Shenaz Treasurywala is all set for the release of her movie 'Main or Mr Riight' opposite Barun Sobit. In the midst of the promotions, Shenaz took some time off to express her concern over the recent rape incidents that have been taking the country by storm. The actress thus decided to pen an open later to none other than the Prime Minister and some other influential personalities of the country. Read on:
Dear Narendra Modi, Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Anil Ambani,
I am writing to YOU specifically because you are the most powerful and influential MEN in our country.
I am writing to you as a woman who grew up in a middle class family in Mumbai.
I am writing to YOU for HELP!
My parents may not like me saying this. I apologize to them if they are reading but this is NOT MY SHAME. It’s THEIR SHAME.
My first experience with the opposite sex, was when I was just 13 and groped by a man (never saw his face but will never forget his hand) while walking in the vegetable market with my mom. She had just given me the worst haircut and as an angry teenager I was upset at her and was lagging behind as she walked ahead. I still remember what I was wearing. It was her dress, mustard with flowers and little bow in the front. How I hate that dress! As if, it was the dress’s fault.
I was shocked at first. Speechless. He disappeared. I just stood there. Tears started pouring out of my innocent eyes. I told my mom who went mad screaming in the market but who knew where that man disappeared to. I still remember the dirty feeling I had and the number of times I showered in my grand-mom’s bathroom after. That feeling never went away.
Since then it was non-stop. I would try to articulate this to my parents and while my mom understood, my dad and uncles told me I was imagining it. Maybe they just couldn’t deal with it. CAN YOU?
When I was 15, I started going by train and bus to St. Xaviers’ College. I was groped and touched and from all angles and this was just how I grew up. Not Just Me but MOST INDIAN WOMEN who don’t have the luxury of cars and drivers.
As a teenager I would dream of and still sometimes dream that I had a machine gun and could kill all the men who tried to grope me. A very disturbing dream for a kid, don’t you think?
I got my first assignment as a model in the FYJC and I had to go to screen-tests straight from college. So I had to dress nice, didn’t make it any easier. I specifically remember the time I went for an audition in a red body suit and a black long skirt with slits. It was HELL! I never wore that again. As if it was the dress’s fault.
I developed ways to defend myself, I always carried a bag in front of me, my fist was always clenched, I always turned around every 20 seconds to check who was behind me and a few times I slapped men who touched me, I got slapped back many times too. Sometimes saved by the public, MOST TIMES NOT.
My mom begged me not to pick fights with men who touched me, she was afraid of acid being thrown at me or that somebody someday would hurt me badly. She is STILL AFRAID and today she told me not to take an UBER to my meeting tomorrow. Hell ya. BAN UBER! Make everyone take responsibility for this.
My sister got into Sophia’s college, we were all excited. She went by bus but the first day she came home, she sobbed traumatized. A man had put his hand in her tee-shirt through her sleeve, the entire bus ride. She just froze. She was a kid too and wasn’t equipped to even understand this. I was LIVID. I’m sorry sis for telling the world this, please don’t stop speaking to me. IT’S NOT Our Shame. It’s THEIRS!
One of my friends in college was RAPED on the train on her way home in the ladies compartment. She was sick and was going home in the 11:15 break. There was nobody in the first class compartment going back to Bandra at that time, it was a superfast meaning it didn’t stop at most stations. He raped her and then jumped off after using her scrunchy (hair tie) to wipe himself. She was the only one on the train and had to limp her way back to her home in Bandra, bleeding profusely. She was just 16. This she felt was her shame so she did not say anything to anyone.
BUT IT ISN’T HER SHAME, it’s THEIR SHAME.
My mom accompanied me to Hyderabad on a shoot once. In churi bazaar, a cyclist groped My MOM. My dear respected and lovely MOM.
Sorry Mom, IT’S NOT Our Shame, It’s THEIR SHAME.
Why am I telling you my personal story?
Well first I want all women to Speak Up.
Let’s make this our MOTTO-
It’s not OUR SHAME, it’s THEIR SHAME.
Who are “THEY”?
“THEY” ARE THE MEN IN OUR COUNTRY.
Not just the rapists and the sexual offenders and gropers but also our Fathers (sorry dad) and Uncles and Brothers and MOVIE STARS AND CRICKETERS AND POLITICIANS for not SAVING US or PROTECTING US by insisting and protesting for the LAWS TO CHANGE and Rapists and Gropers to BE PUNISHED SEVERELY!
Why do we as women have to feel so threatened? WHY has there been no severe action taken? This has gone on for years now. Not just in Delhi but all over our country and yes even in BOMBAY OR MUMBAI OR Whatever the hell you want to call it! It’s NOT SAFE. NO!
My biggest fear ever since I was kid and even today when I walk back home at night from yoga or when I take a rickshaw from a friend’s home is being RAPED. I still feel that fear. I am still am on guard. I still fantasize of having that MACHINE GUN.
In the past 4 years I have been living and working half in India and half in New York and let me tell you I have walked the streets of Harlem, the Bronx and Brooklyn (perceived as the most dangerous in NYC) at3am after parties in short skirts and felt safer than I feel in Bandra at 10 pm on a quiet road fully covered. WHY??
Let’s talk about Delhi our Capital. I was there 2 days ago and the day of the rape. I wanted to go out and walk by India Gate and admire our great monuments but could I?! Why??
