Editorial»
Beast in groom’s clothing
JAN 17 - There is no end to man’s bestiality. The other day I was shocked to view on television the horrifying image of a five-year-old girl being wheeled into the operation theatre of an hospital in India. Blotches of blood was pouring out of every inch of her lower abdomen and her heartrending cries spoke of a crime most foul.
Meet Shreya, the newest victim of a dowry crazed family. She was beaten black and blue; headbanged at least a dozen times and many a times deprived of food and water for days together. In what is the height of cruelty, a car wiper was inserted into her private parts. And the perpetrator of all these horrific deeds is none other than her own father!
This human being, if we can call him a human, acted in tandem with his parents and two sisters to inflict such shockingly unimaginable cruelty on the poor girl. Her only crime: Her mother was unable to fulfill their never ending lust for more dowry.
Today the husband is behind bars while his parents and a sister are absconding. Shreya’s mother, 26-year-old Jyoti is lying in one corner bed at the same hospital. She is covered from head to toe in plasters. Her husband, Puneet Chand, her doctor father-in-law and her mother-in-law had been harassing and torturing her for more dowry ever since she got married five years ago.
After exhausting every single demand of these greedy folks, when she finally mustered the courage to say a final “no” to their never-ending lust, Jyoti on the third day into this new year, was beaten with iron rods and her body today bears umpteen criss-cross marks of deadly knife and scissor injuries. She later pleaded with the doctors to abort her two-month unborn baby as in her own words, she does not want to “ bring another child into this cruel world and face the same fate that has befallen her first child “.
If this is what fate has in store for a post-graduate mother of a five-year-old then one shudders to think what hell millions of women and their children might be living
under?
Jyoti is not the only victim of greedy dowry seekers. Every year, several hundred young women continue to be mistreated, abused, beaten up and humiliated by their own husbands and/ or in-laws who hold little or no respect for the sacred institution of marriage. India today holds the dubious distinction of leading the list of countries where the maximum dowry deaths take place.
Barely a day passes without one reading or viewing on the television one more instance of young bride being burnt by greedy in-laws or of a girl committing suicide unable to bear the constant taunts, beatings and threats meted out to her for not bringing in more and more cash and valuables. Reading such sordid incidents, one thing that becomes crystal clear is that there is no end to human greed. The dowry seeker is a perennially dissatisfied person. His greed knows no bounds and he is forever devising ways to extract more from his in-laws. To paraphrase a famous soft drink jingle, the greedy in-laws always seem to chanting, Yeh Dil Maange More Dowry.
Is there any end to all this? Are our sisters and daughters only meant to be loved and raised and then handed over in marriage to such greedy monsters, so that they are given the license to carry on with their terror and torture tactics, making the lives of the women a terrible curse?
Dowry deaths are not just an Indian phenomenon. It is as old as civilisation and especially in these modern, materialistic times, the scourge has hit most regions of the world, especially South East Asia.
It is time governments wake up to genuinely address this burning issue. I believe the current laws do not act as a strong deterrent against those who receive a sadistic thrill in unleashing their innate bestiality on hapless spouses.
Marriage is the holy union of not just two bodies but two souls. It is a life-long bond of trust, love and commitment between two persons.
It is time each and every one of us wakes up to ensure that no longer can anyone play around and put to disrepute the sanctity of this holy institution.
Paying for whose crimes?
The other day Damakant Jayshi, a journalist of this newspaper was severely assaulted while returning home on foot at night allegedly by two army men who were under the influence of liquor. Of late we have seen several instances when rights activists, journalists and common men have been harassed for no plausible reason by men in uniform. The excuse put forth by the army is at best extremely weak. They have explained that these men were being frisked on suspicion. On suspicion of what, I pray to ask them? On suspicion of being Maoists, terrorists, robbers or criminals? Alas, no worthwhile explanation seems forthcoming from the powers that be.
If ordinary men and women, in the course of performing their daily chores getting thrashed, abused or humiliated evokes bare response, then I dread the situation that we are currently embroiled in and the nightmares ahead. If I am to believe the word of well meaning thinkers, then all this is a reflection of the current state of affairs prevalent in the nation. If this is true, then who is responsible for the current mess that has enveloped the country? The King, the Maoists or the political parties?
My friends inform sagely that all this is part of a churning out process and ultimately there is going to be light at the end of this dark tunnel. Until, then all we can do is hope and pray that there is a speedy end to this churning out process so that ordinary citizens can continue to lead lives sans fear of unknown perils lurking around every dark alley.
(The writer can be contacted at apanicker1@rediffmail.com)Posted on: 2004-01-18 02:57
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