The Cop on the Slut Walk.

                   I am the clichéd guy next door. I am the friend who eats 'bhajia' with you at the 'nukkad' and cracks pathetic jokes to make you giggle. I am the tired colleague who drops you home at mid-night and says "It's OK" to your worried parents. I am the lost guy at the pub, wondering if you will let me buy you a drink tonight. I am also the brother for whom 'Rakshbandhan' has translated into a daily affair. I am not all of these at one go, for that will make for some serious desi-swear-word in our lingo (Remember, the friend with pathetic jokes?)
                   Today, I thought it was extremely important me to make myself heard for I, in my various avatars, seem to to be the only unheard voice in the wake of the events over the last few weeks and the din of the self-appointed gate-keepers of morality. I hope for a day when a lady can slip into a mini-skirt and moon-walk from Chembur to Dadar, Connaught Place to Geeta Colony at 12 in the night (maybe in flats, not heels, it's quite a walk). The present reality however, is overwhelming.

Reality Check #1 - The Medieval Cop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqlz0795gUg

             After sky-rocketing rape statistics, this Tehalka expose on the cops is the last straw. This mindset bears an uncanny resemblance to the ‘Khap panchayat’, even the nomadic era on occasions. Swanky Police websites are a semblance; in the stations they might be polishing their stone-age weapons and misogyny against the edges of their worn-out egos. 
             Mr. B.K. Gupta - Are you listening Sir? iPhones and tablets upgrade at a faster pace. Please induct fresh minds, and retrain, rewire and remove the outdated ones.

Reality Check #2 - The New-Age 'Neta'

             The tech-savvy 'Neta', on the contrary, is armed with the latest technology has to offer, except for the fact that MPs use iPads to relish porn in the middle of an assembly session. Even, women and child development minister, for gods' sake! I understand your hesitation in being a part of the most important nation-building exercise in the assembly, but how about some jazz or cooking show to impress your spouses in the evening?

            Blaming anyone is an exercise in futility- We are the ones guilty of electing the debauchers to parliament. Jago re!

Reality Check #3 – Un-safety in Numbers

            Numbers from Dehli - It accounts for 24% of total rape cases, 40% of reported kidnapping in the 35-Mega-Indian-City poll. Polls reveal 66% of it's women were molested between 2-5 times in 2010, 70% men looked the other way, as it transpired. This, after boasting a police strength of almost 80,000, twice Bombay's. Wait a minute, isn't this the national capital of India too? Yes, perhaps, the last thing that comes to your mind off late, if at all.

             Guys - The biggest shame of all - 70% of us looked the other way! Were you one of them? The cop comes second, it's us who walk every street, take every bus - We can turn around things more than anyone else.

Reality Check #4 - Was she asking for it?

              India exists in strange paradoxes. The contemporary and the classical co-exist side-by-side, at times too close for comfort. And then there is the majority in the middle- the confused - who seem to look down upon women from the west as "fair game", thanks to their portrayal in our jingoistic cinema and culture. No prizes for guessing, the Indian 'minions of the west', too, are treated the same way. Unfortunately, "She was asking for it" has become the most erroneous perception after the fallacious 'romantic' notion of 'eve-teasing'.

               Dear Mr. 'Eve teaser', if she wants to ask for it, she will ask for it. Please make yourself human enough to give yourself a little chance you are the one she asks.

Reality Check #5 - What's in a name?

               I am a big fan of satire. Not everyone is, certainly not in our nation. The sarcasm of 'Slutwalk' makes immediate sense in the west, not in our sub-continent. It makes for big headlines and great news-bytes but skews the message.

               The Muthalik's have been successful in digressing focus from the cause of  "A woman's right to dress up as she wants" to a non-issue of "The name is a crusade against Indian ethos". It makes for a great rebellion against the masses rather than their sensitization to your point of view. How about a name more in the line of a witty posture held out by one of the jubilant participants, quipping "It's a dress, not a yes"?