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The Ruchika Case and How we never shall learn

It is an old one now. Several years ago, a girl is molested ( like that happens almost every hour of the day even today) then she commits suicide and you people now must be knowing all the details.


What makes this case interesting is that even as we all display shock that a powerful man got away with it, we have not gasped in disbelief. Cummon, we all know that powerful men like Rathore can get away with crimes such as these. It is no big deal that politicians of the day supported him, the school, a premier educational institution of its time, run by God fearing, missionaries and nuns lends it support to the culprit and are we shocked? Really?


The answer is no. We all know this happens. On this very blog I had written about a case in another convent school in another part of the region.


Holding marches and lighting candles shall serve not much purpose as we are still not looking inwards but outwards. Spitting anger on one man shall not erase the fact that we Indians have become used to molestation and the dirt of it. That Ruchika was molested, she would have been just another child, like several others who are being ill - treated even now perhaps as I am typing these words. She chose to fight it till the end, up till death and for this courage I will not be able to write or describe words for.


In her death, Ruchika taught us so much, that little teenager showed us a path we never saw.


The path to righteousness. The Idea not to compromise and move on but to fight and fight with full courage.

Ruchika Girhotra today is no more among us. The nation who no longer has the righteous respect for its nationalist leaders like Gandhi or Bhagat whose philosophies we have very conveniently dumped deep in dustbins, shall forget her soon. But even for a brief time, this girl shall stand as an Icon. An icon of hope. A hope that if a fourteen year old could stood up to lustrous demands of an Inspector General of Police then how come we are so helpless to improve our very own country, our planet.


But this case also gives us a reason to hang our heads in shame. For around two decades we never woke up to the gruesome reality of Ruchika. That girl had a right to live and had she been alive she would have grown up to be a beautiful young woman today. We Indians, citizens of this land are somewhat responsible for her death. Aren't we?


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Comments

tamanna said…
yes...we are responsible...all of us...
splendidly written...
January 12, 2010 at 8:58 PM
BK Chowla, said…
You may like to read my post--CANDLES FOR WHO? and MEDALS
January 15, 2010 at 5:39 PM
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