There is a huge trend set in many Indian movies, where women are portrayed as ‘assets’ to be conquered. In many romcoms, women are portrayed in a really stupid manner. There was a Tamil movie where the hero, a rowdy, tries to win the heroine’s love. In his rugged, unshaven look, wearing a blade in his chain and a knife stuck to his lungi,there is a right-in-your-face fact that he looks like a thug. But the heroine guesses that he looks like a software engineer and the hero’s friend mocks her ‘intelligence’. I wonder why most films don’t have confident, brilliant, responsible women in lead roles. Are movies and society so patriarchal?

The next bothersome aspect of cinema is the portrayal of women always being responsible for breaking a romantic relationship. Why, has the opposite  never happened? This subject is not left there. After the breakup, there is a punchline that always conveys one message – trust men, never women. This part always garners applause in theatres!

The latest addition is the ‘soup song‘ where the hero feels cheated and advises men not to fall in love. Some songs even have lyrics like ‘Adida avala udhada avala (Beat her, kick her)’. I wish such films had more maturity in the content. There would be no harm, seriously, if leading women roles are given due respect and responsibility. Women can do more than dance around trees!

The post Dear Bollywood, Women Also Have Brains! appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

विश्‍वपुस्‍तक मेला 2017 एक नये आयाम और युवाओं को पुस्‍तकों तथा टेक्‍नोलॉजी बुक्‍स के अलावा ई-पेपर, ई-उपन्‍यास और ई-वाचन के माध्‍यम से समाप्‍त हो गया। यह पुस्‍तक मेला कई माइनों में कुछ अलग सा दिखा। पुस्‍तकों की भरमार के साथ इलेक्ट्रॉनिक माध्‍यम से पढ़ने-पढ़ाने और भाषा, कहानी, कविता, व्‍यंग्‍य, सिनेमा, धर्म निरपेक्ष, साम्‍प्रदायिकता पर चर्चा, बहस, खुली बहस, मुददों से भागने, सरकारी मंच से अभिव्‍यक्ति की स्‍वतंत्रता पहली बार दिखाई दी।

जहां तक साहित्‍य का सवाल है, साहित्‍य पर खुलकर चर्चा हुई। बाल मण्‍डप में बच्‍चों की प्रस्‍तुतियों ने लेखकों, आलोचकों और आयोजकों के कान खड़े कर दिए- बच्‍चों का कहना था- हमें बच्‍चा न समझें? हिन्‍दी और अन्‍य भाषाओं के अलावा धर्म से संबंधित सामग्री भी प्रचुर मात्रा में उपलब्‍ध थी। अपने-अपने धर्म के हिसाब से विशेष परिधानों में ज्ञान बांटते हुए लोग दिखाई दिए। ज्ञान-विज्ञान के अलावा बच्‍चों को रोज़गार से जुड़ी बातें दिखाने और प्रदर्शित करने का सफल प्रयास था।

मैं मुददे की बात पर आता हूं। यह पुस्‍तक मेला यूथ को समर्पित था। मेरी बात से आप अवश्‍य सहमत होंगे। सभी पंडालों में युवाओं की भरमार थी। किसी भी पंडाल में घुस जाइये, युवाओं को किताबों से जूझते हुए, छांटते हुए, विमर्श करते हुए देखा गया।

पूरे पंडाल में एक विचित्र बात दिखाई दी। मलयालम मनोरमा का छोटा पंडाल। युवाओं को मलयालम मनोरमा के पंडाल पर मलयालम मनोरमा की हिन्‍दी ईयर को खरीदते और वहीं पर सामग्री का पठन करते देखा गया। मैने एक युवा से पूछा- मलयालय पर आप क्‍यों? आपको मलयालम आती है क्‍या? उसने ना में सिर हिला और मेरे सामने मलयालम मनोरमा की हिन्‍दी ईयर बुक सामने कर दी। मैंने जिज्ञासावश पूछा-इसमें क्‍या है? उसने सीधे सपाट शब्‍दों में कहा यह पुस्‍तक हर वर्ष मैं खरीदता हूं, अपने लिए और अपने दोस्‍तों के लिए, क्‍योंकि इसमें देश और विदेश की राजनीतिक घटनाओं से लेकर साहित्‍य, इतिहास, ज्ञान के साथ-साथ विज्ञान भी समाहित है।

अगर आप युवा हैं और आपकी आवाज़ यूथ की आवाज़ है तो इसे बिना पढ़े आप यूथ की आवाज़ को नहीं पहचान सकते हैं। इसमें युवाओं के लिए वह समस्‍त सामग्री है, जिससे युवाओं को रोज़गार, ज्ञान, सामान्‍य ज्ञान, भौगोलिक स्थिति के बारे में पूरे विस्‍तार से और प्रामाणिक जानकारी उपलब्‍ध है। इसी पुस्‍तक की तर्ज पर अमर उजाला ने भी अपना वार्षिक विशेषांक निकाला है। मलयालम मनोरमा पर केवल हिन्‍दी ही अन्‍य दो-तीन भाषाओं के युवाओं को पढ़ते-खरीदते देखा। जिनमें बांग्‍ला़, मलयालम, अंग्रेजी और तमिल शामिल है।

पुस्‍तक मेले में हिन्‍दी की बात कहें तो डॉ0 लालित्‍य ललित के मार्गदर्शन में व्‍यंग्‍य की जो प्रस्‍तुतियां हुई वह आश्‍चर्यजनक रूप से अति प्रशंसनीय थी। माटी के गीतों को लिए निलोत्‍पल ने दर्शकों की सभी सीमाओं को तोड़ दिया। मंच छोटा और दर्शक दीर्घा दूर तक फैल गई।

चेतना इंडिया के बैनर तले श्रीमती मृदुला श्रीवास्‍तव की पुस्‍तक का ”काश पंडोरी न होती” का विमोचन और विमर्श ने पाठकों का मन मोह लिया। श्री रमेश तिवारी की आलोचना ने पुस्‍तक पढ़ने और खरीदने के पाठकों को उद्धेलित कर दिया। बाल मण्‍डप में चेतना इंडिया के सानिध्‍य में बच्‍चों की कविताओं का पठन हुआ, जिसमें शबाना की कविता बेटी बचाओ पर दर्शक झूमने के साथ-साथ द्रवित भी हो गए। मंच संचालन सुनील जैन ”राही’ ने किया था।

कुल मिलाकर 2017 का यह विश्‍व पुस्‍तक मेला सार्थक रहा। युवा यानी यूथ की आवाज़ हमेशा बुलंद रही है और आगे भी ऐसे आयोजनों का होना जारी रहेगा, यूथ और यूथ की आवाज़ देश के आभा मंडल पर लहराता रहेगा।

फोटो आभार: गेटी इमेजेस

The post पुस्‍तक मेले में यूथ की आवाज appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

