More than 170 kilometers from Kolkata lies the Jhargram district, a popular tourist destination with tropical forests and ancient temples. Unlike the capital, it’s neither crowded nor chaotic. People walking with umbrellas and riding on their bicycles to work is characteristic of the city. Most people’s favourite pass time is listening to the radio.
Inside Radio Milan 90.4, 25-year-old Shikha Mandi is hosting her programme “Johar Jhargram” in her native tribal language, Santhali. She is India’s first RJ who hosts an entire programme in Santhali. (Read the full story here on The Quint.)
Santhals are the third largest tribe in India. The community mostly resides in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, and Assam. They are the largest tribal community in West Bengal. They make up 42 lakh people, but it’s not often that you hear Santhali on TV or the radio, even in these regions.
“In my family,” she says, “parents want their children to study and get a government job. I was leading my life based on the same plan. And never thought I would get an opportunity to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a radio show host.”
Shikha grew up listening to All India Radio. It featured Santhali songs and music. She would mimic the RJ and would sing the songs she heard on that show. She was born to farmers in a tribal village called Belpahari. The village falls within a region where Maoism is prevalent. Till 2016, there were reports of Maoist violence in the village. For her education, she was sent to her uncle’s place in Kolkata. Studying in a school with Bengali-speaking students wasn’t easy.
“I was only 3 and a half years old when I was taken to Kolkata,” Shikha told us. “I saw that people there selectively chose friends. Nobody wanted to be friends with me because I looked different, I was a Santhal—a scheduled tribe. For them we were Adivasi, the people from the jungles with whom the city people didn’t want to associate with. I felt terrible about all this.”
Shikha was studying in an Industrial Training Institute and was set to get a job when she found out about an interview for the position of RJ at Radio Milan.
She wants people to learn about Santhals, their language, and their culture.
In the 2019 General Election, Shikha will be voting for the first time. The Quint asked her what matters to her. She said: “A lot of students want to study in their own language and script. But due to lack of schools, they are forced to switch to other languages and adapt to them. I wish everyone gets the chance to study in their native languages.”
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In modern times, a time of cultural exchange and international business, it’s helpful to know how to be respectful of other cultures. Embracing a fuller understanding of international cultures can facilitate success in business, worldly knowledge, and general goodwill.
India is quickly becoming a leader in the international community. Indian culture, fashion, and films are becoming increasingly popular in Western countries such as the United States and England. Similarly, there are many ethnically Indian communities in these countries also wishing to maintain a certain amount of cultural knowledge and practice.
The Lotus Flower
The lotus flower is reflective of the diversity of colour in India’s various ecosystems. The lotus has several positive traits associated with it, including honor and integrity. Because the flower grows in mud, it represents a bastion of purity and beauty among darkness and is therefore used in Hindu ceremonies.
Represented on the National Flag of the Republic of India, this spinning wheel pattern represents the cycles and parts of life. Created and used by Emperor Ashoka, the wheel has 24 spokes. Most famously, the symbol is also used on the National Emblem of India, which is part of an actual statue of four lions representing courage and triumph through truth.
The tiger is a universally recognisable animal; it is also the National Animal of India. Known for its physical prowess and elegance, this animal’s symbolism is generally more universal than other Indian symbols.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Source: fuchales/Flickr.
The Peacock
Also internationally known, the peacock is a beautiful bird with bright, vibrantly coloured feathers. In Indian folklore, peacocks represent blossoming beauty.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Source: GPC/Flickr.
The National Flag
The tricolor flag of the Republic of India features the aforementioned chakra at its center. The flag’s white color represents purity; saffron displays sacrifice and honor; green symbolises prosperity and fertility.
This tree is deeply rooted into the ground. Classified as a fig tree, it is the National Tree of India and possesses regenerative properties; the tree has been called immortal or reincarnated due to the nature of how it grows (its hanging roots). The banyan tree has historically served as a centre point around which important meetings are held and is also featured in several ancient stories, both Hindu and Buddhist.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Source: basoo!/Flickr.
The Mango
The mango is India’s national fruit. Aside from its delectable flavor, mangoes are extremely prevalent in India and appear in many colors. Because of this, they represent diversity and abundance.
Understanding the meaning behind each of the above symbols is an excellent way to learn about and appreciate Indian culture. Purveyors of art, film, and religious texts will note that these expressive symbols appear consistently.
There is no appreciation for creativity in India. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that Indian society is insensitive towards creative works and art. There is no dearth of creative people with a passion for creative work, but there is hardly anyone to appreciate and value it.
This lack of appreciation and recognition can severely demotivate and artist, and gradually they may stop creating artwork. Alternatively, the same piece of artwork gets appreciation from an audience in European countries where they recognise your work, giving you a sense of achievement. The truth is that the Indian audience, on the other hand, is not just interested in you. Films get banned in India, but are appreciated in the New York Film Festival. Similarly, books and paintings are banned here, but appreciated and celebrated abroad.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
If you are an Indian artist, you will be paid the right value for your art by visitors from Europeans countries. But their Indian counterparts are a different story. No wonder Indian artists and creative folks have disappeared. After all, as an artist you will be forced to look for some other work which will pay your bills.
With the lack of proper appreciation and recognition, an Indian artist may migrate to the West and spend the rest of their life in a different atmosphere to be recognised and paid for their work.
This unresponsive, stifling atmosphere around art in India will strip an artist of their creativity and talents. Bands, artists, poets, and writers get the occasional chance to display their work in European countries in every event, whereas in India they have to enter into a negotiation just to have a fighting a chance. If you decide to be the rebellious artist who will not to give up—well, there is no point in boxing in front of an empty arean. You will be gradually compelled to lead the life of a regular office-goer, with no creative instincts.
Indian audiences always look at monetary aspects of life. As children, we are always made to believe that money is all that matters. When we have a better understanding about this at school, we will get to understand the root cause of the problem. Most schools here don’t promote the idea of arts and creative subjects; it’s all about grades and marks after writing the same thing that’s already written in our school books. If a child is a creative artist but is average in academics, they would be motivated to stop their art and focus on studies.
The biggest mistake is that children who excel in arts and creative subjects are made to feel inferior to those excelling in academics. I feel that both should be appreciated equally, both have made achievements differently.
We have been doing this for ages. But when we look at the West and consume its artworks, we sit crib, saying there is no real talent in India. There can’t be any when there is no appreciation for creativity. When we kill budding creativity at a young age, how will anyone grow up to be a great artist?
I knew I will have to expiate for my wrongdoings at some point or the other. The lord knew of my scepticism about the existence of hell and thought it nice to dupe me on this big blue ball itself, probably just to get a kick out of it, and so the lord smirked as I agreed to watch ‘Simmba’ with my family.
With an unimpressive prescience, I already know somebody will comment that movies aren’t supposed to be politically correct and don’t have to appeal to everyone. Neither does this article, though. It is in that spirit that I am writing what will prompt many to use their creativity and throw some mirthful four letter words at me. I should at least feel good for those wise souls who haven’t yet watched the movie, since I am aware the almighty must have bestowed her blessings randomly on some people and saved them the ordeal. However, in what the lord will see as her good people showing her a middle-finger, many will take the time out of their schedule to watch the movie nonetheless. I am also aware that many will like it and yap about its action and the two-bit romance. I should at this point just admit that I am writing this to ruffle some feathers and henceforth get done with it.
I’m not going to spoil the movie for any of you out there. This piece can be safely read, not least because there isn’t much to spoil. The movie’s protagonist is a Police officer, the kind that I am apprehensive exists somewhere in real life, which is another testament to the shoddy system we have got that allows such blokes to join the force in the first place and do a disservice to the society. Simmba gets transferred to a random town and for once in his life decides to do his job and screw with the villain, for only one scene though. He then changes his mind and sucks up to the villain, all the while flaunting his impudence during his visit to their house, as he shoves him in their faces and orders his wife to serve him a cup of tea. I’m sure the ladies were happy with that. Getting a cup of tea ready was literally half of their role in the movie. After ogling the heroine for a while, Simmba decides to tell her that her best friend is too touchy.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
At this point, I had almost expected her to know his ambitions and be on her toes. But alas, she turns out to be a dunderhead of equal proportions and falls with this dude in the snare people have come to call love. In fact, the entire town, by the end of the movie, turns out to be full of reactionary dunderheads, from the female police officers who cast doubt on the “mardaangi” of the rapists in the movie since the good fellow Simbaa jested that their penises weren’t functioning, to the ladies in the movie, all of whom were immensely insightful and had come up with the best solution to put an end to sexual violence i.e., just shoot the rapists dead, lol. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, except we all know our police force is as dodgy as could be.
I will have to admit though that the second-half was a little less torturous than the first one, and thankfully no fellow in the theatre decided to take out his phone and talk about his plans for the rest of the week in the middle of the movie; a fate I have come to face a bit too often.
It was quite a poetic justice to see the villains get put in their place, since our good fellow Simmba’s conscience had finally had enough. A typical sati savitri’s death was enough to light a match up his backside. In what seemed like an open threat to the judge as he asks her how she would have felt if it was her daughter at the receiving end of those barbarous acts, Simmba succeeds in getting another date for the hearing of the case. Nonetheless, he couldn’t see the desolated father of the woman when he, towards the end, loses it and asks for the gun so he can kill the rapists himself. Not before ordering the ladies for a cup of tea though. At this point, I had almost come to delude myself and thought maybe all the patriarchal drek in the first half of the movie was just to make us hot under the collar and prepare us for the subsequent evolution of the characters. This added to the collection of things I’m wrong about. What was I thinking, eh?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
You might be now compelled to state that these were all characters and my dross “review” of the movie doesn’t count for much of a damn. If anything, it reflects my poor sense of cinema and lack of appreciation for Masaala movies.
I will concede, however, that the movie isn’t all that bad if you check your ideology (and your sensibilities and your politics and your taste for decency) at the door. I know the movie with all its faults manages to have us cheer for the good fellow Simmba when he beats the trash out of the bad guys. It certainly managed to keep my mouth shut following the movie and put a sheepish smile across my face. Since those around me liked the movie so much, that seemed to me the wise move, for the remaining options included rocking the boat or exposing my petty emotions and thereby making a butt of myself, both of which I have exhausted on other occasions.
