A/N: A Little Contribution From My Side To Daya's Girl's challenge " Truly Real". I really feel grateful to her for putting forward such type of challenge.
The Topic I Chose is " The Ugly Truth Of Indian Society"
Writing all this with a Extremely Heavy Heart.. This story shows BOTH the sides.. I think you'll understand as you'll go through.
Disclaimer: The Idea is from a Non-Fiction base and The Frame up is Fictional i.e the characters, dialogues and scenes.
A Big Office Building was shimmering in the bright sun, Suddenly when A Car swooshed in the quite parking lot and out came a Lady, formally clad in a straight knee-length black skirt and a light pink shirt with some files in her hands.
She walks up through the stairs, into the office, where the watchman greets, " Good Morning Madam". She smiles at him, greeting him back and moving forward.
As she goes in, she is greeted. She knocks into a cabin and goes in, the atmosphere turns restless.
" Good Morning, I am Journalist Ridhi Sharma." she greets the man who sat inside. The man stands up quickly to shake hands with the lady who just spoke,
" Good Morning, I am Aryan Gupta. Glad to have you here." He extends his hand and they shake hands.
" So, Mr. Aryan, hopefully you are all ready to discuss the issue." She speaks sternly.
" Yes, I am." He is confident.
Both of them walk to the shooting room, They get seated and
A Lady: " 1..2..3 On Air!"
Aryan: " Namaskaar, Aap Sabhi ka swagat hai. Mein Aapke saath Aryan Gupta aur humari aaj ki Special Report mein hum Khulasa karne jaa rahe hein "INDIA KA KADVA SACH" " THE UGLY TRUTH OF INDIAN SOCIETY" aur Humare saath hein Journalist Ridhi Sharma ji, Toh Ridhi ji, Kya kehna chahegi aap.
Other Side, Almost the whole country was glued to their TV screens for such a special report as from the past month, this SPECIAL REPORT was most talked about.
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CASE - 1:
Ridhi: When a girl dreams of her wedding, she thinks of a "happily ever after". She dreams of a home where she will get a lot of love and affection from her husband and in-laws. Unfortunately for many women, this precious dream gets shattered as soon as they get married, courtesy domestic violence. Many domestic violence cases go unreported. And, among the cases that come into the limelight, will send a chill down your spine, as 30 per cent women suffer such violence to an extreme degree.
Aryan: " Would You please explain your observations.."
Ridhi: " Yes.. Sure"
Ridhi starts to explain a case of Women Assault,
Flashback:
It has just been a week that she was married, the first 4 days were heaven for her, her in-laws treated her like a queen, so, you might be wondering that now she must be on a grand Honeymoon but No.. the rest 3 days were Hell, the worst in her life. she is slapped again, her clothes again get torn and she is pushed on the hard floor.
Father in-law: " Bol.. Kab aayega maal?"
She starts to cry.
Mother in-law: " Rona dhone band kar aur bol.."
She is slapped hard again.
" Maa.. Papa.. Maine ghar pe bol diya hai. Wo jaldi sab kuch bhejegey." The girl murmurs.
" Kab? Kab aayega who din? Bol.. Kab aayega?" her father in-law beats her with a broom kept nearby.
" Kal hi.. Kal hi de jaygey.." She stammers, fearing what will happen next?
" Kal.. Dekhte hein." Her father in- law keeps the broom aside and leaves banging the door. Her mother in-law smiles wickedly. The girls crawls to a corner.
Her mother in law makes her stand pulling her hair and slaps her harder. She couldn't move out of pain that she was getting as her mother in-law tightens the grip on her hair.
" Maa.. Chod dijiye." She pleads, joining her hands.
" Kon Maa? Maa nahi hun mein teri, jabtak DAHEJ nahi aata." The cruel women says.
The young lady ( Seeta) burst into bitter tears as her mother in- law starts to pull her clothes. Within minutes of watching, her saree was torn and the buttons of her blouse were almost destroyed.
The cruel woman hits Seeta hard and she falls on the floor. She sits down near her and starts to pull out her clothes and when she got tired she got up, pulled Seeta from her hair along with her and took her to a room. She bangs the door and there came a man, she pushes Seeta in and closes the door again.
Seeta felt relieved, this was her Husband, Mohan. Maybe he'll help her, she thought.
Mohan stood there, with Seeta in his arms. Seeta looked up at him with hope with he was looking at her perfectly toned, Semi- Naked body. He throws her on his bed, she immediately got what he was up to. She started to fight but No Use.
