If not now, when?

The question that we are asking ourselves in present times is: How safe are women, what can be done to protect them? Let us first ask ourselves why the need to ‘protect’ women arises in a liberal democracy like India. Is it so because our women are physically and mentally not well-equipped to take care of themselves when they manage their entire families? Or is it because the other gender and its mindset pose a threat to the security of women? The answer to these questions is seemingly quite obvious and yet the questions stand unanswered.

Growing up in a small town of India, I remember the fear among people and families whenever their daughters were out of home even in the late afternoon. Being out of the four walls of your home meant being vulnerable and susceptible to the forceful fulfilment of the lewd fancies of perverted souls. The horrific incidents that I hear and read about are but an extension of what I face, as a girl, every time I step out in the public on my own or use the public transport. More often than not, there are males ready with a comment or gesture that is bound to make one feel uncomfortable and apprehensive of what may happen next. I can vouch that every girl has faced similar situations where she is objectified just because she happens to be a female. I have.

We stand at crossroads. Where on one hand, we are proud to have able women leaders- both in the political and commercial spheres; on the other there are still many women who cannot write their own names, not voice their opinions and concerns in front of their family, let alone leading and showing the way. This is where the need to protect women arises. When they are unaware of their own rights and privileges guaranteed to them by the Constitution of India, how do they know the dangers that can violate their rights? A major population of Indian women are engulfed in the darkness of ignorance.


Spreading education is the first step that can take them to be their own person in the world beyond house and hearth. In fact, that is the least we should do to call ourselves citizens of a ‘free and equal’ nation. There is a dire need to increase the number of awareness campaigns and make our voices heard. More importantly, there is a need to turn our thoughts and words into meaningful actions. There is a need to change our mindsets before we look at changing legislations.


Even after the infamous Delhi rape case that shook the collective conscience of the nation, there still are cases of sexual assaults taking place each day in our country. We have not learnt from our mistakes. We have not moved forward. At this juncture, I ask my society, my country, and my people: Can I dare to pursue the dream of my future as naturally as my breathing?