Truly Saptarshi

Our society is such that if the rapist and rape victim are on the same platform, at least there will be a few (if not a lot) people (sadly women too) who will point fingers at the rape victim. I particularly mentioned women because we are very far away from that time when a male rape victim can come out and say that someone raped him. And that has become something we live with and accept or compromise with thinking its ought to happen. Being a youngster I expect my generation to be people without the prejudices that pull others back but what I get to see only disheartens me more. Of course there are people who are just the kind that the society needs, they are free thinkers but being very small in number that shouts, those rebellious voices somewhere fade out. What I talked about is just to make us realise the nth time that what our society is largely like. And then this society, this very society which looks down upon a rape victim, which looks down upon a divorcee, which looks

What can be my identity? fair or dark? fat or thin? Hindu or Christian or Muslim? homosexual  or bisexual or heterosexual? woman or man or trans? BJP or INC or TMC or Communist? None of them before the fact that I am a human being. The fact that I have particularly mentioned Bangali Hindu is the fact that many staunch Hindu fundamentalists are nowadays saying things like ‘Either you are a Bangali or a Hindu, you cannot be both!’ but I will shout out from my rooftop and proclaim that I am both and much more that just that. I live in a secular country where I speak my Mother language, eat my comfort food and practise my religion happily.  And if I am not wrong (which I am not) then one’s religion, food, sexuality, language, marriage are all his/her freedom to live, his/her privacy and no one has the right to invade into anyone’s private life. I myself do not eat Pork or Beef and that has been my personal choice but who gives me the right to force my personal choice o