“परदे में रहने दो परदा न उठाओ, परदा जो उठ गया तो भेद खुल जाएगा” यह गाना मेरी सीमा चाची हमेशा गाया करती थी और गाए भी क्यों न अपनी नज़रो मे वो एक धमाकेदार गायिका थी। दिल्ली की कड़क सर्दी मे काम करते हुए भी वो ये ही गाना गुनगुना रही थी। तभी दरवाज़े पर घंटी बजी तो चाची दरवाज़ा खोलने के लिए गई, दरवाज़ा खुलते ही जोरदार हंसी की आवाज़ आई तो मैं भी दरवाज़े पर पहुंच गया। देखा कि चाची की सखी मिश्राईन दरवाजे पर खड़ी थी और तभी मिश्राइन ने अपने भोजपुरिया अंदाज़ में बोलना शुरू कर दिया “ए सीमा का हाल बा ते त बहुत पातर लागताडे।” बस इतना ही बोलने की देरी थी कि चाची झिझियाके मिश्राईन को बोली “तनिक धीरे बोलो कोई भोजपुरी सुन लेगा तो मजाक उड़ाएगा।”

बात छोटी थी लेकिन माइने बहुत बड़े थे जो चोट कर गए। यह तो एक चाची की कहानी है, परंतु यह और भी लाखों, हज़ारों शहरी पुरबिया लोगों की कहानी को बयान करता जो चाची जैसी “कल्चरल शर्मीदगी” नामक बिमारी से त्रस्त हैं। मज़े की बात तो यह है कि दो पंजाबी महिलाएं रोड पर बेझिझक पंजाबी भाषा का प्रयोग कर बात करती हैं, सभी प्रान्त के लोग चाहे मराठी हो या बंगाली, तमिल हो या तेलगु; रोड पर अपनी बात अपनी भाषा में छाती ठोक कर करते हैं। पवन सिंह का मशहूर गीत “कमरिया करें लपालप लोलीपॉप लागेलू” ने गायक की कला और भोजपुरी की मधुरता के संगम के साथ बहुत ख्याति बटोरी और दिखा दिया कि भोजपुरी भी किसी से कम नहीं।

एक ओर शहरीकरण के पूरबिए मरीज हैं, जिन्हें इस भाषा मे बात करने में शर्म आती है वहीं दूसरी ओर प्रेमचन्द ने इस भाषा की मधुरता, नटखटपन को परख, प्रेमचन्द से अद्वितीय लेखक मुन्शी प्रेमचंद तक का सफर तय कर लिया। एक बार एक बुद्धिजीवी ने कहा “Those who cannot be faithful to their culture and language they cannot ever to faithful to anyone.“

कॉलेज में अंग्रेजी का लेक्चर देने के लिए प्रोफेसर आई और आते ही वो अपने आप का परिचय देते हुए बोली “I am your English professor Rashmi I have done my PhD from Jawahar all Nehru university , I have been teaching here since 32 years and I have been fellow to university of Dublin and university of soka.” मैं टकटकी लगा कर देख रहा था कि वो मेरे पास आई और बोली नाम क्या है तुम्हारा मैने जवाब दिया “रजत मिश्रा” तो वो बड़ी हँसी के साथ बोली “मेरी सहेली भी मिश्रा है और उनका कल्चर मुझे बहुत पसंद है और मेरे 32 साल के अनुभव में मैने सभी भाषाओं का अध्ययन किया पर भोजपुरी बहुत मधुर भाषा है।”

शायद प्रोफेसर उन बीमार शहरी पुरबिया लोगों से कम होशियार थी कि उसे यह भाषा बोलने में शर्म नहीं आई और या फिर हम प्रोफेसर जितने समझदार नहीं है कि भोजपुरी की मधुरता को समझ नहीं पाए। पुरबिया पढ़े-लिखे लोग अपने बच्चों को भोजपुरी बोलने पर मारते हैं और कहते हैं कि अगर भोजपुरी बोलना सीख गया तो…………………….. भेद खुल जाएगा।

The post “कल्चरल शर्मीदगी” नामक रोग से पीड़ित हैं हज़ारों पुरबिया appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

“After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists are artists as well.” – Albert Einstein.

It is definitely not a great time to be a public figure who criticises the government in India. So nobody was surprised when renowned Malayalam film director Kamal was immersed in a flurry of insults, advice and polite suggestions on relocating elsewhere on social media.

I was not ready to accept that our society had become so sensitive and insecure about its leaders that it would rather lose an artist. But that doubt was quickly put to rest by the following statement from the BJP leadership in Kerala and the overwhelming support it received even in a state which is considered relatively liberal. (When I say leadership, I mean the BJP State General Secretary made the following comment, in his capacity as BJP’s General Secretary of the state).

“People like Kamal should leave the country if they are not interested in living here.”

Now this is not the first time we have heard this, and it is not necessarily a political problem, and it should not be associated with political parties in case of most countries. But BJP has been vehemently against artistic freedom and freedom of expression.

Take the case of Fawad Khan and other Pakistani actors who had to leave India, or Karan Johar who was bullied into an apology for coming out in support of them or Anurag Kashyap who got so used to the bullying ever since he took up the censorship issue of Udta Punjab and decided that he could take more, for standing up for the right cause.

This is like the Japanese Internment, if we actually compare the timelines, and adjust for decreasing human stupidity over the years, this is as primitive as the internment in the 40s in the western world. While most of the citizens in the US still alive and had seen those days, still carry the shame of their primitive mindsets, the likes of Anurag Kashyap will not have to carry the shame, like the rest of the silent spectators in the future.

We live in a globalised world, and we have to open our gates to foreigners just like they have opened theirs to us. That is how a better, peaceful and understanding world is built. But to some of my fellow citizens, it is about their country and the insult they feel when they hear someone criticising its Prime Minister, is as much as the insult they feel when they hear someone speak against their country.

So are artists above the nation? I don’t consider this a thorough conclusion, but history tells us that they are indeed at least the exceptional ones.

How do we know our culture today? The country’s identity would have been completely lost if it hadn’t been for the works of great writers, painters and architects. We may not know their names, we may not revere them today, but unknowingly we revere their work and have labelled them ‘Indian’. Vyas was not an Indian when he wrote the Mahabharata, Valmiki was not a patriot when he wrote the Ramayana, Lord Krishna never delivered a speech on patriotism, Kautilya (Chanakya) was a known conspirator and traitor for the ruling monarch, before he helped Chandragupta Maurya become the king and gave us Arthashastra.

The nation was not in the equation when these people wrote some of the best pieces literature in their time. The entity ‘India’ did not exist during the time of these artists. So are these artists, Indian? I do not think they were aware of the future, that the land they lived would eventually become what is currently known as India. In fact, a logical mind would conclude that we conveniently made them our own, and took pride in their work. The art and the artists were not Indian; India claimed both of these because they made us feel better about ourselves. Kamal had given super hits in Kerala, much before the BJP had won a single seat in the state. I would claim Kamal, any day, as a Keralite, he makes me proud. Just four years ago, his role as a producer for the movie “Celluloid” won him the national award.

It is quite conceivable for someone with some imagination that the future generations, our descendants (or Aliens, who are out there!) would probably find out about us through some of our literature, cinema, TV and works of art. (Seriously concerned about what they would think of us when they come across “Sheila Ki Jawaani”). So in the grand scheme of things, I hate to break it to my fellow citizens, that a reputed piece of literature, or a classic movie from our era would hold up our identity in the future, much more than Modiji ever could.

