The horrific gang rape of the young woman in Delhi has outraged all of us even as it has revealed our national fault lines and ugliness. It would be appropriate that the prosperous sections of our society do not usher in the New Year with parties and revelry.
Instead, at the stroke of midnight, as this year turns, all of us should introspect on what we have become as a society and as a country and the way women and the poor are treated.
This would be one way to demonstrate that the outpouring of emotion we have seen has real meaning and is not merely a passing phenomenon. Will the rich and the powerful donate the money they would have spent on their New Year celebrations to the cause of deprived girls? Will they pledge to work to make India a more equal society? Only then would they indicate that they really care for the brave young girl who is fighting for her life, and the policeman who lost his during the protests.
Will the political class, business leaders, artists, actors and all prominent people consider endorsing this suggestion?
Vivek Katju,New Delhi
