To speak or not to speak

On a shivery morning of December, I was driving to work with my mind occupied by daily chores. Lost in my own so called worries, unaware of the world’s hassles, which were of much more importance than my daily errands, I halted at a traffic signal. A car stopped right next to me. What I saw next left me baffled. My mind got overwhelmed by thoughts. There’s so much to do for our society in which Justice for all is just a notion. I was left dumbstruck with my piddling to-do list. So, what exactly made me brain-sick?

As I stood at the traffic signal, in the car, which hailed right next to me, was seated a sturdy young man on the driver’s seat. His face was red with rage. An innocent looking young lady, terribly afraid, was sitting right next to him. She was grasping her handbag so close to her, as to protect herself from what was about to come. Yes, you guessed it right, that young man was mad at the lady, God knows for what reasons. To my surprise, he started beating her up right there in the car. The lady was too afraid to revolt. I could see fear in her eyes; she did not even try to raise her voice or to step out of the car. In her, I could easily see the image of every person who has been a victim of domestic violence.

This was probably not her first time. My mind started to ponder, what made her so helpless that she succumbed to such an inhuman behavior? I did not know why the man was so furious. I could not even guess who was at the wrong. But could there be any justification to such a cruel reaction? Could there be anything that made the woman liable to such a harsh treatment? Of course not! Anything did not suffice as a reason to justify the man’s behavior.

Taking the woman’s helplessness into account, I thought of doing something. What could I possibly have done? Call 100, without even knowing if the lady wanted to lodge a complaint? Stop the car and ask the GENTLEMAN to stop? Who was I to interfere in their personal matter? After few arguments with myself, I decided to do what I normally do. I gave the man a cold look, staring right into his eyes. I imitated that I was noting his car’s number down and was about to call the cops. That would at least end the misery for some time, I thought to myself. Moreover, the man would get a time-out to rethink and probably cool off his temper. I did just the same and it worked as expected. He seemed to be a little embarrassed and afraid at the same time. But, the beating did stop, not sure for how long.

The signal turned green, people honked their horns, showing their eagerness to reach their workplaces. The car drove off. I followed it for a while until it took a turn to go on a different route than mine. I was left perplexed. How to change people’s perception that any relationship does not provide them with a license to disgrace their partner? I underwent a dilemma, felt by those who accidentally witness such conduct, to speak or not to speak? I believe the initiative should be taken by victims themselves. Before anyone else does something, they need to realize their own worth and take a stand for sake of their own dignity. Only then a change can follow.