The group of individuals sitting in front of the television at 8:30pm (mon-fri) having their remotes stuck into the famous Star Plus Mahabharat includes people from each strata, and each profession. Thus, when I am using “we”, my reference is to all of them not anyone is being singled out.
The moment we think about the great Indian epic Mahabharata, we cannot get rid of it without having a click on the character of Draupadi. Draupadi is the epitome of beauty, love splendour…. wait this is not the end.. infact she is also the perfect example of a father’s dejection and hatredness. She wore the immortal scarlett letter on her bosom ever without expecting a saviour like Dimmesdale. This was not the end… her end was marked with an unexpected rejection from her husbands. This not something new which I am talking about Draupadi…it’s all pre depicted with lot more emotions. But all my thoughts jolt down at one winding point. One question triggers my mind all the time.. WHO WAS DRAUPADI??? Can we even bet for her reality? We don’t even know how veracious her story is??? Still in a small corner of our heart we empathize with her. We show our concern and say that ..oh!!! she suffered a lot and she shouldn’t have. If we are so much moved by our concern for an epic character then why are we numb when it comes to reality? We are neither blind nor deaf. The freaking animosity of a ravisher doesn’t even distinguish between a 3yr old girl, a 25 yr old girl and a 40 yr woman. A three year old bud doesn’t even realise what happened to her. A girl is often being forced to shut her mouth out of the fear of embarrassment from society. And a woman..she is being trashed with derogatory language. Do our hearts beat that time too? Do we realise their pain, anguish and suffering? I would be the happiest person in this world if I could mould my lips to answer a ‘NO’ for these questions. But unfortunately I am not. And the most lamentable part is, here ..where our hearts beat, feel and realise the incident still we stand dumb and numb. If our hearts pound for an epic character just imagining her misfortune then how can we stand numb when we see that character in reality. In that epic one single Draupadi suffered but here in each day, each time, each single moment numerous Draupadis are suffering. Where is our concern for them? Let me remind you I am not talking about concern in an abstract sense. Because I believe that abstract concern better suits to the Epic Princess not to a girl with flesh and blood running in her vein. How paradoxical we sound when we say – the kauravas needed to b punished then and there, and at the same time our voices get disthroatened when a girl is being rumpled.
Sitting in a well barricaded room on a cushioned sofa, watching Mahabharata and raising the TRP will not help. Rather come out, be united, raise your voices against such animosity. Remember a
victim of such omen deed is neither a princess nor a character to be heard of. She is a girl, an individual, more than anything she is a living being.
A toast for all girls: Never eye to a Lord Krishna or an Arthur Dimmesdale..Be your own saviour and hold on the courage to confront all evens and odds.
