The beginning.

A glistening full-moon night,

A lone and lost girl,

An isolated street,

A group of men, stink of alcohol,

Abuse, screams, muffled gasps,

And…a cry for help.

Broad daylight, blazing sun,

A five-year-old,

A hungry step-father,

Squeals, fear, cries,

And…a scared, grown-up child.

Boys hostel,

A young boy – a nerd, a loner,

A gang of seniors,

Ragging, laughing, teasing,

And…a young, innocent death.

Be it a bright day or the darkest of nights, a place where children are taught values and respect or a home where a child should feel ‘safe’, be it a 24-year-old girl or a 5-year-old innocent child. Who was at fault? Who was the culprit? Everyone can interpret.

But, what was their falut? Why did that happen? Why did that innocent child accepted that this is how it will always be, that this is what she was born for, that dying is much better than bearing the torture everyday? Why was that girl forced to believe that it was all her fault? These questions are always left unnoticed.

There is a saying in Hindi- “ताली एक हाथ से नहीं बजती”-, which means-it takes two to make a quarrel, this exact phrase is used by every mentally disturbed Indian. This is followed by some outraged protests, marches, and it all leads to a change. A change where a girl is even more scared to step out of her house, a change where a girl is forced to doubt her closest relations, a change where a child is denied to play outside, a change where the whole society hides their fear with anger, a change where every person starts to believe that it happens, it will happen and all they can do is, just take preventions.

“Be the change”, “take a step forward to make the world a better place”, “raise your voice against injustice”, “just a start is what it needs” I’ve heard these phrases many times.

This blog is a starting, a start to make the change, but (yes, there is always a ‘but’), this blog will never change anything. I can’t change people’s whole mentality, thier mind-set, their view point with just a single blog. Even if this reaches a thousand people, even if a person with that sick mentality reads it and grasps even just a bit of knowledge from it, then too, then too this will never be enough. That person will even forget someday that this blog ever existed and will stick to his own thought process.

Even after all the ‘buts’, I still hope that maybe one day, this world will be a better place, that one day, people will be fearless and that one day, every girl, every boy, each and every person on this earth will be safe, will be at peace.