Two years, but things are same

Today is 15th April 2020, we are fighting with a pandemic, struggling to stay safe and stay at home. But two year back let me remind and bring it to your notice, we were fighting over a rape case, a dreadful epidemic of India which will never stop. No lockdown will even control spreading it because girls are not safe at homes. Sadly, I am here to make that time remember, but it was not the only case we need to talk about, there are plenty with no records, no TRPs and no controversies, hence no audience sympathy attached.

Two years back, our social media news feed, news channel, newspapers were only talking about the same, it was pinching me like hell. This happens every time, what we do is just make a news out of it, sit with people discuss on it and things remain the same.

I was in my office then working with blogs, I got a Call from Ujjwal(Viral Kalakar) who was working on his youtube those days. He wanted to highlight this issue and asked me to write something I felt like a girl. I sat down, the things that were hitting my heart and mind, I typed it- I came up with a poem titled ‘ Darr’, it was my fear after watching the news and hearing such cases, I had tears will reading it back. My senior saw me crying, she came and asked me to read that again, I read it. She was numb for seconds and then she asked me to give that poetry a voice, they would be giving that to an online News Channel’ Headlines India’. The Editor of the channel was on call, he listened to my piece and he demanded the same. Within minutes, I recorded it and it was uploaded to the YouTube channel. I never wanted to gain popularity with such topics, but that was the voice of every girl I felt which reached to many ears. 

I went back home, thinking of writing something else, but what you draft first time comes from your heart, after that you do is formulating it just as a piece of art. My sister suggested me to write the outrage I have after these incidents, like how do I feel, what I want people to know and how do they blame a girl for it even after so many cases.

I packed myself in a room, took out my diary, started noting what I had to say, and then this came out. I called Ujjwal, much to my surprise he said, I will be performing this too. I was so under confident about performing it over camera, I can do reporting, I can speak hell lot of things but giving expressions and making it act over camera was a tough task for me. But Ujjwal believed I could do it. And the day for shoot came, it was 14th April 2018 we were in Patnabeats office, I was asked to get ready in black with a makeup of a victim. Ujjwal was directing and Avinash was over camera. I just spoke each line from my heart and shouted in the end. All I knew was I didn’t act, it came out real. 15th April, we released the video and I watched it after the release, I still love being part of such piece. I don’t know if I can do any act again but this can’t be recreated, the same way if I do it will just be a formulation, it won’t come from within. I must mention that the video may have many technical glitches that can improve with time, but real is always real. Hope you get my message what I want to convey in the video.