A million status messages supporting the BBC documentary film. Thousands of anti-government slogans for banning the BBC documentary film. Another million status messages against the German professor who created a perception after seeing the very same documentary film we fought for.
What do we really want? It seems like we just love being part of a “trash everything” movement. Let’t admit it. We love the attention. We love the controversy more.
“India’s daughter”, the BBC documentary film, as I see it was made for foreigners. If I wasn’t from here and I learnt that a women was raped every 20 minutes through the film, I would have been a little scared of Indian men, you know?
This is what I took away from the film:
1. The rapist defended and justified his actions.(especially when the case is still pending in the Supreme Court). Wow. So unnatural.
2. The lawyer appointed to defend the rapist must support him(His fundamental duty) and he did. He may have said something unacceptable but no matter what he said, it wouldn’t have been accepted easily. Again, nothing eye opening.
3. The rapist’s family continues to love and support him. “Family is family” is a phrase gone down generations for a reason.
4. The victim’s family and most of India continue to fight for and want her justice. She reinstalled hope in our lives. That was clear two years ago from the protests. Again, no different.
The documentary tells us nothing new. They have successfully created a division in society, creating a platform for people to either support the victim or the rapist and giving a chance for Barkha Dutt and Arnab Goswami to increase their TRPs by starting a “debate”.
Who gives a damn about people’s opinions at this point. We’re way past that. We should be by now. We should be focussing on the law. Its enforcement. Safety measures. Not some jackass ranting on a mike until a Kit Kat advertisement pops before more juicy content unravels.
If we support the documentary so much, I just think we should also be tolerating of what people take away from it. We can’t have the cake and eat it, remember?
The question is are we just going to continue “trashing everything” or is it time we start looking at the bigger picture: The solution. Not rewinding only the problem over and over again. We don’t live in North Korea. Living here is not by force but by choice. And as long as we choose to be a part of this home .. Let’s not constantly treat her as a “punching bag” inviting the rest the world to participate in our boxing championship.
feardomofspeech.wordpress.com 
WOW amazing so beautifully put!
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Reblogged this on Naveen Isarapu.
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How are people going to comment if it isn’t shown in India? Fair enough it doesn’t show anything new, but atleast let it play it’s course fairly. Also why does the author of the article being a woman matter here? Shouldn’t it offend men and women equally?
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Brilliant article, incisive sharp and shapes the debate , from a balanced mature perspective.
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I have no idea why this post is being shared so extensively, it has nothing of substance, just a random rant.
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Well written. I don’t think it is despite being an Indian…it is your right as an Indian woman living in India.
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What about the mindset of the ‘Rapist’? How will you solve anything if you don’t know the psychology behind the crime? This is the first ever documentary which reflects the mindset of a rapist who is an nurtured by the values of Indian Society. Every society is different, have different flaws and strengths. To find a solution feasible for that society you need to attack the problem at the foundation of it. I think this documentary raises an important question: What role does Indian “Values” or Indian mindset about sexism play garnering such criminal minds? Another thing, changing or making stringent laws doesn’t solve the problem. As you must have seen for yourself, the convicts are already in the process of being punished. Do you see remorse in them? Do you think they would have been different before the act. Solution is not always found in the ‘LAWS’. Awareness is also a solution. It helps making our foundation strong. You raise some good points, though. It is good to see that we are getting aware.
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“This is the first ever documentary which reflects the mindset of a rapist”: really? I found nothing new in the documentary. The mindset was expected….this kind off mindset has been clear since many years. I agree with the author…the documentary shows nothing new, no insight or info.
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Have you ever started a movement or brought change in the society ? It is really really hard to bring people together and passionately pursue common goals. Even though the documentary may (or may not) bring new information, it generates awareness for the issue by presenting it in a certain format. As you say, it prompted people to generate several FB status updates, write article (just like yourself), it is these little things that will then add up to how badly we want to change the laws.