We all should probably just get a sense of humour and get on with life. After all, it was just a movie and they don’t have to be politically correct. I am not even saying that isn’t a valid view. All I am saying is if you aren’t one of those lucky peeps who can do that then you perhaps do not want to watch it as I did. However, I do appreciate the execution, no pun intended, that kept the audience hooked.
It is my conjecture that at least some other peeps out there have had similar thoughts about the movie. But in (the highly likely) case I’m wrong, or worse, this piece just fails to attract any attention, I will just assume the almighty is trying to provide further proof of my dumbassery and do something better than posting mere blather on the internet. It is also my conjecture that those unthinking dorks who praise the most banal twaddle as good cinema as long as it’s either packaged as an “art film” or is Hollywood will jump on the bandwagon and hate on Simmba and possibly find this article agreeable, until they come to read this line, of course.
Let’s hope for good movies in 2019, if only to prepare ourselves for the bigger disappointments in life.
The BCCI notice slammed at Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul came like a breath of fresh air after the misogynistic Koffee With Karan episode aired on Sunday. One gets to know all that is wrong with the episode within a few minutes into the show which literally does not need to be watched any longer to understand how low these men could stoop. The two cricketers have managed to create a buzz for all the wrong reasons, and lack of education is probably just ‘one’ of them, else why would young ‘successful’ men like them find it rather funny to objectify women and take pride in doing so. We understand how lack of education can totally wipe out many important aspects of knowledge that one gains through it, but that is no ‘excuse’ to behave like a male chauvinistic pig and act cool about it.
One needs to also observe how Karan Johar ‘laughs’ at every comment made and clearly enjoys himself during the entire duration of the show. Karan did not seem uncomfortable for a single second and continued asking questions which he knew would get him ‘interesting replies’. The cricketers did not just reveal an aspect of their identity, which is problematic, to say the least, but we also had the host of the show giggling, laughing and applauding them at every point. The fact that we have leading men (in their respective professions) speak in a manner that literally exhibits the sad reality behind the humungous success of the songs created by certain artists, who objectify women in the most degrading way possible, puts us women in a very bad light as we may not even realize how we end up becoming passive supporters by not taking a stand, reinforcing this toxic culture, where ‘disgusting’ is the norm.
I definitely had a good laugh reading Hardik Pandya’s so-called ‘apology’ posted on Twitter and Instagram. It said, “After reflecting on my comments on Koffee With Karan, I would like to apologize to everyone concerned who I may have hurt in any way. Honestly, I got a bit carried away with the nature of the show. In no way did I mean to disrespect or hurt anyone’s sentiments. Respect”. First of all, we are not sure if he really wrote this considering his statements made during the show, and secondly, even if he did write it, the tweet does not come across as a genuine apology, but more like something he was forced to write on account of public outrage and the BCCI notice. The fact that he got ‘carried away’ speaks less about the ‘nature of the show’ and much more about ‘him’ and his demeaning views on women. To expect one to have an overnight realization of the lowness of the words uttered is hard to believe and frankly pretty hard to digest in his case. The apology looks too scripted and forced, to say the least.
Hardik, you do not need to say sorry, because you are NOT. We are, for having thought that capable men like you and Rahul would set the right examples in every way. We are sorry for burdening you with our expectations. We are sorry for confusing good players as sensible humans.
Hope you can see the world better without your ‘yellow glasses’.
The city of Calcutta had substantially changed because of several factors, such as post-war effects, the famine, the cessation of East Bengal, conflicts between the political parties, economic crisis, the incessant riots, and the uprising of the Naxalite movement. All of the factors led to the decline of civil machinery, and this decline had a huge impact on the population as it drove them towards the dark path of corruption, immorality, and chicanery. And through these factors, the city forces people to abandon their moral values and integrity.
In the opening scene of the movie, there is an examination going on. Every student is cheating blatantly, and the invigilator is observing everything without making any effort to change the situation. The invigilators are present there as mute spectators and they’re not doing anything to stop the students from cheating. Somnath (the protagonist) is busy writing his answer, oblivious and unaffected by what’s happening in the examination hall. In one of the scenes, when Somnath is asked to pass the cheat sheet, he doesn’t object to it and accepts to pass it on. It becomes clear that Somnath isn’t actively cheating in the examination, but he passively taking part in it. He can be seen as the middleman, in the act of passing the cheat sheet from one student to another. It is evident from the scene that the invigilators have accepted the wrong-doings of the students, and they have reluctantly consented to this system. A parallel can be drawn between the invigilator and the politicians, both of them know about the wrongdoings that are taking place, but still, both of them fail to take any preventive measure towards it.
The following scene after the examination takes place in the house of the teacher, who is checking the papers of the students. The scene distinctly brings out the destitute condition of the teacher, he is working in a dimly lit room and he is unable to read the tiny handwriting because he cannot afford new prescription glasses. This impoverished state of the teacher establishes that he is overworked and underpaid. Thereafter, the teacher sends his son to ask the neighbor for their glasses, but the neighbor wasn’t home. Due to his inability to read the answer scripts properly, the teacher gives Somnath the marks which were enough for him to pass but not sufficient to get Honours. Little did the teacher know, that this act of giving only passing marks to Somnath would have dire and far-reaching consequences on Somnath’s life.
Further on, Somnath’s father is shocked to see his son’s result as he didn’t get Honours, and Somnath’s father plans to get his son’s paper re-checked. To this Somnath’s brother, Bhombol, responds by saying that it’s futile to get the paper rechecked, they might increase Somnath’s marks, but they would never give him Honours because they would never admit that they were irresponsible. This scene lays down the critique of the education system and demonstrates that how rigid and chaotic, the educational establishment has become.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.A still from the film. Somnath (Pradip Mukherjee) is seen in conversation with Hiralal (Rabi Ghosh).
Later on, both Somnath and Sukumar (Somnath’s friend) apply for a job. They discover that there are 1 lakh applications for only 10 job vacancies. This exhibits rampant unemployment during the 1970s in Calcutta. Sukumar realizes that each application requires three postal orders, which would further lead to 3 lakh postal orders (based on 1 lakh job applications), but there is only one person to sign these postal orders. This signifies the lack of staff members available in the postal system to complete the work efficiently. Therefore, Sukumar pragmatically assessed that the chance of getting the job is zero. The condition of the letterbox, in which Somnath posted his resume, and the postal system being understaffed. Both of these situations highlight the constant decline of the city and the dreadful consequences of such a decline in the population of the city.
Sukumar takes Somnath along with him, to meet his friend who is a Member of Parliament, and to discuss the hardships faced by both of them regarding employment. After hearing the problems raised by Sukumar, the MP replies by saying that they cannot be blamed for this widespread unemployment because they haven’t been in power for long and he conveniently puts the entire blame on the previous government for the recent mishaps faced by the youth. The statement made by the MP is highly problematic, and it is a circular argument used by the politicians to justify their lack of efficiency. Also, the MP gives them the example of the sacrifices made by Vidyasagar and he also, insists that both Sukumar and Somnath should make sacrifices for the country. This indirectly means that the youth should make peace with the current reality and wait for better jobs to come their way. Until that time arrives, they should do some menial jobs and give up on their dreams for the “greater good of the country” as pointed out by the MP.
Even when Somnath is running around and applying for job vacancies. In the background, the walls have banners of CPI(M), which is later on removed, and changed with the banners of Congress. This indicates the change in government, but no actual change has taken place in the mechanism and working of the city. This poignantly highlights the lack of interest of the political parties to bring about any change in the city for the betterment. The extent of corruption remains the same and the city is still in a constant decline.
In an ingenious scene, Somnath’s father asks both of his sons several questions about the Naxalite movement, and he is surprised by the fact that how the young generation embraces death without any hesitation unless there is a great ideal which inspires this kind of courage. Somnath’s father, being a freedom fighter himself, and his failure to understand the young generation, poignantly explains the state of the city during those tumultuous times. Somnath’s father fails to understand that unlike pre-independence, where the British were the enemy, but this time, the city is the enemy, and not an external party. The enemy was present in the system itself.
Eventually, Somnath is able to finally reach the interviewing process for the job vacancies he applied for. But to Somnath’s misfortune, in all of these interviews, the officials kept asking totally irrelevant questions. Questions such as “What is the speed of light,”“What is the weight of the moon,” and many more questions which were in no way related with the job. The interviewing process, in a nutshell, displays the highly flawed machinery of employment, and how insignificant these interviewing processes are in order to decide the best and the most suitable candidate for the job.
After another hopeless interview, Somnath heads out and accidentally slips on a banana peel thrown by Bishuda (Somnath’s old friend). This scene is foreshadowing the fall of Somnath in terms of his moral principles, due to Bishuda. Later on, Bishuda and Somnath start talking about their lives, and Somnath expresses his problem in finding a job. When Bishuda and Somnath are walking together, the camera focuses on the condition of the road, which has huge potholes, puddles and lots of garbage. This impoverished state of road acts as a constant reminder of the deteriorating condition of the city. After hearing Somnath’s problems, Bishuda put forwards the idea of being a middleman between buyer and supplier (Bishuda was also a middleman).
Bishuda says that as a middleman, Somnath can choose to sell and buy, whatever he wants. This straightforward statement made by Bishuda perfectly encapsulates the dilemma faced by a middleman, and later on, this would turn out to be extremely troublesome for Somnath as a middleman.
As Somnath establishes himself as a middleman, under the name of Modern Trader Business. He is able to get a few contracts initially, with the help of his friends because his friends arrange meetings for Somnath with buyers. Further on, Somnath’s friend recommends Somnath to the Chief Officer of Kejriwal Textile, Manohar Goenka for a contract of optical whiteners. Somnath seeks help from Mitter (Public Relations Officer) to put this contract in motion. Mitter acts as a fixer, he finds people’s weak spots and exploits and manipulates those weak spots for his benefit. Little did Somnath know that Mitter was also going to exploit his weak spot i.e. Somnath is an innocent fool and clueless about the cruel side of this money-oriented society. Mitter tells Somnath that they can get the contract if Somnath agrees to arrange a sex worker for Manohar Goenka, arranged by Mitter himself.
