From last one week, this has been a hot question going around in India. Did Shiney Ahuja really rape the maid? As it is fashionable in India these days it would be politically correct to dismiss this question by saying that the law will take its own course. But then avoiding sensationalism and outright generalization it is in the interest of the society to analyze this issue in an investigative and professional manner especially focussing on the socio-cultural scenario in India today and the human psychology involved in these kinds of situations.
I was just going through Sunday Times paper today and obviously I found two articles related to the Shiney Ahuja rape cause. One article was called as “The maid trap” by somebody called as Kalpana Sharma and the other column was by the renowned Shobhaa De called as “Everybody loves bad boys and a bit of scandal”. As regards the first article, I even did not proceed to read after seeing the highlights which had a wrong premise to begin with. It was based on an assumption that as men are challenged by women at every sphere of life, they are falling for easy women like the maid servants. I feel that this presumption is far-fetched to be true in actuality. I would try to analyse “this part” a little later in my article. As regards to Shobhaa De’s article, the issue of sexuality and sexual expression seems to be a little against men in the sense that it tries to portray men as sexually starved mutants going around having sexual gratification in every possible manner that is available to them like pre-automated machines. Come on, we need to give some leverage to the fact that even if this is true in individual cases (which may or may not be the case in actuality), the poor "Man" in question can get tired mentally and physically with his non-stop expedites as suggested by Shobhaa.
I would rather address the issue and the various sub issues attached to the main subject in a more humane perspective which may look scandalous and politically incorrect in the first instance but still holds true from every angle from which it is looked at.
Let me at this juncture bring in my own thoughts as regards to the attraction to a maid. During my years at Ahmadabad, when I lived alone in a rented flat, I had a “Bai” working for me for 3 years and many more as stop-gaps in between when the main “Bai” had to excuse for some or the other reason. I must admit that though I had many female friends in Ahmadabad whom I could arrange for a rendezvous at any time, but still I had this special attraction for the “Bai” to the extent that even when I tried to forcefully prevent my thoughts or inhibit unilateral action involving my member (which I did many times), I still would end up having wet dreams. This was absolutely true at the other end also. The physical chemistry was from both the ends, but what prevented me from going any further was the fear of getting manipulated latter. Now this does not mean that anybody would have thought about manipulation initially ( true for both the parties) but after the physical union, immediately the mental apparatus leads to creation of an aversion and this aversion can make you think in all unproductive (hysteric) and neurotic manners that are possible. (The typical reaction is Oh God ! What I have done? I can’t do this? This is so much against the established social order and so on and so forth) At this juncture you start thinking whether there was manipulation or can there be a possibility of "manipulation" that can be worked upon.
What I want to put down here as a "principal" is the fact that human beings are prone to move upwards and downwards simultaneously. If I perceive myself in the upper strata (as structured by the system), I have special attraction for all that is bellow and If I perceive myself in a lower strata (as structured by the system)then I have immense attraction to that is above. So if I am a Actor or a Celebrity then I can have anything that is available in my circle. Rich Food, trendy Cloths and high end Sex. Everything is available to me but I still have this attraction for things that are “taboo” and that which are “unknown”. Sexual attraction towards a maid servant, food at a dingy Dhaba or having fenny at Goa has far more attractive value than all the richness that is at my command. The reverse is also absolutely true and equally applicable to say a situation where I am labourer or a maid servant. The attraction to things above is immense. This is a fact of life that we must accept. It is in fact "what" that underlies the principal of "dualism". Dualism creates immense attraction to the opposite and this attraction can be positively or negatively influenced, but it is there for sure.
So keeping this in the context of things, I find the article by Kalpana, completely out of place and by Shobhaa a little too biased against Men and their sexuality.
To conclude, Shiney Ahuja’s case must be looked from various angles and thorough investigation should be done which includes the psychological analysis of both the parties involved. An innocent cannot be punished if it was an act of vengeance by a hysterical and neurotic mental disposition nor the beastly activity of forceful sex can be justified if that was the case to be.
A rejoinder that I feel like adding at this level is the fact that a passionate sexual activity can lead to some damage to the female sexual apparatus and a truly forceful sexual activity would leave wounds in other parts of the body apart from the sexual organ. Moreover “true rape” shows immense sign of mental and physical trauma as experienced by the victim and that can be measured to a large extent by psychological profiling.
The Rape Investigation should become more scientific in nature because of the fact that the “Rape laws” are more favourably disposed towards the Victim in our system which is in fact needed as the initial recourse for a true rape case.
Sanjay at Nirvana
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