Bengaluru’s night of horror
It is being called a “mass molestation”. With all the creepiness and collective menace (खतरा/संकट/आशंका) that the phrase conveys, the sketchy facts of the events of New Year’s-eve in downtown Bengaluru once again hold a mirror up to Indian society. Thousands of revelers (आमोद प्रमोद करने वाला/मौजी) had gathered in and around Mahatma Gandhi Road and Brigade Road to ring in 2017, as is something of a tradition in the city. But, according to reports that subsequently emerged, a large number of women were sexually assaulted around midnight. While no complaint had been filed, Bengaluru police have taken up an investigation based on the reports of women being groped (fondle (someone) for sexual pleasure roughly or clumsily, or without the person's consent) and physically attacked. Another incident, reportedly also of the early hours of January 1, has come graphically into the public domain, with CCTV footage showing a woman being grabbed as she makes her way home in a residential street before she pulls herself free and escapes. This is unconnected to the so-called “mass molestation”, but reinforces the horror of the night in Bengaluru. In an aftermath that has echoed with Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara’s effort to blame the violence on “western culture”, it is easy to understand why no women came forth, at least initially, to register an offence (अपराध) . All too depressingly and predictably, the Minister has closed the loop to show how state and society fail to ensure the safety of women.
Mr. Parameshwara’s insinuation (आक्षेप/संकेत करना) that for women to wear “western” dress and be out and about having a good time is to invite sexual harassment(उत्पीडन) , ironically, explains the reluctance (अनिच्छा) of women to register offences. For, to do so is to very often court an accusatory glare, and be made to answer why they were out in a lonely street, after dark, in a place teeming (परिपूर्ण/abundant with) with “boys” — or put simply, why they did not know better. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, passed after national outrage (वीभत्सता) over the Delhi gang rape of December 16, 2012, had sought to bring clarity to the continuum of sexual offences and to simplify procedures for women to bring them to the attention of the police. To truly convince women that the state is on the same page, every crime against a woman must be regarded as a horror. But without an administrative ethos (चरित्र/प्रकृति) that does not flip an accusation on a woman and instead asserts a woman’s right to bodily integrity(पवित्रता/शुद्धता) no matter where she is and what she is doing, no amount of law-making can significantly change things. This is the challenge before the Bengaluru police as they look for women to come forward and assist in the investigation.
Menace (noun)
Express a threat either by an utterance or a gesture/ a threat or danger. खतरा/संकट/आशंका
Synonyms: Threat, Danger, Jeopardy, Hazard, Peril
Example: The weeds invading my vegetable garden are a huge menace.
Reveler (noun)
A person who is celebrating with other people in usually a wild and noisy way. आमोद प्रमोद करने वाला/मौजी
Synonyms: Merrymaker, Ranter, Roisterer, Party Animal, Pleasure Seeker
Example: The streets in Bengaluru were crowded with revelers on New Year’s Eve.
Offence (noun)
An act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act. अपराध
Synonyms: Breach, Crime, Misdeed, Delinquency, Wrongdoing
Example: In some countries, selling illegal drugs is an offence which is punishable by death.
Insinuation (noun)
An act of implying or suggest that something negative is true. आक्षेप /संकेत करना
Synonyms: Implication, Inference, Suggestion, Hint, Imputation, Innuendo
Example: Many dictators use propaganda to insinuate fear among the public.
Harassment (noun)
An act of bothering or attacking (can be physically, mentally or emotionally.) उत्पीडन
Synonyms: Oppression, Persecution, Tyranny, Botheration
Example: The gang members have been known to harass people who threaten to report them to the police.
Reluctance (noun)
Unwillingness or disinclination to do something. अनिच्छा
Synonyms: Disinclination, Hesitancy, Indisposition
Example: Being reluctant towards work in one’s young age is not a good symbol for future.
Teem (verb)
Be full of परिपूर्ण/abundant with
Synonyms: Full of, Abundance, Abound in, Overflowing, Adequacy
Example: I've heard this river can teem with fish during hunting season.
Outrage (noun)
An extremely strong reaction of anger, shock, or indignation. वीभत्सता /नाराज़गी
Synonyms: Indignation, Fury, Anger, Rage, Wrath, Resentment
Example: The public has been outraged by the recent scandals of this government.
Ethos (noun)
The characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its attitudes and aspirations. चरित्र/प्रकृति
Synonyms: Spirit, Character, Prevailing Tendency, Ideology, Principle, Essence
Example: We should respect the constitutional ethos hence we are bound to protect it.
Integrity (noun)
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles/moral soundness. पवित्रता/शुद्धता
Synonyms: Probity, Purity, Uprightness, Rectitude, Morality, Nobility
Example: People voted for the president because they believed he was a man of integrity.
Overhaul (noun)
To change (something) completely in order to improve it. (संपूर्ण रूप से बदलना (सुधार हेतु))
Synonyms: Debug, Rejuvenate, Modernize, Renew
Example: When a System stops to generate required results, it’s time to overhaul.
Inexorably (adverb)
In a way that is not not able to be persuaded or stopped by any means. अनवरत रूप से/अटलता से
Synonyms: Relentless, Unstoppable, Unavoidable, Inescapable, Inevitable, Irrevocable
Example: Because James hit a police officer while driving drunk, he knows it is an inexorable fact he will serve jail time.
Coterie (noun)
A small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people. अन्तर्गुट
Synonyms: Clique, Circle, Camp, Faction, Cabal
Example: The president’s coterie of advisers was unable to offer him a solution to the national problem.
Cabal (noun)
A collection of people who come together to work against something or someone. षड्यंत्र/साजिश/चालबाजी
Synonyms: Clique, Faction, Coterie, Group, Set, Camp, Gang, Caucus
Example: Hundreds of workers formed a cabal to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the firm’s new policies.
Patronage (noun)
Support or sponsorship. संरक्षता/संरक्षण
Synonyms: Conservation, Guardianship, Protectorate, Backing
Example: Many people went to Kathryn’s art exhibit to show patronage for her talents.
Hubris (noun)
Overbearing pride or presumption. अभिमान/घमंड
Synonyms: Arrogance, Conceit, Conceitedness, Haughtiness, Pride, Vanity
Example: Most politicians are so inflated by their own hubris they cannot understand the needs of their communities.
Wield (verb)
Have and be able to use (power or influence). काम में लेना/उपयोग करना
Synonyms: Exercise, Exert, Be Possessed Of, Command, Control
Example: In the movies the ninjas always wield their weapons with great expertise.
Archaic (adjective)
Very old or old-fashioned. अप्रचलित/पुराना
Synonyms: Obsolete, Out of Date, Anachronistic, Old-Fashioned, Outmoded, Bygone
Example: My mother has an archaic mindset and does not believe women should work outside the home.
Fallacy (noun)
An idea or belief that is false but many people think is true. भ्रांति
Synonyms: Misconception, Mistaken Belief, False Notion, Mistaken Impression, Delusion, Falsehood
Example: Having money makes you happy is a fallacy because happiness has nothing to do with wealth.
Yearn (verb)
Have an intense feeling of longing for something, उत्सुक होना
Synonyms: Crave, Desire, Want, Want Badly, Wish, Have/Feel A Longing, Covet
Example: I yearn to travel as a senior citizen because I never went anywhere in my younger days.
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