The post Why Art And Artists Are More Important Than Patriotism appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

पुस्तक मेला हो तो दिल्ली में हो वरना नहीं हो। प्रगति मैदान मेट्रो स्टेशन से ही मुंह में भोंपू (लाउडस्पीकर) लगाकर सीआईएसएफ का जवान जब दाएं जाएं-बाएं जाएं करता है तो एहसास हो जाता है कि कितनी भीड़ होगी मेले में। नीचे उतरिए तो मेले के बाहर भी मेला। फुचके का, गुब्बारे का, मोबाइल कवर का, 80 प्रतिशत छूट वाली डिक्शनरी का। फिर भीतर सारे स्टॉल।

हिंंदी वालों सुनो

मैंने धीरे से पूछा-हिंदी की किताबें?  तो उसी सुर में बोला – ‘’उधर। पच्चास रुपये, पच्चास रुपये।‘’ उधर नज़र गई तो एक तरफ ‘सुख की खोज’ थी, एक तरफ ‘कॉल गर्ल’ और बीच में ‘भगत सिंह की अमर गाथा’! सब पचास रुपये में। मैंने सोचा कि हिंदी की किताबों को सम्मान से रख तो लेते कम से कम। भगत सिंह के साथ कॉल गर्ल को बेच रहे हैं, वो भी अंग्रेज़ी से आधे दाम पर। शर्म आनी चाहिए। फिर आगे बढ़ा तो एक बाबा चिल्ला-चिल्ला कर ‘सत्यार्थ प्रकाश’ बेच रहे थे। बोल रहे थे आधे घंटे में जीवन नहीं बदला तो पैसे वापसी की पूरी गारंटी। मैंने चुपके से रास्ता ही बदल लिया। सिर्फ स्टॉल ही नहीं पूरी हॉल ही छोड़ आया।

अंग्रेजी के अच्छे दिन

अंग्रेज़ी वाले हॉल में घुसा तो वहां पेंग्विन और नेशनल बुक ट्रस्ट पर भारी भीड़ थे। लोग वहीं बैठकर पूरी-पूरी किताब पढ़ रहे थे। मुझे बढ़िया आइडिया लगा। सात दिनों में कम से एक किताब तो पूरी की ही जा सकती है। साल में कम से कम एक किताब तो पढ़नी ही चाहिए। वहां भी ‘’किताबों का पालिका बाज़ार’’ लगा हुआ था। अंग्रेज़ी वाले नए पाठकों की भीड़ उस दुकान पर थी। बिना जाने-सुने-पहचाने लेखकों की सुंदर किताबें 100 रुपये में ख़रीदना अंग्रेज़ी वालों के लिए मोज़े ख़रीदने जैसा रहा होगा। हिंदी वाले तो इतना जेब में रखे-रखे नई हिंदी वाले स्टॉल पर चार दिन घूम आते हैं।

ज़्यादा नहीं लिखूंगा। आप बस तस्वीरों को देखकर फील कीजिए। दिल्ली की सबसे ख़ास बात ये है कि ये सबको बराबर दिखने-महसूस करने के पूरे मौके देती है। किताबों की इतनी दुकानों में आप सिर्फ घूम कर लौट आते हैं या एकाध किताबें ख़रीदते भी हैं, क्या फर्क पड़ता है। सबके साथ मेले में रहने का भरम अकेले लौटने से ही पूरा होता है। जैसे हम दुनिया से लौटते हैं एक दिन। आप बालेसर का एक गीत सुनकर इस लेख और पुस्तक मेले को अलविदा कहिए। लेख का टाइटल भी इसी गीत के मुखड़े से है।

The post दुनिया झमेले में, दो दिन के मेले में.. appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

Spoilers Ahead

The first time I heard of a series called Game of Thrones was from a guy who couldn’t stop obsessing about how much he enjoyed this show because to him it was a source of some well produced soft porn, infused with the ever amazing genre of fantasy. This was a rather sad introduction, reductionist to say the least, and as a result, for a very long time, I didn’t feel inclined to sit and waste hours watching a show that inspired such audiences.

That changed after I noticed all the appreciation and the fan fiction surrounding the series. I finally decided to watch the show, and though it seemed a little difficult initially, after the first season, I was hooked. The brilliant world of George RR Martin, the thrilling plot, the attention to detail, all of it brought alive the world of Westeros in a fashion only Game of Thrones could. But there was still one issue, did the brilliant author of Game of Thrones, Martin, as well as the creators of the show, DB Weiss and David Benioff treat the female characters fairly?

This question has been raised time and again by many fans of the show, and many who are not. The show has been criticized for being degrading towards women, especially for its portrayal of scenes of sexual assault, but one scene in particular moved masses in a way very few others had . The rape of Sansa Stark was met with strong responses coming from all directions. Eminent people like Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill swore off the show post that episode in a tweet. I found myself torn after watching it too. Without a doubt, it was the most horrific thing to put oneself through. But was it merely for the shock value and cheap attention that the show makers decided to do this?

I read a very interesting piece in Vanity Fair, which claims this scene was absolutely unnecessary, and asks if “[rape] is really the only horror Game of Thrones can imagine visiting on its female characters.” Contextually speaking, this character’s death wouldn’t have been beneficial for the perpetrator, so he did the next worst thing.

Historically speaking, in wars and situations of crises, women are victims of all kinds of horrors, rape being the greatest threat and possibility. The books and the show have consistently tried to portray politics, battles, and the inner workings of a fantasy world, with such strong hold on reality that we find ourselves talking about dragons like they actually exist. Is it really shocking then, that in this reality, women find themselves in vulnerable positions?

Although, the show does not limit itself to the horrors and the tragedy of being a woman in this world. What is, in fact, brilliant to watch, especially as a girl, are women struggling for power and establishing themselves despite it all. There is no lack of female characters that leave you angry, sad, spellbound or proud. And what makes it exciting, is their refusal to feed into stereotypes.

We see matriarchs like Olenna Tyrell who play the game and get what they want, most of the time at least. Margaery Tyrell is the perfect example of how women have negotiated with and within powerful structures and gained great influence while being seen as docile and feminine. Cersei Lannister, who is a mother first, but second to none in her ruthless desire to uphold her position as the queen, is a complex character that commands attention. Sansa Stark, the eldest living legitimate child of Ned and Catelyn Stark has grown from a naïve child hoping to become queen someday, to a cold and manipulative strategist. Arya Stark, Sansa’s younger sister, is perhaps the most badass character on the show.

One of the fan favourites and arguably the strongest female presence on the show has to be Daenerys Targaryen, also known as the mother of Dragons, who strives to reclaim the throne of her father with nothing and no one to support her when she begins. Catelyn Stark, in her short time on the show, commanded respect and admiration. Yara Greyjoy with her strong will and command over her fleet breaks all notions of being born a woman into a ruling house. Missandei, a freed slave and an incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable woman who is the advisor and friend of Daenerys, is an interesting character. Brienne of Tarth and Lyanna Mormont are just as great examples of the kind of badass characters Game of Thrones has gifted us, that smash stereotypes and patriarchy.

But strong female characters are not all that Game of Thrones provides us. This show has explored what it means to be homosexual or not be from a noble house, and want to be powerful. Characters like Renly Baratheon and Loras Tyrell exemplify the struggle it is to be gay in a world that accepts nothing less than a man who is manly enough and only beds a woman. Lord Varys is another character who has fans in a flurry with all the influence he has, and all that he can cause to happen. Littlefinger, a boy who comes from a little family, is another fan favourite, both loved and despised for his deceitful ways and his hunger for power. And then there are the supremely celebrated (and hated) female characters of the show, who have transformed the world of fantasy which used to consist of little to no heroes who weren’t straight men.

