Dear BBC, I am a daughter of India and this is not my story.

Dear BBC,

I am a daughter of India and I condemn you making the documentary in the way you have made and I assure you that I am not going to compare our country to yours. I am not even going to criticise how your one sided approach has costed one brilliant student an internship. I would not analyse you making the documentary, but as I said, I DO NOT support the way you have made it.

 Lets go back to the time when this incident took place. Rapes have been happening all across the globe. What made this one stand out? The brutality? Partially. But it was the anger and protest which made it historical. It happened one unfortunate night that one amongst us had to undergo the pain which we can not even imagine. What followed was beyond belief too. The brutality, the sick mentality and the realisation that it could have been any of us made the entire nation come out of their comfort zones and show the government at large that this is not acceptable. Peaceful protests happened all across the country. Some of them turned violent too. But I am sure you know what boiling anger and frustration can make a mob do. Having made thousands of documentaries, you must have a real grip on the human psychology. Yet you chose to ignore that part of the incident almost completely? From the clipping you showed for fraction of a minute, I could see policemen manhandling women on the protest sites, water cannons and tear gas being fired. What I could not see was the spirit with which the whole nation, without even knowing the name of the braveheart, stood up and raised the voice. For anyone who has not followed the news and is an ardent believer in your portrayal of truth, they would NEVER get the whole picture. before you point out, let me tell you rapes still happen in my country. But things have changed. They get reported, victims have got more courage to come out and tell their stories. But you would not like to know that, would you?

 Believe me, I respect Jyoti Singh and her parents more than you could even imagine. Because being a daughter of India, I know what struggles they must have faced keeping her dreams alive. And being a girl I can try to understand the pain inflicted upon them watching there "flower" withering away in front of their helpless eyes. For someone coming from that social stratum in my country, they have an exceptionally forward and mature approach. And by saying that, for you, I must have admitted that life is not fair for the less privileged people in my country. Lets be honest, it is just not fair to them anywhere else either. I am not going to argue what my country has done to compensate. Can a loss of this measure be compensated anyway? I would not even try to prove that authorities handled it perfectly. Our system does need a few changes. But what I would like you to tell the world, assuming that you already know it (afterall you can research better with resources like that when/if you want), that we can see those changes happening. Even if a tiny step is taken, it is going to make a difference.

 I am sorry that I refuse to take your work as the exact, or even fair, portrayal of the situation. I would not even in my dreams deny that a few people in my country have the ugly mindset that the rapist and his defence lawyer have voiced. But you know something? NOT EVERY MAN IN MY COUNTRY IS A RAPIST! You gave enough time to the accused and his lawyers to talk on camera. What about the voices which made the system pass a bill in record time. What about the people who left their life and routine behind to keep the candle lit and make sure that Nirbhaya would not be a forgotten story.

I remember a colleague in UK asking me why we have named her Nirbhaya instead of using her real name. Nirbhaya was NEVER a name to us. It was a sentiment. It was a dedication to all the stories which did not get due attention from the society and system. Do not even pretend that it irks you out. I have seen eve teasing on your developed streets. Since I said no comparison, lets leave it at that. Nirbhaya, The brave one, is my story. It is a story of all the girls in my country who have stepped out of their houses to compete, struggle and make a mark in the society. When the whole world is fighting for gender equality, we are doing our bit. And trust me, we really aim to achieve it.

 Next time when you turn the cameras to a "third world nation" to paint an "international" picture, make sure you use the right shades. Convenience is easy, but it does not go well with your job. This documentary, where I have been a follower of the incident right from the beginning, has made me question all the other stories I have watched so far. Mould the facts, don’t distort them. I love my country and am proud on many things. Being the practical person that I am, I know that my country has its own set of problems. And I don’t see them being solved over night. But I, along with many others, am working for it. Do not snatch that away.

From

Another daughter of India