“This is also a commodity and aren’t you a supplier?” This mere utterance made by Mitter tragically displays the modern society as a red-light district, where anything can be bought and sold. Human beings are reduced to a mere commodity, and the value of human life has been trivialized in this city, where money is given the utmost importance. After intense persuasion for quite some time, Somnath reluctantly accepts the arrangement made by Mitter.
Before executing the plan laid down by Mitter, Somnath has a conversation with his sister-in-law regarding his profession. They’re having the conversation in a dimly lit room. Somnath lights a matchstick from the flame of the candle, while discussing what actually has become of his profession – from a middleman, he has become a pimp. The flame of the candle symbolizes all of the wrongdoings prevalent in the city. The act of Somnath lighting his matchstick from the flame of the candle signifies that he will be doing certain wrongful acts which are widespread in the city, such as, acting as a pimp in exchange for a big contract. He’s committing this act to succeed in life. This exhibits the decline of Somnath’s moral values, and it marks the downward spiral of Somnath’s life. This scene also establishes the constant electricity cuts prevalent in the city, these electricity cuts are showcased throughout the movie. It goes on to focus on the inefficiency of the administrative structure of the city.
To arrange a sex worker, both Somnath and Mitter first go to a woman’s house. There it is revealed that the woman is engaged in sex work so she could afford liquor for her husband. Her husband is a municipal clerk, which moreover highlights the problem of being underpaid. But her husband refuses her from working that night, by saying that they don’t need that much of cash flow. After being let down from the first place, both of them go to another place. Here, a widow resides along with her two daughters. She acts as a pimp for both of her daughters. The widow uses her house as the place of occupation i.e. sex work. The widow refuses to send her daughter to the hotel, and she insists that Mitter brings the client to their house. Both of these situations display the decay of the social fabric of the city. The social fabric which is knitted on integrity, compassion, and humanity, is being torn apart because of the city.
Finally, they find a someone who agrees to go to the hotel, but it turns out to be Sukumar’s sister. In one of the earlier scenes, when Somnath starts earning, he visits Sukumar’s house. The scene flawlessly captures the struggle faced by lower-middle-class families. It focused on the hardship of such families by showing a cramped house, father feeling helpless because of his underpaid job, five children, out of which some are sick and consuming homeopathic medicines because they can’t afford allopathic medication. The city of Calcutta drove Sukumar’s sister towards the track of sex work, just like it drove Somnath towards the path of immorality and bribery. Ultimately, Somnath supplies the commodity to Manohar Goenka. He arranges for Sukumar’s sister to visit Manohar Goenka in exchange for a contract.
In the final scene, when Somnath is walking down the hallway after committing the immoral act, it becomes clear that he no longer exudes innocence. He will now constantly feel the urge to hide underneath his own shadow. This scene is transitioned with the harrowing face of Somnath’s father, which indicates that Somnath’s father’s worst nightmare has come true.
In one of the earlier scenes, Somnath and his whole family are having dinner, and both Somnath and his brother discuss how widespread corruption is. His father was mournful over the fact that bribery is prevalent everywhere. Everything that his father stood against, Somnath had now embraced.
The faltering civil machinery, which is manifested in the deteriorating employability and the incompetent educational system, led to all but one inevitable conclusion. It was Somnath’s destined path towards the dungeons of corruption and immorality. He had failed against, or rather, was not even given a chance to resist the constant beating of the savagery of the so-called civil society of Calcutta. The flower of maturity blooms, but only to swell in vice and foster in eventual moral regret. Morality is easier to come by when everything is in one’s favour. But in this harsh reality, the city consumes one’s moral values and principles.
What do mainlanders know about the North East? It’s famous for its tea, for its non-vegetarian cuisines, for living tree bridges, and houses on stilts, and, courtesy of our Prime Minister’s escapades, we’ve seen its feathered ceremonial headgears, and weaved fabrics. But apart from all of this, mainland Indians are pretty clueless about the ‘Seven Sisters’ (now eight, did you know?) Nothing spells this out better than the comedy set that Meghalaya comic Abhineet Mishra uploaded YouTube a few days ago.
The set focuses on a tragic incident that took place on December 13, involving 15 mine workers from Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district. They were trapped in a 370ft deep mine for weeks before being rescued. Giving us the facts of the case, Mishra makes the sharpest of comments on role the authorities, the media, and the Indian people played in this. And if you haven’t asked yourself about your relationship with the North East, as an individual, as a political actor, and as a consumer of the media, then you need to start now.
Hailing from Shillong, Mishra has previously used comedy to highlight issues like racism against people from the North East.
“Why is JNU an issue?…. Inka canteen mein udhari hai.” -Kunal Kamra, ‘Pakistani’ comedian.
“You are more dangerous to this country than Maoist terrorists.” – Arnab Goswami, ‘Actor,’ Times Now.
This is a direct quote made on a prime time show by Arnab Goswami directed towards former JNU student Umar Khalid. Fast forward to August 2018: two men attempted to shoot and kill Umar Khalid near the Parliament.
In February 2016, JNU was a hot topic for every media house. An arts and cultural event organised against the judicial killing of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhatt and turning attention to the issue in Kashmir turned into a matter of ‘national security.’
ABVP members protested against the event. Allegations of students raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans was the top news story of the day. The video in question turned out to be doctored, but the damage was already done. Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, among others, have been charged with sedition over the course of this incident. Character assassinations were underway on various prime time shows, terming protesters ‘anti-national,’ citing the doctored videos as evidence. Rajnath Singh, with zero proof, alleged that JNU students had the backing of Hafiz Saeed.
Over the course of this incident, various student groups clashed.
Najeeb Ahmed, a first year MSc Biotechnology student from JNU, went missing on the October 14 2016, after a reported scuffle with ABVP members. His disappearance sparked protests around various campuses.
Times Now ran with the story when the false report of him joining ISIS came out. At the time, doing so this helped spread the fake rumours to smear Najeeb Ahmed’s character. They still haven’t gotten rid of the video as was directed by the Delhi High Court.
Under pressure from the backlash they received, Times Now did remove other articles on their website but they can still be searched for and the highlights of the particular article too attempt to paint him as a radical who deserved what he got.
Najeeb is still missing and the CBI was allowed to terminate the investigation late last year.
The media has played a big role in sensationalising incidents and helped fuel this violence. A lot of mainstream media houses, owing to their political backing, get away with reporting the most absurd of stories and misreport stories to spread their political propaganda.
Times Now has also been involved in purporting various other stories. For example, the story of conversion rate cards had already been debunked at the time it ran on the channel. Considering the resources that Times Now has, it is absurd to believe that they did not know about the story’s credibility, and I think the only reason it made it to the prime time show was to marginalise sections of our society and later further the agenda of issues such as those in JNU being a matter of national security.
Times Now isn’t the only corporate media house to run these stories but it certainly is one of the biggest. The aim of this article is to highlight the fact that even after the Delhi High Court’s order, Times Now still hasn’t completely gotten rid of the stories that painted Najeeb as some sort of terrorist. Mainstream media manipulated an issue to the extent where it turned deadly. Unless strict action is taken against such news agencies, they will continue to misguide audiences to serve their master’s agenda.
It is time we as a collective take a stand to deplatform individuals who have for years been spreading misinformation and reaping benefits. We need to boycott such individuals and channels. Advertisers should be persuaded to pull their advertisements from such shows.
Special mentions to Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar who have gone head over heels to fit Arnab’s shoes.
Music plays an essential role in the lives of many in this society. It influences the way we think, act, and our attitude towards life. We often find ourselves vibe to various genres of music depending on our feelings. It often affects our daily interactions and school work too. Music is also the medium through which artists can express their thoughts, feelings and simply change the world by creating art to represent what they believe in.
For a while now, some music genres have been definitely impacting the world. They have been spreading messages on a wide range of topics in which many persons can relate to depending on what it is. Music genres such as hip hop and R&B, pop, EDM, rock and indie are some that have been influencing the youth, and society, in general, for a while now. Some of these songs cover topics such as racism and depression, but also light weight topics such as associating with friends, loving somebody or just having a good time! Music is a way through which individuals bond with each other based on their preferences but differences too. It is also a form of understanding, where persons can come together and stand for what they believe in.
Recently, the music industry has been becoming more culturally diverse. There has always been music in different languages but only recently have some industries suddenly come into the light. With the rise of certain music genres such as Latin trap, Kpop and Afrobeat, some cultures are being much more accepted and embraced than before. Some individuals begin to be open minded and much more aware concerning the lifestyles of others while others, not so much. The importance of accepting music from different cultures is to simply give the respect that you’d like to be given to you. Not only that, but to be able to be open-minded towards certain things can really improve you as a person. You tend to become more open to growth and you never know, you might just end up discovering a new passion. Not only do you experience changes, but you become more confident in yourself after all challenges you’ve faced.
While Kpop is one of the genres mentioned previously, it isn’t as accepted as Latin trap may be. Usually it isn’t appreciated as some individuals aren’t really familiar to Asian culture and so they’re ignorant regarding it which leads to them disliking it. Since it isn’t what they are accustomed to, they become quick to judge and therefore, quick to hate as well. This is where xenophobia takes place. For those who aren’t aware, xenophobia is the irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries but not only does xenophobia, emerge but so does homophobia.
Now, you might be wondering, how does homophobia come into play? Well, many individuals dislike this genre of music due to the way some Kpop idols are dressed in their music videos. It is said that they look ‘gay.’ It can be inferred that they aren’t exactly welcoming when it comes to having a different sexuality. Besides homophobia, some individuals also dislike Kpop because, to them, everyone seems to look the same. Now, this is where racism and ignorance also arises. As an individual that lives on an island so culturally diverse, it is incredibly offensive to state something like that. It’s almost as if you’ve learnt nothing from your surroundings and the persons you’ve grown up with. As the world is changing, you must learn to pay attention to details and be accepting towards it.
