WAKE UP INDIA!

It is that time of the year when media is flooded with India’s achievements over the past half a century. However that is just one side of the coin .A couple of days back there was a shocking story of Hina Fatima, who was not only attacked with acid but also forced to consume the lethal liquid and the culprit was her husband, who also took the liberty of burning her eyes with cigarette butts. There are thousand other Hina’s across the country, but their voice is not heard, sadly they succumb to the torture and often end up committing suicide, few others however mange to escape and take shelter in women’s rehabilitation centers.
Today every one of us is not only talking about the economic growth of India but is also actively contributing to it. We however don’t bother about bringing justice to the society. We fail to understand that economic growth without social justice and equality would eventually be fatal for India. We have to do something right now else there would be a Hina in every family which would be detrimental to India’s growth. We have always been proud of our culture and heritage, which is laced with tradition like Rakhi, where a brother pledges to protect his sister even in the darkest of situation, a culture in which parents are the highest priority for their children. Ironically today this is reflected only in books and movies. The man today has gone astray.
A popular website quotes that three out of every ten girls are molested by their own brother; a fortnight before a newspaper quoted “Bigamous man tortures spouses for male offspring”, in the same month of July there was a depressing article about female fetus being found at Nayagarh, Orissa; Rajasthan has a women chief minister, and it’s ex-governor was also a women, yet it has one of the lowest sex ratios in the country. Such is the plight of India today.
I believe “rolling stones gathers no moss “, but I also know that rolling stones do wear out. This is exactly what is happening to India today. In order to win the race of Technology and Economy, we keep changing with time; India of 2007 is completely different from India of 1957. This desire to change has eventually resulted in the degradation of India’s culture and Heritage. Wise men have always advised us to be a part of the solution and not the problem, hence I feel that it is up to us to bring justice in society and prevent incidents like that of Hina.
We may not be able to change the ill fate of Hina Fatima, who is in a critical state, but if each one of us takes a conscious step to give respect to our sister, mother and wife then I am sure thousands of Hina would be able to live a life of dignity. It is solely our responsibility that we inculcate into the next generation our culture and heritage. We may not be able to change the past but we can at least make a better tomorrow, by teaching our sons and brothers to treat women with respect, and our daughters and sisters to fight for dignity and respect. Only then will India reach the peril of success and we can heartily celebrate India’s independence.