Are women better drivers?

 

 

         In a year, around 36,000 accidents occur in Kerala.

         Statistics in Kerala show that of these traffic accidents, 98% are caused by male drivers. Does it mean 2% are caused by women? NO, in 2% accidents, the drivers are not known. They are hit & run cases!

         Statistics also show that of the total 75 lakh licence holders in the State, only 16% are women and of the 86 lakh registered vehicles, only 9% are owned by women!       

         From the 1.2 lakh women drivers, no one has caused an accident! So, it is safe to assume that women are better drivers than men?

         It is found that women drivers are

1. more cautious, they are not rash

2. do not over-speed

3. obey traffic rules and fear violations

4. do not drink & drive

5. often wear seat belts

       

        However, almost 40% women fail the driving test in the first trial while over 80% men pass their first tests! Why is that? Are women are more scared at the time of testing their driving skills? Also, women take more time to park their vehicles, do not like putting on loud music while driving and hardly ever increase speed beyond 80 km/hr. Men are confident of themselves and in a society where women are perceived as the weaker sex, women drivers are scorned by men. In fact, I have heard it from male drivers several scoffing remarks about women drivers. 

       Whenever a car is slow and my vehicle get stuck behind it, my husband says without fail- "That car at the front? I bet the driver is a woman," much to my chagrin! When I drive, I get a lot of stares and even some dirty comments. If a car driven by women take some time to move after the traffic signal has turned green, then she is scared off with deafening horns from the cars behind her, of course from male drivers. I have seen women two wheelers put to much trouble by men. I once saw a lady in a scooter, scared out of her senses by a man in a bullet who intentionally overtook her through the extreme left, quite close to he. He intentionally swerved the bullet to frighten the lady. She too swerved to avoid collision, slid and fell. When someone pulled her up from underneath her scooter, she went into tremors and vomitted. The cruel man who did this had vanished by then. The injuries on the lady were small, but I heard her swear, "Oh, my husband tells me not to drive this, I'll never do it again!"

         When I was in college, a smart girl used to come in a scooty to college. We admired her quite a lot. One day, she was covered in soot when she reached the college. She went straight to the toilet to clean up. When she came back very wet, I asked her what happed. She told me with a smile- "My neighbour, a boy stdying in engineering college thre cow dung at me!" I was shocked. "Why?" I asked. She replied- "Oh, jealousy. He does not have a vehicle and has to go in a bus to college every day! He tried to hide after he threw dung at me, but I saw him." I feared she may stop riding her scooty from that day. But the next day morning, I saw her riding merrily inside the gate of Women's College with a bigger bag than usual. "Now I pack up an extra pair of dress, you know!" she explained with a wink. 

         I wish women in Kerala had half her spirit!

 

Being Religious

Being Religious

              From childhood, I have been groomed by my parents to be religious. Lighting lamp at Puja room every day at dusk and saying loud prayers were compulsory. My parents, my sisters and brother are very religious, and so was I till yesterday.

              So…what happened yesterday?

              Two horrible experiences made me retrospect and I realized something at the age of 53- that you don’t have to go to temples for God’s blessings. First experience was my first visit to Sabarimala. As SP in Pathamthitta District in 1995-96, two Sabarimala seasons passed peacefully with no major accidents or incidents. A lady District Collector had gone beyond Pampa saying it was on official duty which the devotees objected vigorously that time. So, as SP I too thought of traversing beyond Pampa to carry out my official responsibilities, which the High Court objected and denied me permission. I still remember Justice Smt Usha calling me to her and asking me- “are you very particular to go to Sabarimala?” and me replying- “Madam, to carry out my duties…” which she interrupted and said, “Don’t worry, we are posting a Special Officer in Sannidhanam from this year onwards. You just remotely control him from Pampa.” That day, the feminist in me took a decision that I’ll never go to Sabarimala in my life since Lord Ayyappa is, appears or proclaimed as anti-woman. But I reversed this decision this year when my 80 year old mother insisted that she wants to go one last time to Sabarimala. My father climbed the holy hill more than 40 times and was an ardent devotee. My mother went six times and desired for her seventh visit. She weeps with emotion when she talks of her last visits and often says that when leaving Sabarimala she feels like leaving her child alone in the wild forest.

