Out Damned Comedian – The Social Media Is Here

Editor, pretending to re my copy as I away asks “Is that a Marks and Spencer?” 

sir, I reply, typing. “It’s an Olivetti.” Today I wouldn’t have been so naive. My heart goes out to young women in newsrooms today. Irrespective of wher y need ir jobs or t, man has any business denying m respect and a safe working environment. 

My debut column for Republic will t tell stories of horror, intimidation, rape and abuse that Indian women journalists have been documenting on Twitter for past few days. facts are so sensational and galling, that any attempt to re-tell m is to disrespect what victims underwent. I have also been shocked beyond belief to re what so-called stand-up comedians have been tweeting and saying about sex and children. 

Wanting to have sex with little boys and girls and comparing sex organs is a disease. re is thing more debauched – and I am being diplomatic  - than ‘enjoying’ sex with a child and boasting about it in a public platform like Twitter. A Twitter mea culpa is a crude attempt to sew up a new virginity so predators can be back in business.  If se are human beings, y should have cour to walk out of ir homes to nearest police station and surrender.   

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It is with sense of agitated peace and power-giving turmoil that I salute scores of Indian women journalists who have braved all – all - to call out men who have raped m and abused m sexually.  Tanushree Dutta’s story accusing Nana Patekar and Vivek Agnihotri, w facing two lawsuits from m, was probably last straw that broke camel’s back. You’re a brave woman, Ms. Dutta, to stand up in film and entertainment industry where sexual harassment seems par for course and where some stars of industry – on whose shoulders I am told, ride millions of dollars - think thing about hitting women. Hitting.  

or people I want to salute are brave people on social media (SM). Think. If SM were available to Ms. Dutta at time of incident, what a different turn her entire story would have taken. I earned my spurs in print world. search engine n was a library. I have often wondered what would I have done during Bofors when my report was suddenly pulled? What would I have done when n Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi referred to me as a ‘girl’ who is producing photocopies? One thing is certain. I would t have been subjected to mood swings of dishonest and wealthy editors, some looking for personal glory, ors for pelf and all looking to be invited to high flying political dinners in Delhi!  

Surprise. y were all men and some women. I remember one woman in particular – Mumbai-based night queen of raunchy vels – who wrote that maybe I was intelligent but I was rar unkempt. Right. I was a young mor and was on a major international investigation. But this is beyond pale of night queen’s understanding who, even today, runs down young women journalists and encours sexual predators.   

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Many male editors who criticised my work n, are new feminists because ir daughters are w as old as I was when y spilt bile on me.   politician who played footsie at a 24 people-sit down dinner till I lifted tablecloth and asked who it was in a loud voice, Bollywood star who insisted on leaving his hotel room keys in front of my eyes till I threw m out of window at a cocktail. Do I want to call out men? I don’t need to. Almost all have h ir come-uppance in many ways including being slammed on SM.  

Techlogy is a powerful tool. Igre that at your own peril, predators, rapists, faux feminists and parvenus. During 2014 general elections, one section of political India woke up with a start to vances in techlogy and power of SM.  Prime Minister candidate Narendra Modi was pasted for using techlogy to spre his mess. one’s asking you to agree with him, but he got that one right. What’s deeply unfortunate is that so many people followed by his official handle are abusive, use b langu and treat women like dirt. Mr. Prime Minister, you do need to do something about m urgently – women hold up half of India’s sky.  

When techlogy meets a struggle, power it unleashes is unimaginable. In public health, for example, meeting of science and techlogy has revolutionized cure and care landscape. In much same way, when women become politically conscious, revolution reaches cruising – and visible - altitudes. Indian women journalists have gone one step furr. y have merged struggle, hurt, rape, sexual assault, rejection and hopefully rejuvenation using techlogy. This is t an invation in tritional sense with a go-to-market strategy.  

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This is invation aimed at market place of human beings with sexual predators and rapists masquering as journalists and artists, choreographers and mentors. Time is t far when people in or professions – political, corporate, NGOs, acemia, public intellectuals (what on earth does that mean) vertising and marketing – will get ir call.  I can alrey see shameful  ‘apologies’ by men on twitter accounts silently deleting over friendly tweets to women. y are all comedians.  To all of m who y can hide debauched thoughts in jest, a passing remark, a loud guffaw or back-thumping instant familiarity, I say this. You will be hoist on same petard – SM – upon which you have shamelessly sought instant fame by rubbishing women journalists. SM has just switched lights off from your acts and once again, Indian women are in le.  

outcry has thing to with ‘evils’ of western trition. Rape and sexual harassment happen in our homes and schools – including kindergarten – in our places of worship and transport, in offices and en route to, in corridors and streets, in parties and family functions. So, please cut nsense about ‘foreign’ trition. You do t have to part of any ‘ism’ to understand in your gut that you are hurting someone beyond repair. You do t have to cite chapter and verse from studies to show that your debauchery is a medical problem. Get a diagsis dammit and stay out of public life. If you continue to poison our community well, SM will call you out. 

re is thing dirty about sex. Attraction between human beings is natural. Abuse is t. re is or side to rape and sexual harassment. How difficult is that to understand? I do t kw if this is India’s #metoo moment, but re’s certainly a tide in affairs of women rising urds on wings of SM.