From Jessica to Ruchika

She was 14 years old. A future tennis champion perhaps, she did show the potential. Steffi Graf was her idol. At 14, I remember my dreams and I'm sure back in 1990, most teenage girls had pretty much the same interests.

Cut to 1993. She was around 17 years of age, my age. She committed suicide...

Unlike many kids, who around that age, commit suicide due to pressure from parents or themselves about studying, about the dreaded "Boards" or about planning your future, she didn't. In fact it had been reported, she had been thrown out of school on ground of non-payment of fees back in 1990. So what happened?

S.P.S. Rathore, former DGP, Haryana was also the President of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association in 1990. HLTA is where Ruchika and her friend Aradhna would play their Tennis. Ruchika Girhotra was molested by Rathore. Her friend Aradhna witnessed it.

Their complaint was not registered as an FIR but a Daily Diary Record. For 3 years, her family was harassed in every possible way-her brother Aashu was slapped with numerous cases against him. She was thrown out of school. According to Aradhna, their freedom had been taken away and Ruchika no longer smiled. Aradhna's father faced troubles too. He was a Government servant and was consistently asked to leave the case or leave his service.

Rathore on the other hand was promoted by Government after Government. He was even recommended and awarded the President's Medal.

19 years later, in 2009, the sentence awarded to Rathore was 6 months imprisonment and Rs. 1000 fine.

A joke?

This is something that would "hit a blind person in the eye" as just plain wrong. So, why did the Indian Judicial System let Rathore go with a smile on his face? Why did it fail us?

Or should we be just too used to this? As a famous lawyer, Harish Salve, put it "waking up from Jessica to Ruchika"...

In another sense, Ruchika's case is not the first of its kind. Neither is it the worst of its kind. But do those facts make it any less grave?

Also, you might wonder why I'm writing this post now. Its been quite a while. A few months have passed since this case was brought up again. Shouldn't I have written it all out then? With the anger, the passion and all that I was feeling then?

The truth is, I did start off writing this post then. Believe me, I was impassioned right from the moment I had heard about this. I remember getting upset even, with a friend of mine who didn't exactly know about this case!

Like most other things that cause a nation's people to be furious and long for justice-even if it is for a person they've never met or heard about before-the Ruchika Girhotra case died down too. Unfortunately.

It was December 2009, I think. Every TV News Channel looked like they couldn't think beyond this case. Now? I think you might catch a line or two on the news ticker.

Agreed. Maybe, right now there aren't many developments regarding the case. But its the manner in which it was initially sensationalized, that right now, you can't help but wonder if anyone cares any more... We get on with our lives.

Then again, how long can I expect us-the masses-to be involved with "one case"? We tend to be involved in our own life problems. We have to.

Perhaps, what I mean is that it isn't enough to be shocked every time we hear of something like this. Why don't we get to a situation where we stop getting shocked, not because we become insulated but because there is almost nothing to shock us?

Quoting MJ, "Heal The World

Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place

For You And For Me"

Slightly overly optimistic perhaps. "We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." [Oscar Wilde]

Oh well, public memories are short. Or at least supposed to be.

Note : I know one thing that didn't fail us. Friendship. Looking at Aradhna and listening to how she's been fighting for her friend all these years, I no longer take the meaning of friendship lightly. Thank you for reminding me that its not just about clicking photos with each other, hanging out, etc. Its about really staying there. Forever. And after.

PS- I realize I may have lost the flow while writing this post. My mind is ... dynamic that way! Since I began writing this post a few months ago, its a bit off track at times. Sorry about that.