This is because you won’t always be surrounded by things you’re familiar with. It is inevitable to face challenges and when the time comes you must be ready to be aware regarding certain topics. Not just for the sake of being aware, but also for the sake of respecting yourself and others too. Claiming that members look the same, just displays you that you do not even want to try to be open towards learning about new cultures or seeing the differences regarding them. It just exhibits you as someone lazy, which isn’t exactly a good personality trait.
Kpop is just music in different genres we all are familiar to such as pop, hip hop and R&B but in a different language. It isn’t too different from Latin music which includes different genres but in a different language as well. There are many songs in Kpop that also tackle important issues such as self-love, anxiety, depression, comparison, hate and more. Music is definitely evolving as the years pass. It is a way in which stories and opinions can be shared and accepted too. It is definitely changing in terms of diversity and acceptance.
Many music listeners begin to be more aware about certain subjects and welcoming. The rise of these music genres in different languages is not a bad thing. It’s a way in which we all can learn something new and grow. To be culturally accepting is to be one step closer to a world without stereotypes and racism.
In unity there is strength, therefore we must share our similarities, appreciate our differences and move on with acceptance, pride and an open mind.
The harvest festival of Pongal/ Sankranti is celebrated with much grandeur. The joy of reaping benefits from hard work is beyond any description. Every year Pongal is celebrated around a certain theme by different communities. In the modern era with changing patterns of celebration, there is much innovation with regards to this. Residents of Chennai’s IT sector on the Old Mahabalipuram Road decided to celebrate their Pongal early and that too with nature. The every day commute, long hours in confined spaces and a routine was all to be overcome through one activity. An activity that would also benefit them in the long run. Brain storming on these lines, the residents commonly agreed on the thought of engaging with nature and giving back to the planet. The ideas ranged from planting saplings to adopting stray animals and more. Finally it was pointed out that in a rain deficient year, probably the focus should be on water.
The minute water was mentioned, ideas flooded the room ranging from adopting the Buckingham canal that runs close to their homes or of cleaning the ponds surrounding their buildings. It was decided that they would start small and expand their efforts. The Pongal at Pond concept was coined and the excitement in the air reached new heights. The Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) known for scientifically restoring over 89 water bodies across 12 states in the country over the last 11 years joined the bandwagon as the executing partner for this. The volunteers gathered in large numbers to clean the Egatoor Pond of all its trash and dumped construction debris. Volunteers across ages and all social parameters joined hands to clean up the pond. The three-hour-long activity witnessed positive energy sky rocketing.
Non-bio-degradable polythene and other harmful trash was removed from the pond manually. Following which, earth-moving heavy machinery was deployed to deepen the pond, strengthen its bunds and regulate the inflow-outflow canals to the pond. Work that is expected to take 40-45 days to complete had its grand inauguration through active volunteering efforts from several nation builders. The Egatoor Pond is expected to ecologically restored by EFI through a collaborative conservation effort. A model that is fast catching up across South Asia.
The water security and sustainability will be a reality only when such citizen participation is guaranteed. Technology and monetary investments would give immediate results but people participation is the key to conservation.
In real life, it is impossible to bring life to the still but all thanks to movies that we can witness the imagination of others, the still and even dead ones, in motion on 70mm screen. Movies are a great source of entertainment but some movies are a lot more than just a movie. In more than 100 years of cinema, Our Hindi film industry has produced some great art. ALAM ARA (1931), MUGHAL-E-AZAM (1960), PYAASA (1957), PAKEEZAH (1972)ARTH, (1982), MR. INDIA(1987),BANDIT QUEEN (1994),SATYA (1998),RANG DE BASANTI (2006),BAAHUBALI (2017) and many more.
Now It is 2019 and this year is ready with another unconventional story of the female warrior Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, who fought till her last breath, starring Kangana Ranaut, Ankita lokhande, Mishti, Jesshu Sen Gupta, Danny Denzongpa and Atul Kulkarni in pivotal roles. It is made on a very grand scale and is full of patriotism. It is a story of a widow who fought for her adopted child and for her country.It is not just a movie, it has many things to say.
Manikarnika is headed by national awardees. Kangana, Shankar Ehsan Loy and Prasoon Joshi. Written by the writer of Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. It is the combination of young talent and experience.
Music is helmed by poster boys of patriotism, Shankar Ehsan Loy. The music album is out and it has everything in it which can motivate every Bhartiya. It has 8 songs and has every flavor which takes you to an amazing ride of emotions.
Manikarnika is not about one item song or grand sets, it is about the woman who fought on the battlefield carrying her son on the back. Today our society has been dealing with the bad phase for women, this movie will teach and motivate them to fight against evil. Youth is busy hating their country, it will instill a feeling of patriotism in them.
According to IMDB, it is one of the most anticipated movies of 2019. Now it will be interesting to witness valor, pride, and pain of a daughter, wife and mother.
I have been a huge cricket fan right from my childhood. To give you an insight of the magnitude, if I have a chance to go back in time, I would like to change the result of the final encounter of World Cup 2003 between India and Australia or the very recent World Cup final of 2017 against England.
Throughout my life, I have followed cricket and cricketers with this passion and devotion. Not just the on-field matches, I bet you that I have watched almost all the cricketing interviews of cricketers who have represented the country, be it the complete seasons of ‘Breakfast with Champions’ or ‘What The Duck’. These chat shows are a really good medium to know the cricketers upfront and close. Thanks to internet!
Simply following the tradition, I recently saw just another chat show featuring cricketers really relevant today – I binged on Koffee with Karan feat Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul!
What Happened?
Little did I know, I am watching a historic episode and I am one of those rare species who will get to see this legally – as the broadcaster will take it down after a huge cricket controversy to be followed. The major part of the episode is about Mr. Hardik Pandya and his life while K L Rahul is more of a supporting actor, just like your hero’s best friend in a ’90s Bollywood film. The episode has no personal attacks and no hatred involved at any point. Only that in this episode, Mr. Pandya revealed a lot of information about his personal life – how he used to flirt with multiple women at one time and would send all of them the same text. He also said that he relates a lot to the ‘Black (read the Caribbean) culture’ and he likes to check out the moves of a girl. Basically, he showed that he is a ‘player’ who uses his fame to go out with multiple women.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Pandya vs “Player” Culture
Hypocrisy Takes Over
I saw the episode, forgot about it until I saw news after a few days that both these players have been suspended because of the sexist remarks. BCCI, whose CEO faced allegations of sexual harassment, another player who faced serious criminal allegations from his own wife, the coach who used abusive language on live TV a few days back wearing team jersey and the great Captain holds the record of maximum on-field abuses, he uses language targeting women in the family of opposite team members while representing the team, wearing team jersey, on field, on duty. And in none of these cases, the career of an individual was destroyed or a ban was imposed. The irony is that some of these greats are stakeholders in deciding the punishment for Mr. Pandya. What led to this sudden moral attacks? This moral policing by BCCI is beyond my understanding.
Blame Pandya Or The ‘Player’ Culture?
My biggest concern is Mr. Pandya is not the first person in this country who possess this attitude. This is nothing but a perfect example of toxic masculinity that is strongly embedded in today’s society. We all know people around us who possess a similar ‘player’ attitude and these people are very well accepted in our society, our own friend circle. Men are friends with them, women date them knowing who they are. It took me a few years to not hate them and another few years to accept them in my circle. I realized that if people concerned with them don’t have any issues then who am I to hate them? Knowing that they have cheated on multiple women in past and sometimes the same women multiple times, women are ready to date them again because these players know their game very well. Initially, I thought this is the story of my friend circles until I came across this research.
My only argument is whether people have a problem with this ‘player’ culture or with this individual. If we have grave, serious issues with this culture, then we should start with the people around us. Make them feel at least 10% of the humiliation that has been done to these two. Do you really boycott the ‘players’ around you like the way we are doing with Hardik and Rahul?
Imagine if we start behaving with every ‘player’ out there as well as his friends the way we are behaving with these two. Imagine if you get to know that any of your friends is two-timing then your entire friend circle starts boycotting or counselling them. But sadly that’s not the truth in majority of cases. This culture exists, it’s even on a rise. We are encouraging this behaviour around us but suddenly a lot of hypocrites have started bashing this guy because he made it public.
Another important aspect of this case is that Mr. Pandya comes from a small town and as told by him he never gave a pinch of his attention to studies. Hence it’s not surprising for me that he doesn’t know the vocabulary and is not equipped enough to carry on discussions around things bordering controversy. Sometimes what matters the most is ‘how you say it’ rather than ‘what you say’.
The way things are unfolding is just not the way to tackle them and I am still confused whom do we want to target the ‘player’ culture or Pandya for revealing this open secret.
Men want to be like them and women want to be with them and that’s how you fall prey to this ‘player’ culture and promote it.
Either accept that this is the new culture which is growing in the society or if you really want to curb this culture then start from the people around you and at least don’t fall prey to it. Then this culture wouldn’t be on a rise and there won’t be all those poetry on #HookUpCulture.
PS: The above article is based on limited knowledge and limited experiences of my life. Happy to hear contradicting views and learn something new.
Urdu was in news again recently, when a lady was trolled for posting her name in Urdu. In an act of solidarity, hundreds of non-Urdu speakers wrote their names in the language under #MyNameInUrdu, making it trend all over the social media. It was heartwarming to see so many people coming out in support of the language despite its consistent decline in India.
The famous poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar once rightly stated that “zabanemazhabonki nahin, illaqonkihoti hain“ i.e “Languages do not belong to religions, they belong to regions.” However, Urdu, unfortunately, has always been strongly associated with religion. It won’t be completely wrong to say that the language to some extent has become synonymous to Islam. While Urdu is largely spoken by Muslims especially in the North, it should also be acknowledged that it has always had a huge fan following and some of it’s greatest patrons are non-Muslims like Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar whose contribution in promoting the language is enormous. The myth that Urdu is a foreign language has been repeatedly busted. Nevertheless, the idea still remains strongly ingrained in the minds of many.
