a daughter to every rapist

MIDDLE - The Tribune dated November 27, 2012

In defence of daughters
by Jupinderjit Singh

CONGRATULATIONS! It is your first baby!” said Rajiv Kumar excitingly to Devesh. “What congratulations? It is a girl.” Devesh sighed. “So what? You are discriminating between boys and girls in this age?” Rajiv could not control his disgust.

They were sitting on the waiting seats outside a ward at a local hospital. Devesh was receiving visitors coldly. “You will understand my sadness when you will bear a daughter. I agree women are equal to men. But I am worried at something else.” Devesh fell silent for a moment before walking outside the lobby.

He sat on a bench in the park hunched up looking at his hands. “Don’t you read newspapers, watch TV? They tell you this girl was raped or that one was molested. No girl of any age seems to be safe. Even two or three years’ old girls are becoming victims.” “But that has been happening since ages. You can’t blame all humanity for that. You can’t generalise.” “Exactly, that is what I was talking about. It is happening since ages. When would the time come when girls would venture out freely knowing the beasts out there were civilised. When would their parents feel safe?”

Rajiv looked at Devesh trying to think of a response. “I read how seven persons, aged between 25 and 50, raped a 14-year-old girl in a village. One of them was a neighbhour under whose care the girl’s father used to leave his family while going outstation. The victim girl used to call him and three others as Uncles. With whom do you think my daughter would be safe?” Devesh opened up.

“And the entire state is talking about elopement of a 15-year-old girl of a border town, who they say was in love and had decided about her life partner at such a tender age.” Rajiv continued agitated. “But the girl said she was in love with that boy and parents stopped her.” Devesh hinted at freedom of females in the modern world to choose their life. “What do you expect the parents of a 15-year-old girl to do when she chooses a boy having nearly one and a half dozen cases against him? You expect them to say ‘Yes’?” Devesh questioned.

Silence engulfed them. A nurse called Devesh inside. Rajeev walked along, "I have known you since long. You, I and many others have known to have many relationships. You think someone will have the same with your daughter?" Devesh spoke his mind.

Inside the building, the nurse handed over the "cotton bowl" wrapped in a soft towel to Devesh. "She is so soft and light," he said. "Like petals of a rose," added Rajiv the moment he held her in his arms. The baby giggled.

"Now I know what needs to be done. Killing girls is not the solution. We should pray that a daughter is born in the house of each rapist or a molester. Only then may this nasty crime end! “Amen”, they both said.

link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121127/edit.htm#5