Who's the loser?

The first thing you love about a Sunday is the laziness. The second thing is a coffee mug with a newspaper. The third one is the morning news and the free commentary that follows it. Sundays. They were meant to be so. A happy holiday that visits us once in a week. But somehow this one was a bit different. Hurt, anger and uneasiness within. The reason: The sad Delhi Gang rape. Sunday newspapers filled with the same story. The news channels too focusing on the same story. People repeating what's said in news. You never expect a Sunday morning to be a dull one. But this time, you had to accept it. It seemed as if we are living amongst animals. Rightly so when a social animal has turned into a wild animal.

The ever increasing heinous crimes against women are nothing new to us. In past, they happened in closed rooms. Now it happens in the open. The only addition that has happened to it is the camera that is going places and capturing the stories. Just after the news of Delhi gang rape, there were 16 more incidents in just two days. The big question stands tall in front of us. Can stringent laws and strict police vigilance stop rapes and crimes against women. The answer is that it won't. But we still will go our way asking for these. Debate it in talk shows, discuss it amongst friends and then wait for another rape to happen. What else could you expect from a country where bangles that are symbolic of woman turn into a symbol of shame for men. Where a father of a girl scolds her for demanding freedom to live equal with guys. Sad but true. In India, you are never equal.

There are two types of people in the country. Good and Bad. Good ones bear the burnt, turn into victims and are often termed as losers. It’s the bad ones who make the news, get the much needed attention and turn cool in front of people. Mahatma Gandhi is a loser in his own country. The biggest examples of those who followed the rules have turned into losers in this 21st century. And we are left with a bunch of bad guys who have turned into heroes of the 21st century. They get all the desired importance from news channels, bollywood and reality shows. Thanks to bollywood that it has gone one step ahead in convincing us with a new term. Negative Role. Everyone's just loving it. Let’s love it too. Now a days, these negative roles are quite often seen in colleges, workplaces, family circles and amongst friends too. We live in an age where the bad has won over the good. How we live is not important in this 21st century. Instead it all boils down to one point. "KYA UKHAADA".

We have turned so result oriented that the only thing that matters to us is winning. Life has turned into a game, where winning or losing maters more than living and loving. Beg, borrow or steal. But come home victorious. The obsession with winning is so huge that we don't accept defeats. Be it in a cricket match or in examinations or in elections or in real life. A cricketer is not a cricketer until he has not slammed a ton. A son is not a son if he has failed in examination. A politician is not a politician until he has rigged and won an election. A man is not a man until he has won. Adding to it are the dogmas that we follow in life. It's okay to cheat sometimes. It's good to be bad. Who cares, break the rules. Everyone is at fault and in equal proportion. We all have given enough fodder for the bad to win over the good in life. The recent rape too was a triumph of bad.

The point is that we are seeing the ugly side of our very own thinking. The point is that change cannot happen until we change our mindset. You cannot demand stringent laws when you talk of breaking the rules. You cannot ask for strict police action when you lure them with bribes. You cannot think of good until you are done away with bad. Change doesn't begin in a discussion forum or in a news channel debate. Instead it begins with self. So when the discussions are over and the candle light marches are done, sit in a dark quiet room and ask yourself. Who is the loser? May be the answer to change lies in this question.