In terms of the portrayal of races in the books (and consequently the show), the work of George RR Martin has been criticized for being “too white” and among other things, for superpositioning a white woman who ‘saves’ slaves of colour. That criticism must be met with nuance, and though history does coincide with the patterns in the show, what could’ve been different, and perhaps more inclusive, is the plot and the storyline, giving more important roles to men and women from diverse races. That is one discussion that must go on. But going by what we have had in the past, which is a history of white-washed shows, as a woman, and as an intersectional feminist, I do not think Game of Thrones is the worst thing to have happened to this genre.

It has taken the women in Game of Thrones a while to find their own, and it hasn’t been fun to watch sometimes, but a show that kills its seeming protagonist in the first season itself can’t be looked up to for fun. If feminism should mean that we pretend, just because we are in a fantasy world, that the most depraved sociopathic, sadistic soul wouldn’t sexually assault a vulnerable girl because he cannot kill her would be far from reality.

The pretense that women don’t constantly find themselves used and abused where power is in the hands of men; that orthodox religion upheld by men isn’t cruel to women and other genders. If we were to pretend that a world where if men held power, they also wouldn’t uphold male egos above the lives and respect of others, especially other genders; would be so far from reality, that it would make for a fantasy world in itself. A fantasy we would love to imagine, but seems stranger than this fiction.

There is no undoing the fact that this is a book series written by a white man, and a TV series created by more white men. But to a great extent, the show has surpassed the plots and typecasts of the genre, and one can only hope that a child watching Arya Stark grows up wanting to learn sword-fighting, and Missandei advising Daenerys through her conquests will imagine an even better world, with even stronger women, and racial inclusiveness. For now, I will go back to waiting for Game of Thrones to return to television, while shamelessly rooting for Sansa or Dany to sit on that Iron Throne.

The post Game of Thrones, Feminism, and the Portrayal of Women appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

Theatre buffs should definitely attend the festival and support the project. A passion for theatre, a noble cause and exciting merchandise – reasons enough to be a part of the cause!

The post Remembering A Legend Who Gave 25 Years To Work For The Arts In India appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

साल 1993, 12वीं में था, साइंस सब्जेक्ट चुनी थी। क्यूंकी और मुझे कुछ पता नहीं था। ये एक चुनौती भी थी खासकर उस समय जब 12वी में साइंस का परिणाम लगभग 30% या उसके आसपास ही रहता था। मानसिक दबाव अपनी चरम सीमा पर था। एक दिन अपने दोस्त गिरीश यागीक से कहा “मुझे ये दुनिया रास नहीं आ रही हैं, सोच रहा हूं कहीं, भाग जाऊंं।”  गिरीश ने कहा “लतीफ की गैंग से जुड़ जा।” मैंने पूछा “ये, लतीफ कोन है ? ” और अब आप का भी यही सवाल होगा कि ये लतीफ कौन है। मैं आपको लतीफ की पूरी जानकारी दूंगा , वह भी जो खबरों में नहीं छपी। लेकिन उस डर को बयान करना मुश्किल है, जिसके कारण, उन दिनों, अमूमन, कोई गैर मुस्लिम, पुराने अहमदाबाद शहर में जाने से डरता था।

मेरे कॉलेज के मुस्लिम दोस्त अक्सर लतीफ के बारे में कहते थे, लतीफ को बड़ा बनना था। उसकी चाहत कुछ ही दिनों में आसमान छूने की थी। इसके लिए वो कोई भी कीमत देने को तैयार था। किसी बिज़नेस से कोई बैर नहीं। कोई उसूल नहीं कि कौन सा व्यवसाय करना है और कौन सा नहीं। बस नाम, शोहरत और पैसा ये, तीनों होनी चाहिये।

जब सपने, आसमान को छूने के हो तो आसमान तक राह भी खुद ही बनानी पड़ती हैं। ये बात अब लतीफ के समझ में आ चुकी थी। फिर जिस दौर की शुरुआत हुई,  वो लतीफ के जश्न का दौर था। लतीफ ने कुछ और लोगों को अपने साथ जोड़ा और अपनी खुद की गैंग बना ली। लतीफ ने हर उस जगह और इंसान में पैठ जमाई जिसकी उसे ज़रूरत थी। पुलिस, राजनीतिक पार्टी, नेता, अपराधी, सब अब्दुल लतीफ को जानने लगे थे। लतीफ की गैंग ने हर वो काम करना शुरू कर दिया जिससे उसकी दहशत लोगों तक पहुंचे। मसलन जबरन बसूली, अपहरण, जुआ, शराब।

किस्सा ये भी मशहूर हुए कि दाऊद और लतीफ के बीच दुश्मनी का रिश्ता था। और दोस्ती की पहल, खुद दाऊद ने की थी। अबतक आपको ये अंदाज़ा लग चुका होगा कि अब्दुल लतीफ कितना बड़ा नाम बन चुका था। अब लतीफ की पहुंच हर जगह थी, ये एक रईस की पहचान थी। लोग उससे हाथ मिलाने में अपनी तारीफ़ समझते थे।

ऐसा कहा जाता है, कि अब्दुल लतीफ की गैंग में सिर्फ और सिर्फ मुसलमानों की ही एंट्री मुमकिन थी। लतीफ ने पुराने अहमदाबाद में अपनी इमेज रॉबिन हुड की बनाई। यहां गरीब मुस्लिम परिवार की लतीफ हर वो मदद करता जो उसे उनके बीच खुदा बना दे। कहते हैं बुरे वक्त में कमाया हुआ इंसान ही काम आता है और ऐसा लतीफ के साथ भी हुआ। लतीफ एक अपराध के तहत 1986-87 में जेल में बंद था।  जेल में रहते हुए वो पांच म्युनिसिपल वार्ड के चुनाव में जीत गया।

पुराने अहमदाबाद में अब लतीफ, एक मुस्लिम रहनुमा, ताकत और अपराधी की पहचान बन चुका था। और यही एक वजह गैर मुस्लिम समाज में भय का कारण बन रही थी। उस समय पुराना अहमदाबाद का शहर ही एक मुख्य बाज़ार था और ज्यादातर यहाँ आबादी मुस्लिम थी। गैर मुस्लिम लोगो ने यहाँ आना कम भी कर दिया था। शाम होने से पहले यहां से जाने में ही समझदारी समझी जाती थी। इसमें मैं भी व्यक्तिगत रूप से शामिल था।

इसी बीच 1992 में अहमदाबाद एक विभत्स हत्याकांड से कांप चुका था। लतीफ गैंग के शूटर, हंसराज त्रिवेदी को मारने राधिका जिमखाना गए थे। लेकिन वहां 9 और लोग थें। हंसराज को पहचानना मुश्किल था, लतीफ का ऑर्डर आया और सभी 9 लोगों पर गोली दाग दी गई। यहाँ पहली बार गुजरात किसी अापराधिक मामले में AK-47 रायफल की आवाज़ से गूंजा था।

