Verklempt, writes Shweta Bachchan Nanda

Verklempt: (Yiddish) Choked with emotion

It's the morning of HOLI, I am woken out of a deep sleep by a rather familiar, sonorous voice that I perceive, in my semi-conscious state, to be belting out instructions. I scatter out of bed -- there is no elegant way of putting this, as I am ungainly at the best of times, and this isn't one of my finest -- and open the door. No one is astir.

The voice booms again. Of course, the penny drops, it is the neighbourhood, alive to the joys of my favourite festival, and this is the first in a series of replays of Rang Barse, sung by daddy dearest, synonymous the world over with Holi. The city will be a riot of colour today, raucous with joy fuelled by gulps of bhang. All strife will have been forgotten temporarily, as people busy themselves with the business of celebrating.

You've got to love India. We are a people ad extremum, prone to violent emotions interspersed with periods of productivity. To say it plainly, we love a good argument, it helps that cuppa chai go down better. There is nary a day when an average Indian will not have some sort of agitated outburst even if it is over the mundane. We argue about batting order, the freshness of produce at the market, which city is the most or least polluted, the best air carrier, the efficacy of the present government, the budget and whether one should inoculate oneself from the H1N1 virus. We do not discuss or seek opinion, we thump tables, we raise voices, we glare and threaten, it's always personal and it's always in your face!!!

While the world flexed its intellectual muscle -- on polling whether the "dress" was blue-and-black or white-and-gold last week, we descended into chaos over the airing of a BBC documentary. For the uninitiated, a journalist spent two years -- and what seems like the right permissions -- to interview on film one of the accused in the tragic rape of the girl, Nirbhaya, two years ago. The case though not isolated at the time, but distinctive in its callous brutality, brought India to its knees.

This documentary shows one of the accused exhibiting no remorse and espousing a delinquent kind of mindset most Indian women are unfortunately familiar with. The issue gained momentum when the documentary was banned by the Indian government. In order to weigh in on this, I fire up my laptop and find links thoughtfully posted on Twitter, Facebook and even mailed to me, but alas! I am led to a dead end at every click. The video or feed has been removed! I am now the only, for the want of a stronger adjective and in keeping with the laws of censorship, 'moron' who has missed the "India's Daughter" palaver.

Do not be disheartened dear reader, I reserve the right to argue and hold an opinion on whatever topic has popular sway and opine I must. For those of you, who like me, missed the bus, we do not need a convict showing the most deleterious kind of misogyny (yes, misogyny, any man who holds such views on women can only hate them) to enter the fray, argue and hold a point of view.

It is everywhere, it is rampant, it is what stops you from walking your dog alone at night, what makes you uncomfortable in public transport, or allow the carpenter or electrician into your home when you are alone, or makes you let your female help off before it gets dark. There is always a subtext of threat and we live with it everyday, eating into our souls. But enough complaining, pointing fingers and giving examples and statistics…

I choose to battle this regressive choke hold by educating my daughter, giving her equal opportunities, pushing her to achieve, I support her choices and her dreams, she shall not be defined by her looks, her modesty or lack of it, or marriage, womankind holds a stake in her being able to shatter the glass ceiling, she will do this and more whilst staying out beyond 6 pm…

On cue, the neighbourhood has erupted to the tunes of Munni Badnaam Hui, in dubstep! Time to get on with the celebrations, get coloured and dirtied only to be able to wash it off and emerge brighter. And emerge we must, for we are all India's Daughters.