If there are not many people making noise about it, there will be no change.
Also on that note, because of the documentary your blog got a few extra reads and comments 🙂
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its mic not mike unless you are referring to a person named mike. good blog but completely missing the point of what a documentary does or is supposed to do.
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I truly support your view. I truly agree with point that the culprit, n the lawyers defending him are not true representatives of the men in our country, in that case in any country… I believe we should fight at the root cause of the problem n not support people who degrade our country….
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since it is a demo crazy ,everyone can have their views….but its not a “trashing everything movement”
…its a trashing indian perception about women.. a slow &silent uprising is taking birth in india and is a essential change……being a MALE i want this to happen….some people call it worthless,torment ..i call it a movement.. we have to earn it
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This sums it up very well. https://www.facebook.com/smallEpics/photos/a.952450771451034.1073741825.170891269606992/1028009707228473/?type=1&theater
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This article says nothing new. Does that mean this shouldn’t have been written? Media always does what the author says, and advertisements always pop up. They have been for decades. And for the ‘article created a division in the society’ part, so does everything where people have different opinions, including this article and this comment, albeit in a much smaller scale. Totally agree on the ‘solution’ part. If you have anything to contribute there, yes, we’re all ears. And there will be more supporters for that than you can imagine. Otherwise, let the documentary and the opinions about it, be. And i seriously hope the title of this article wasn’t from the author, since the last paragraph is about not ‘trashing’.
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There are some worrying issues in the authors statements that I would like to highlight
Rape in Delhi …..she doesn’t care , according to her its a foreigners perspective really …..why not indias , because in our life span as indian women it’s regular news , hence why care …..until our eyes are opened up by a documentary … Yes a non indian made this documentary , but if an indian had made this she / he would be in jail…there wAs an arrest warrant for Ludwig ..according to the news any way and she fled…., we have so many laws , laws to arrest , laws to unarrest ……amazing …the author is annoyed about million status messages supporting the Bbc, why because she believes or does she not believe in freedom of expression , she seems confused
Yes a German professor had opinions but she had to apologise , why because Indians have a voice , & donot take discrimination lightly ,or does the author think ,we should not have cared ,
she almost sounds sympathetic to the lawyers opinion , a little worrying , she seems to be propagating their thought process , this is an insult to all the hard work that the women in Delhi walking out on the streets 2 years ago did , again she almost seems sympathetic to the lawyers opinions a little worrying I think,if the representatives of justice no matter who they are defending have such views , it makes us question our entire judicial system , it makes us question if all lawyers are the same the answer is no ….
She is worried about providing a platform for opinions , well has she forgotten we live in a democracy and have freedom of speech , or perhaps according to her suggestion , we agree with the ministers who banned the documentary , in that case why don’t we agree with everything , agree that the lawyers were right it was the woman’s fault , agree that we are diamonds not to be thrown in the gutter , agree that 8 0 o’clock is a wrong time for women to be out and about we need to be locked in at 6 ……the author wants law and safety measures , has she analysed this question herself , to make laws , the mindset needs to change , for change awareness is essential , & that’s what the documentary did make every one aware or atleast try …the rapist did not think it was wrong he was remorseless, our guardians of the law , the lawyers did not seem to think it was wrong … And if there was a law as promised , why are these men still waiting ….merely saying make a law doesn’t help
, sometimes raving and ranting works particularly if the mindset of the law makers is the same ….