He forcefully ripped off her clothes and started to torture her sexually. She screamed and fought but failed.
This was a Everyday story.. She was assaulted physically, mentally and sexually as well.
Flashback Ends
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Ridhi: " In India alone, around 70% of women are victim of these violent acts in one or the other form,"
Aryan nods, heavy hearted.
Ridhi ( Continues) : " The scenario does sound very scary, but the fact remains that a majority of Indian women are undergoing abuse every single day. "
Then she turns the pages, and displays a survey.
Ridhi: " Statistics also show that among the different forms of domestic violence, such as emotional abuse, financial abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse, the most common form of abuse is shockingly that of sexual violence in the marriage. However, a majority of these abuses are never reported. "
Aryan: " In some cases, women feel helpless against domestic violence, as many families in India do not support women who complain against such abuse."
Ridhi: " Exactly! Even in the modern world, there are thousands of educated and career oriented women who suffer in silence because of the fear of the society's reaction."
Aryan: " What according to your report is the most prevalent reason that such cases go Unreported?"
Ridhi: " Most of the women who are physically abused by their husbands are not aware of the legal remedies available to them. They do not have any support from family or friends or are hesitant to discuss the same with their peers. Many are financially dependent on husbands and have no source of income. So they stay in such an atmosphere as they have nowhere to go."
she further adds, "There is also a fear of being thrown out of the house by the husband and in-laws. And, they are also scared for their kids' security."
Aryan: " So what are all those Legal rights women should be aware of?"
Ridhi: "It is as simple as dialing the 100 number immediately and lodging a report. Women can also go and lodge a written complaint at police station and keep a copy with them. To protect themselves and their kids from the after effects of lodging a report, women can also file a complaint under section 12 of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005, where they can seek protection orders, right to residence and custody orders." She also suggested that women can approach NGOs and legal aid cell or nearest women cell to seek legal help in case of domestic violence. "
Aryan: " May we know what are the initiatives by Government or Privates against Violence?"
Ridhi: " In 2010, the Ministry of Women and Child Development supported a campaign named "Bell Bajao", which was based on domestic violence. This campaign showcases as to how by simple means (like ringing the door bell of the victim's house) neighbors can interrupt domestic violence, and help the victim, if they suspect violence undertaken in the nearby house."
" In 2013, an NGO, Save the Children India, launched a very powerful campaign to make people aware of the issue of domestic violence prevailing in India, known as "Abused Goddesses"." In this campaign they used images of bruised and beaten Hindu Goddesses to send out a strong and hard-hitting message on the sad status of women in the country. The country that worships Goddesses, still doesn't think twice before abusing their reflection. Women- whom our society "fondly" calls Devi swaroop!"
" These images rightly stated, "Pray that we never see this day. Today, more than 68% of women in India are victims of domestic violence. Tomorrow, it seems like no woman shall be spared. Not even the ones we pray to." And, we do pray that we do not see such a day!"
Aryan: " But coming to the sadder part, NONE of these initiatives helped the society"
...
Ridhi: " All This was A One- way thing, Let us Now Discuss THE UNSEEN SIDE OF INDIAN SOCIETY."
She opens up another file.
Aryan: " As we take up this topic, I would like Ms. Ridhi to state a example first."
Ridhi: " Yes.. Sure."
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CASE 2 : Domestic Violence against men- the UNSEEN SIDE!
Flashback:
His wife was his princess, his queen and all his world! Strange Right? But Not All Men Abuse their Wives.. The Case Goes Opposite as Well.
Women ( Wife ) ( Rupa): " Lalit, Kahan ho? Jaldi aao."
Man ( Husband) ( Lalit) : " Aaya jaan.."
Just as he enters the room, a mop is thrown on his face. And a bucket is placed.
Rupa: " Shuru ho Jao.."
This was the very first time, In a 5 day marriage when she did this. He did her task the first day but it then became a everyday task for him, cleaning dishes, mopping, washing, cooking and everything. He dint even got a Blanket and Bed to sleep.
That Night:
Rupa: " Kahan Aa rahe ho?" She shouts as he sits on the bed. He looks at her blankly.
Rupa then pushes him hard on to the ground and he is forced to sleep there.
The thing continued for long, she turned him Her SLAVE!
After 2 weeks:
Lalit, who grew pale and bruised, secretly went to a Police station.
