Man:You Need Emancipation

 

 

 

The Tejpal sexual assault incident has shaken me up badly. And I wondered why. It is not that I held him as a man of high character. Enough has been written about him in recent times.

Then I realized why. You see, as a feminist one has this vision of an emancipated woman—who is strong, who can speak her mind, who can decisions, who is not afraid—an invincible woman. And in that vision, one creates in the mind, a safe space for oneself and for one’s community. And that safe space went crumbling last night.

I am not a journalist. I turned towards communication. But in the last 13 yrs, I have known and taught several journalists. For me, journalism has been that one profession where women had to learn to speak and have courage, it is like a pathway to emancipation. So I have tremendous pride in both erstwhile as well as current women students in this area.  Many fight against odds at home and amongst peers. Journalism, unlike many other fields is often a well-thought out choice and for me, a feminist act in itself.

And so, although I have not taught core Journalism subjects, I enter into the classroom hoping to infuse within my female students with spirit, courage, clarity of mind, ability to make quick decision, to walk towards that vision of the strong vocal woman.

Within moments of Tejpal’s “recuse” from his editorship, other women journalists were pouring in stories of their abuse and their inability to speak up. Sucheta Dalal tweeted “If women jurnos speak, like the legal intern, many top names will be dented!”  Another woman journalist (TheRestlessQuill) tweeted: “seriously, look around. I don't know a single journalist who doesn't have her own sordid story to tell.”

Delhi gangrape case had created furor in the country. Activists of all kinds had vocalized issues and solutions. There were death chants for rapists. The incident and verdict was thoroughly covered and debated in the media. That included Tehelka. If anyone was in the know of what rape/sexual assault/workplace sexual harassment/public sexual harassment is, with all its social and legal connotations, then it is the Editor of a media group like Tehelka.

And even that intimate a knowledge, even being in the eye of storm did not deter him from sexually assaulting his colleague, a colleague who covered violence against women issues in her stories. What hope do we have for others?

I realize now that there was never a need for us to be emancipated. There was never a need to transform and change and become this and that. It was not us but men who need emancipation.

Man, you need emancipation. It is time you stopped rationalizing rape and sexual assault, stopped rationalizing why society should maintain status quo with you at the helm, stopped believing you have god-given or nature-driven superior values to run organizations and countries, stopped believing the way you do things is the way it should be done. It is time you started to question yourself. Stop taking rape and sexual assault easy. Stop believing you can manipulate women into silence. Stop believing your public posture is going to eternally hide the skeletons in your cupboard. It is time for fathers to teach their sons, for brothers to reign in their brothers, for teachers to transform their male students. Because several of you irrespective of your education, profession and public posturing, are depraved and a blight on life on Earth.

I await your Ashoka moment—when you will be finally consumed by remorse seeing the pain you have inflicted. Man, I await your emancipation.