              The Motor Vehicle Department has started Safe Zone Project in Sabarimala 5 years back. This year we extended it to 300 kilometers to help the pilgrims and to provide ease in traffic. The 70 patrols and 500 officers are on continuous duty since 14^th November. As head of Department, I went for the inauguration of Safe Zone in Elavunkal near Pampa. My mother tagged along wanting to see Ayyappa. She was on a strict vegan diet with plans to climb the hill for a month. I, being a vegetarian had to take no special ‘Vritham’. I obliged my mother and decided to climb the hill for the first time. My officers made a lot of arrangements for me and the police officers on duty were kind enough to help. So, after the inaugural function, I went to Pampa, did the preliminary puja of ‘irumudi kettu’ and took my mother up the hill. She went in a doli, I walked. It was 7 pm by the time we reached Sannidhanam. Without halting anywhere, we climbed the 18 holy steps, had a good darshan and retired to the room given to me.

              Next day at 5 am, we again went to the temple for darshan and immediately climbed down. Back in Trivandrum, the first news which greeted me was that my visit to Sabarimala was made into a controversy by the media! One newspaper wrote for 6 days continuously that Police stopped the other pilgrims and made special arrangements for me and my family members to climb the 18 steps. News went on saying ADGP will enquire, Minister will enquire, action will be taken, pilgrims were put to misery, Sreelekha abused her official positions etc, etc. A picture was also given which even I fail to decipher as me or my mother climbing the steps. Another media declared that only women above 60 (!) could go beyond Pampa and I violated the rule. This went on, putting my poor mother in distress. As usual, media’s mud-slinging went on with their hidden agendas, whatever they are, to peter out in due course. Anyway, this made me decide NEVER to go to Sabarimala again.

              The second incident happened very recently in Guruvayur. I went to the famous temple during one of my official visits to Thrissur and had to come back without seeing Guruvayurappan. I asked my officers and the Police Department for help in darshan since it was Sunday and the temple is overcrowded on Sundays with over 100 wedding ceremonies. I waited for someone to come for more than 30 minutes. I saw several known persons, in service & retired officers going in, accompanied by policemen wearing their blue shawls over the dhoti. I tried to go in without help, but it would have taken me minimum 2 hours for a short darshan standing in the queue. I called several people with pleas for help, no response! I asked Guruvayurappan what to do. He told me, “Why did you come here in the first place? Fool, I am not just here, I am everywhere. Just see me in your mind and pray. And don’t ever come here again!” I went back, weeping tears of joy. A great lesson was learnt! No VIP darshan, no controversies, no targeted media attacks! I prayed to the smiling Unnikrishnan who stood mischievously within my mind all my way back.

              I still believe in the power of God. I still pray a lot. In fact, every day. But if being religious means going to famous temples, then I stopped being religious. No more Guruvayur, Thiruppathi, Palani or Attukaal. God is omnipresent, omnipotent. Do good, be good and abide by whatever you think is correct and good for yourself and others. Then God will be there right next to you, helping you, guiding you and blessing you!

Thank you, Ayyappa…. Thank you Guruvayurappa…!!!!

Blood on the Roads

          ‘Three boys, all of them below the age of 15 died when the bike they drove hit against a lorry in Kasargod. The bike belonged to one of the boy’s father. None of the boys had helmet.’

‘An autoriksha with 5 passengers crashed with a bus killing six people, including the driver and an infant.’

‘A reckless, over-speeding private bus hit two ladies who crossed the road, killing them both.’

These are daily occurrences. Statistics show that in a year, an average of 4200 people die in road accidents in our State. This is eleven times the number of people who gets murdered in the State! Deaths due to road accidents are the most purposeless, the most meaningless. Neither the person who cause it nor the one who is victim to it are responsible for the loss of a precious life. One of the first cases I investigated as ASP under training in Kottayam District was that of the death of a 9 year old girl who was sent from her home to buy a packet of milk. The sight of the broken milk packet mixed with the crimson of her blood, the mangled young body and the twisted, lifeless face still remain in my memory. The old driver of the rogue car told me that he was driving the vehicle since the previous night, so he was tired. The child was on the extreme right of the footpath, she obeyed all the traffic rules, the driver never intended the accident to happen- yet a promising life was untimely put to end!