Urdu is a Hindustani language with its roots in Sanskrit and Prakrit. In the medieval era due to the influence of Persian speaking rulers, many Persian and few Arabic words were added into its vocabulary. However, the fact remains intact that Urdu was born and flourished in Hindustan /India and is definitely not a language of foreign origin. Urdu is widely spoken in India accounting to almost 5 to 6.5% of the total population of India. Moreover, it also happens to be one of the 22 official languages of India. The language was romanticized by various ‘shayars’ (poets) who eloquently used Urdu to put forth their thoughts and feelings. The principal forms of Urdu poetry like ‘Ghazal, Nazm, Qasida’(to name a few) were popularised by the ‘shayars’ who were patronized by the Mughal rulers and the Nawabs. Even after the downfall of its rich patrons, Urdu poetry continued to flourish amongst the common masses and interestingly reached its pinnacle under the British Rule.
With the arrival of motion pictures, Urdu was warmly embraced by the Hindi film industry. The influence of Urdu was significantly strong in Bollywood resulting in bounteous use of Urdu in dialogues and lyrics, to an extent that knowledge of Urdu was essential to be a successful lyricist in the Hindi film Industry. As there is not much difference in Hindi and Urdu, lyricists amply used Urdu in many songs and people rarely could differentiate between the two languages making Urdu an integral part of the Hindi Cinema. Scores of songs have Urdu words weaved masterfully along with Hindi, providing its magical touch to the expression of feelings and thoughts of the protagonist.
A language so loved and revered sadly with time became synonyms with only the Muslim culture. There came a stage where the image of Urdu as a Muslim language got so strongly etched in the minds of the masses, that it turned out to be detrimental to the survival of the language. Eventually, the language got communalized and now is falsely labeled as foreign. With the advent of globalization, many Urdu speakers shifted towards English education. The influence of language gradually started to decline, though not completely but the venerated status it once enjoyed was evidently lost. There was a noticeable drop in the use of Urdu not only in the Hindi film industry but also in the daily routine gabfest Urdu words were replaced by Hindi. There has also been a considerable decline in the number of publications in Urdu, with many Urdu publications closing down or struggling to survive.
However, its sad fall from glory failed to placate those who were hell-bent on communalizing the language. Attacks on the language continued unabashedly and anything or anyone associated with Urdu was linked with Islam.
Ironically many Urdu speakers themselves are not proficient in the language especially the written form, although they speak Urdu effortlessly many can’t write or read the script.
The gradual shift from the language is been happening but thanks to the strong recent campaign in support of Urdu under the hashtag MyNameInUrdu, the language has again managed to garner the attention of everyone especially the younger generation. From a language at a decline, Urdu has suddenly turned into something which the millennials term as ‘Cool’. People are waking up to the unique style of Urdu and it is been rebranded, it’s just not only a language of ‘shayari'(poetry) and ‘tehzeeb‘(culture), but also a language that is binding people together. The language is braving the geographical barriers and is getting openly embraced by non-Urdu speakers and it is such a pleasure to see so many people displaying their names in Urdu.
Famous poet Gulzar has beautifully expressed in these lines :
“ye kaisāishqhaiurduzabāñ kaa, mazā ghultā hai lafzoñ kā zabāñ par ki jaise paan meñ mahñgā qimām ghultā hai ye kaisā ishq hai urdu zabāñ kaa…. nasha aatā hai urdu bolne meñ gilaurī kī tarah haiñ muñh lagī sab istelāheñ lutf detī hai, halaq chhūtī hai urdu to, halaq se jaise mai kā ghoñT utartā hai baḌī aristocracy hai zabāñ meñ “
A few days back, my friends and I were discussing Descartes’ cogito, ergo, sum (I think, therefore I am) in our philosophy club when we decided to keep our next meeting in a coffee house. Meeting in coffee houses and associated coffee culture has been around since the 18th century when intellectuals, writers, philosophers and many other people met in such coffee houses and had extensive, elaborate discussions.
The idea was well received by the club members, and, we were very excited as it gave us a Dead Poets Society feel. It would be exciting for us to experience some of the literary and cultural trends of the 18th century that we had so fondly read in our English literature classes.
Can you imagine going to a complete stranger and discussing a comparative study between Descartes and Kant or ranting about your dislike for BJP’s propaganda over a steaming cup of coffee?
This, precisely, was the trend 300 years ago, when coffee houses were the hub of such stimulating discussions and debates; a meeting point for intellectuals, playwrights, philosophers, scientists, etc. (of the like of Sir Isaac Newton, Samuel Pepys and several others). As strange as this concept might seem now, conversations were the lifeblood of coffee houses which thrived on people and their opinions. Hearing unknown people talk for hours was the underlying principle in the construction of coffee houses.
Since I was coordinating the meeting, I went there earlier than others to book us a table and plan everything. Upon entering the café, I was greeted by the loud chattering and babbling of the college crowd. I could see some people clicking selfies, others uploading food pictures on Instagram and Snapchat with hashtags like #FoodPorn #FoodLover #FoodGoneCold #Oops!
I also saw book lovers comfortably nestled in the plush and comfortable couches with their perfectly arranged John Green novel, the coffee mug and an oversized, nerdy but cute pair of glasses.
Although I realised that it would be difficult for us to organise a philosophy discussion here in the middle of a loud crowd, the excitement and the thrill was far too overpowering. I found the perfect spot in one such corner of the café which had a large table and was fairly secluded. Though, I must admit that being the excluded section also made it a couple-friendly section. Tinder dates are common in coffee houses.
As per the agenda, we began the meeting with a steaming cup of perfectly brewed coffee and even better-roasted ideas. Once the discussion was in full swing, we didn’t realise when we completely forgot about our surroundings and the server came up to take our orders along with a polite request of toning our voices down.
This came as a harsh realisation as it dawned upon me that discussions like these are no longer the lifeblood of cafes; instead, they have merely become hubs for people with endless time and money to spend on overpriced frappes and lattes, fries and pies. What was even more amazing was that the newly entered group and probably the chirpiest one was that of a kitty party.
Conversations like “Hey! Did you know XYZ’s son got a promotion the other day! His parents are so proud!” mixed with those like “Kant focuses more on feeling and interpretation of the empirical data with a reason whereas Descartes focuses on logic-” gave us a sense of the Biblical babble!
We decided to order some food and give a break to our Dead Poets Society for the time being. Though the babble had now reduced just to gossip, a friend in the group suddenly had a deja-vu about Alexander Pope, who in his most famous work ‘The Rape of the Lock,’ describes coffee as:
“Coffee, (which makes the Politician wise, And see thro’ all things with his half shut Eyes) Sent up in Vapours to the Baron’s Brain New Stratagems, the radiant Lock to gain.”
It is said that certain elements of the poem were inspired by the gossip that he overheard at local coffee houses.
This made us realize that coffee houses and cafés weren’t just a meeting place but also a place that inspired different types of art. Surprisingly, coffee houses became such an important part of society that they began appearing in different art forms. Thomas Jordan composed a song called Triumphs of London that illustrates the manners of the times and the type of conversations that could be found within a coffee house.
“You that delight in wit and mirth, And love to hear such news That come from all parts of the earth, Turks, Dutch, and Danes, and Jews: I’ll send ye to the rendezvous, where it is smoking new; Go hear it at a coffee-house, It cannot but be true.”
Literature has always captured the elite class’ love for coffee. Even today, coffee is connected with fashionable sophistication.
What these coffee houses did was provide a space for communities. They provided a place for society to engage in wonderful discussions. The initial purpose of coffee houses and cafés was to maximize sociability, critical judgement and debate and discussions which led to the blossoming of creative and political ideas among people. Although the flavours of coffee have become better and grander today, the possibilities of intellectual and mental growth have vanished, making our coffee era and stories very superficial in themselves.
Thus with filled stomachs, fulfilled minds and somewhat empty wallets, we ended our discussion, making our coffee experience a different kind than the rest.
टीवी के पॉपुलर और कॉन्ट्रोवर्शियल चैट शो ‘कॉफी विद करण’ के बारे में तो आप सभी ने सुना ही होगा। फिलहाल तो यह शो लगातार चर्चा का विषय बना हुआ है और वजह है हाल ही में इस शो में गेस्ट बनकर आए इंडियन क्रिकेटर हार्दिक पंड्या और के एल राहुल के महिलाओं को लेकर दिए गए आपत्तिजनक कमेंट्स। अपनी दिखावे वाली नकली छवि को जगजाहिर करने के बाद दोनों ही खिलाड़ियों के बुरे दिन शुरू हो गए हैं।
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.कॉफी विद करण में करण जौहर के साथ हार्दिक पंड्या और के एल राहुल
जहां एक ओर हार्दिक पंड्या को अपने फर्ज़ी एटिट्यूड की वजह से मुंह की खानी पड़ी तो वहीं उनके साथ बैठकर उनकी बातों पर ठहाके लगाने और सपोर्ट करने को लेकर के एल राहुल के जीवन में अचानक तूफान आ गया। इन सबके बीच हम यह कैसे भूल गए कि इन दो के अलावा उस चैट शो में एक और शख्स मौजूद था, जो खुद भी अपने फेमिनिस्ट होने का दिखावा करता है। मैं बात कर रहा हूं फिल्म मेकर करण जौहर की।
कई सेलिब्रिटीज़ बन चुके हैं इस शो का शिकार
यह पहली बार नहीं है जब करण के शो से कोई कॉन्ट्रोवर्शियल कंटेंट निकलकर आया है। करण पहले भी कई सेलिब्रिटीज़ को मुसीबत में डाल चुके हैं। इस शो के अब तक छह सीज़न आ चुके हैं और हर बार कोई ना कोई स्टेटमेंट सुर्खियां बटोरता है मगर करण के नाम का कहीं ज़िक्र तक नहीं होता। सच तो यह है कि इस पूरी घटना में जितने के एल राहुल दोषी हैं, उतने ही दोषी कॉफी विद करण के होस्ट करण जौहर भी हैं।
लोगों से उल्टे-सीधे सवाल करने के बाद कहां भाग जाते हैं करण
जब एक शो पॉपुलर होता है, तो उसकी ज़िम्मेदारी हर शख्स पर आती है, जबकि करण तो इस शो की पॉपुलैरिटी के पीछे का मुख्य कारण हैं। करण हर बार पहले अपने गेस्ट्स से इस तरह के उल्टे-सीधे सवाल पूछते हैं, उनके भद्दे कमेंट्स पर खुलकर ठहाके लगाते हैं और फिर जब कोई सेलिब्रिटी फंस जाता है, तो करण से दर्शकों को मिलती है तो बस चुप्पी। तब उनकी हंसी कहां चली जाती है? यह तो पता नहीं पर उनकी बड़बोली जुबान ज़रूर बंद हो जाती है।
करण अब तक चुप क्यों हैं?
