Acid is their blood

Acid is in their blood and it is corroding their humanity from within. Just imagine a scenario and it could be as real as anything. There is a girl in her early teen and she is constantly teased and harassed by a few of the boys in the neighborhood whenever she is on her way to a coaching classes or school or marketplace, it doesn’t matter where or what time of the day or night it is. She is forced to endure this because if she makes too much noise about it, she will be branded ‘’loose’’ and said to have invited it upon herself somehow. This mental agony is distorting her personality even as the harassment on the part of those ruffians keeps getting worse. One fine day as the usual situation of brazenness and helplessness unfolds, something snaps. The young girl gives the stalkers a piece of her mind and the normal order of things is disturbed, that is of power and submission, hunter and prey. Hurt ego perceives the big ego and decides to set the record straight. And how does he do it? He calmly walks into your local hardware store and buys a bottle of acid for Rs. 20 and lies in wait. At the appointed hour, the target is on her way and he suddenly emerges from the back alley and starts following her. The opportune moment arrives and he has her cornered, before she realizes, there is a splash on her face. The moment freezes, and then there is blackout and searing pain and then, only all encompassing numbness born out of hopelessness.

The above mentioned is not my lousy attempt at pulp fiction but a dark fact of life being enacted in many cities and towns of India,  big and small. Even the law is not your best ally in times like these because acid attack is a non cognizable offence in India, that is, it is easily bailable with maximum punishment of three months for ruining somebody’s life. And I don’t even want to go into the attitude of the Police for it would take another full piece altogether. But I would like to make a larger point about what does it tell us about a society and as people. The easy availability of acid is only one part of the menace, the deeper issue concerns about the kind of value system we are imparting to our male children and young boys for make no mistake, these same young boys today will be tomorrows adults. This streak of misogyny has to be nipped in the bud. This misogyny implies that it is all right to assert your power and masculinity over women and young girls. The conspiracy of silence and warped notions of shame cannot be given as a tools in the hands of these sick minds to get away with scaring young women for life both figuratively and metaphorically. To every growing up man, it has to be instilled in their mind, not only respect and non judgmental attitude but also the fact that as a person, you can only woo, acceptance is entirely in her hands. Her autonomy on her person and her body is inviolate. When will we be able to pull this acid out of our vein?