          Kerala stands quite high among the States with the maximum number of road accidents and deaths. This is not surprising, since there are over 86 lakh registered vehicles in this State, which is over double the total number of buildings in Kerala. What is the cause of such large number of accident deaths? Is this due to ignorance of rules and laws? Not at all, all the drivers and commuters in the State are highly literate, read newspapers avidly and know all the rules and regulations. All of us know that if a helmetless two wheeler rider gets into an accident, the chances of head injury and death becomes 80% high than had he worn helmet. We also know that the rate of casualty is directly proportionate to the speed of the vehicle and seat-belt could have saved the life of Minister Sri. Gopinath Munde. But many still go helmetless, refuse to wear seat-belt or reduce speed. On the road, people are generally unmindful of other’s needs and care only about themselves.

 The egos of mallus are, we know, sky high. We want to reach our destination at the shortest possible time, with the least hassles and queues. We always think that the vehicles on the other side move faster than in our side. Why? Because we are impatient, we want to go first, even the ambulances or others in emergency can wait! Have you seen the other cars speeding just after an ambulance? They are not relatives of the patient inside the ambulance, just an opportunist driver who wants to jump the traffic queue.

 We hardly notice it when our vehicles move and when roads are free. But if there is a block, we lose patience fast and tend to get irritated. We think the road is there just for us and others have no right to be there. We feel it is OK to overtake from the left side, to over speed and to drive an unfit vehicle in the most dangerous way. We hate it if someone else sound the horn, but we do it more often than needed. Three wheeler and two wheeler drivers have special status and privileges on the roads. Their utter hatred of bigger vehicles is quite visible on the roads. Male drivers can not tolerate women who drive, old detest young drivers. On the other hand, youngsters harass mature drivers by showing their competitive spirit on the roads. Such is the state of affairs here, among us! So many times have I wished for the people of the road to consider the others on the road too. Elderly women may stand on one side of the zebra crossing for hours for a kind-hearted driver to stop their car and allow them to cross the road. If at all the women enter the line to cross, deafening horns from speeding cars will scare them away!

When can we hope to have a new culture on the road? Where drivers respect the others on the road, have concern for pedestrians, allow another vehicle to over take or go in front, follow all the regulations and rules and reach where their destination safe, sound and happy? When are the drivers going to realize that rash and negligent driving is going to take them to a place from where they can never return? Studies show that driving 300 kilometers at 80 km/hr or less will actually save time other than petrol/diesel, engine oil, the vehicle and lives on the road. Also, if speed is increased to 100 km/hr, then the time saved will be just 10 minutes, but the damage top the vehicle and environment is much more.

There will not be a single spot of National/State highway in Kerala which had not been smeared in blood. In every house, there will be someone- either relative or friend whose life was wasted away on the roads. As Superintendent of Police, Alappuzha, I witnessed a mass casualty when a bus carrying over 30 persons was rammed by an express train at an unmanned level cross, killing all its passengers. I still feel the angst of seeing the body of that 2 year old boy among other bodies lined up for inquest, whom I carried in my arms who to the hospital hoping to save at least one life. I remember that I felt warmth on his tiny body, I felt him move against me! His death- all those deaths on the roads are so meaningless. So purposeless!

This earth is beautiful. Life on this earth is even more so. We should allow everyone to live this God given life to the fullest, enjoying each moment, each day. We should not allow anyone who has not completed 18 years to take out a vehicle or drive it. We should always wear helmet while riding two wheelers and insist others to wear it too. I entreat the ladies not to go with a man in a two wheeler if he does not wear helmet or fasten seatbelt. We should limit the speed of the vehicle to below its allowable limit, never use phones while driving, never drink before taking the wheels. We should dim the lights for other vehicles after sunset and respect pedestrians on the road, especially on zebra crossings. When tired or sleepy while driving, take your vehicle to the side of the road, switch off the engine and sleep. Or go to a nearby shop and drink/eat something. Let us not be overconfident that nothing will happen to us because we are experts in driving because what happens to you may not be dependent on your driving skills alone.