जब कोई नाम, आसमान से उचा बन जाये तो जितने दोस्त होते हैं उतने ही दुश्मन भी। खैर राजनीति में अपना सगा तो कोई नहीं खोज सका है। कहा ये जाता है कि अब्दुल लतीफ को प्रदेश कांग्रेस इकाई का भरपूर समर्थन था। ये भी कहा जाता है कि लतीफ का रिश्ता उस समय के कांग्रेस नेता श्री चिमन भाई पटेल के साथ काफी घनिष्ठ था।

1995 में BJP ने लतीफ को ही अपना चुनावी मुद्दा बनाया। BJP ने लतीफ को कानून व्यव्स्था का मज़ाक के रूप में प्रचारित किया। लोगों से गिरफ्तारी के वादे किए। हर चुनावी रैली में लतीफ भाजपा नेता के ज़ुबां पर था। कांग्रेस को मुस्लिम तुष्टिकरण और मुस्लिम वोटबैंक के लिए लतीफ जैसे गुंडे को बढ़ावा देने का दोष दिया गया।

चुनाव हुए BJP की सरकार बनी। लतीफ को दिल्ली से गिरफ्तार किया गया। गुजरात के एंटी टेररिज़्म स्कवॉड का 2 महीने चला ऑपरेशन रंग लाया। 2 साल बाद अब्दुल लतीफ ने पुलिस के शिकंजे से भागने की कोशिश की और मारा गया। आतंक का नाम बन चुके एक डॉन का अंत हो चुका था। रईस मारा जा चुका था।

The post असली रईस, अब्दुल लतीफ की वो कहानियां जो गूगल पर भी नहीं है appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

Dear “Anjanaputra” Krish,

We Telugu people simply don’t celebrate great personalities that our land has produced. As a Telugu girl who has grown up in Chennai, a melting pot of cultural activity, I came to know that there were many artistes who shifted base to Chennai because there was barely any support or recognition for their peerless work. Whenever I paid a visit to my native place in Andhra Pradesh, I was saddened time and again to see that my people don’t possess the cultural consciousness that they ought to. Conversations were almost always only about movies. And here is where I want to thank you.

Few directors like you, have used cinema, the only medium that manages to unite and catch the attention of a large number of Telugu people to uplift the quality of our collective consciousness as Telugu people. Despite fresh content and smaller cinema slowly making waves in our film industry, our movies and stories are always caught in dynastic glorification and mindless machismo. But, you have very tactfully used that very sentiment to draw crowds to watch a movie about a king whose contribution has been lost in the pages of history. Above all, by casting Balakrishna as Gautamiputra Satakarni, you have made me see a convincing actor behind this larger than life falsification that previous movies on him have given to his personality.

Balakrishna does not bring a commanding physicality to the role. But not once did I find that problematic while I was watching your movie. Your lead actor grasped the emotion that is Satakarni, and I can safely say that I would have bought into the character even if he were clad in a jeans and t-shirt. Such is the power of the story and characters that you have created. You have tapped into the essence of each of the main characters, and given them a definite emotional graph that fits perfectly with the progress of the story – the historical setting, music, costumes and make up did not have the burden of having to uplift anything. Your script and direction took care of that.

I also want to congratulate you for bravely picking up a historical narrative and writing a script that kept me at the edge of my seat scene after scene. Movies about historic personalities often run the risk of being reduced to panegyrics, and seeming like a play- acting of facts. Your movie contains some well-placed song and dance sequences and adds diversity to the linearity of the narrative – the Kadhaagaanam and Mriganayana songs were entertaining and significant preludes into the changes in the story that were awaiting the audience.

And to think that you brought to life a story which had so many rich dimensions to it at the visual and subliminal level, in just 79 days, is nothing short of a coup. Telugu people needed to know that there is so much more to our culture than just movies. Your movie had generous doses of patriotism and Telugu pride without seeming jingoistic and ethnocentric. You have awakened Telugu people to their glorious and forgotten past and made the audience think. There are a few directors who I believe will keep the flag of Telugu cinema flying high, and this letter is my “Agra Tamboolam” (which Satakarni presents his mother) to you in that regard.

Saaho “Anjanaputra” Krish!

Your fan,

“Rukminiputrika” Durga

The post Why I Want To Thank The Director Of Gautamiputra Satakarni appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

Like most of the youth of our country, I have grown up watching romantic movies and listening to romantic songs. But as time went by I realised how Bollywood movies were so untrue and unreliable when it came to real life. In real life, it’s not always a happy ending when we meet the one we love. Here are five films I feel offer many misconceptions about love and relationships.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

This film revolves around a couple, who were in love, but their love wasn’t acceptable to the girl’s father. As the story progresses, the girl is forced to marry a family friend, who later turns out to be her soul mate. This theme is common in many Bollywood movies in which a rebellious girl is married off to a nice man who later tames her into a wife who loves him. I feel this portrayal leads young, teenage girls to believe that arranged marriage is the ultimate goal. It also shows that a woman can’t really decide for herself, what is right for her. This is a typical film, which doesn’t allow women to explore her choices for a groom whereas the partner (Ajay Devgan) has every right to do so.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

This film glorifies one-sided love. The female protagonist Anjali keeps on loving her crush Rahul, year after year, and expects nothing in return. I feel it teaches young girls, to never expect, to never fight for something they really want and to just go with the flow. It gives a wrong and anti-feminist idea of love and relationship. For instance, Anjali never confessed her love for Rahul because she knew that he wasn’t in love with her. Yet, confessing your love lets you live life on your own terms. Instead, she behaves like a meek, docile character, which is not the best image for young girls to follow.

Maine Pyar Kiya

This film, despite being a huge hit gives a message that a girl and a boy can never be friends. It has killed off many true friendships in my life. I would fear losing my guy friends as friends. I would work hard to prevent myself from developing feelings for them, so the friendship would stay intact. As a defence mechanism, I started calling my guy friends, as ‘brothers’!

2 States

I felt this story highly dramatises the problems and issues faced by two people from different states who fell in love. It shows how two people who are deeply in love, can convince their parents about their union. However, in reality, it is really tough to convince your parents into an inter-communal marriage. In the movie, we are shown a utopian world in which everything works fine in the end. Yes, some stories in real life do end happily but many of them don’t. People are forced to move on in their lives.

Befikre

This new-age film explores not love but attraction. This is an unconventional movie, which highlights intimate relations in a relationship without marriage.  However, people appreciated this movie for its concept of a couple having fun on their own terms and opening doors for live-in relationships, in a country that is phobic to live-in relationships, even today. The climax though is pretty conventional. The love story ends in marriage

I would like to add, that I am not in any way trying to portray Bollywood in a bad light. I love Bollywood movies, actors and actresses. I just wanted to throw a different light on how Bollywood movies affect and impact me in my daily life. Now, it’s on you to decide whether my argument has some basis or not.

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Image source: YouTube

The post Bollywood Movies That Give Us Misconceptions About Love And Relationships appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

Finally, the much awaited “Shakira Ahibo Bokultolor Bihuloi”( Shakira Will Come To Bokultol’s Bihu) is here. With a fascinating name, this Assamese film is ready to be screened this Friday (January 20).

But, it’s not only because of Shakira that I’m writing this post. It’s much more than just the title.

