a minor? These all are the
questions which always hover and bog our heads down but we always end up
leaving things on their own...
Pratha
was happy by seeing him behind the bars. But, there was something which was
going in Prakriti’s heart. She didn't show any reactions when he was announced
as the culprit. She was quiet like she used to be. Pratha tried cheering her up
and praised her to be brave enough to fight it. She made every possible attempt
to make her feel relaxed. Prakriti also smiled. But, this time it was not
Prakriti who smiled, it was the efforts made by Pratha which made her do that.
December
31st, 2012...
Prakriti
took a day off from the tuitions and remained at home for all the day. Pratha
had important meetings to be closed that day. Before leaving for office, she
made sure that Prakriti is fine. Prakriti as usual didn't want to disturb
Pratha anymore, it seemed as if she was giving up on things but didn't want
Pratha to know about it. She smiled and let Pratha leave for the office.
With a
past which seen discrimination, ignorance, trauma, physical abuse, rape,
separation from family, an independent life, she has been through all of it...
This incident broke her from inside and even killed that ray of hope to live,
to revive again... She lost her world when she met her past again... It was the
efforts made by Pratha which kept her alive. And then, it was a dark end for
her when the three months of punishment was proved to be equivalent with the
devastation of her life.
Before
leaving for another journey, she tried explaining her state of mind in a letter
to Pratha who gave her a life which her parents could not.
Tomorrow
would be a new day, a new beginning,
Fading away the tears of past,
The pain which have been felt within,
will pave way for a new start,
I will be the one I was,
True to thy world,
still not perfect,
yet someone accepted,
I wished, I wish...
Fading away the tears of past,
The pain which have been felt within,
will pave way for a new start,
I will be the one I was,
True to thy world,
still not perfect,
yet someone accepted,
I wished, I wish...
This
embarks a new journey,
to a place which knows no difference,
where equality is the God,
and preaching it is the worship,
with a smile on my face,
and love in my heart,
I will move on afresh,
I wished I could stay longer,
but this is the moment,
Tomorrow would be a new day, a new beginning,
for me, for us,
and I will be the one I was,
True to thy world,
still not perfect,
yet someone accepted,
I wished, I wish...
to a place which knows no difference,
where equality is the God,
and preaching it is the worship,
with a smile on my face,
and love in my heart,
I will move on afresh,
I wished I could stay longer,
but this is the moment,
Tomorrow would be a new day, a new beginning,
for me, for us,
and I will be the one I was,
True to thy world,
still not perfect,
yet someone accepted,
I wished, I wish...
Whenever
something like this happens, we always say that it’s a black day in the
history. It’s a failure for us that we were not able to save our people. But do
we actually know why it happens? It’s absolutely true that there are things
which are beyond our control but have we actually controlled the things which
we can... The answer is no, we haven’t. If Prakriti’s parents would have been
giving more attention to her, their neighbor never would have tried doing that.
If the parents of the accused would be able to give him more time, then was he
able to do what he did? The answer is a no again, he couldn't.
There are hundreds or thousands of girls who
are raped daily and most of the cases go unnoticed. Do we need to punish the
people who are responsible for this? Yes we need to. But, there is a better
thing which we can do. Almost all of us know that prevention is always better than
cure. So, to prevent it, we need to prevent the psyche. We need to make people
educated about the consequences of these heinous crimes on the other person’s
life.
Until
and unless we correct things within us, within our homes, nothing can go right.
This
is the time and need of the hour! Everyone knows the difference, so it is
better to make this world a better place to live for each other...
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