Last night, in yet another departure from ordinary proceedings, ABC’s Q&A was broadcast from Gurgaon near New Delhi in India.
Who was on?
Stuart MacGill Australian spin-bowling great
Shashi Tharoor, politician State Minister for Human Resource Development,
Pallavi Sharda, Australian-born Bollywood star
Swapan Dasgupta journalist and leading right wing commentator
Karan Thapar journalist and Host of Devil’s Advocate
Shoma Chaudhury journalist and managing editor of weekly newspaper Tehelka
The discussion was lively, at times heated, and wide-ranging. The panellists fielded questions on everything from the stereotypes that afflict Australians and Indians, leading cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, the treatment of Indian students in Australia, Bollywood, rape and India’s upcoming election. It was, again, refreshing to watch the rigorous conversation unfold without the constraints that, understandably, dictate what our politicians have to contribute.
Of course, as the debate turned to India’s upcoming election the dynamics between the panellists changed: it became immediately familiar as they voiced their support for either of the two men vying to become India’s next prime minister Rahul Gandhi or Narendra Modi.
Particularly familiar was the remark the respected television journalist Karan Thapar made along these lines: “Many Indians look at the contenders and wonder, out of a country of almost a billion people, could we not find better candidates?”
But before the election was brought up, and after a long discussion about the impact of Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, the panellists were asked about the seemingly increasing prevalence of rape.
Parts of this conversation echoed the debate that raged here recently about drawing a link between alcohol and sexual assault. This is an extract of what a few of the panellists had to say.
Shoma Chaudhury: “I don’t think rape is on the increase but women are speaking out about it more which is a positive sign. We are an incredibly misogynistic society. From birth a woman has more impediments on her life than a man – we have one of the highest infanticide rates in world. Women are affected by discrimination and malnutrition. Everything you say about India the opposite is also true. It is extremely fortunate for many women to be born in India because of the opportunities and freedom. But by and large we are an extremely misogynistic society. There is a misconception that traditional Indian society was more just and more liberal for women. That is absolutely not true, women suffered under a conspiracy of silence. People and the media are now talking about it which is why there is the sense that it is increasing. The best sign – as a woman and a journalist – is that there are little rebellions going on in every family, in alley ways, in rural areas, in big cities. This issue cuts across class, money and religion – but there are now a million rebellions taking place as women are asserting themselves and their autonomy over their own bodies.”
Pallavi Sharda: “What I have seen is the notion of shame and blame and as a result people don’t want to talk about being victimised. But I think India is rising out of apathy and we need to focus on increasing confidence among women. The argument has been made many times that Bollywood objectives women – and it’s something I am conscious of. It’s the notion of women as either the goddess or the slut. That line is being traversed all the time.”
Karan Thapar: “There is one aspect of rape that is often overlooked and it is the simple fact that rape happens because men rape. And what I’m trying to get at is the way in which we bring up boys – we inculcate them from childhood that boys are gods. We treat them as little princes and treat their sisters differently. This attitude in engendered from a young age and it continues throughout their teen years and into adulthood. It gives men the belief that women are commodities, that they are there as sexual objects. This is corroborated by attitudes from mothers and aunts who tell their daughters ‘Don’t go out like that because you’ll tempt boys’. We must change the way we bring boys up, particularly the attitude about males being superior.”
Shashi Tharoor: “It is changing. I have sisters and I wasn’t brought up as a prince. It used to be that men got the better education. I agree it’s not that more rapes are happening it’s just being discussed more and it’s become an important issue. Young girls feeling unsafe is something I am genuinely concerned about and there is consciousness around this. We have been slow – not just as a society but as a State to respond so that women don’t feel that vulnerability.”
Shoma Chaudhury: “There is such a sense that rape happens after dark. The scary statistic is that 90% of rape happens within the family or by someone you know. The state must have some response mechanism but rape happens within homes and people’s own environments.”
On the issue of welfare spending and food security
Swapan Dasgupta: “The opposition to the food security bill is because we have to look at how much can we afford. It would be ideal if we could create a mini Sweden where we give money to every person who is unemployed. But money doesn’t grow on trees. Resources have been taken away from infrastructure and education and put into areas of welfare spending where less than 40% probably reaches the intended beneficiaries so instead of creating an environment in which growth is possible we have created a bloated state.”
Tony Jones: “Can you not afford not to feed people?”
Shoma Chaudhury: “You call it welfare spending but I call it investment. The figures are unknown but between 70-80% of India doesn’t have access to education, jobs, security, food or health. The outrage around the food bill is that people feel it is profligate spending – as if bringing food will stop these people from trying to find work. I say it brings a platform of basic human dignity from which growth and entrepreneurship can spring.”
Australia and India might be two very different nations with different obstacles and opportunities but there are similarities in the way both nations must attempt to navigate and overcome them. Personally, I hope Tony Jones stays on tour or at least ventures overseas again soon. Watching another nation’s politicians and commentators battle it out is quite refreshing.