In search of Freedom

Sandhya was briskly walking unmindful of surroundings. It was getting dark, and she missed the last bus from her village to the Hyderabad city. She was walking through the fields, taking a short route to the taluka headquarters, about three kilometers away from the village. From there she could catch a bus to Hyderabad. The frequency of buses from there was more and buses were available till midnight.

She was engrossed in deep thoughts and was going through the incidence that took place in the afternoon again and again. The reminder of the incidence made her furious. She was trying to channelize her anger into determination. Her husband, in an inebriated state, had physically assaulted her in front of the entire village and threw her out of his home which she thought belonged to her too. She was completely shattered.

 Four years ago, when she got married, her husband did not have the drinking habit. He was taking care of agriculture in his 5 acres of land and made good money and she was happy in her marriage. For her the fact that they had five acres of land was thrilling. In the city she along with her parents lived in a small two room house in a slum. Her husband married her because she was good looking and educated. He was very indulging and took pride in her education and would allow her to tutor the children in the village. As her started getting good money his ways changed. Over the time he got into addiction, which is common in that region and started neglecting his work and abusing his wife.

Today was the height of his abusive behavior, he beat her for no reason and said,” get out of my house and don’t ever show your face to me. You are unlucky for me.” So, saying, he shut her out of their home, in front of the neighbors and other villagers. Her self-respect took a beating and after careful thinking,

The village respected her and loved her. They tried to intervene but to no avail. she decided to go to her parents in Hyderabad.” I may not get a great job, but definitely with 10+2 qualification, I should be able to get a small job. It is better than suffering in the hands of this drunkard,” she thought, as her pride and self-respect were bruised. She regretted that she did not continue her education though she was meritorious, and let her parents get her married.

She was halfway through, to reach her destination when her thoughts were interrupted, and she could sense the presence of man walking behind her. She was relieved to see a human being as she was alone in the darkness and at the same time, she was afraid of him too, as she herself can be a target for him. As he approached her, he too noticed her presence. He did not bother to greet or talk to her but continued to walk. She could make out that he was also engrossed in his own thoughts like her and found out that he too was going to Hyderabad and his name was Ramulu and instinctively knew that she was safe. She had many questions in her mind but thought not to get inquisitive, in her own interest.

Both reached the destination, and it was half past nine. The bus was to come by 10.00 PM. She bought her ticket and ate something in the nearby canteen. They both boarded the bus, which was very empty except for four men who appeared to be drunk and were boisterous. They assumed that the two of them were together and started misbehaving and talking in abusive language and targeting both of them. Initially they both did not react to their instigating talk and simply ignored them. The four men were expecting that Ramulu was carrying some money. Indeed, it was true, and Ramulu was going to Hyderabad with 2 lakh rupees. His mother was undergoing treatment in a hospital in Hyderabad, and he sold a piece of his land and taking the money to the city.

But as the behavior was getting intolerable and they tried to who be physical with Sandhya, the driver stopped the bus and came to the men were trying to pick up a quarrel with Ramulu. These buses did not have a conductor as the driver himself would issue the tickets. Finally, Ramulu got provoked, and started beating the guys along with the support from the driver. Sandhya also got defensive and attacked the fellow who was trying to molest her, with the rod she could find in the bus and critically injured him. By the time the Driver, Ramulu and Sandhya brought things under control, police arrived and arrested the four culprits. The incidence got good coverage in the newspapers and TV channels also, which sensationalized it to the extent possible. For them, the angle of abuse and molestation of Sandhya was sensational and therefore they highlighted that angle extensively and relegated the aggression on Ramulu and the Driver to the background.

They were again and again quoting Gandhiji who said, "The day a woman can truly walk free on the road at night, that day we can say India has achieved true independence". On the backdrop of above incidence, few legitimate questions that should come to our mind are, are even men absolutely safe and independent? Do they enjoy the freedom to walk anywhere anytime? It is always an equation between the predator and the prey. Whoever is stronger, will control the situation. Even men are vulnerable.

In this incidence Sandhya was equally strong and fearless and could fight away her predators. What about her husband who was perpetuator of injustice against her and drove her out into the streets into the vulnerable situation? Are the homes even safe for some of our women who are subjected to domestic violence and their freedom is curtailed and compromised?

In the final analysis, men who have values will adhere to them and behave consistently, wherever they are. Some people’s behavior is situational, and they may appear civil but the beast within comes out at opportune time and become predators. Both men or women fall prey to predators as long as they are physically and mentally weak. This is basic human behavior and true in any country. Even countries where the law is extremely stringent, are not totally free of crime. Finally, it is the value system and culture of entire society, just not individual families, has to respect and uphold the freedom, to be anywhere near the kind of freedom that Gandhiji desired. For me even men should be included as beneficiaries of this absolute independence/ freedom.

P.S. : Several NGOs and women’s help groups tried to intervene to save Sandhya’s marriage and her husband himself regretted his behavior and tried to get Sandhya back, she refused. She was determined to be at least financially independent and took up a small job. It was only a beginning as she continued her studies and cleared for IPS. She preferred IPS over IAS and progressed in her life as per her free will. For her and many others like her, freedom means making choices in life and to be able to follow their heart and mind to attain fulfilment in life.