Yes there was controversy , yes there was trashing , but what does the author want ….. A mute denial to the facts , funnily enough after condemning so called foreigners she brings up North Korea , with no relevance to the current situation ……this article is therefore the write up of a confused indian girl , torn between paternalistic views and contemporary thinking , the author wants a change in the law , yet she wants to hide the facts, or is this article again another form of bashing of freedom of speech ……it’s an almost callous attitude to a significant problem ……
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Awaiting moderation
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“.until our eyes are opened up by a documentary” really? THIS documentary opened your eyes? I think this documentary did nothing for the country. No new issues raised. I don’t think it “opened any eyes” and that’s why I think it’s a bad doc. It did nothing, showed nothing new, just “sensational news” in the form of a doc. (doesn’t mean we should ban it though)
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Hi , thanks for your input , it’s always interesting to have an intellectual debate ….yes everyone is aware , but this doc , consolidated a few positive and a few negative things . The positive eye openers , I was proud watching the young women and even men in Delhi , stand up for the rights , it was a defining moment for women in indian history , as far as I’m aware , ive not seen such a mass protest in any other country for rape …yes this was an eye opener to all silent victims in villages , or towns or cities , that there is support out there , that keeping quiet and being condemned is not the woman’s fault , what about the girls parents , there’s a stigma isn’t it , that they would be embarassed , but no they were proud supportive parents , there view points were more respectable than the lawyers , who are supposed to be an educated elite in society ..’.no issues raised …nothing new ‘…well there were 1.
The lawyers on account of there derogatory comments are being given a trial / review by their council ‘, no new issues , ‘ u and I are discussing this , Indians who’ve never met before , possibly living in different parts of the country … I don’t want to know , just mentioning …..what does it reveal , we have freedom of speech , and we are not scared to exercise it …. The purpose of a film / art is meant to evoke a response , and yes this did , it was banned , but the world saw that the people of India are resilient ,we like our democracy and free speech , we don’t like being co erced. and yes instant changes may not occur , but jogging back the memories in such vivid details , opens up questions as to why there are still no laws , why women are still raped ….it’s the mindset isn’t it ….well that’s what it showed ….that’s my opinion any way , was nixing having this chat . Have a good day
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I mean is this a new trend just grab any viral topic and present any literally any absurd blunt dumb view on it just for the sake of it,,,you didn’t prove anything..yes your blog views increased although..
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Are u referring to the author who wrote the piece
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Well you read such blogs don’t you? There are more people like you and me who read so OP writes.
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Rightly said, I apprecite your very sensible words or I think in the exact same lines atleast.
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Reblogged this on Aishwaryanand and commented:
What a view point of an Indian girl on BBC Documentary-“India’s Daughter”
Please dont generalise us….
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What a catch…excellent…I believe BBC’s and eventually world’s generalisation on Indian Psychology is wrong too.If we generalise UK than it is not fair too.Well expressed.Hats off to you…
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well said
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My thoughts exactly! Very well put. Do keep writing more.
Cheers! – another 23 year old 🙂
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You’re right, we don’t live in North Korea. Raising your voice for something you believe in is a right that’s been entrusted to you – a right many others have been denied. Practising this is not the same as trashing the government.
Rape and violence against women is not solely India’s problem, as rampant as it may be here. It’s a universal problem. To be repulsed by the professor’s racist remarks is not fuelled by our need to “trash everything”. It’s raising our voice against intolerance. Let’s face it – this happens everywhere. An American is sexually assaulted every 107 seconds, a statistic quoted by America’s largest anti-sexual assault organisation (RAINN – look it up). Why single out just Indian men?
Agreed, it is a lawyer’s fundamental duty to defend the rapist. Every human has the right to fair trial. But sometimes, when the case is as air-tight as this was, that entails trying to protect the rapist from the death sentence. By no means does it mean the lawyer should not just condone, but promote what the rapist has done. By no stretch of imagination should that give reason to the lawyers to endorse honour killings. The fact that this is exactly what they’re doing IS eye-opening. It’s repugnant.
The Nirbhaya discussion is still relevant today. It encourages people to truthfully look at the society they live in, to question custom and women’s roles in it. It calls out victim-blaming/victim-shaming that has been practiced by many in this country (including *gasp* the rapist). It has even forced the judicial system into a corner so more stringent laws can be applied to the protection of women. Just how far this will be upheld, well, that’s another discussion. This discussion is catalysing change – as painfully slow as it may be.
