What I am going to narrate took place a few years ago. But it still appears a fresh topic to be discussed.It is not much long ago that we became familiar with the term Moral Policing. Most of us were not aware of the existence of this word till a few years ago. When I heard this word for the first time, I was not so sure what it really meant. but sooner, I started hearing it everywhere. There were heated discussions on the issue Moral Policing in media and in all public places. Lots of incidents where moral cops implemented their own punishments to people leading “immoral” life which can be “dangerous” to a society. Then there was the murder of Shahid Bawa. Shahid Bawa was beaten to death by a group of men who were posing as moral cops allegedly for visiting a woman at late night. Before I had enough time to overcome this shock, a young driver, Premana alias babu committed suicide in Koyilandy after being attacked and humiliated in public by certain men alleging misconduct. Then Thasni Banu, an IT employer in Kochi was attacked by some men alleging immoral. There were so many similar stories.I was surprised to know the existence of such group “Moral Cops”. Who are these moral cops? Who gave them the right to carry out such atrocious punishments?
Whenever I heard about these incidents I wondered about the thoughts that instigated such an action from that people. What could be the reason for their actions? I pondered over it again and again. At last, I came to a conclusion. It is pure jealousy, jealousy for those people who do things which they really wish to do, but scared to do so. I had my own reasons to come to such a conclusion. That is what most of the Indians think like. They have wrapped themselves with fake morality concepts.Though they wish to come out of it, their ‘pride’ doesn’t allow them to do so. I was quite happy with my conclusion and was leading a contented life till I met one of those fanatics.
I was on my return journey from Coimbatore. I was there to visit my sister who is studying there. My father and mother were also with me. Our return journey was by train. since we were in the general compartment, there wasn’t much space to sit.I was standing there thinking whether I will get a seat to sit. Suddenly I heard a male voice. He was asking the people who are sitting to make some adjustment so that I can sit there. I couldn’t see his face. He was sitting in a shade. I got a seat and I was quite happy too. When the train reached Palakkad a group of young men rushed into that compartment and sat on the floor, blocking our easy movements. I was really uncomfortable because some of them were trying to lean on me. I couldn’t even scold them because there wasn’t much place for them to move too. Seeing my uncomfortable situation, ” the man in the dark” came to my rescue.He again requested the fellow passengers to move and allow me to sit comfortably. However, I was a little disturbed because of the congested situation there. So to kill time, I decided to chat with my friends. I started texting them. It continued for half an hour.When some of my fellow passengers got up to get out of the train, this man grabbed my hand and made me sit in a comfortable seat away from all stares and disturbances. He told me ” Relax!!” I can’t explain the impact these words had on me. I was in awe of that man.I was sitting beside him and was feeling happy. After some time, he started talking to me. It was midnight by then. My parents were sitting a little away from me. Since I had already given a divine status to that man, I thought it is my duty to talk to him, to give him company during that boring journey.
He started talking to me saying about his family and his job. He was a trainer of Martial arts and he was in Coimbatore to collect uniforms for his students. When we started talking he said girls should learn martial arts so that they can protect themselves from all sorts of harassment.He is giving special training to girl children in his institution. I was impressed when I heard him. Then he began to talk about the schools where he is giving training to kids and about his students, especially girls students. It was really interesting to hear. Gradually our conversation moved on to the present state of our society, not our conversation, his speech. He was saying that our society has become so immoral and westernized, men and women engaging in illegal affairs and sexual relationships. But strangely, he was indirectly blaming women for all these problems. I was even curious to note that he was quite keen to avoid using words like sex, love or lust as if even pronouncing these words can make him immoral.He narrated a lot of incidents where he heroically stopped people committing such ” fatal mistakes”, where he has found lovers and warned them against ending up in such “obscene relationships”, where he had hunted down youngsters engaged in phone sex. ( I was startled by his tone). And all the while, he was insinuating that women are the cause of all these troubles and women should learn to behave properly.
Listening to him, I started losing the respect I felt for him. what is wrong with this man? He is repeating the biblical version. Eve, the femme fatale, caused the loss of heaven. At first, in vain I tried to point it out to him that both man and woman should be blamed, not woman alone ( if anyone is to be blamed at all). but it made him only louder. And in between, he started commenting on my texting as if I am one of those women who are keen to seduce The Men. “Can’t you employ your precious time in listening to worthwhile men like me than texting to some silly boys?”, he was actually saying it and he was not joking at all. He really considers himself as an angel who is born on this earth to save the doomed mankind. I felt like laughing. But when I looked into his eyes I got scared. Could he be mad?
All my fellow passengers were dozing off, even my parents. But this man continued to lecture on how I should behave, how I should be an obedient girl, how I should keep my chastity. Again and he was repeating ” you should remember me whenever you feel like doing a wrong thing. then you will overcome that urge and be a good girl again”. So stupid!! Can a person in his right mind talk like this? Apart from all this, he was asking me to narrate my encounter with him to all my friends( Girls of course) so that all of them will come to know of such a good human being.
I was so scared by that time that I just nodded to everything he said. Then, to crown all these foolish ideas, he gave me his business card and told me “if you need any help you can contact me, but never call for chitchats. It is not right. You will feel like talking to me again. It is normal at your age. But you should not do it. Just think about your parents who struggling hard to keep you happy”. I was staring at him. What the hell is wrong with this man? He was sitting beside me. throughout the journey, not even by chance, he touched me, never made a vulgar comment, never did anything wrong. But all the time he was blaming me and the entire womenfolk for making men bad, for seducing men and forcing them to rape us!!!
I was too happy when my father woke up from his slumber and smiled at me. I rushed to him and sat on his lap, the safest place on earth. I was wondering who is more dangerous. Moral fanatics like him or perverts who consider women only as a tool to satisfy their sexual appetite?