We didn't know the 23-year-old girl, who was brutally abused and severely injured in a Delhi bus, not even her name. Yet over the past few days, somehow, she developed a bond of relationship with millions of people all over the globe - young and old, men and women, boys and girls, rich and the poor - who prayed for her recovery and also protested against her assault.
Even when she was shifted to Singapore and news poured in that her condition was worsening, millions of people were hoping against hope. After all, the brutality faced by the young, aspiring girl, struck India's moral chord.
One can only hope that the exemplary courage shown by the 23-year-old will awaken a crippled society to stand up against all forms of human abuse.
But chances are few and far between.
Even when India was outraged by the brutality meted out to the medical student, a teenager in Punjab committed suicide after repeated requests to start an investigation against an incident of atrocity inflicted on her fell on deaf ear. Neither the unspeakable brutality nor the public anguish stopped the perpetrators from committing heinous crimes, even babies and children were not spared.
India takes pride in its sense of aesthetics and moral values. For generations the stalwarts of Indian society have worked hard to uphold those values. The death of the 23-year-old girl miles away from India, in Singapore, and many others in India have once again proved that the beasts within us are not tamed yet, despite our talks of high values and morality.
Undoubtedly it is time for action, but it is also time for reflection and self-introspection. We should start the reform process from within ourselves before blaming others for failing in their share of responsibilities.
Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay is a London-based journalist and a media consultant.
He can be contacted at tirthankarb@hotmail.com
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