This is our home. This is our country. It’s our responsibility to better it, to make it a safer place for all who reside in it. This demands the rewinding of this debate, and countless others. Sometimes, we must look back; to remember why we have chosen to be on the path we are on today, and to be inspired to march ahead.
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I agree with u kamat , well said
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First of all journalism is supposed to be unbiased as is the case in this documentary.
They are just telling you all the facts and allowing you to make your opinion unlike Indian media who would have called them monsters and such.
You are right that we should be focusing on making the laws rather than talking about documentaries.
But we are not way past the discussions.The rapes do not happen because law and order is not there.
The root cause of rapes is thinking such as
1) Women are below men and subjected to rules
2) They should be wearing a certain type of clothes and behaving in certain manner
3) Men have right to teach women a lesson if they break these rules
These views are shared by high proportion of males in India and this documentaries throws this fact in their faces that you share your thinking with a rapist unlike our media who brands rapists as monsters from other world.
Unless we work on gender equality and removing such thinking from our society we wont be able to suppress rapes and harassment against women.
You should be writing against these views not against the documentary.
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Well
Said
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Why do you think there has been no change after this documentary ??
This documentary raised a discussion among me and my friends. i was so surprised to hear comments such as it is girls mistake to roam at late nights.Many people in our country has such false opinions.But after watching this video their opinions and thoughts have changed.I see it not as controversy propagation.Instead i would see it as opportunity for every son and daughter to convince the older generations who are still in narrow thought process.Hoping at least coming generations would come with changed thought process.
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“i was so surprised to hear comments such as it is girls mistake to roam at late nights”. I’m surprised that people are surprised to hear such comments. C’mon these types of dialogs are so common of such people! They are everywhere in the news…..were you sleeping then?
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Unintelligent analysis, time all indian women should see the threat , especially for poor, lower cast women, all over india.
Laws should be more severe, for all violations on women, touching, using bad laungage, teasing, harassment, force bull entry, texting offensive etc, should be a non bail able crime,
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Yep. Neither the time to hail the documentary nor to ban it. Time for the people and the govt to act. The documentary did jog people’s memory to say “hey! You guys protested for this, remember? Is there a closure on it?”
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Good one.
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Girl, you suck! Disgrace to our country! Well you are a kid anyway!! How old are you, 23??
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Well written and I am completely in agreement with what you have said. “Let’s not constantly treat her as a “punching bag” inviting the rest the world to participate in our boxing championship” This phrase makes a lot of sense to me. It is quite evident that this documentary has been made to defame India and this is one of those crooked ways in which BBC and the entire world at large have satiated their hunger of defaming a rapidly growing country. But still the sad part remains ; and that is even Indians, “educated” Indians using every social network available to make this even widespread! I am bloody sure and no wonder why the German professor has had such a sharp change in her mindset, thereby refusing internship to a male indian student. Frankly speaking the documentary never tried to infuse any kind o educational element to society, it was rather trying to fill people’s minds with pessimism, pessimism towards a nation which is doing great things in several other aspects , but all of that isn’t being talked about!
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Reblogged this on and commented:
This blog was shared on facebook.. and there were many perspectives and comments shared. There were a few observations I made within that thread and I posted my response..
Just sharing it here . Not directing it to the audience here at all.
am a girl and I drive home after 6pm. For work and otherwise . It’s been two years since the rape of Jyothi singh happened and I am still scared.
I am not taking that away.
There are people who think like me and there are those who don’t .
I am not taking that away either.
One thing remains clear.. while the thread started off with a debate of opinions it has eventually directed towards personal insults and ridicule.
Its a winning battle now.
I took some time to read the pattern of how people have liked posts.
We like those comments which are aligned to our thought process only.
I couldn’t find a person who has participated in this thread but has agreed on a point of view contradicting to theirs.
