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'Peepli Live' co-director Mahmood Farooqi sentenced for seven years for assault on an American woman. Why are women of foreign origin often targeted?
‘Peepli Live’ co-director Mahmood Farooqui sentenced to seven years for assaulting an American woman. Women from other countries often experience harassment in India.
Social media is abuzz with news of ‘Peepli live’ co-director Mahmood Farooqui’s being sentenced to seven years in jail and a fine of Rs. 50,000 for the rape of an American woman, who was also his friend.
The 35 year old researcher and student of New York’s Colombia university was raped on 28 March 2015 when she was in the capital for research work on her doctoral thesis.
The many cases of female foreign nationals being assaulted, disreputes our country and defines it as a sexually violent hub. It is disheartening when we hear about acclaimed directors, who are educated, indulging in such crimes thereby sabotaging not only the country, but also tarnishing the industry they work for.
What does it say about us as a society, when the educated indulge in smutty crimes?
That foreign women are often targeted is not unfamiliar to us, as we come across news about them being harassed periodically. But why are they often targeted? Are they perceived differently by Indian men? Presumably a small section, classify women of foreign origin as being easy, morally deficient and readily available or perhaps they perceive the western culture differently.
It’s got to do with the deep rooted, stereotypical perceptions and values that their minds are ingrained with. It has to do with the chauvinistic, hegemonic and patriarchal mindsets and a difference in cultures.
While reading about a similar topic, I came across a link in Quora, in which a foreign woman national stated that she has experienced harassing in India however, the harassment came from uneducated men. She had no issues with men who were educated.
Another woman stated that the notion that foreign women are promiscuous is widespread among Indian men. She believed however that education played a major role when it came to men in India and that educated professionals and students are more cultured.
India is a hot tourist destination and millions of people from all over the world flock to our country as it is considered a tourist and spiritual hub with a rich unique culture and heritage.With the increasing number of sexual assaults on female tourists, the overall number of tourists coming to India would drastically decrease due to the fear of being sexually assaulted and eventually tourism and economy would be affected too.
Nonetheless, if the law takes stringent actions against the perpetrators akin to the Mahmood Farooqui’s case, perhaps then we would hear less atrocities that are taking place not only against women of foreign origin but against all women in general.
It would be commendable if we can create a safe and a friendly environment for women of foreign nationalities who come to India with great enthusiasm to explore its uniqueness.
Image Source: Youtube
Diana has worked as an Editor/Writer and Content Manager for various digital platforms and hopes that each word written in this space supports, motivates and inspires her readers in India or across seas. Besides read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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