The so called molestation horror at IIT Kanpur Antaragni

First things first, here is the link for those who don’t know about this.

http://dubeat.com/2008/11/molestation-horror-at-iit-fest/ copy-paste, too lazy to embed links.

Now I know, I know, I don’t follow current events around for they’re so transient, yet this one made me think.

Being one of the people who carry the IITian tag with a modicum of pride if I might add, I feel compelled to eke out my thoughts on this whole charade. That and the fact that the original thread is now locked and I cannot comment there.

As someone wise once gave a rule that effectively says that the longer a thread lasts the more it gets filled with bull, that is to say the longer a thread lasts, the more it devolves to petty flaming.

So first a big fcuk you to all the wannabe flamers, thank you guys, and I know some of them were IITians and while the comments were funny (undoubtedly), a serious topic like this, which effects the way the world percieves us demands greater justice.

Of course you would say that we’re too cool to care, which is exactly where you would be wrong.

The first word that crossed my mind when I read the link was “wtf”. Since I did not attend the concert so I do not really know how bad the crowd situation was. So what can I really have to say?

Here’s the line that really got me worked up.

/begin

One volunteer, feigning deafness allegedly pressed unnecessarily close to a girl in order to hear her complaint.

/end

Now, I was a hospitality volley myself. Its a first year kid for chrisakes. My point being, that this is a guy who has just spent two months in IITK, is still a teenager, and since he is good at studies, a bit socially awkward too. I know I was there. To those of you wondering what exactly is the point I am trying to make, it is briefly, there is a fcuking rock concert going on, you’re in the front rows right next to the stage, how much is audible? I mean what is the big deal if he leaned in too close? He is trying to help, he is no professional volunteer, he is trying to learn as he goes and how can he help when he can’t even know what he has to help about?

Yet this is not all. Someone once said, it is not what we say, but what we leave unsaid that reveals a lot more about us.

First of all a little disclaimer. I have never been molested, since I travel mostly on general class, I am accustomed to physical jostling, but I have no idea what it is like to be molested. So if I sound offensive then I am sorry, my bad. Now to the issue at hand.

A girl complaining about a guy leaning in too close on her. What is this 1420 ad? I mean, please can you be a little more insecure? If you have issues with people who are trying to help leaning on you, to try and understand the problem, keep your distance.

It is the stereotyping that gets me all worked up. So you’re in a crowd that molests you, and you decide that since the grounds are in IIT Kanpur, the guys must be IITians. Brilliant. I wonder how you didn’t get through JEE.

So when words like cream of the country and premier institute are thrown around with such gay abandon, I cannot help but wonder. Who or what do you think an IITian is? I mean sure we have much higher IQ’s, and are fast learners, but other than that? Do you mean to say, that if you girls were molested back home in DU or BITS or some such two bit school then it would be okay? Does it hurt when I call your sorry school two bit?

Of course I can take the lame position that there is no proof that the guys who were hooting were IITians. I would be right and wrong. Infact it doesn’t matter if I am right or wrong. The fact of the matter is, even if assuming that the molesters were IITians, which is preposterous, incredulous and other synonyms in my opinion, what does it prove? Are you by any means trying to imply that since a bunch of girls got molested at IITK by guys who might not have been IITians, that we IITians are lecherous lust driven creatures with no moral standards? Great job, I see where Aaj Tak recruits its talent from.

I am living my frigging life here people and I frankly could not care less. But when you write up such nonsense, and gossip like “you know, I used to think that IIT guys were such saints, but infact they’re all jerks, I know this because I got molested in IITK”. Duh.

First, I’ll let the statistics talk, how many news paper reports have we read of girls getting molested in DU or other universities? And how many times have you read a report that has IIT and molestation in the same sentence? Exactly. Other than the fact that there are too few girls (which is something that guys here often lament and a bit funny, and I cannot resist the urge to mention this), the fact remains that once you get into an IIT, it is something that you cherish and no one in their right mind tries to throw away a chance at getting a degree from here. A student caught molesting on campus would be thrown off before you can bat an eyelid. A crime like molestation is often a crime of opportunity and hence statistically, you’ll find that the perpetrator would be someone from outside, one who is likely to commit a crime and able to slip away at a moment’s notice, because lets face it, a cul fest lasts such a little time, that by the time the girls complained, the actual criminals could have easily left the campus. That and the fact that the administration here has no real authority over the conduct of the participants, other than disbarring from the event.

On the other hand a guy from campus would think a million times, and always decide that touching a girl inappropriately is not something worth throwing your degree away. These guys got through JEE, so we know that they can think rationally.

This is it, I guess, or as close to being it as I am ever going to get. So the next time you think about stereotyping people, here is something that I want you to know.

I had a friend, who had contacts in our shopping center, and every year after Antaragni, he’ll tell us how many condoms were sold. I know it was demented and yet hilarious.

Anyways, the last year, about 3000 packs of condoms were sold in the three days. That makes a 1000 condoms daily. Assuming for the moment that there was no boy on boy action, that means a 1000 girls had sex daily.

So am I right in thinking that the girls from DU are filthy disease ridden whores?