I salute the nun, who was raped during the recent communal violence in Orissa, for her grit and determination to have the culprits punished aptly. For once, a rape victim has shown courage to share her trauma with the world for want of justice.

I am happy for one thing. The stigma over rape is being lifted, though gradually so. Why should a woman be shamed for a thing that ‘happened’ to her. It’s a crime committed not by her but by those who violated her.

With a long and unfortunate lineage of rapes in India being hushed up to safeguard ‘mariyada’ had begun to loosen it’s foothold in our patriarchal mindsets. I feel proud to see the required change taking place. Rape is wrong but the eyes full of shame and pity of the masses at the victim are wrong too, those glances should be saved for the culprits instead.

I remember once my college proffessor asked us: “In all honesty, if you were ever cornered by a madcap. There is no one to help and no where to escape. The man gives you two options, either he rapes you or cuts your right hand. What would you opt for?”

A tough question, do you have an answer?