What good are all your speeches in the US or Japan or AUSTRALIA- NAMO, if no woman can walk freely in the streets even in broad daylight by herself in the CAPITAL OF OUR COUNTRY. Isn’t this a SHAME? SHAME ON YOU SIR.
This is our NO1 issue. FIX THIS before anything else.
This is a SHAME. And it’s YOUR SHAME. You are now RESPONSIBLE FOR US.
I beg all of you fine gentlemen that I have addressed to help change the LAW.
You are powerful men. I say, SHAME and PUNISH THE Gropers and Sexual offenders severely. KILL THE RAPISTS.
I won’t ask for public castration which is what I want and all the women want because I know this is unrealistic and things move SO DAMN SLOW in our FINE NATION.
All I ask for is the -Death Penalty Please. NOW! QUICK!
If that’s too hard or will take too long then at least LIFE IMPRISONMENT.
Put them away forever.
Why was this man who had raped twice before out on bail?
And then given a drivers license? YES, BAN UBER TOO. Make everyone responsible.
I’m ready to do anything. I’m not a big enough celeb but you Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Sharukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Anil Ambani SIRS- need to speak up as MEN ( you are the men with the power)
SAVE US!
Please demand the Death Sentence for the Rapists.
NO BAIL. Just Death.
Superstars I beg you, please take a stand. Use your Superstardom and Power and MONEY and save the women of our country. SAVE US!
I urge you to protest or go on a fast or do something DRASTIC so people take notice, the government wakes up and CHANGES the LAW so these men are terrified to touch us.
Death to rapists. No bail. Just death.
Imagine Amitabh Bachchan Sir, Aamir Khan, Salmaan Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Ambani- if you went on a fast or walked to the Rashrtrapati In Delhi. If you, took this stand and made this YOUR NO 1 issue, how much change there would be?!
Why should we as women feel so unsafe in our motherland?!
Why should we as women be terrified and on guard all the time.
Why was this man out on bail after committed two rapes already ?
Make an Example Of Him.
Any man who even touches a woman should be imprisoned for life.
Be strict, make examples of these men, scare those who dare to touch us.
SCARE THEM BY MAKING AN EXAMPLE OUT OF THEM.
SAVE US, Save your mother, daughter, sister please!
This is NOT OUR SHAME.
THIS IS YOURS.
SHAME ON YOU.
Don’t sleep till you- SAVE YOUR WOMEN!
With all respect,
Shenaz Treasury
Well... What to say Everyone everywhere is talking about guarding women, making the country more secure, punishing the offenders and likewise. But has anyone tried to find the root cause(s) and address it? I feel that this whole issue of women’s safety is not an issue at all; rather it’s the outcome of the actual root cause, which is GENDER INEQUALITY. Everywhere in our society, boys are consciously or sub-consciously taught to be superior. Has anyone ever heard a parent to guide the son saying, Ladke ho ke aisi baat karte ho OR Ladke ho to Ladko ki tarah rehna seekho OR Ladko to zyada gussa karna shobha nahi deta and so on… All these limitations apply to girls only. Even the cuss words use MC/ BC and everyone knows that the ‘B’ in BC doesn’t mean Baap, Bhai or Beta. Even the festival of Rakhi signifies that the brother shall protect the sister. Another example of teaching that the brother is superior than sister. And from whom shall he protect his sister? Obviously from brothers of other women who have been taught similarly. It’s quite rampant in our society that male child is sent to a public school and the girl child being sent to KV or such similar schools to save family expenditure. Girls are taught to dress properly, talk properly, behave properly and other similar behavioral limitations. Deriving non-consensual physical pleasure from women has been an integral part of our society since ages as is the limitations on women and so-called superiority of men. This includes marital rape as well. But it was limited within the walls of the home. Since the targets (sorry to use this adjective, but for the perpetrator, every woman is a possible target) were numbered and rarely the occurrence filtered outside the home, it used to be buried under the carpet. Now, firstly, since the availability of targets has increased manifold, the incidents have increased accordingly; secondly, as more and more women have gathered strength to oppose this, the incidents are getting reported; thirdly and most importantly because of both multiplicity & activeness of news sources, such incidents are getting duly highlighted. Now coming to resolving this: • Should we gag the news sources? No, we should not. • Should we pressurize the victims for not reporting the matter? No way! • Should we force the women to stay indoors? Neither we want nor can we! So, in my opinion, the only permanent solution to this issue is to sensitize the male child from the very beginning about gender equality both expressively and by our conscious activities. Else such incidents shall continue to happen. But, this process is slow & gradual, and shall take time to bear fruits. Till such time, both we, the citizens, and the authorities should be vigilante; policy should be enacted paving way for prompt and stringent punishment for the offenders, but not death penalty. And, lastly, even the women should also be more alert. Reason for not supporting death penalty is simple. In India, there is death penalty/ life imprisonment for homicidal crimes. Still, as per 2012 UNODC records, India stands second globally with 43,355 murders. Whatever is the crime, every offender knows that there is some sort of punishment for that. Still the crime is committed believing that: (i) it won’t get reported; (ii) if it gets reported, he/ she won’t get caught; and (iii) if at all it is reported and he/ she gets caught, the case can always be molded to get scot free.
ReplyDeleteSo, lets start from our own households to make our sons to grow up as human beings rather than only as men.
Shehnaz has realized that doing item numbers or soft porn movies doesnt get actresses eyeballs anymore. So as advised by her retarded PR she joins the Open Letter bandwagon. She hopes that thru this letter her flop movie will pull atleast some ppl to the theatre
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