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
ऐस में करण जौहर से भी यह सवाल करना बेहद ज़रूरी है कि इस मामले में वह अब तक चुप क्यों हैं? लोगों से सेक्सिस्ट सवाल पूछने को तो उन्होंने अपने शो की यूएसपी बना ली है और फिर सेलिब्रिटीज़ के उसी तरह के सेक्सिस्ट जवाबों पर करण का खिलखिलाकर हंसना बताता है कि एक दिखावटी फेमिनिस्ट की असलियत क्या है। बता दें कि यह वही करण हैं, जिन्होंने मीटू मूवमेंट को लेकर महिलाओं के पक्ष में काफी दमदार बयान दिया था।
रैपिड फायर में भी करते हैं लोगों को जज करने वाले सवाल
अगर आपने करण का शो देखा है, तो आप जानते ही होंगे कि इसका एक पॉपुलर सेगमेंट है रैपिड फायर राउंड, जिसमें करण अपने गेस्ट्स से कुछ सवाल पूछते हैं, जिनका उन्हें बिना देर लगाए जवाब देना होता है। इस दौरान करण और उनके गेस्ट खुलकर लोगों को जज करते हैं। लोगों के फैशन सेंस, उनकी लाइफस्टाइल, बात करने के तरीके और इंग्लिश जैसी चीज़ों के करण कई बार मज़ाक बनाया जाता है।
सिर्फ इतना ही नहीं इस राउंड में करण का एक सवाल ऐसा भी होता है, जिसमें कुछ एक्टर्स का नाम लिया जाता है और फिर गेस्ट को उन्हें उनकी सेक्स अपील के हिसाब से 1 से 5 तक के बीच रेट करना पड़ता है। उन्हें बताना पड़ता है कि कौन ज़्यादा सेक्सी हैं और कौन सबसे कम। जवाब सुनने के बाद करण के चेहरे पर खिली मुस्कान इस बात की गवाही देती है कि इस तरह से किसी को जज करना उन्हें काफी पसंद है।
आखिर करण कब उठाएंगे अपनी ज़िम्मेदारी
अगर सही मायनों में कहा जाए तो करण ही वह शख्स हैं, जो सेलिब्रिटीज़ को इस तरह के सवालों के जवाब देने के लिए उकसाते हैं। हालांकि इसका मतलब यह नहीं है कि किसी भी महिला या किसी अन्य शख्स के खिलाफ गलत भावना रखने वाले सेलिब्रिटीज़ की कोई गलती नहीं है। मगर एक शो के होस्ट के तौर पर करण को भी यह ज़िम्मेदारी लेनी होगी कि उनके शो में ऐसा कोई भी कंटेंट ना परोसा जाए, जो किसी की भावना को ठेस पहुंचा रहा है। साथ ही अगर उनके शो में किसी भी सेलिब्रिटी द्वारा किसी अन्य व्यक्ति के लिए गलत शब्दों का प्रयोग हो रहा है, तो करण इस तरह की बातों को अपने शो में ना दिखाएं और उन्हें डिलीट करें।
Delhi air is choking our throats and lungs. Likewise, Delhi media too is doing a good enough job at misleading us and damaging our rationale. In government channels like Doordarshan, you get to see some news, national and international without the loud noise. We all criticise them for running government agenda. But at least they are better than the so-called champions of FREE MEDIA. Today, the news is lost or dying to be precise. Thanks to some, mostly all, shoddy news anchors who forgot the lessons of journalism – if they had ever studied them that is.
As a journalist (not boasting) and my profound interest in news, I watch news channels more than any other TV content, one hour before leaving the office and 2-3 hours after I’m home from work. My grandma often asks me why do you watch this shit (she said something else, but shit is the right word here). She says it is their daily drama, so switch to some other channel.
Prime Time Is Hijacked By News Anchors
Prime time news is hijacked by news channels for profits. Loud debates with no outcomes have now become a form of ‘news’. Research on a topic has become an outdated concept. These big news channels are not much concerned with any of the burning issues in the country right now – if they do not help their TRPs. Ram temple has been in the news for decades, and I don’t understand why it is relevant even now. For the past two weeks, this is what I am watching day and night endlessly without getting much information or gaining any knowledge in return. When this matter went to the apex court for hearing, before and after every hearing, TV channels shun every other news and called its reporters to cover this exclusively. Let me tell you their script: one reporter will be present in Ayodhya talking to priests, one outside the Supreme Court giving expert opinions and a news anchor sitting in the newsroom with a bunch of crook politicians. This is the standard script and stage, followed by almost every TV news channel making a fool out of you.
“It is hard news that catches readers’ attention. Features hold them,” said somebody. Today, the elements are downright missing, and the hard news has become the only news available.
The news is derived from the word ‘new’, and it is as an acronym for north, east, west and south. When it comes to the so-called national news channels in our country, south and east are lost entirely. Their focus starts from Lutyens Delhi political updates to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Thanks to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, western Indian state Gujarat has also gained prominence in news spaces now. Today, the news is confined to small slots like super-fast 100 daily bulletins.
While 15 miners are still trapped in a flooded coal mine for 29 days now in Meghalaya, the media is still busy debating Ram temple, and the recently passed 124th Amendment bill that gives 10% quota to economically weaker people belonging to the general caste. I have witnessed how rescue operations received live media coverage in the past when in a series, children were stuck in the borewells. Why are Meghalaya miners being deprived of such attention? We should question the national news anchors for their inhumane treatment to these miners – which is a disgrace to journalism and its ethics.
Watch this interesting standup based on Meghalaya rescue operations:
What’s Next?
The standards of journalism are declining as the TRPs are increasing, and the war for more TRPs is intensifying. There is no scarcity of news stories, but why would anyone take the pain of coming outside their air-conditioned newsrooms? They often blame the audience for the deplorable condition of news nowadays. There is more to news than knowing Rafale deal is a scam or not or whether Ram temple should be constructed or not. Four people in the newsroom, four connected by video, a total of eight mini screens debating, screaming and violently fighting to prove their point is not news. Debates are not news; news without substantial facts isn’t news either. Debates are important, but the quality of content and speakers seem to be absent today.
Some anchors, not many in numbers, have upheld the journalistic ethics. But how long will they sustain with low TRPs? The news is awaiting a reform, but it will not happen before the 2019 general elections and a year later. The problem is: we are aware it needs attention but we are not doing enough or anything about it.
The Kargil war of 1999 as Major General Ashok Mehta puts it was, “India’s first war on television”. The Kargil war had a distinctive character from previous wars fought by Indian Armed forces as it was India’s first ever confrontation with the most likely enemy Pakistan in an era marked by an all-pervasive mass media. Although the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971 were also reported by the then media industry, the coverage of Kargil war was unique in the sense that it was fought in the times of booming electronic media especially after the 1991 liberalization and globalization reforms.
The Kargil Review Committee(KRC) commented on the media and public scrutiny of the war in these words“It was perhaps always so in some measure but never as much as today: wars involve entire people, not just armies. The battle is everywhere and not only on a given “front”. The communications revolution has annihilated time and space and, as we know, the Kargil action, from booming guns to the last rites of the fallen, entered the lives of millions of television viewers as a household experience”.
The Indian media left no stone unturned to mythologize the war and as the veteran journalist P.Sainath puts it “Media made the Kargil war a cult phenomenon and Indian soldiers as miracle liberating forces of modern mythology”. It was a time when Media was the harbinger of patriotism to the whole country and during the war, most reputed media outlets coded the content and semantics to influence directly and indirectly the people’s attitude towards the war. That it does not necessarily indicate a great professional show by the media is proved by the following observation of the KRC Report: “In some ways, the ‘war’ story wrote itself and it was no surprise that some reporters were taken in by gossip which was not always edited out.”It is thus imperative to understand why Kargil war which happened almost twenty years ago still holds relevance in media space and continues to be investigated.
Even though actual parallels can never be drawn, but there are uncanny similarities between the events that happened in 1999 and which are happening now. And both the times the ruling party at the center has been Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). Times and again the BJP has used hyper, saffron-clad nationalism as a shield to hide its shortcomings and pitfalls in the office. The ruling party today is continuously introducing new parameters to judge the patriotism of its citizens according to the scales made by top echelons of RSS-BJP leadership.
Praveen Swami in his book “The Kargil War” argues that both the origin of the Kargil war and the mystification of Pokharan II tests were executed in a desperate search for a mandate by a government perennially on the brink of collapse on account of its rickety coalition, economic mismanagement, and poor governance. Kargil has emerged as a central motif in the ultra-nationalistic polemic which now dominates official discourses in both India and Pakistan, a discourse which has been rarely questioned by an often pliant and uncritical press.
The incompetence of the Government to handle the Kargil war can be gauged by the fact that the first top cabinet meeting regarding the hostilities in Kargil was called on May 25 1999, after Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir requested the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee to take the Kargil issue seriously. After this meeting only, it was realized that there is a ‘warlike’ situation in Kargil and by this time more than fifty soldiers had lost their lives. Perhaps the sole innovative operation of the BJP during the Kargil war was the war’s reinvention as a political enterprise. The government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his decision to deliver an election speech from a platform decorated with the portraits of the three service chiefs of Indian Armed forces was a glaring example of how BJP led National Democratic Alliance used the Kargil war very skilfully in the Lok Sabha elections of 1999 for its own political benefit.