Let us join hands to make our roads safe. Let us bring in a new culture on the roads, let us stop this blood flow on our roads!

Enemies

Enemies?

It is not easy being a woman in a masculine world. It is doubly difficult if you are successful. It was seen previously too that my achievements, however small it be,  make officers within the Department jealous and they try to sling mud at me in public. 

Yes, officers within the Police Department. Media is the biggest source through which they can do this. As SP CBI, through the media, they tried to make me a terrorist who forced an immigration officer to transport a criminal with no documents/forged documents outside the Country... after my successful stint as IG of a Range, they linked my name with a self-made-Godman and a pedophile whom I had not set eyes on till date, casting aspersions that I tried to save him from crime cases.... as IG Crime Branch it was unautherised foreign trip & tussle with another IPS officer that was highlighted....as ADG Vigilance, it was stray dog support and as ADG SS&T, my husband using Police car to go to hospital which the media gave as exclusive stories....!

As Transport Commissioner, it is now misuse of official vehicle for personal purposes and making policemen carry out slave work (Adima pani) !!!!

Lies are told with such convictions in typical media newscast-style with pictures & videos with intention to hurt me & ruin my reputation. To those who see it, it may seem like truths. It used to hurt me because those who watch it circulate it on you tube to others and gives it more importance than needed. They get a high from it and feel that- oh, see?... didn't I tell you?... she is also corrupt like the most corrupt. She is no saint, she will be suspended from service.. action will have to be taken against her now...she will now face the music..! 

This is exactly what the enemies want. Tarnish reputation. And oh, they want me to be hurt too. Thinking both these purposes are served, they are happy. 

Why do they do it?

Enemies- They get some kick out of it. They always do since the past 28 years. They know nothing will come out of it against me. That there is no grounds for Government or Department to take any action. If there are valid allegations, then media is not the people they will lean to, to hurt me, they can give a coplaint to the Government, Courts, Minister or to the DGP . They have no proof or evidence for giving written complaints, so they depend on the media to tell lies about me so that their secret pleasures could be pampered. They record it, take press cuttings, circulate & make merry for some time. When people find out that there was no truth in them, then they wait for the next occasion.

Media- There is a lot of competition among media for exclusive stories. Stories about IPS/IAS officers have good market, especially if it is a woman officer. If senior police officers tell them a story, they will swallow it whole. If some clippings/video or a bit of paper can be given as the "so called evidence" then they will telecast/ print the gossip. Friends from the media often tell me that they entertain police officers to give them juicy gossips which has public appeal. Added to the juicy gossip, if some "refreshments" are also given, then any lie can get media coverage.

The truth. About the recent Indiavision news. I went to Parassala Joint RTO office  officially, in my official car and came to know of a farm nearby which sell lawn grass. On my way back in the evening, I took a small detour & visited this garden planning to purchase plants for the garden of my new house which has been completed recently. Since I didn't know the way, I requested the local police station to give directions. They piloted my car for less than 500 meters. After making a few purchases, I came back. A week later, Indiavision showed an exclusive news throughout the day that I misused my official car for private purposes and showed amateur clippings of me standing at the garden, some policemen in uniform carrying something to my car and a picture of my dog sitting inside a car. This was mixed clippings taken at various times. I had no dog in car when I visited that garden. I did not make nor see any police officer in uniform carry anything for me to my car, since there were staff at that farm to do it. Besides, I purchased just few saplings and some manure which didn't require any heavy carrying. I just ignored that news.

Two weeks later, when I was in Ernakulam attending the Police- Cyber Conference- Cocon, my personal security posted at my camp office called me over phone and said that while they shifted a sewing machine of the tailor I hired for sofa upholstery & curtain for the new house, India vision people were filming it on camera. When he asked them what they were doing, they fled. He further said that he summoned a police jeep for shifting this sewing machine since the trip was for less than 50 meters. I didn't know about his calling the police jeep & had not given permission for it too. Still, after I got back, I paid money for trip used for personal purposes at the treasury. An officer can use departmental vehicles for personal purposes after paying the charges for it at the Treasury and each time I use it for private purpose, I pay for it at the end of the month.