We are all so convinced by our belief that we don’t want to be open to a different perspective. Especially if it’s directly opposite.
It’s no longer a healthy debate. Like I said.. It’s a winning battle.
People agreeing on similar lines all mutually like each others post forming one team. People disagreeing on similar lines form another team.
And that’s the beauty of how a division of society is created by the same people who are all actually fighting for a common goal. Safety. Security. Freedom.
To be able to drive on the road alone not being afraid.
But this thread will never get to that. Because right now, our egos our questioned. Our opinions are challenged. and no one wants to lose …
I say “we” because that’s my hope in bridging the gap between you and me.
In response to the article.
Keeping aside my take away from the documentary , The intentions of the filmmaker for me is questionable. I quote from an article stating lines from an interview she gave:
“Leslee Udwin, does not see this man as a pathological individual. In an interview, she characterises him as representative of “most men in this country,” who are “programmed in a certain way.” It is this society that creates and encourages such rapists.”
Therefore it felt like we were treating our country as a punching bag.
To what I took away, I’ll go back and watch it again from another perspective this time.
I respect your opinions and comments..
but I invite us all for solutions. I also invite us to all to read over other perspectives and maybe see if that’s changed our viewpoint.
And when we start to see the music behind the words.. we’ll see that we are actually humming the same song.
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Being mixed race, I see both sides of being a “foreigner” and having at least some view of Indian culture, more than most of the alleged “target audience”. There are many criminals here in the UK (Home of the BBC, who commissioned the documentary) whose families completely shun them, so whilst it may not be surprising to you that the rapists families are defending them, it is to many people in the UK. That is not to say that every single family would turn their back on their criminal black sheep, but it is more common than you would expect. “Family is Family” is a cheap and lazy way of staying one’s comfort zone, in my opinion – like saying “I support him/her because I have no choice.” There is ALWAYS a choice. Much the same way that a rapist cannot claim that because of the behaviour of someone else he didn’t have a choice NOT to rape someone. The surprise is he is defending his actions in a way that is vile, regardless of your cultural upbringing. Basically “It’s not my fault I committed a crime, it’s her fault she was minding her own business when I was horny.” what a fucking joke.
Whilst visiting my family every two years since I was 3 months old (I am now thirty and have in fact just returned from a month long trip a week ago), I disagree that the documentary is scare mongering. The majority of men, whilst admittedly have never actually got the chance to physically rape me, stare and grope and behave in a most inappropriate manner.
Having said all of this, I know that there will be a large group of people in the UK at least who will take it the wrong way and yes will tar everyone with the same brush. But those people are the British counterpart to those Indians willing to continue treating women as second class citizens. They are no better than each other.
No, the documentary uncovers nothing new. But it keeps the issue current, which is sorely needed, if these outdated attitudes are anything to go by.
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You make a very valid point, perhaps two. Journalism was never about unearthing the truth or the public’s right to know. It is always about making a living for the journalist. No news reporter or documentary maker ever works for free, all expect to be paid. You are right, all the bombast and smoke, and for what? A production that does little in the way of justice for the victim. Well, we must make people aware. And what does that do? What action do you are a now aware individual take to alleviate the problem? If I am aware of racism does that make anyone else less racist? If I am aware of violence against women does that make them more safe? All I can do is try to teach other, help them to see that everyone, not just women or blacks or what victim under discussion, should be respected as an individual. That we, as individuals and as groups, have a duty to treat others with a certain amount of courtesy we feel is due to ourselves. I support your opinions.
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This is for all those fools, ranting that the video exposed the mind set of an Indian man, and the society we live in. The below is a link to a Wall Street Journal interview in 2013 where the rapist expresses remorse and shows his more human side. Irrespective of his views I want the harshest punishment for him, that is life sentence. But the BBC video was a sham and he was paid 40k rs for his appearance. Read the link —
http://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-IRTB-20385
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agreed what u had said later……… but in the age of DEMORALIZATION.. people demoralize others.. we should motivate each other….seriously i had taken part in many movement… there are more and more demoralized people who does not stand for themselve….they had to be motivated..helped ….
