Monday, February 11, 2008

NDTV's "We the People"

I'm more an Internet addict than a TV buff, but sometimes I do catch a few programmes on the telly. One show that caught my eye was the recent debate on our National icons.
I SO wanted to participate because expectedly I have strong (not to mention enlightened & progressive) views on the subject. :-D

(On one ocassion in the past, I'd found the anchor to be slightly opinionated, but on this show she was much better.)

I thank the show for introducing me to Harish Salve! And the likes of Amit Varma, Jaideep Sahni, etc.

Think about this:
For everything that happens in India, some idiot somewhere will object. Sample these:
Shriya Saran wears a lovely dress to an award function for her film! And HMK from Tamil Nadu has to take offence!
Tendulkar cuts a cake with the national flag on it & someone decides that it calls for an objection!
Sania wears skirts, some jokers object!
Vikram Chauhan refuses to stand for the National Anthem & he gets lynched in a Bombay theatre!
Sania puts her feet up on a table that has the Indian flag on it, and someone from Tirupati & Bhopal has to object!
You target Sania and someone somewhere will take offence, saying that she's being targeted because she's got a name that gives away her community.
And if you say THAT, someone somewhere will again, take offence!

WTF are we so easily offended about everything? Why can't we be more like the West (in this respect) here? You can burn the flag in America, you can show women wearing knickers made out of the Union Jack in British Comedies, Mel Brooks can parody Moses & Jesus both in one film & not invite censure, The Da Vinci Code can depict the Opus Dei in a monstrous light and yet not be banned as a book or movie. Why all the fuss in India??? Do the people actually care so much? Are they even that tuned in to the news? Or is it the political parties that need to be blamed for leading our people astray?

Now consider this: All these people who are in the eye of a storm for apparent disrespect to national icons, Indian culture etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. , are SOMEBODY! And those people who object, are nobodies!
Think about what this means. And about how much attention we should pay to these nobodies.

Consider this too. Harish, Jaideep, Amit etc. were standing up for the right of the common Indian to freedom of expression, to individual freedom. They're all educated men, achievers who deserve to have an opinion. MORE than I can say about a Smriti Irani! Who by the way found Sania's faux pax the most offensive!

I would like to give Amit Varma a STANDING OVATION for his unshakeable belief in his right to say things the way he sees fit. This man is truly Superman! He has balls of steel!

Harish Salve echoed the sentiments of every true Indian when he said that our nation & our constitution are insulted everyday in our country. No one seems to mind when Indians litter, spit, defecate, piddle etc on roads. No one seems to catch the ordinary citizen peeing on a wall that is painted in the colours of the flag by a party seeking election. And no one seems to consider that the very same nobodies who object to everything, could be the guilty of the very same things I just listed above!
Is anyone watching them???

2 comments:

  1. I am a Harish Salve fan too. Nice to hear and read about Indians who find these offended sentiments business as disgusting as I do!
    My kids and I watch 'We the people' too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. IHM,

    Thanks. The fact that people like you exist, gives me immense hope.

    ReplyDelete

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