On the day of house warming- exactly at the time the milk was put on fire for the function, Indiavision started their exclusive news of my new house, how official vehicles were misused, how policemen were made to do slavery and of a policeman showing obscene gesture at the cameraman (picture excluded, since he just asked what they were doing!) This went on till 7 pm or so every half an hour in the channel.

1. How can an officer in Ernakulam make policemen do slavery in Trivandrum?

2. Why would a police-slave of an ADGP showed obscene gestures at cameraman? 

3. The pictures showed my tailor whom I hired carrying a sewing machine inside, helped by my personal security and of a gardener taking out some grass from the back of a car dickey. 

I did not see this news that day, but saw it on you tube later. It was quite a silly news. The first news of Indiavision when I saw it, I joked at my pet dog Toffee that she too became a TV star. This time, I found that they have made some awesome pictures and videos of my house, I never realised it looked so beautiful from outside! So, both times, I saw the positives first although the intention of my enemies was to hurt me. Strangely enough, both the Indiavision news failed to hurt me. Neither did the manorama news which showed my husband taking a lift in my official car to Medical College. That was silly too. After having worked in Anti-corruption agencies & CBI for over 10 years in my career, I know what corruption is. After working in Police Dept for 28 years, I know what jealousy is! I just fail to understand the thrill & kick that my enemies get through such cheap deeds that they carry out. I also fail to understand why the public believe in all that the media people show as "big" gossippy news. 

I wrote this since my friends asked me if I have anything to talk about the Indiavision news. Actually, I don't. This blog is not an explanation or my side of the story. I know my enemies. Their names, their identity, why they do it and when they will stop doing it. It is not just worth talking about it. I have better things to do for the public, for the Government, for my family & for me than bother about all these trivia.

So, enemies, keep doing it. You are welcome! Follow me, stalk me, take pictures, videos and tell all the lies and stories you want. I have nothing to hide, so I have no fears. Thanks for making Toffee a TV star & for giving publicity to the world that I have moved in to my new house "Samruddhi" at last! Now I have an address to boast of!

Nirbhaya Kerala

Nirbhaya Keralam Project- What is it?

Chandra Gupta Maurya was one of the best Kings that India has ever seen. His trusted minister Koutilya aka Chanakya refused to accept this and was known to have told him- "As long as women in this Kingdom fear to walk the streets alone during the night time, I will never acknowledge you as a good king!" Centuries after this age too, women still fear to walk alone after the sunset. Can we do anything to change this? Anything to make the women fearless?

On 15th of February, a new Project for Kerala Police was inaugurated in Kochi, called Nirbhaya Keralam, Surakshita Keralam. The purpose of this program is to make the women of the State safe and secure from all kinds of sexual and physical harassment. Due to the Lok Sabha Elections, the project has not yet been launched, but a pilot project will be functioning very soon in Ernakulam District.

The first step of this Project is to recruit from each Panchayat/Village, 10 ladies as Nirbhaya Volunteers. They will be provided two sets of Uniforms- Blue salwar suits, ID cards, Badges and bags for carrying out their duties. They will be attached to the Police Stations and will function in close co-ordination with Police Officers to detect Human Trafficking, domestic violence, sexual and other harassment to women in their designated area. 

Nirbhaya Volunteers will carry out a survey among the women at houses and places where they work to map out areas where sexual crimes are more rampant. Women and children may not speak openly with police officers, but they will open out to other women. This is the reason why Volunteers are employed to collect the data. Houses in an area where illegal sales of liquor or narcotic drugs are rampant will have more instances of violence against women and children. Hence, those houses will be closely covered under the Nirbhaya scheme. Instances of unreported molestation against women & children would be brought to the notice of police authorities for taking appropriate legal action/counseling.

Next step is creation of awareness in schools/colleges. Nirbhaya girl's clubs and gentlemen boys clubs will be launched in educational institutions to create awareness about the various legal protection in force for the safety of women and children, to teach self defense techniques and to make boys respect women.