Police Man: " Haan bhai Sahab boliye."
The helpless Lalit blurted out his story in front of the police man, looking for help from him. But as he finished, he was on the edge to cry as he saw all the Police Men Bursting into Pearls of Laughter.
Police Man: " Bhai.. Tu toh ulti kahani sunane laga.. Chal bhai nikal.. Security.."
The security pushed the Man out, and he sat on the floor crying bitterly. There was No one in the world to hear his story. Then he decided to fight back himself.
For a Day, a denied every work she told. He Dint cook neither did he clean nor did he washed Clothes or Utensils. This was enough for Rupa, that night she hit herself with utensils and cut herself with knife at various places and went away.
The Very next Morning, Lalit was in Jail, all ready to go to Court. Yes!.. Rupa filed a false case against him. Then he fought back, but No Use. He tried to explain but No Use but then a Miracle took place, their neighbor had recorded all those things secretly. This was the way, he was saved and his case came to Limelight."
..
Flashback Ends..
Aryan: " Domestic violence is not a one-way street. Spousal abuse is a serious problem that is not just faced by women." " Ms. Ridhi.. May we have some other examples?"
Ridhi : " Well who can forget the famous Nisha Sharma dowry case, which is an example of how some women manipulate the law in their favour! Like this case, a huge number of men in the country have been caught in the web of false cases registered by their wives under various laws. "
Aryan: " Men Suffer In Silence.. Why So?"
Ridhi: " The PWDVA (Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act), 2005, was enacted to protect married women from being abused. But, it is no hidden truth that some women use this to torment their husbands and in-laws."
" There are a growing number of men who are at the receiving end of harassment, and face physical and psychological abuse at the hands of their wives. But what keeps them quite, is the humiliation and shame of that act going public. Men who complain about physical or verbal violence inflicted by their wives are made fun of by the society."
" R. Srinivasan, was one such victim of domestic violence. He used to be regularly assaulted by his wife. When he reported to the police the cops made fun of him. For him, it became an emotional battle after that. And, that ended with him committing suicide. "
Aryan: " This leaves behind an important question: Why do we view domestic violence against men as less serious and sometimes even humorous? "
Ridhi: " Men who are accused of domestic violence get boycotted by the society and even their friends start looking down upon them. "
Aryan: " So, Are there any Law for Domestic Violence against Men?"
Ridhi: " There is currently no definite law to protect or safeguard Indian men. However, that does not make them vulnerable."
"Men can lodge a police complaint against their wives. Such complaints can come handy in case the wife threatens to misuse the DVA (Domestic Violence Act). In scenarios, where a wife threatens to leave the husband's house (with kids), or harm herself, an already registered complaint can help a man. A Man can also file for maintenance if the wife is earning more than him."
Aryan: " Thankyou Ms, Ridhi. Aaj Ki Special Report shayad humare naagriko ko jaagrut karegi. Thankyou!"
...
Almost the Whole India saw this, but this special Report was Soon Forgotten.. Why? The Government Banned it. The Censor Board of India, Banned it as soon as they saw it. Aryan and Ridhi were scolded harshly for such a report. They lost their Jobs and Became Income less.. Is This What India Is? Is this our So Called Prosperity?
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The fact is that domestic violence is wrong. Violence is violence whether it is against women or men. It is not difficult if we as the society become a little active. Start reacting when you see domestic violence against women. And, stop making mockery when you see domestic violence against men. This can be small but effective steps to keep the faith in the institution of marriage alive!
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The End.. Not It's Not.. Its A New beginning to a New Vision of Life.. At least for Me. Let Us Take a "NO VIOLENCE- Be it Men Or Women" Pledge.
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A/N: I was all set to write on Women Empowerment but when I cam across this, Unseen side I was Shocked. I hope you won't take me wrong on Case 2. What I wanted to convey is the message of NO Violence. If I was successful, I'll feel blessed but If I was wrong somewhere, Sincere apologies. I never thought that our society could be this way. I Hope you All Will Support Me In this one.. Wrote it All With A Heavy Heart..
The idea of presentation of a News Show was taken From Reporters, that Airs on Sony TV.
Some Lines were Copied From the Internet and Some sites.
The Characters and the 2 examples were imaginary, but had a true-base.
All the lines which Ridhi spoke were Non- Fiction i.e REAL!
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Please Share What you Felt After Reading This Small Effort! Hope my Contribution Brings about a Change! Thankyou.!
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