Yesterday (January 17), the whole of Assam celebrated the birthday of Rupkonwar Jyotiprasad Agarwala, the first to direct an Assamese movie. He made “Joymoti” (1935) which was a massive landmark for the Assamese film industry. After “Joymoti”, there were a few movies that stood out, but there has been a large gap in terms of quality. Films like “Dr. Bezborooah”,”Chameli Memsaab”, “Jetuka Pator Dore”, “Mon Jaai” gained popular support, but nothing beyond that. There was a time, and still is, where producers of Assamese movies were not getting their money back, people were not going to the theatres to see Assamese movie. But things have changed in the past few years. With some great plots in films like “Kothanodi”, “Bokul”, “Duwaar”, the Assamese movie industry has started to revive itself from the trauma. Though it has not been fully revived, I hope it will, soon.

While writing this, I have to agree that I am not a movie critic, nor do I know technicalities of making a film. But for me, Himangshu Prasad Das’s maiden movie is a revolution in itself. Made on a budget of ₹30 lakhs, the interesting point here is that there isn’t a single producer. A large part of the budget is crowd-funded.

Being a famous poet of Assam, the director collected money from the public by standing on roads, in buses, in public places to support the making of the movie. As far as I know, there are very few movies in the history of Indian cinema which have been made with crowd-funding. Not only money, people helped the cast of the film by providing food, shelter etc. This for me is a revolution. We need more films like this. There are many young directors out there who lack the money to make a film. This can be a way to show the world that a movie can be made by the people, for the people.

Another very fascinating thing is that the movie is an adaptation of Guernica’s (a theatre group in Assam) play with the same name. The play was performed first in 2015 and became popular. The interesting question is how the director will catch the audience attention since people already know the plot. It is a daring move. I hope, this will be a new dawn for the Assamese film industry.

Another bit of trivia is that nearly 3,000 artists worked in the film.

Being a well-wisher of Assamese film industry I hope, this movie will create a milestone.

Are you guys ready to meet Shakira?

The post Shakira In Theatres Of Assam appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

Last year, Rohith Vemula, a PhD. a student from Hyderabad University committed suicide after series of scuffles with ABVP group, university administration, a BJP minister and HRD ministry.

Students across the country marked ‘Rohith Day’ on January 17, the first anniversary of the Vemula’s suicide by protesting on campus.

However, while protesting, many students were detained by the police in several cities. Even Rohith’s mother, Radhika Vemula was arrested by Hyderabad police while entering the HCU campus. Two journalists of In.Uth.com were also roughed up by the police in Delhi while covering the protest.

Here are some photographs from protests across campuses on Rohith day.

On January 17, HCU students gathered at the main gate to mark Rohith day. Later many were arrested from the same venue.

Radhika Vemula being arrested while trying to enter the HCU campus.

Dr. Velpula talking about multiple discrimination and contemporary student politics in Indian higher education” at TISS Mumbai.

ASA-TISS Mumbai organised a candle march in the memory of Rohith.

Student of Jamia Millia Islamia organised a candle march while demanding the Rohith Act.

Students at the Jamia campus observed Nukkad Sabha.

The post In Photos: How Campuses In India Remembered Rohith On His Death Anniversary appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa is a stalwart of Kannada literature. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2016. He has been an important figure in Kannada literature since the 1960s. Uttara Kanda, the latest novel written by him was published in January, 2017. He is a man of literature but is also well known, especially in Karnataka for his right-wing political views tilting towards an understanding of Hindutva, which is very similar to that of V.D Savarkar. Bhyrappa’s novel Dharmashree is on the ‘negative‘ impact of aggressive proselytisation by Christian missionaries. Aavarana, another famous work by him is a critique of the Islamic religion and the reactionary ideas it continues to hold, according to him.

He is one of the speakers at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2017. In an interview with Youth Ki Awaaz over email, he speaks in detail on both political and literary issues. He talks about the imminent threat of Kannada literature dying out in the very near future due to the overarching reach of English in an increasingly globalised India.

He also speaks on the age-old debate on the destruction of ‘Hindu’ temples by ‘Muslim’ rulers in Indian history. His political views are also fleshed out clearly when he opens up on what he thinks about the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, where the Babri Masjid was located before its destruction on December 6, 1992.

Sourodipto Sanyal (SS): In your novel “Aavarana” (The Veil), there is an interesting conversation right at the beginning on whether the reason for the destruction of temples in medieval India was religious or economic in nature. Why do you think this aspect of the past is still very important for many people?

S.L. Bhyrappa (SLB): Destruction of temples in India was not confined to the medieval time only. Destroying the temples of other religions was a compulsory injunction to the followers, given by the Prophet Muhammed himself. He himself destroyed many temples which existed in Saudi Arabia and other places and his followers destroyed many great temples in Egypt, Jordan and other places. The Muslim invaders followed the examples set by the Prophet and destroyed temples in India ever since they entered into this country. The modern Marxist historians have invented the argument that the Muslims destroyed the temples for economic reasons and not due to religious injunctions. It is a lie. For details, please read Sita Ram Goel.

SS: You were chosen as the Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi in 2015. Some time after that, writers returned State honours bestowed upon them as a mark of protest against the current government as they claimed there was rising intolerance in the country. Do you agree with the decision of the writers? If yes, why? If no, why not?

SLB: Prashasti wapsi (Award wapsi) was a movement started by Marxist and Congress literary writers to garner Muslim votes against BJP in the Bihar Election.

SS: You are a stalwart of Kannada literature. So was UR Ananthamurthy. What is it about Kannada society and literature that makes it possible for authors with major differences in ideology to exist within the same space?

SLB: In Kannada, literary writers are divided on the basis of ideologies like Marxism, existentialism, feminism, the Dalit movement, the OBC movement, etc. Also, there are readers who follow these ideologies, which are not exclusive to each other, depending upon the political exigencies. Two or more ideologies make temporary alliances as it happens today in Indian politics. There are a few writers like me who strictly believe in pure literary goals like achieving Rasa, Dhwani and Ouchithya. They transcend contemporary ideologies.

SS: With globalisation impacting culture on a massive scale, do you think Kannada literature is under threat? Or do you think it will reinvent itself according to contemporary times?

SLB: Yes, there is a real danger. There is English medium education for our children right from the schooling year. These children who start their education from the English language cannot read or write, let alone speak the Kannada languages. If these trends continue there may not be anyone to write in Kannada after about 50 years and surely there will be no one to read Kannada books and newspapers.

SS: In your novel Aavarana, the most rigid aspects of Islamic orthodoxy in India were depicted in the novel. Do you think there can be a renaissance within the realm of Islam which can challenge the orthodoxy within the religion? Do you think orthodox practices present in other religions, like Hinduism, also need change? If yes, could you elaborate on it and tell us why you think that is the case?

SLB: Hinduism right from its beginning, from Vedic times, was a liberal movement. Hinduism is not a religion founded by a particular prophet with a dogma. Even during the Vedic times, there were challenges like the Buddhist and Jains. Therefore, Hinduism was never dogmatic in the way Semitic religions are. If you take modern Hindus, they have accepted social reformations as put forward by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda, Dayananda Saraswati, Jyotirao Phule, Narayana Guru, Gandhiji and Ambedkar. Ambedkar was the most bitter critic of the defects of Hinduism, but Hindu leaders made him the chairman of the committee which made the many suppressed and backward groups and castes become politically decisive groups. In education and job opportunities, equality in marriage and various other areas, women are liberated. Such things are not allowed in Islam. Therefore, do not compare other religions of India with Hinduism. The term Hinduism includes Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and various other offshoots which sprouted from the Indian soil.

