“Like” to save a life

Facebook has changed the way we live our lives.  It is the first thing people check every morning. But does Facebook have the power to inspire social reform? To save lives? The answer to that is – YES. If we use it properly to spread awareness about a cause, and use the power of the people to fuel the movement of change. But this movement can’t just happen online. All these online activists have to at some point raise their voice in their real life. At some point you’ll have to leave the comfort of your room and take a stand.

However, that’s not how people like to do things. A vast majority of self-proclaimed social reformers on the site spread a picture, and try to accumulate “likes”. Their belief is that the number of likes they can get can automatically put food on the plates of the starving kids in Africa. Or a like can be used to fund an expensive surgery. But this level of stupidity is somewhat tolerable. What’s not tolerable is THIS

For those who have no clue on what my rant is about let me end your confusion.

A 23-year-old student was gang raped on a moving Delhi bus, knocking India’s blame-the-victim mentality off its footing. Six drunk men on board including the driver, who passed the wheel to a friend so as not to miss his turn, raped her in turn before beating her  with an iron rod.

Since then people have gone on a rampage to put up this black dot as their profile picture. What will this black dot accomplish? Will this change the slow and sluggish Indian justice system? I highly doubt it. Will it change the thinking of Indian people who just stand by and watch the crime unfold? Humanity is so dead in India that anyone can publicly molest a girl. People will gather around the scene of crime, enjoy the show, and then move on. Helping a person in trouble is a rarity. These same people then go home, and blame the system for not defending the helpless girls.

This rape case has lead to nation wide protests, and the people are demanding death penalty for the rapists. It’s the first time the cold blooded people have reacted to someone’s pain. But the Indian system is hopeless. Despite a public outrage the justice system moves at the pace of a snail. This is not the time to gather likes on dots on Facebook. Go out there and join the movement. This might be the time India wakes up, and honours the purity of its females. It’s about time the culture all Indians brag about to the rest of the world, finally, comes to life.

Most of the time, whenever something like this happens, people share videos, photos, put up black dots as profile pictures and assume their job is done. Let me break the bad news to you, this black dot will not accomplish anything. The only possible way to get justice in India is instead of liking pictures of Facebook, people raise their voice and protest. Demand justice. Fix your mistakes. Because every time a girl gets raped, and you don’t raise a voice, you become a part of the crime.

Britishers didn’t leave India because Bhagat Singh updated his Facebook profile picture. Times like this demand action from the average people. You all have mothers, sisters. Think about them, and take a stand before it’s too late. Your mother, sister, wife could be next.

How would you feel if your daughter got raped, and all your relatives just updated their profile picture? This girl in Delhi is just one of millions of rape victims.  Majority never get justice. They merely end up becoming a 1 hr. special for audience hungry News channels.  There is no hope for justice in that country without a revolution. This Delhi rape case has initiated a revolt that could transform the country. Log off Facebook and do something.

I am Kudi Punjaban. Don’t change your profile picture, change yourself. Defend and help the people in need (not just girls).