Harvard Holi vs. Indian Holi: is the latter really that bad?

The above picture is the screenshot of a Facebook status update by an Indian girl (name withheld, hereon referred to as she/her) who, from the looks of it, has recently moved to Harvard. So, congratulations to her.

Of course, the title of this post should suggest that it isn’t about congratulating her. At the time of writing this post, her update has been shared over 1800 times and has over 300 likes. Given its popularity, which isn’t surprising, it’s important to talk about what it says.

Let me begin with a disclaimer: I am not writing this post to peddle national pride at the cost of exposing the truth. I believe that the latter is far more important than the former.

Talking of truth, there’s no denying India’s malignant problem of crimes against women. Eve teasing and harassment are commonplace, much more so in the north than in the south, and more heinous crimes – some perhaps uniquely Indian crimes against women include dowry deaths and honour killings – also happen with disturbing frequency and audacity. These crimes need to be talked about widely. If global pressure and shame bring some change, good.

But since truth is important, I will go ahead and make a rather bold statement: her claims are misplaced.

In making this statement, I realise fully that a large part of how she feels about Holi in India derives from her lived experience, to which I’m not privy at all, and commenting on those aspects of it would be presumptuous of me. I do know many, many women who have played Holi on the streets in India without much of an issue, but the truth is, if I were a father, I wouldn’t want my daughter venturing out on the streets on Holi day. This is especially true of the town, Allahabad, that she refers to.

So, why do I still beg to differ with her?

Because pitting India’s streets against Harvard campus isn’t a fair comparison of “public spaces”. An apples to apples comparison would be either American streets vs. Indian streets, or elite Indian university campuses (and other similar, exclusive gatherings) vs. Harvard-like campuses. In the latter case, India’s elite, closed campuses – I spent many years at one – offer complete security and safety to women to celebrate Holi, and so do countless other public spaces ranging from colonies where people live to different kinds of public gatherings. Indian streets do offer a horrific spectacle sometimes, but I doubt American streets would be perfectly safe spaces for women if Holi were to be celebrated there with the same fervour and historical significance. Likely better, but not entirely safe, depending on the region in question. After all, some of the ills pointed out by her – catcalling, misdemeanour etc. – are very much prevalent on NYC, and probably to a lesser extent, on other American streets too. And let’s not forget that 63 million Americans voted for a man who bragged about grabbing women by the pussy.

For a fair comparison, it would help to look at the state of some truly “public spaces” outside India, where men and women mingle freely. In all such cases – Burning Man, Coachella, San Fermin, etc. etc etc. – sexual harassment/assault is rampant. In fact, in one case, a Swedish music festival banned men altogether because of the problem. Needless to say, catcalling isn't restricted to American streets. Statistics on street harassment show that while Delhi continues to be among the worst cities in the world, other global ones are no havens.

Is any of this to justify what happens in India? Not at all. As I've repeatedly stated, the problem of harassment is likely significantly greater in (north) India than in most other parts of the world. But the sort of comparison that she makes paints an entirely distorted picture of Indian men in the eyes of non-Indians, particularly Western women - as if 700 million of us are an amorphous blob of misogyny and patriarchy. The truth is, educated Indian men are not significantly better or worse than those of any other nationality. After all, it would be safe to assume that a significant proportion of the men she played safe Holi with at Harvard, were Indian.

Her outright dismissal of scientific arguments against the alleged semen-filled balloon-throwing incident is also unsettling. There is no doubt that targeted balloon-throwing against women is a menace. Even so, those who rush to social media to allege particularly sensational incidents, and double down on them even after they’ve been disproved (in this case through forensic analysis), do no service to the cause of truth.

By contradicting her claims I commit the sin of going against the prevalent wisdom of #BelieveWomen. Let me outrage the outraged a bit more by saying that a large proportion of rapes reported in India are fake. As per a sample analysis done by a very credible female Indian journalist, nearly 75 percent of the 583 rape cases argued in Delhi courts, in the year 2013, were false or frivolous allegations. The motivations ranged from extortion to parental pressure on the girl. Of course, this analysis can’t be extrapolated without qualification to the nearly 40,000 rape cases annually reported in India, but it does give a sense of the exaggeration. Global outlets such as BBC and Guardian have also covered this all-important aspect of rape in India. The Supreme Court of India has also expressed deep concern over the misuse of anti-dowry law.

In the interest of truth, let me also point out that that a majority of actual rapes in India are not reported. Further, there are heinous crimes against women other than rape, which are not covered by the aforementioned analysis. Even so, statistics on false accusations put paid to the idea of #BelieveWomen. Instead, let’s #ListenToWomen and #BelieveTruth.

I am saddened that this young girl had to move outside India to fully partake in the joys of Holi. I wish she’d got the opportunity to explore the umpteen safe spaces in India that offer a chance to women to celebrate Holi without fear. Would she have been able to do it safely on Indian streets? Quite unlikely. Would she be able to do it safely on American streets? I don’t think so.

Sexism and crimes against women are deeply Indian, as well as global, problems. Being vocal about them – while still being measured and responsible – is crucial, especially for those who carry on their shoulders the burden of crafting the reputations of over a billion people.