SS: One political question. Do you think the Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya? If yes, why? If no, why not?

SLB: My question is that all the Muslims of India know that Babar destroyed the ancient temple and built his Masjid on its debris. The fact that the Indian Muslims are fighting not to build a Hindu temple on the location of the Masjid shows their mindset where they think that destroying the old Indian temples and converting them into a Masjid is their fundamental right. The political fights and legal battles supported by Marxist historians, sociologists, so called secularists and people catering to vote banks, further strengthens the mindset of Indian Muslims that they are no different from Aurangzeb or any other invader. One may argue that not all Muslims are fighting in the law courts, but my question is how many Muslims are countering these Muslims in the law courts? Does not keeping silent imply approval? The Indian secularists are by and large hypocritical.

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Image source: YouTube

S.L. Bhyrappa spoke at the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival this year. 

The post ‘Hinduism From Its Beginning Was A Liberal Movement’: Kannada Author S.L. Bhyrappa appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

“Outrider rides through the chaos, maintaining a stance of ‘negative capability,’ but also does not give up that projective drive, or its original identity that demands that it intervene on the culture. This is not about being an Outsider. The Outrider might be an outlaw, but not an outsider,” Anne Waldman writes in her essay ‘Premises of Consciousness: Notes on Howl’.

In many ways, Waldman herself is an Outrider, jibing, jabbing, prodding at culture. It’s hard to put labels on her. Poet, performer, activist- she dons many hats and draws from a multitude of voices and sounds. She is the ‘Fast Speaking Woman’:

“I learn by books
I learn by singing
I recite the chant of one hundred syllables
I write down my messages to the world
The wind carries them invisibly, staccato impulses to the world”

And she is the ‘Lady of Misrule’:

“I’m in a rogue state, Mr. President
Don’t tell me what to do
Your rules aren’t my rules
Cause I’m the Lady of Misrule”

Part music, part protest, part performance, Waldman’s poetry is also now one of the last testimonials of a generation of poets and protests that have shaped present day America and its poetry. Waldman herself though seems to have grown out of those days, creating a style of her own. She is in Jaipur to attend the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival which began on January 19. In an email interview with YKA, she spoke about her poetry, her politics, as well as the 2016 Nobel Prize awarded to Bob Dylan. Read on:

Abhishek Jha (AJ): Where did you grow up and what influence did that have on your poetry?

Anne Waldman (AW): I grew up in New York City in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village near Washington Square Park, a neighbourhood renowned for its Italian immigrants, progressive politics, artists and “bohemian” intellectuals. Poets, playwrights, jazz musicians, Anarchists. I sat on Lead Belly’s knee as an infant. During the sixties the folk music scene took hold. There were hootenannies at Peter Seeger’s house when I was a child. Bob Dylan came later. Beat poet Gregory Corso lived down the block. It still has some of the old flavour. It influenced my poetry to be inquisitive, experimental, political, performative, and aware of the “syncretic” nature of our lives and histories. The city is a maelstrom of energy and layers.

AJ: You lived during the Beat generation. This was also the time of a growing women’s movement in America. Can you tell us how feminist the Beat movement was and how women fared among the Beat poets and writers?

AW: I actually was almost a generation younger than Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac and certainly William Burroughs. In my estimation the women did not fare particularly well. They did not get the same attention; they were not privy to all the conversations. It was a difficult time for women in the Fifties- if you were “different“, were engaged in bi-racial relationships, or a lesbian, or needed an abortion, there were serious restrictions with families and society. Women did not have the freedom men had. There were powerful women during the early Beat period that have been getting attention with more recent literary scholarship. An anthology entitled ‘Women of the Beat Generation’ is good. And many of the women were supportive of the male writers. Diane di Prima and Joanne Kyger who are still active are major American poets. Some of this erasure is being corrected. The men had unusually tender relationships- some homo-erotic and there is sweetness to the male non-competitive bonding. Times have moved the women forward.

AJ: The artists of the Beat generation almost created a way of life. How much weight do artists carry today in America as a socio-political force?

AW: I can’t speak to the enormity this question poses; America is a huge country with a lot of current strife and divisiveness. But there is certainly a public that pays attention to what artists are doing in cities like San Francisco, New York, Chicago. The diversity of the field has expanded considerably with many black artists and intellectuals and cultural activists at the fore. There are “pockets” of activity around university campuses. Our lower education system is problematic in general. Literature and the arts need more prominence in these areas. The economic divide is killing us.

AJ: As I understand, you are not very fond of capitalism. You are also an activist. How do you feel about art projects, literature festivals, universities, etc being funded by big corporations? There were protests at JLF’s Southbank centre event earlier this year, for instance, because it was being funded by Vedanta- a company accused of crimes against  indigenous peoples (Adivasis).

AW: I am sorry to hear about the JLF Southbank Centre issues and I would try to seek support elsewhere. And it’s important to critique and ask questions, always. But it is so difficult to find sponsorship for big projects like this, or Phillip Glass operas. Or major art shows by Van Gogh etcetera. It’s important that there is no censorship of content or discourse in literary festivals, that there is freedom of speech. I think – in the USA- there has to be some accommodation but also exposure. The projects I have worked with all my life- The Poetry Project in NYC, and Naropa University are free of these kinds of compromises.

Although the Project gets government funding, it does not have a solid “institutional” base. Both this organisation and the university struggle are kept alive by the people who work there for moderate salaries.

AJ: Do you know of any alternatives today for artists who do not want to be appropriated by such corporations?

AW: Most artists I know are not appropriated by corporations, although a corporation might buy a painting, support an exhibit. Poets have a modest lifestyle; you can write without much money beyond basic survival. You’re lucky if you can get a grant. Most writers I know teach at small colleges often, or larger universities, or public high schools. As a poet you don’t have “a product” to sell.

AJ: You have also come to be associated with the New York School. You worked with Bob Dylan. Can you tell us a little about this interaction of poetry with other forms of art and how you approach it?

AW: Yes the NY School- the brilliant work of Frank O’Hara who gave permission for a kind of personal spontaneity and vivid moment to moment perception with wit and panache. And you have the dream logic of John Ashbery’s poetry.

AJ: How do you feel about Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize?

AW: I felt it was a prize that might have- and should have- been awarded to Allen Ginsberg. Dylan was strongly influenced by the Beats. But it was a good substitute and became such a controversy that people could think about what they valued about Bob Dylan’ anthemic work at a particular historic time that swept the country and later the world. I honor the oral tradition of lyric and song. Some of Dylan’s lyrics and performance are powerful poetry. I often saw him as a kind of shaman during the Rolling Thunder Review with his painted face and feather in his cap.