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If somebody did not ban it,nobody would have bothered to see it. The MHA seems influnced by A Goswami. Its funny sometimes how some people with such influence behave.
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Hatss off to you girl!! This is what exactly even I feel…And you know what 90% of Indians sharing the BBC documentary are infact not living in India . No one talks about solution, its just sentences like ‘Dont go to India ‘ , ‘India isnt safe’.. Common people grow up!!!!
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a very specious article.
1) Ofcourse the rapist will justify. But the motive is to see the attitude in his defence, which is a reflection on larger malaise that exists in the society.
2) The lawyers belong to same society, and they have been served notice for the same by the Bar. It is not that lawyers can say anything in defence (the so called ‘fundamental duty’) and it will be tolerated.
Point no (3) and (4) has no relevance in the context of making this documentary.
A very amateur article.
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Well put and your blog makes a lot of sense, but when things are bad, hiding/banning is not the solution, then again what the German professor did was clear rasicim, it’s like if you’re from Africa you must have Ebola. The fact that people of this country have the different opinions and they are vocal about it shows we are progressive but the government banning it shows cowardice.
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You have not experienced molestation or rape. These men should be publicly hanged.
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Point by point, you need to think a lot deeper.
1. Many convicts show remorse, at their brutal and inhuman actions; at having taken a promising innocent life. It is important to know that this convict and perhaps his friends are unrepentant, it might be a fault of his youth; it may well also be lack of counselling. This is also a malaise of Indian ‘culture’, that there is no serious soul searching, that we are not mature enough to accept fault. We defend our actions, our aggression , our outbursts (look at Sharad Yadav in the parliament just yesterday) with whatever puerile logic we can muster up.
2. Lawyer is duty bound to support his client, IN COURT. On the television, in a channel interview, he can speak his mind, without compromising his client’s position. He told his worldview, he articulated what violence he would do to his daughter if she ‘strayed’. He expounded how women ‘should be’ in nature and in society. We got to see the mindset of the person who had come to the alleged rapist’s defense. In short, we got to see why rape actually happens in such people’s minds, day after day!
3. On the other hand, we have seen families of ‘terrorists’ come out and say that if my child has done this act, I disown him (or her). This could be due to true revulsion at the nature of the act committed or it could be due to the ‘bring disrepute to the family’ or both.
4. It was courageous on the part of the victim’s family to reveal her identity, reveal her story from the eyes of the parents who still see her as a little girl with her hand twirled around their fingers. It is good for the audience to relate to Jyothi Singh, the flesh and blood who is no longer with us, rather than a Nirbhaya. It is important for us to reclaim our humanity.
I understand the young writers anger, at seeing ‘her’ country trashed in front of the world. Remember the country is not just the educated elite’s who feel betrayed by the senseless actions of the illiterate underclass. It also belongs to the underclasses, the khaps, the patriarchal groups and the ‘undesirable’ elements of the society. How do we bring about change by brushing all those under the carpet and portraying a clean house?
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The problem is Everyone has an opinion and wants attention.
Guess the reason for this blog too…..
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I completely agree with what is said by the writer – what documentary shows / doesn’t show does not matter. It does provide a lopsided view and does cater to external audience who at times love India-bashing. What matters is (lack of) enforcement of law in India. Fix that and many issues will be resolved. I don’t care what rapist and their lawyers think, their mindset, etc. – if it is proven they did it, they should be punished as per law – QUICKLY. If it takes high-profile Nirbhaya case rapists, who are in custody, years to be punished … it is no surprise what will / does happen in other cases. Then mob justice is the only way out.
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wow…this article really says NOTHING…it’s really lacking in depth of any kind…i expected to read an article that trashes the documentary with great insights and solid points…this is just vapour
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