“So, any plans for the weekend so far?”
“No, why – what are you up to?”
“Something fun, refreshing and adventurous! What do you say?”
“Ah that! Well, I can think of something.”
“Wow, whatever it is, I am game.”
“Okay, let’s rape.”
“W-H-A-A-A-T?”
“You heard me.”
“Have you totally lost it?”
“Well, you asked for something fun, refreshing and adventurous – seemed like a good idea at the time. Given the options to choose a woman from young to old, it’d be fun, refreshing and surely something we have never done before.”
“What’s wrong with you, dude (shakes head furiously)? We are educated people of 21st century!!”
“So what, who says educated people of 21st century don’t rape?”
“It’s not that they don’t but it’s….”
“Illegal?”
“Yeah! By all means-”
“There are countries in this very planet, where it is not considered to an offence and I can give you facts.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you don’t want to do it because it is illegal? Last I knew, you have not been a strict follower of rules when it comes to other things.”
“No, may be I am not strictly a law abiding person, but there is more to it of course.”
“Like, what?”
“How can you be asking such questions - you surely have women at home?”
“Even if I do, can’t deem every women around me as my mother of sister and suppress my formidable lust?”
“Enough said – (shrugs) – I thought you were a friend. I don’t want to hear another word from your rotten mouth.”
“Do you now? It was you who wanted to do something fun and extraordinary – what I gave you fits very well. Just think you want to do it and you can probably do it. Who gets caught and sentenced for rape in this country. I just don’t seem to understand why are you so upset about it. Keep an open mind.”
“Another word and I am leaving…..(mutters)”
“Calm down – don’t lose your temper, just give me a good reason why are you so upset?”
“(Does n’t say a word)”
“There must be more to it than the law or having women in the house – don’t you think?”
“There surely is – but how would I know as a man?”
“Exactly the point I was trying to make you feel. We men can’t. We can’t imagine the agony no matter how much we empathize. We, my friend, have no idea how many times a woman is pushed to the edges even if she is not literally raped – we don’t have the slightest idea how she feels when greasy hands grope her body parts amidst heavy crowd or how she is humiliated when the ogling pair of eyes takes off her clothes with a crude smirk on their face. Only a handful of incidents are reported and even fewer comes into notice – but we have no idea how many actually go the stigma everyday. I was just provoking you to think.”
“(Nods) Somehow you always make your point. You have a weird sense of logic, so to speak.”
“I don’t deny that I am not the straight thinkers and I deliberately did it to make you come outside your boundary and think. I will continue to do that to other people as well.”
“Don’t you think your idea of revolution is just words? Would this give a justice to a woman? Would this punish the guilty?”
“Probably not – but you see, it’s not only punishment that I am after. I am bringing in a thought leadership.”
“Wait a minute – you want a rapist to reign free? Lay hands on other women again?”
“I didn’t say that – punishment is necessary to set an example but it alone won’t solve the problem to its very core. There are bigger things at stake here.”
“I am lost, once again. I thought you were an advocate of capital punishment?”
“Capital punishment is not something a nation of conscience will every completely advocate, on the contrary, remorse is the most powerful element, that can change a person from deep within and be far more effective than any other form of punishment.”
“And you believe all those men who victimized women, would fall for it? Would you prey to their good self?”
“I strongly believe so. Most rapes happen in the mind first and believe me when I say there is no refuge from memory in this world and there is no whip stronger than that of remorse.”
“Okay, but you said punishment alone can’t solve the problem. If not punishment, then what?”
“Oh! If you ask me I’d look forward to live the day when men look up to women with respect and not look down as an object. The ask is simple – we have to invest in the future. We can punish one rapist severely but that won’t eradicate rape once and forever. It is not an isolated incident. It is a society that our ancestors have given us and it is upon us to set things right.”
“In the future?”
“Yes, my friend, to the next generation, who will someday be responsible citizen. Nothing pays more than long term calculated investment. If we teach them today what is right, they will live up to protect it.”
“But you alone can’t do nothing! As I said earlier – it’s mere words.”
“Not entirely. I have a good many thousand friends on social media. I can spread my thoughts through them and they in turn to their circles. I can see so many posts that are burning with hatred, but that’s incomplete per say. I’ll challenge their thoughts.”
“Well, I am going to hold the torch for you my friend. I am going to write about it.”
“Good luck with that. We need to be hopeful”
“There is always something to hope for.”
“Even more so in the dark times.”
