Delhi vs Mumbai: Taking it too far

I've been looking forward to writing this article for quite some time now but somehow couldn't get a chance to do it because I was pre-occupied with my academic endeavours. The debate over "Delhi Vs Mumbai- Which is the better city?" is hardly new. Over the years, many bloggers and vloggers have painstakingly tried to prove that theirs is the better city. From the food to the local markets to the  crowd of the city, nothing seems to have been spared for juxtaposition of the two. It is all in good spirit up until it gets distasteful and nasty. Pushing it too far by hurling insults at each other, pointing fingers, using expletives in an effort to establish the supremacy of their city has made it all look ugly.

This ego battle seems never-ending. When people sit around to wrangle over which rape was less atrocious, rather than solving the issue it adds to the agony of the people and makes the environment more dangerous for the rape victims. The 16th December, 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case which was reckoned an eye opener for the country was blown out of proportion by the media (gruesome rapes happened before 2012 too) and it captured the attention of many since it became a national issue with youth coming down on the streets and protesting in large numbers. This was seen as a national awakening by the people of the country. This movement became highly sensitised and people got so immersed in the issue that they forgot something. Rape is a crime. It has nothing to do with a sudden moment of awakening. A hue and cry in media over a rape case for a week won't deter rapes. A protest on streets against rapes will not stop rape just like protest against murders will not stop homicide. Yes, it can make police work more efficiently for a while, force law to work faster but at the end it can't alter the mind of a rapist. The mind of a criminal can't change overnight. There's a desperate need to educate young minds to be better humans.

Rapes happen everywhere and associating a particular crime with one city and more precisely giving it the tag of "Rape Capital" won't make other cites look better. It's equivalent to saying Delhi is the only place in world where rapes happen. How many Mumbaikars experienced disappointment and devastation over the news that a 22 year old photo-journalist was gang-raped in broad daylight in Shakti Mills compound in 2013? The same Mumbaikars that were mourning for Nirbhaya forgot to take up the cause of the Shakti mills gangrape victim in August 2013. Subsequently, it was suppressed with a counter trend of #DelhiGangRape just because the rape happened in Mumbai and it was giving a bad image to the city. Can you imagine people comparing an 8 month old rape case in a different city with the one crime committed in their own city. Does it mean that all that sympathy and anger caused due to Nirbhaya gang rape was fake just because some people wanted Delhi to look reprehensible. If your ways of protest against rape change with the city, then it's high time that you smell the coffee and introspect your own selective vocalism. Looking down upon the people of a city like they are criminals would cause more hatred among the people who are not related to a crime whatsoever. It is ironical that they are using "Rape cases" to win a slug fest contest over which city ranks higher on the morality scale. Are these people any less neanderthal than the politicians who blame rapes on the attire of the victim, chowmein and all sorts of guff. Politics and regionalism will only fizzle the movement against rapes in the country. After all, they share the same regressive ideology. People who propagate hate campaigns, not missing an opportunity to splash mud on the other, will not get far with this and will end up looking witless.

According to NCRB data, there has been a gradual increase in the number of rape cases reported in India- from 24,923 in 2012 to 33,707 in 2013. Despite several protests after the Nirbhaya incident in New Delhi, the national capital continues to be an unsafe city. The number of rape cases in Dehi have almost doubled from 585 in 2012 to 1,441 in 2013. Delhi is followed by Mumbai (391), Jaipur (192) and Pune (171) among the top unsafe cities in the country. The recent Uber cab rape case in Delhi has taught no lessons. Instead of making others feel like criminals and taking jibes at people, try bringing change by educating people regarding serious crime like rape. Taking to the streets with candles after the rape won't ignite dullard minds. Sitting on your couch in front of a TV for a view of the outside world is scarcely utilitarian and will do nothing to change the world. What are you doing to keep your city safe, clean and peaceful?

The hate is easy, love takes courage.