Shortly after their marriage held in secrecy with the help of a friend and the ‘silent blessings’ of her mother,’ the bride, with her groom, board a bus that would take them to Mumbai, where they would be lost among the teeming millions.
But even before the public transport could cross the outskirts of the village, a group of men, armed with swords, sickles and knifes, force the bus to stop, drag the bride out and slay her. They warn the groom to stay away, but he interferes and meets with the same fate.
“This woman has brought dishonour to her family by marrying a man outside her caste and hence her father ordered that she be killed,” says one of the men to the shocked crowd.
The above is an oft-repeated scene in many Indian films and television soaps. Indians, who are born outside India and not exposed to Indian culture and way of life and foreigners from other ethnic groups, believe that these scenes reflect reality and that ‘Honour Killings’ are a norm in India.
Who is to be blamed? The producer-director who churns out such rubbish, the audience who see these movies and patronise the stars or the media, which gives prominence to such issues?
Do we blame the writer who spreads the word that women continue to be victimised by ‘Honour Killing’ in a country that boasts of a revered status for women? Do they not know that Indian women are among the world’s most prominent chief executives, medical practitioners, lawyers, software engineers and achievers in many other fields?
We do not condone malicious spread of misinformation. We have said twice earlier, and we say it again; that the murder of Ranjeeta Kumar (a 26-year-old woman who was burnt to death in Huntly near Hamilton last month) was not a case of Honour Killing; that the death of Gulshad Banu Hussein in 2004 and Chitralekha Ramakrishnan in 2006 were tried as cases of homicide, with their respective spouses sentenced to long terms in prison.
Columnist Deborah Coddington insisted in her Herald on Sunday weekly commentary that the three deaths mentioned above should be categorised as ‘Honour Killing.’ Referring to the statement made by Laxman Rajamani, the defendant in the case of Chitralekha (that he killed his wife because she was in love with a Pakistani, who was his country’s enemy and a national traitor), she said, “No one in this country tolerates this kind of legal defence, so why are not representatives from the Indian communities more vocal in their condemnation of the so-called ‘Honour Killings,’ starting with overturning the use of this ghastly phrase?”
Would she then categorise all crimes of passion as ‘Honour Killing?’ Was the murder of Sophie Elliot by Clayton Weatherston similar in nature? If not, why not?
Those conveniently labelling homicides as Honour Killings are allowing the culprits to explore loopholes in the legal system.
Our Delhi Correspondent has a point in saying that the mainstream media should be educated on these matters so that they understand facts and separate them from fiction, and take what is seen on the movie or television screen with in a pinch of salt. We have an intelligent media in this country. All it takes to make our scribes and news reporters to be well oriented towards our practices and beliefs.
None of these should obscure the fact that Honour Killing does occur in India even today, albeit not in alarming proportions. How many of us can say that the obnoxious system of Dowry, which is illegal but forming the basis for many marriages, does not exist?
The Indian legal system brings the perpetrators to justice. Indians despise such killings and condemn them in strongest terms. Every murder, in whatever shape or form, is a crime, which must be put down with a heavy hand.
However, it must be said that a few incidents, deplorable as they are, occurring in a country of 1.2 billion people would certainly not form a part of that country’s culture.
The Hindu community in New Zealand is almost on a warpath condemning the mainstream media for its ‘malicious branding of Hindus.’ It has set up a ‘Hindu Media Watch’ to monitor reports on sensitive issues and complain to the Broadcasts Standards Authority and the New Zealand Press Council.
Democracy provides the right to every individual, group and organisation, not only to voice their opinion but also to correct the wrong impressions of others, especially when such opinions disturb or destroy core cultural, social and moral values. The Hindu Council of New Zealand deserves credit and our compliments for having taken the vital initiative.
However, we believe that the initiative would have been more meaningful and laudable if it had encompassed all minority communities, including perhaps Muslims, for, they have also been victims of misconstrued notions and wilful propaganda in the past.
This could have had the stronger force and voice of the New Zealand Federation of Multicultural Councils or the Inter-Faith Forum.
It is also important the Muslim community, which is forever vigilant over views that cross borders of decency and truth and developments that are against humanity, should come forward and extend its helping hand in differentiating the right from the wrong.
Likewise, the Sikh Community, which is known for its fearless stand on issues that affect people, should also express its solidarity on a subject that tends to throw the entire Indian community in bad light.
Concerted action is possible even now. We would hope that the Hindu Council will look at the larger interest of ethnic communities and ensure that justice is not only promised but also delivered.