In work places and factories, steps will be taken under this scheme to enforce the conditions envisaged under the Sexual Harassment at Work Places (Prevention) Act 2013 and to protect women who work during the night time. Safe travel plan for women, women friendly transportation, Nirbhaya roads which are well lit and under CCTV surveillance, applications which are connected to and monitored by the control rooms will also be available to help working women.

The last step is to provide safety for women in public places and public conveyances. Technology and policing will be widely used to provide safety for women in trains, buses, cars, two-wheelers, waiting places, ATMs, theatres, shopping malls, market areas and the streets.

The task will be challenging, but worth a try. Massive support from the public and Government will be required to make Nirbhaya Keralam a success. As the Nodal Officer of the State for implementing this onerous task, wish me all the best! Please???

Humiliating experience at Malabar Gold, Trivandrum!!

Last Saturday evening, I went to Malabar Gold, for the first time, to buy a wedding gift for a close family friend's son. The first question the so called customer relations manager asked on seeing me was "did you come to buy or sell?". I was shocked. I asked her if that was the standard question they asked everyone and whether many women coming alone go there to sell gold than buy. I identified myself as a cop and she agreed to help me buy a ring or a pendent as gift. After seating me at a chair, she left, I thought, to get someone to help me.
Then a young sales man came and asked me what I wanted. I repeated my requirement. He responded- " Are you alone? Did you come alone?" In malayalam, the question ""Ottakkano vannathu?"" sounded quite rude. I got up from the chair and asked if they do not sell gold to women who go there alone. He smiled and again asked, ""Alla, ottakke ollo, atho aareyengilum kaathu irikkuvaano enna chodichathu""
Does it sound like gender discrimination? It did, to me. Apparently, that guy is anti-woman & the shop in general is not customer friendly. Not many people were there too. Result? I walked out, went to Josco and purchased the gift!
I called the Director of that shop, Mr. Yasser, who once came to my house and invited me to the shop at the time of its opening. He did not even apologize after I told him about the incident! He just said, it is surprising that it happened, as if I cooked up the story!
I just shared this experience to warn my dear lady friends and relatives of the fairer sex not to go to Malabar Gold alone!!!

Where the Mind is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear..

            Is Kerala the most insecure State in the Country for women? Yes, said a recent survey conducted by a private research organization and telecast through a prominent channel. 73% of women in Kerala opined to them that they do not feel safe in Kerala! Is it just a feeling or are they really unsafe? Who and what do they fear?

            Is it the truth? What were the criteria for the survey? Were women across the State from various social and economic backgrounds and from different age groups questioned? Is Kerala even worse than Delhi, Haryana, UP and West Bengal? In the channel discussion, a senior journalist admitted that he was not surprised that this is so since young women journalists often request him to post them anywhere but Kerala!

Most of the local newspapers seem to have accepted this as a well known fact and have not heeded much attention to this survey, save one, which interviewed a few women and reiterated that women should not dare to walk in dark (darkness of ignorance or after dusk?) in Kerala. Unfortunately no police officer was asked for comments by this particular newspaper and the report was published rather unimportantly in the city pages.     

            As the Nodal Officer of Nirbhaya Keralam Project, the main aim of which is to remove all sorts of fear from women and children, I asked a few ladies what makes them feel insecure. A majority said that it was the attitude of men and the social breeding they are subjected to from childhood onwards at home, educational institution and at work place that make them feel scared of men. Some women said that roads and lanes with no street lights are very scary after sunset. A few responded that lack of visibility of uniformed police men and women in public places make them feel unsafe. Univocally, all agreed that the insecurity they felt was due to unwelcome sexual advances by men.

Is it right to say that if 73% of women feel insecure then at least 50% of men are responsible for it? What could be the reason for this sex-starved behaviour by men? Gender discrimination starts at home, where boys are considered superior to girls by their parents and are given preferential treatment and more freedom. Girls are taught to be meek, shy and humble from a very young age by the elders at home and even by the teachers in school. Kerala may be the only State where girls and boys are segregated into different compartments from childhood to old age. Go to a school or a college, you will see the boys seated on one side and girls on the other- in the classrooms and also in the auditorium where functions are held. Go to a public function, any public function, and you will see men clustering on the right side and women on the left. If any woman dares to sit on the side of men due to lack of seats on the left side of the hall, she will be viewed with disdain.  This unhealthy relationship between boys and girls breeds lack of respect of women in men. Since the victims fear the after-effects of responding to sexual harassment, most of the offences remain unreported and the perpetrators get encouraged to continue their bad behaviour.

