Your dreams bring out every thing you've tried to suppress (or rather your mind). You can show a cold shoulder or deny everything you don't want to confront. But oh do dreams, in your deep sleep, change your outlook.
Not a fairy-tale, an honest dream, not the kind you want to have or the kind you share. I won't leave a vague loop or a dilemma to my story. This WAS a dream. A play orchestrated by my thoughts to show my soul a darker light.
****
(Like always, in every dream, I only remember the story from the thick of the plot.)
Walking down a street strikingly lit up by street lights and house lamps on either side, I pulled up my cap, blowing air into my palms looking to gather some heat. I walked around looking at vandalised walls, plastered signs, political posters. A few moments later, I felt a stray dog, running right past my knee, almost jolting me to one side. Soon the sound of howls and whines of another 5 or 6 hungry dogs approaching in the same direction. I never looked them in the eye, they just ran past me into a turn a few feet away after that fragile dog who wasn't "supposed" to be where it was. I lost track of time, just shaken in fear. Maybe I was too cowardly to take action. But left it to the nature of the dogs. They didn't have to ask me to make way for them.
When my ears heard the one thing I hoped they wouldn't hear. A squeal. My heart went rabid. I walked to the turn in the street, I peeped and saw what has scarred me for life.
I saw them walking away. I saw them brushing their whiskers, patting their muscles, laughing away, in that false sense of pride.
I couldn't dare to see what had happened to that victim soul.
Apparently, I saw "men".
****
BBC releases a video interview of a prisoner found guilty in Nirbhaya Rape case. The video was vigorously opposed by the nation's government. Banned from the internet, no media channels were allowed to broadcast it on television. Guess what, when the government bans something it's almost mandatory that every citizen does the opposite. (Atleast on the internet). And let me point out. It was the right thing. Not to ban the video, but making a ruckus, actually making every person on the face of this sub-continent aware of these monster's doing and how they reflect on what they've done.
I haven't watched the documentary. As of this moment I have no idea of how the interview went. People all around me have watched it. I've seen pics or quotes of the defense attorney's remarks. I was too disgusted. I didn't have the courage to watch it. My sister watched the entire thing. Looking at her reactions 3' minutes into the video, I was done. I couldn't gather enough courage to watch it. And I fear I never will.
Wait, maybe, this is the kind of dream everyone should have.