Here?s Wishing?

By Rachaita Hore

Undoubtedly, 2013 was big. You could have loved it, you could have hated it but there is no way you could have ignored it. Afterall, this was the year that gave the Oxford English Dictionary words like “selfie” and “twerk”. It was also the year that saw the rise of Arvind Kejriwal and the world saw its most liberal Pope in history elected. And who could forget the birth of the Royal Baby? The year was one that also forced us bid our final goodbyes to many familiar faces in the form of celebrity deaths like that of Manna Dey, Lou Reed, Paul Walker, Farooq Sheikh, Margaret Thatcher etc. But 2013 has come full circle and is now the year that was.

A New Year always brings with it the promise of new beginnings and fresh starts. So in the wake of 2014, I am hopeful to witness a few glorious changes and have drawn up my wish list accordingly below-

1. Rahul Gandhi for P.M. – In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, the country is abuzz with talk about who India’s next Prime Minister should or should not be. Even though the UPA has not formally announced its candidate for the elections yet, I am supporting the Gandhi scion. Now, this maybe wishful thinking on my part but let me pause for a moment and remind the reader that this article discusses just that. Yes, Gujarat has seen tremendous development lately under the leadership of Narendra Modi but I cannot seem to absolve the man of his hand, however removed, in the genocide that occurred before. Economic gains matter little in the face of human loss. I do not wish to see my country descend into a conservative sectarian dictatorial rule. As for the AAP, it is an infant party far too inexperienced yet to shoulder the responsibility of the world’s largest democracy. Lastly, it’s time we had a young leader who could voice the youth’s opinion without bias. After all, more than 65% of India’s population currently is under the age of 35.
2. Chemical Castration- Radical? Yes, but necessary. Chemical castration should be legislated upon as compulsory punishment against any and every perpetrator of rape or other similar sexual violence. Not enough is being done to address or redress the escalating rapes and sexual assaults in our society. The only effort the government is seemingly putting in is to pacify the public outcry. No amount of precaution or pepper-spray is adequate to make me feel safe as a woman out and about if the governing authorities of my country decide to turn a blind eye to me if I get molested in the bus today. I don’t want monetary compensation. There can be no compensation for my dignity that the government failed to protect. The CM’s sympathy visit will do nothing but aggravate my trauma. A death sentence may or may not be awarded but chemical castration must. The violence needs to stop and the system needs to adopt an iron-hand technique once and for all to prevent the deviant-in-make.
3. More Box-Office Releases for Independent Cinema- It was a breath of fresh air to witness movies like Sixteen, Ship of Theseus; The Lunchbox etc rope in crowds at the multiplex. Some among them even managed to boast of single-screen footfall. One can only withstand so many mindless Dabangg rip-offs. The mind wants to think too sometimes. May this year then bring in more movies to the theatres that keep us thinking beyond the aftertaste of the cheese popcorn.
4.  Gay character debuts on Indian Television- Now that Bollywood has shed its homophobia, its time we are introduced to sexual ambiguity in K-serials too. And not as laughing stock or earth-shattering tragedy either. Since we are so fond of remakes here, why not try a hand at a Desi Modern Family, eh? A Kapil for a Cameron maybe. Hear hear, Balaji!
5. Children reading- I don’t personally remember the last time I saw a kid reading. Forget novels, they can’t even be tempted to pick up comic books. The only time they’ve heard of Hansel & Gretel or Ramayana is when and if they’ve ever had a generous baby-sitter read them extracts or watched the cinematized or televised versions onscreen. Evidently, their grammar’s gone for a toss and they may never know the joys of cozying up with a good book on a cold winter’s eve. Gift your baby brother/sister a storybook this birthday, please? They will thank you for the rest of their lives. I know I thank my sister.

There can never be an end to wanting. But perhaps we can reach inside to our inner Santa’s and work towards the changes we want to see take shape. How else will anything ever happen, right? So rattle your head and make that New Year’s resolution already! It doesn’t matter if you fail to keep it, atleast you will have tried.

The author is a second-year English Hons student at Lady Brabourne College, Calcutta University. She is a wannabe-writer/journalist and has been authoring articles on and off for The Times of India since her first-year. She has also had her fictional pieces featured in various national magazines, online and offline, notably Kindle Magazine and Youthopia. Feminist, Hipster, Oddball are all labels that have been used at some time or the other to describe her. To start a dialogue, drop her a mail at rachaita.h@gmail.com.