Have you burnt effigies of these 10 Ravanas this Dussehra?

Dussehra, the day when Lord Rama killed Ravana, commemorates the triumph of good over evil. People celebrate it by burning effigies of ten-head Ravana, symbolizing burning of evil, greed, etc. However, Ravana is still alive today in various forms. Are they not Ravanas who carry out terror attacks, killing innocent people? Are they not Ravanas who rape? Are they not Ravanas who divide and kill people in the name of religion? They are monsters of the present time and a threat to the mankind. They should be burnt too.

While we burn effigies of Ravana this year to show that good will always prevail over bad, we must also burn effigies of at least ten evils of the society which are listed below:

1. Terrorism: It is a grave issue not only in India but world over. In India, at least 205 of the country’s 640 districts are affected by terrorist activities. Terror attacks caused 231 deaths alone in the year 2012 in India, compared to 11,098 terror-caused deaths worldwide, as per report by the State Department of the United States. So burn the effigies of terror groups this Dussehra.

2. Communalism: Why do people construct religious or ethnic identity? Is there any benefit of inciting strife between people of different communities and stimulate communal violence. Why to kill people in the name of religion when it is written nowhere in any religious book to do so. Let’s burn it forever and be united in all odds.

3. Rape: Recently, we were shocked by a spate of rape cases involving young children, one was about 2-year-old and the other was 5-year-old. It has been reported that the number of rape cases in India have been steadily rising over the past decade. This is because more women are coming out to report such incidents, which is a good sign. But why is it happening? Kill it! Burn it!

4. Road rage: It can lead to altercations, assaults, and collisions that result into injuries and even deaths. According to a survey by the Delhi Traffic Police, the city witnessed a rise in such cases because of the “worsening behaviour” of motorists. It says aggressive driving accounted for 25% of such cases, while continuous flashing of headlights accounted for 27%, persistent honking 25% and verbal insults and rude gestures accounted for 23%. Why are we losing our cool? It is time to think.

5. Female foeticide: According to the 2011 census, the sex ratio in the 0 to 6 age group has increased from 102.4 males per 100 females in 1961, to 104.2 in 1980, to 107.5 in 2001, to 108.9 in 2011. However, it is within the normal range in eastern and southern Indian states, but significantly higher in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. It is crime to kill a female foetus, however it is continuing.

6. Drug addiction: Around 2 million people use opiates drug and 62.6 million are alcohol users in India, according to a survey in 2004. The number of incidents of drug abuse among children is on rise. It goes beyond alcohol and tobacco, and often also involves cocaine, heroin and opium. According to a 2012 survey by the government, boys aged between 15-19, shows that a shocking 28.6% reported tobacco use and 15% were addicted to alcohol. Girls aged 15-19 showed 5.5% used tobacco while 4% were addicted to alcohol. This is alarming!

7. Domestic violence: Domestic abuse includes physical, emotional and sexual violence of any form. According to a National Family and Health survey in 2005, total lifetime prevalence of domestic violence was 33.5% and 8.5% for sexual violence among women aged 15-49. The instance of violence was reported to be lowest among Buddhist and Jain women, while highest among Muslim women in India.

8. Human trafficking: People are being illegally trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour. Various NGOs estimate this problem affects 20 to 65 million Indians. Girls are trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriages, especially in areas where the sex ratio is low. Children are subjected to forced labour as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and also used as armed combatants by terrorist and insurgent groups.

9. Prostitution: Mumbai and Kolkata have the country's largest brothel based sex industry, with over 100,000 sex workers in Mumbai alone. The Indian law bans the acts of trafficking, procuring, detaining, pimping, lending a premise for carrying on prostitution for running a brothel. However, the law aims to punish the exploiters such as madams, pimps, traffickers, customers, and other partners aiding the exploitative sex trade but not the prostitute.

10. Casteism: A lot of problems in India can be attributed to casteism. Discrimination on the grounds of caste has led to social tremors and stealing someone's rights in a secular country like India. It affects the society by making people more exposed to prejudice, stereotyping and other things. These differences in rankings often cause disputes within the society.

(Image: Indiatimes)