Fear of the known have solutions, it is often fear of the unknown that pose complications and make women feel insecure. Several women approach me on a daily basis with their fears. Their problems are minor and easily solvable. Domestic violence, marital discord, eve teasing in public places, cheating by lovers and sometimes harassment at work places, all such problems have permanent legal solutions. But they do not need solutions through police intervention; they need a lot of advice. They will never give a written complaint or go to the concerned Police Stations to file complaints how much ever I coax them. They demand that I resort to the illegal method of calling the counter petitioner and settling the issue through warnings and threats.

‘What if?’ is a favourite phrase of women in distress. What if relatives come to know? What if I the counter petitioners get vindictive? What if family gets disrupted? What if legal system prolongs? What if there will be unwanted publicity? Convincing women to file complaints at the Police Stations is my biggest challenge.

Ignorance is not bliss, it is a big bane. Women will have to know the legal protection that is available to them and use it for their protection. I cannot blame them much since even the Police Officers are ignorant about the new additions and nuances of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 which has been enacted for protecting women from harassment as aftermath of 16^th December 2012 Nirbhaya incident in New Delhi. This new Act has made several new offences such as request for sexual favours, remarks having sexual colour and stalking, all of which are punishable up to 5 years. Peeping toms (voyeurism) will get up to seven years and men who pry into emails and digital media accounts of women will get up to five years imprisonment. Several new sections are added to section 376 (rape) and offence is made punishable for life or up to twenty years. Acid attacks are punishable up to 10 years and maximum penalty for trafficking of children is 14 years. Further, public servants disobeying law and not providing medical treatment to victims are punishable up to two years. This Act has also outlined the relief which the State has to give as a welfare measure to the victims of sexual crimes. Although this is a milestone Amendment to Indian Penal Code, many men consider it as too harsh and have reacted strongly against it, saying that women will misuse it.

Misuse? Hardly! Women do not even know how to use what is available for them. I have seen many women spend huge amounts to purchase household articles and electrical/electronic gadgets and keep them safe, wrapped away in cupboards for use at a better time. After several months, when they ultimately decide to use them, it will be unusable- rusted, outdated or moth eaten! Laws have the same nature. Dowry Prohibition Act is one such Act which is lying crumbled in a corner due to lack of use. Several provisions of Kerala Police Act 2011, especially section 119 dealing with punishment for atrocities against women are slowly getting rusted. Knowledge of law is a great thing to possess; it will boost up confidence in women. What use is that knowledge if it will not be used even in dire situations?

Implementation of the Nirbhaya Keralam Project will not be an easy task unless women are willing to shun the garbs of low self esteem and unfounded doubts. Creating awareness and educating women about legal protection available to them and basic rules of self defence also may not work in times of need. It was heartening to see a girl who is a karate star bravely fight and resist men who attempted to tease her last year in the capital city. Yet recently, another girl who had learnt karate in school could not protect herself from an attack by a molester inside a public transportation because she ‘froze’.  Reactions differ from people to people. Women generally tend not to react. They feel it is safe to keep mum when someone misbehaves with them or when they see another getting sexually harassed. Despite telling them to resist, respond and react, they consider it safe to withdraw inside their shells and shed silent tears!

A better option, I think will be to educate the men to be gentlemanly. An officer in the rank of Director General of Police has wisely suggested starting ‘Gentleman Boy’s Clubs’ in Schools and Colleges to educate boys to respect women and to be cordial to them. Government of Kerala has accepted this proposal as part of the Nirbhaya Scheme, soon to be implemented.

I implore the women of Kerala to awaken from their self imposed stupor and tread boldly into the realm esteem, free from abuse. ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high’, let us be! (Courtesy Rabindra Nath Tagore)