Jai Janak Raj in his 1999 book “Should Kargil be an election issue” highlighted that the BJP incorporated the spirit of Kargil in its election campaigns. The tasteless and factually incorrect party ads appropriated all the martyrdom of Indian soldiers along with the effective drumming up of a nationalist sentiment all over the country. The use of media to evoke patriotism with all the requisite films and music, point to a sustained campaign to build a mood of intense patriotism which only worked to the advantage of the incumbent government. Much of the Indian media had little to say about this abuse of power for political purposes and about the Union Government’s incompetent management of the war. Most of the Media did not even seek to understand, let alone analyze the disquieting legacies of Kargil for India.
The soap opera patriotism and forceful suppression of dissent, a culture sparked off by the Kargil war continues till today with a deeper degree of intensity and a lesser degree of impunity. In the current scenario, BJP used demonetization and surgical strikes in Uri by Indian Special Forces as the key planks of the electoral campaign in the five poll-bound states in 2018. The Party’s national executive referred to the strikes as out of the box and in consonance with its zero tolerance to terror policy. In Goa and elsewhere, defense minister Manohar Parrikar was credited with planning and conducting the surgical strikes, which he attributed to his RSS training. The government quickly lavished 32 awards for personnel of 4 and 9 Para Special Forces who carried out the strikes, making it the most highly decorated single operation in the history of the Indian army. Soon after the strikes, Parrikar attended a party rally at Lucknow where banners and posters carrying the pictures of director-general of military operations Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, the public face of the surgical strikes, surrounded by posters of Modi, Shah, and Parrikar were seen.
In the case of surgical strikes in Uri, what was supposed to be an important covert military Operation suddenly found itself morphed into a political tool. The loud and blatant jingoism on TV news channels did little to help the situation. Some TV anchors appeared to wage a war across the LoC from their air-conditioned studios. Often, they appointed themselves as new age icons of patriotism and nationalistic ideals. The media that is supposed to be a dispassionate and neutral observer started increasingly using words like ‘martyred’ instead of ‘killed’ for soldiers in
its reports and often fabricated ‘stories’ that weren’t true.
The pattern is evidently similar to the one followed during the Kargil war. In the rule of the current regime, there has been militarization of everyday life such that it has become impossible to make a public comment that might be directed at differentiating between situations of war and those of peace. Every comment on national issues that seek to move beyond militaristic argument is seen as an attack to national honor and a call to arms. We as individuals are no longer allowed to think and speak beyond metaphors of war. Shiv Visvanathan puts the condition of Indian state today very aptly in his The Hindu article.‘This vigilantism of patriotic and chauvinist groups has the seal of official approval. A good citizen is not only someone who is corseted in a dress but one who wears a corseted mind.
Majoritarian nationalism creates a new kind of thought policing where the deviant, the dissenting, the marginal and the minority find it difficult to fit into the chorus of the nation-state. Anyone who differs from becomes anti-national. Any sign of the difference is confronted by the mob and the lynch squad. Thanks to this arid mentality of nationalism that this twisted idea of democracy has become a threat to the democratic way of life itself. Since the BJP has come to power in 2014, the nationalism debate in India has been dominated by ‘Hindutva’ politics. And it has become essential to identify a relatable enemy i.e. “Pakistan” and Muslims are either required to play along with the rules or go to Pakistan. Government is trying to manipulate the ‘Idea of India’, which is fabricated on hyper-nationalistic ambitions. The Central government is also trying to encroach upon the Open University spaces through its dirty politics. It was reported that the students’ wing of the BJP forcibly set up a Kargil “memorial” on the University of Hyderabad campus, which was subsequently demolished by varsity authorities. That it was a political move, and not really motivated by any solemn goal of commemorating the Kargil sacrifices, is evident from the fact that it was set up near a memorial for Rohit Vemula, a Dalit student who committed suicide in January 2016. It is ironical that elements close to the BJP are using Kargil in their cultural wars against liberalism.
The NDA Government is also seriously pursuing its long-held interest of rewriting histories of all wars and major operations undertaken by Indian armed forces with an innocent aim to make them simple and reader-friendly. From the huge contribution of Indian soldiers in the bloody trench-to-trench warfare of World War, I to their sheer grit in dislodging Pakistani soldiers from the icy heights of Kargil in 1999, a broad plan with deadlines has been evolved
for the release of various war histories, telefilms, comic books and the like by 2020-2022. The Government is, in its all capacities trying to convert every individual into a noncritical, compliant citizen of the state and mainstream Indian media has done little to oppose it.
Little or no effort was made to bring out the fact that the common people in both countries had no stake in the war and that Kargil was simply reinforcing the fundamentalist forces on both sides of the border. The victory in Kargil was the media’s victory to have won the consensus of the Indian citizens on the nationalist discourse through brilliant propagation of questionable information. It was the victory of the then BJP government to exploit the war success to ensure its electoral success to bring itself to power again. It was the victory of the jingoistic nationalism. Critical analysis and discourse were the losers. Soldiers didn’t win the war they fought and died. It wasn’t their war. It was the nation’s war and the nation took it away when they won it. Kargil War’s history was written by the Indian Government and the Indian media. It is the classic case of how consent is manufactured by the media. Till date, it is considered to be the greatest battle ever fought by Indian army and the soldiers who died in the war, like Param Vir Chakra(PVC) Capt. Vikram Batra and PVC Capt. Manoj Pandey have become part of the Indian Army folklore and immortal for the times immemorial.
The Kargil War and its plain single sided narrative are still intact and secure in its place. It is also significant to understand that the construction of post-Kargil patriotism was executed not only through state policy, but through cinema, television, the print media, and icons of popular culture. The media’s lack of critical insight into or investigation of the process that drove the Kargil war illustrates how this consensus has been manufactured. Articles, every year are still published on the exploits of Kargil war and its greatness on the occasion of Vijay divas which is celebrated as the day when India won the Kargil war. Media mythologized the war then and is still continuing today. It is pathetic to see that the “spread Jingoism” policy which surfaced during Kargil war is taking shape again which is evident by current happenings in the country. The projection of the Indian Army after the Uri attacks and the surgical strikes carried by it in LOC are a glaring example of how media is inciting the public against Pakistan. As Amit Baruah in his journal, The Fourth Party pointed out: the larger point here is this – whether reporting Mumbai or Lahore – the media cannot simply be jingoistic. If fingers are to be pointed, they should be pointed with some facts in hand, not by empty rhetoric. For us citizens to fail to critically engage and question the fabricated fables of the war and its lessons for us will be a grave insult to all the soldiers who got killed in the war.
In the past 10 days, two significant events have taken place, the first one being, Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul boarding the flight back home from Australia for their sexist and misogynistic comments on the show Koffee with Karan and facing an impending inquiry for their disrespectful attitude towards women which was evident from their crass comments during the show. The second one is the much needed public snub given to Professor Kanak Sarkar of Jadavpur University who has been barred from his teaching duties for his outrageous post on Facebook in which he has compared virgin women to sealed bottles.
Not surprisingly, in a patriarchal society like ours where women have been denied their due for years and have been treated as inferior beings, both Hardik Pandya and Professor Kanak Sarkar in their heads thought that they were being magnificently cool while making these sexist and misogynistic comments and expected approval and applause for their regressive behaviour but much to their shock they were treated with contempt and outrage. They could not fathom that the times have changed and that the society is changing with it, the patriarchal norms and thought processes they have been fed for years are being questioned across the globe and the #MeToo movement in India and across the globe is just one of the many living examples of this positive change in our society.
Therefore, more than ever, we as a society need to be more responsible now and should contribute to this positive social change happening in India and across the globe rather than impeding it. However, Vodafone India has not been able to understand this simple scenario that when a society changes for the better then we should change with it rather than resisting the positive social change and reverting back to orthodoxy and regressive forms of living. I am not here to give Vodafone India a lecture on feminism although I am really tempted to give one looking at the sexist and misogynistic content streamed by Vodafone Play, the video streaming application of Vodafone in India. However, I will rather stick to the basics so that Vodafone India can understand my point and take down the volumes of regressive, sexually objectifying, sexist and misogynistic content it has managed to collate on the Vodafone play application for reasons best known to Vodafone itself.
The singular side of the story which I have revealed so far is that Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul and Kanak Sarkar have been subjected to corrective action so that they can understand the difference between right and wrong behaviour and understand that being sexist, misogynistic and disrespectful to women is neither funny nor cool and at the same time a strong message is sent to all those who still harbour such regressive and patriarchal norms and mindset. The other side of the story for which I want to publicly call out Vodafone India is its inability to understand that how these regressive and sexist thoughts are learnt, harboured and subsequently passed on in the society. The nature of content which is being streamed on the Vodafone Play application which is available for free to every Vodafone customer is exactly what will turn the boys of today in the sexist men of tomorrow and this is neither cool nor responsible of a telecom giant which so often boasts of its corporate social responsibility programs.
The moment you click on the Vodafone Play application, the first show they boast of streaming is ALT Balaji’s ‘Gandi Baat 2’, a series which has been publicly called out by the Quint for its misogynistic and highly sexist portrayal of women. The second show which the app is streaming as its prioritized and most visible content after ‘Gandi Baat 2’ is ‘Charitraheen’ which in English would mean ‘characterless’ and has a poster of a woman surrounded by two men and a male hand on her breast. Till here, it might occur as a case of creative freedom exercised by the makers and the streaming application Vodafone Play but fortunately, it is not very difficult to decipher creative freedom from sexually objectifying content which is heavily loaded on the application. As soon as you scroll down the application, there are several posters of movies which sexually objectify women and are almost placed in a tactical manner to catch the eye and tempt male users to click on them and the moment you click on one of them a huge collection of these semi-porn and erotic movies which sexually objectify women and portray them as sex slaves and objects appear on the screen. If this was not enough, there is also a special section dedicated to these movies which is in addition to their presence in other sections as well and the name given to this section is ‘Midnight Movies’. So let me list out the name of some of the movies present in this section which reflect in other sections of the app also.
