Reporting on Crimes against women

On hearing about the gruesome crimes that are perpetrated on women, the whole community no doubt stands by the victim’s family at their hour of crisis and the media does substantial reporting on them.  The antecedents of the victim, her trauma, her family background, the anguish undergone by her family are all covered in detail.  Sometimes after a period of time, the media revisits them to review how the family has coped with the crises.

This might in a certain way, help the victim’s family to know that the community stands by them and empathizes with them.  But many a time they might wish that the spotlight turns away from them, so that they can grieve in private.  Also it does entirely spare the family of the persons who commit these crimes.

Often it is the family which shapes the attitudes of a person towards women.  Several boys are brought up with poor parenting.

While the society thinks of various deterrent punishments, it needs to be considered that any action by the community would be more effective than any other punishment awarded legally.

The anonymity enjoyed by the criminal’s family only helps breeding of wrong attitudes. The media focus should turn to the family of the perpetrator who really are responsible for unleashing a criminal on the society.   This would help parents of boys be more guarded, to take more care on their son’s attitudes and activities.

In a world where there may not be a support system for the women to fall back on in future, it is vital that we ensure that parents of boys understand their responsibilities or face the consequences. It would also make the criminals think twice before they engage themselves in crimes against women. To spare their feelings would no doubt only encourage them.

Pilgrimage

A Pilgrimage used to be a journey for seeking something for the soul.  It had a sanctity attached to it and would be undertaken only when certain conditions were satisfied.

The intention or desire to embark on  such an expedition,  yes, an expedition as journeys undertaken even 75 years ago were not mere trips  that could come  on a mere whim!   With very limited facilities for transport, any journey would have been quite arduous.

                In India until recent times, selling cooked food was considered against Dharma.  There were houses built for the travelers to rest in all the Pilgrim centers and routes.  These rest houses were called Chathrams  and building them was considered a noble deed.

So, without the assurance of Reserved Accommodation and such creature comforts, or even food, long distances had to be covered on foot with numerous lakes and water bodies for water, trees on the roads for company.    But even journeys undertaken in groups had to contend with robbers and murderers.  So there was very little option for individuals or very small groups attempting a pilgrimage on their own.

Shastras had imposed elaborate purification standards for the pilgrimages. Therefore, the whole experience of preparing for a holy trip,  travelling on foot with only God in mind, performing charitable acts en route,  singing bhajans and listening to scriptures , meeting different people , passing through different places, a pilgrimage was meant to be  a journey of discovery , including self discovery culminating in the darshan of the deity. 

Such devotees who come to the temples,after a physically challenging journey and with a mind conditioned to higher consciousness would have added  to the sanctity of the place.  True there would have been exceptions, but this was the general scenario.

Now having given up on everything else, people think it is only the darshan that matters and bribe their way to the sanctum. I try to picture a pilgrimage to Rameswaram  as done in the olden days even a century ago, when India’s population was only 25 percent of what it is now, the place would have been far less crowded and certainly less dirty. A pilgrim, after weeks if not months of travel, and with a mind attuned to make a fresh start after absolving all sins, would have found the ritual bath in the Sethu sea and the 27 theerthams  truly meaningful and cleansing.   With a sense of having been reborn, he or she would have walked to the Sannidhi praying to Sri Ramanathaswamy for a more fruitful life.

From Kashi to Rameswaram, Tirupathy, Palani, Srirangam, Madurai and numerous other Kshethrams all over India have become sacred due to these Pilgrims over the centuries.  Their thoughts, conduct and prayers have added to their holiness.

Contrast this with the scenario as seen on a typical day today.  People come in hordes, in trains, buses, cars, vans and every other conceivable mode of transport.   Not all of them with God in their minds.   Many of them watch movies on their way, play all kinds of songs  at a deafening tone.   Throw garbage, dirty the place and do everything to pollute the pilgrim centre. No devotee who considers a place sacred would dirty it.  But people do it all the time these days without a second thought.

The rituals are observed without any meaning, without time to apply conscious thought, with one person having to make way for the next person waiting.  The priests now have a reputation of swindling gullible people conducting rituals en masse.

Is it any surprise that tickets are issued for Darshan , bribes are given and taken for special Darshans and Prasadhams?  There need not be any doubts that purity of thought and action are mandatory for anything to be Holy.

The need of the hour is not to develop more pilgrim centers into holiday destinations.  The awareness that Darshan alone is not the purpose of a pilgrimage needs to be emphasized.  This should help reduce corruption in our temples.  It would also help people approach temples with more reverence more peace, and bring about cleanliness and sanctity.

The Green Mushroom

I have nicknamed the banana tree that is just outside my window, ‘The Green Mushroom’.  For someone who found solace in nature and greenery, life in a Chennai flat with barely a couple of meters between the houses on all sides,  does feel a little dreary.    The coriander tree, the banana tree’s   predecessor, came as a pleasant surprise.  It had grown to reach my balcony in the first floor, its foliage forming a green curtain so the neighbour’s window did not feel like an intruder.  One day, it was a rude shock to see it chopped by the neighbour, in whose compound it had grown.  The neighbours had taken in their head to cut the the other foliage that were further away; Jasmine creepers, the growing mango tree, and the drumstick tree which would have been the original sinner inviting the kambili poochi worms;  all gone in a day!

I had reconciled myself to the reality that I might not see or feel greenery there for quite some time. While mourning their loss as I lay that night,  by the  window which opened to the balcony, I was amazed to see that the window now opened to a view farther away.  Through the gap between the two houses in the back row, I could see the horizon at a distance. I started thoroughly enjoying the luxury of seeing the branches of a tree from afar while going to sleep and waking up in the morning!  I philosophized that it is so true that nature has a different experience waiting for us with every move; I only need an open mind to look for it and enjoy it!!

 Seasons changed and days passed by. One fine day, I saw something green peeping its head.  I rushed to find a banana tree growing waving its leafy arms at me! The tree every time produced its long leaf like a bamboo stick and unfolded it slowly blocking the view I had come to enjoy.  I can’t say I resented that, but the tree soon became a clump of trees and had grown so many leaves in what seemed like a jiffy! It was then I decided to call it ‘The Green Mushroom’. I began watching its progress with great interest.  I found a squirrel walking up as close as I would see them in a cartoon; right down to his expression!  He took a close look at me and decided that he would rather scurry down!!

Having taken up quite a bit of space on the right side, the tree had decided spread its leaves to the other side.  While I opened my window in the hall, I found something brushing against it.  I could see the Green Mushroom wanted some of my window space as well!!  Every time I open and closed the window, I had to carefully move the leaf away so that it does not get crushed.  But, I was helpless about it staying close to the window glass that heats up in the afternoons. I could see that some parts of it was getting singed in the heat. I again had to philosophize, a tree is helpless as it is immobile.  But with all the mobility, we humans are often immobile in the wrong situations, not trying hard enough to get away!

It one day produced another green tube like structure, which I assumed would be another leaf.   To my amazement, it was the beginning of a ‘Thaar’ !  The process is so similar to that of a coconut tree producing coconuts.   A Vazhaipoo that easily could be thrice the size of the vazhaipoo that we could find in the vegetable market appeared.  Just like a Thennampalai, each petal of the flower reveals a row of tiny potential vazhaipazhams.  The tree is painstakingly adding to its size with every passing day.  I know the neighbour would one day cut the tree, but watching its efforts over a period of time, I know I shall remember the effort another similar tree had taken, every time I eat a banana and be thankful for it.