How can we say India is progressing when women across the country live in fear? On 9th August, a wave of anguish spread across Kolkata and India when a 31-year-old postgraduate doctor was found brutally raped and murdered in Kolkata’s government college, R.G. Kar.
A series of protests occurred from city dwellers and doctors across the country given the incident. Ordinary civilians took to the streets for justice in the Abhaya Case (a name given to the movement), which rocked the nation. Bengali artists like Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh expressed their support for the incident in what they are best known for music.
Taking to the stage, Arijit Singh sang ‘Aar Kobe?’ to protect against the incident and ask for justice for Abhaya. Similarly, Shreya Ghoshal, in her recent All Hearts Tour in Kolkata, sang her protest song titled “E Je Sorirer Chitkar” (The Scream of This Body) to protect against women’s violence in India.
Introducing the next song, the National Award-winning singer says, “As an artist, as a woman, I have prepared something that I feel will resonate with all your emotions today into a single emotion.”
Speaking to the audience about the song, she requested people not to clap after she was done singing the song, which is so important to her. However, encourage people to listen to the song wholeheartedly and connect with it. Her song captures the screams of all Abhayas and Nirbhayas that scummed to violence in India.
While most Bollywood artists remain tight-lipped about the ongoing protest of doctors across the nation on the case, especially in Kolkata, artists like Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal are using their stage to wholeheartedly protest against rising women violence in India.
Isn’t it time we start prioritizing women’s safety instead of sticking to outdated cultural norms? Share with us your thoughts on R.G. Kar’s case that shocked the nation.