Jab Raat Hoti Hai
Khuli Khidki
Lut Gayi Laila
Pyaar Ke Saudagar
Sheetalbhabhi.com
Kamsin
Kajri
Tauba Tauba
Ek Chaturnaar
Chetna
These are just a few names which I have listed out and every time you click on one of them, an umpteen number of recommendations of many such movies on the application is served to you. It is needless to say that all these movies have posters which sexually objectify women and try to sell nudity, eroticism and sex.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
At a time when content organizations like HuffPost India, Mirror Now, Youth Ki Awaaz, Quint and many others are leaving no stone unturned in promoting gender sensitivity and equality in the society by taking progressive stands on issues of women empowerment, gender and feminism; Vodafone India needs to do better than serving such regressive, sexually objectifying, sexist and misogynistic content on its application. It needs to understand that Vodafone Play is available at the click of a button to every Vodafone user be it of any age or gender and, therefore, trying to promote such content made specifically for titillating male audience and portraying women as sex objects is reversing the cycle on the positive social change which we as a society are trying to achieve.
Vodafone India needs to understand that merely corrective actions against Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul and Kanak Sarkar by their respective authorities is not enough for achieving the change we are striving for, there is an entire generation of boys waiting to be men tomorrow and the last thing we want for them is to be growing up with volumes of sexually objectifying and sexist content on their mobile phones which they can access for free under the watchful eyes of their parents who will merely think that their children are simply streaming a harmless video application provided by their very own service provider. Vodafone needs to take cue from Gillette’s latest advertisement promoting gender equality and respect for women and calling out men for their sexist behaviour even after their base of customers is dominated by men. They are doing it and we are doing it because tomorrow when the tide has turned then we can proudly say that we saw the movement of gender equality reach its epitome and achieve its goals and we were fortunate enough to contribute to this historic process of social change.
I urge Vodafone India to immediately review all their content on the Vodafone Play application and remove all the sexist, misogynistic and sexually objectifying content. When they will review their content they will realize that I am not trying to snatch away their creative freedom of expression but only helping them by highlighting the flaws which should have not existed in their application in the first place. I am not sure what can cover for the damage which they have already done to the young minds and the joy they have already given to those whose patriarchal and sexist mindsets they have strengthened with their content so far but as a suggestion I would like to recommend them to immediately remove the ‘Midnight Movies’ section and introduce a section on ‘Gender Sensitivity’ in its place. This will be their payback to their customers and the historic gender equality movement which we are witnessing. Vodafone India will not have much difficulty in finding their content for the ‘gender sensitivity’ section either because just like they found many semi-erotic and porn movies on the internet and brought their rights to upload it on their application similarly many meaningful videos on gender sensitivity and gender equality are also available on the internet. All they need now is the right intention to be a part of this social change instead of trying to reproduce the patriarchal and sexist mindset for which I have publicly called them out.
I will be waiting and the world will be waiting with me for an answer from Vodafone India.
The Urdu language was in the news again recently. When a woman (who goes by @deepsealioness) was trolled online for posting her name in Urdu, hundreds of non-Urdu speakers, as a show of solidarity, wrote their names in Urdu, and getting #MyNameInUrdu to trend online. It was a heartwarming feeling to see so many people coming out in support of the language.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Javed Akhtar has rightly stated that “Zabane mazhabon ki nahin, illaqon ki hoti hain (Languages do not belong to religions, they belong to regions).” Unfortunately Urdu is a language that is strongly related to religion. There is so much Muslimness attached to it that Urdu has become synonyms with Muslim people. While Urdu is largely spoken by Muslims, especially in the North, it is to be acknowledged that it has always had huge fan following and some of its greatest patrons are non-Muslims like Gulzar whose contribution in promoting and nurturing Urdu is enormous.
The myth that Urdu is a foreign language has been repeatedly busted, but the idea is strongly ingrained in the minds of many that it takes a lot of effort to bust the myth. Urdu is a Hindustani language with its roots in Sanskrit and Prakrit. Later, due to the influence of Persian speaking rulers, many Persian and a few Arabic words were added into it’s vocabulary. But the fact remains that Urdu was born and flourished in Hindustan/India, and is definitely not a foreign language.
Urdu is widely spoken in India. Around 5-6.5% of our total population speaks Urdu, and it is one of the 22 official languages in India. The idea of Urdu was romanticised by various shayars (poets) who eloquently used Urdu to express their feelings. A genre of Urdu poetry was popularised by the shayars who were patronised by the Mughal rulers and Nawabs. Even after the downfall of its rich patrons, Urdu poetry continued to flourish amongst the common masses. Ssuch was the adoration for the language.
With the arrival of motion cinema, Urdu was embraced and nurtured by the Hindi film industry. The influence of Urdu was significantly strong in Bollywood resulting in an extravagant use of Urdu in dialogues and lyrics. The extent of a lyricists or writer’s knowledge of Urdu was essential to be successful in the Hindi film Industry.
As there is not much difference in Hindi and Urdu, lyricists adeptly used Urdu in many songs and people rarely could differentiate between the two languages. That’s how Urdu became an integral part of the Hindi movie industry. Scores of songs have Urdu words weaved masterfully along with Hindi, aiding in the expression of emotions with its magical touch.
A language so loved and nourished has, sadly, with time, became synonymous exclusively with Muslim culture. After a stage, the image of Urdu as a ‘Muslim language’ became so badly etched in people’s minds that this turned out to be detrimental to the language and later it was used communalise the language! Eventually a language that was born in this very land has been falsely labelled as foreign.
With globalisation, many Urdu speakers shifted towards an English education. The influence of this beautiful language gradually started to decline. Though not completely vanished, the grand status it once enjoyed was evidently gone.
There was a noticeable drop in the use of Urdu not only in the Hindi film industry but also in our daily gabfests; Urdu words were replaced by Hindi ones. There has also been a decline in the number of publications in Urdu. Many Urdu publications have been closed or are struggling to survive. But even this failed to placate those who were hell bent on communalising Urdu. Attacks on the language continued unabashedly and anything or anyone associated with Urdu was linked with a ‘Muslim communal agenda’.
Interestingly many Urdu speakers themselves are not very proficient in the language especially the written form. Many can speak it effortlessly, but many more can’t write or read the script. The gradual shift from the language is been happening but thanks to the strong negative campaign against Urdu, the language has again managed to gain the attention of everyone especially the younger generation.
From a nearly-dying language, Urdu has suddenly turned into a cool language. People are waking up to the unique style of Urdu. It is been rebranded not only as a language of poetry (shayari) and culture (tahzeeb) But also a language that binds people, crosses geographical barriers, and is being openly embraced by non-Urdu speakers. It is such a pleasure to see so many people displaying their names in Urdu.
Noted poet Gulzar has beautifully expressed in these lines a sentiment that I too share:
“Ye kaisā ishq hai urdu zabāñ kaa, mazā ghultā hai lafzoñ kā zabāñ par ki jaise paan meñ mahñgā qimām ghultā hai ye kaisā ishq hai urdu zabāñ kaa…. nasha aatā hai urdu bolne meñ gilaurī kī tarah haiñ muñh lagī sab istelāheñ lutf detī hai, halaq chhūtī hai urdu to, halaq se jaise mai kā ghoñT utartā hai badī aristocracy hai zabāñ meñ.”
The recently released trailer of Shelly Dhar’s ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ shows a woman who has grown up dreaming of a “happily ever after”, but while she is still a child she learns that the road to love is paved with complications. The film, produced by Vinod Chopra Films and Fox Star Studios, releases on February 1, 2019.
The movie centers around Sweety, played by Sonam Kapoor who at the insistence of her family is on a quest to find a suitable husband. She meets several prospective grooms who include the writer Sahil Mirza played by Rajkummar Rao. Sweety, however hides a secret, a secret which according to the film’s synopses “might not find acceptance in her family and society.”
In a sense, Ek Ladki ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is an important movie, being the first mainstream film to be released post the strike down of the draconian homosexuality laws by the Supreme Court of India.
The film’s tagline – “Let love be” – makes it clear that it is about the celebration of love, especially in the post 377 India. In that sense, it can prove to be a path-breaking film because it will be the first to include mainstream actors like Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Juhi Chawla, openly talking about the issue. Until now, we have only had art house cinema like Fire or the poorly made Girlfriend. There has been no sensitive portrayal of the subject and this is something that the Sonam Kapoor starrer promises, from the looks of it.
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In a country where the LGBT groups lived for long in the fear of being ostracized, and the legality of their existence did not matter to anyone – family, society, or the law they were compelled to live in a closeted world. Gay men still had some visibility in films but have mostly been shown as effeminate characters to be looked down upon and to provide comic relief. Hindi cinema has hesitated to show women in a way that would confuse sexuality boundaries and be a threat to the existing social order.
In a cinema-obsessed country like ours, we cannot deny the role Bollywood has played a role in cementing heteronormative sexuality as accepted sexual behavior, with the result that homosexuality is regarded as nothing but a pathological deviation.
One of the first films to cause discomfort used to tight boxed male and female characters was Deepa Mehta’s Fire thatshowed a bond between two married female characters, Sita and Radha. The relationship was seen as an evil threat to established order and needed to be removed to reestablish family and societal norms.
Almost ten years later, Karan Razdan’s Girlfriend tried to depart from the norm. It showed a woman who dwells in both the masculine and feminine worlds. As a street fighter who later becomes a serial killer, the female protagonist tries to break gender boundaries set by a patriarchal society. But it also shows a feminine, victimized character who is incapable of taking care of herself and thus has to be ‘rescued’ by a woman who has subverted societal norms.
These two films were highly discussed and received critical reviews. The connections between characters often translated into friendships, solidarity, affection, and companionship.
Let’s hope that with a movie like Ek Ladki ko Dekha to Aisa Laga, the narrative shifts from hegemonic representation of genders to a more emotional representation. Indian films have a place for every emotion. A visible social acceptance, of what the law has already embraced, would go a long way in showcasing it.
