This movement is a watershed moment for India
KARACHI: The #MeToo movement in India is picking up pace. Bollywood actor Tanushree Dutta accusing actor Nana Patekar of sexual misconduct, has given courage to other women to come out and speak of their stories. From journalists to actors to filmmakers, many have been named and shamed by their victims. While there are some who have unfortunately shamed victims instead for sharing their story and calling them liars, others — some of India’s entertainment industry’s sane voices — have sided with the victims, asking others to ‘believe women.’
While this movement is like a watershed moment for India, we should not forget that this is in fact the second wave of the country’s #MeToo movement. Last year, Dalit rights activist Raya Sarkar had encouraged female students to name perpetrators and predators in the academia.
Sarkar and LoSha (List of Sexual Harassment Accused) set the precedent for India’a #MeToo movement.
We have often witnessed in the past that powerful people erase histories of the marginalised people. But we shouldn’t be complicit in that. The second wave of this movement is upper caste led.
When supporting India’s #MeToo movement we shouldn’t forget or rather erase Sarkar’s and LoSha’s efforts. Let’s be the change we want to see in the world.
Ramsha Ansari
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2018.
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