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.