Featured image source: Youtube

The post YKA Exclusive: Chat With Anne Waldman, The Poet Who Fights Against Wars, Men, Presidents appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

फ़िल्में अक्सर हमारे ज़ेहन में मौजूद रहती हैं, ये कुछ इस तरह हमारे दिमाग में घर कर जाती हैं कि हम कभी किसी फिल्म के संवाद से अपना विद्रोह ज़ाहिर करते हैं तो कभी व्यंग। मसलन अमिताभ बच्चन की फिल्म ‘अग्निपथ’ का एक संवाद “पूरा नाम, विजय दीनानाथ चौहान, बाप का नाम दीनानाथ चौहान।“ इस संवाद को, यकीनन हर किसी ने अपनी ज़िंदगी में एक ना एक बार ज़रुर बोला होगा। इसी तरह से कई ऐसी फ़िल्में हैं, जो जीवन के किसी पड़ाव में कहीं ना कहीं देखी थी और उनकी ताज़गी आज भी मेरे ज़हन में मौजूद है।

इनमें पहली है ‘मेरा गांव मेरा देश’, ये फिल्म 1971 में रिलीज़ हुई थी। 1988 के आस-पास घर पर वीसीआर पर इसे देखा था। उस समय मेरी उम्र 10 वर्ष की रही होगी, लेकिन मैं बस एकटक फिल्म की नायिका आशा पारेख को देखता रहा था। मुझे शिकायत थी कि फिल्म का हीरो धर्मेद्र की जगह मैं क्यों नहीं हूं और आज भी ये शिकायत जारी हैं।

इसे को जिस तरह फिल्माया गया, गांव का दृश्य, खेत, खलिहान, पहाड़, इत्यादि बहुत ख़ूबसूरत और बेहतरीन थे। कुछ पल के लिये ये मुझे मेरे गांव ले गये थे। इस फिल्म के गीत बहुत अच्छे थे, खास कर “कुछ कहता हैं ये सावन” और “मार दिया जाये, या छोड़ दिया जाये।” फिल्म के नायक धर्मेद्र और खलनायक विनोद खन्ना, के किरदार लाजवाब थे, इस फिल्म की अंत की लड़ाई जो इन दोनों किरदारों के बीच होती है, उसने मुझे भी हवा में हाथ चलाने को मजबूर कर दिया था। यह एक साफ सुथरी पारिवारिक फिल्म थी, जिसकी वजह से यह फिल्म मुझे आज भी याद है।

उसके बाद एक फिल्म के ज़रिये पहली बार मुझे डर की पहचान हुई। यह फिल्म थी ‘शिवा’, 1990 में रिलीज़ हुई इस फिल्म के निर्देशक थे राम गोपाल वर्मा और नायक थे नागार्जुन। भवानी के रूप में एक खलनायक भी था, जिसके बहुत ज़ोर लगाकर संवाद बोलने से भी उसकी आवाज नहीं निकल पाती थी। लेकिन, जिस तरह से उसे दिखाया गया था वह लाजवाब था और इसी ने मुझे डर का एहसास करवाया था।

कॉलेज में हो रही गुंडागर्दी के चलते नागार्जुन का किरदार शिवा, एक विद्रोह के नायक के रूप में उभर कर आता है। फिल्म में संवाद ज़्यादा नहीं थे, लेकिन कैमरावर्क और निर्देशन लाजवाब था। मसलन पहली बार नागार्जुन का लड़ाई करने के लिये गिरी हुई साइकिल की चेन निकालना और इसी कारण  साइकिल का पैडल लगातार घूमता रहना। जब, फिल्म आगे बढ़ती है और एक सीन में कॉलेज के सामने वाले ढाबे पर एक खलनायक दूसरे के कान में शिवा का नाम कहता है, इसके बाद जो चमक खलनायक के चेहरे पर होती है उसका जवाब नहीं। नागार्जुन, अपनी भतीजी को बचाने के लिये साइकिल को जिस तरह भगाता है, सारे सीन लाजवाब थे। कैमरामैन सीन को कुछ इस तरह से रोकता था कि दर्शक के रूप में आप इसके भीतर ही चले जाएंगे। इस फिल्म को देखने के बाद नागार्जुन की तरह मैं भी विद्रोह की मुद्रा को अपना रहा था।

1992 में रिलीज़ हुई थी तमिल फिल्म ‘रोज़ा’ को हिन्दी में भी डब किया गया। ये मेरे देखी गयी फिल्मों में सबसे बेहतरीन फिल्म थी। मणिरत्नम का निर्देशन, मधु और अरविंद का अभिनय किरदारों में जान डालता है और एक बेहतरीन कहानी शुरुआत से ही अपने साथ बांध कर रखती है। मसलन शुरुआत में रोज़ा का लड़कपन, ऋषिकुमार का रोज़ा की बड़ी बहन को नापसंद कर रोज़ा को पसंद करना, इसी की शिकायत रोज़ा को रहती है। गलतफ़हमियों का दूर होना, इसी दौरान ऋषिकुमार की कश्मीर में पोस्टिंग और रोज़ा की साथ में जाने की ज़िद करना और अपना सूटकेस जिस तरह वह रखती है, वो एक लाजवाब सीन था। फिर फिल्म कश्मीर में दिखाई जाती है, यहां एक मंदिर में नारियल फोड़ने से जिस तरह फौजी जवान भाग कर आ जाते हैं, यहां एक मंदिर के पास ऋषिकुमार का अपहरण होता है और इसे देख यहां पूजा कर रहा पंडित भागने के साथ साथ अपना सामान भी बांध रहा होता है। बस, यहीं से फिल्म एक मोड़ लेती हैं।

अब असली, फिल्म शुरू होती है, एक अख़बार में आतंकवादी ऋषिकुमार को छोड़ने के लिये, अपनी मांगे रखते हैं। रोजा इसे पढ़ नहीं सकती लेकिन पंडित के पढ़ने से जिस तरह एक कमज़ोर दिखाये गये पंडित के किरदार को गुस्सा आता है और रोजा सुन्न हो जाती है, बेहतरीन सीन था। आखिरी सीन में आतंकवादी पंकज कपूर ये कहकर पीछे हटता है कि वह अब हथियार को छोड़ देगा। लेकिन इस सीन की एक अजीब खूबी है, यहां आंतकवादी के हाथ में बंदूक है और वो इस तरह खड़ा है कि यहां से ऋषि कुमार को मारकर आसानी से फरार हो सकता है। एक बात और ये कि सिर्फ ऋषिकुमार को ही वो दिखाई देता है और सामने खड़ी रोज़ा और आर्मी को सिर्फ ऋषि कुमार दिखाई देता हैं, आतंकवादी नहीं। अंत सकुशल हुआ, इस फिल्म से मेरा जज़्बाती रिश्ता भी है।

इसके बाद किसी अन्य फिल्म ने इतना प्रभावित नहीं किया। इसका कारण मेरे व्यक्तिगत जीवन में समय और जज्बातों की कमी का होना भी है। आज की फिल्मों के नायक ख़ूबसूरत दिखने की होड़ में ज़्यादा लगे दिखते हैं ना कि एक किरदार के रूप में अपनी छवि को पेश करने की कोशिश में। अगर पिछले कुछ सालों की फिल्मों की बात करूं तो उनमे से एक ‘भाग मिल्खा भाग’ है, खासकर जब सोनल कपूर बाल्टी में पानी भर कर लेकर जाती है और जिस तरह यहां कैमरा इसे छलकता हुआ दिखाता हैं, बेहतरीन कैमरावर्क था। दूसरी हाल ही में रिलीज़ हुई ‘दंगल’, महावीर सिंह का एक आम सा किरदार, आम सा घर और आम सी ज़िंदगी। यहां जिस तरह छोटी गीता और बबीता के किरदारों को पेश किया गया है वह लाजवाब है।

अंत में उम्मीद है कि आने वाली फ़िल्में भी एक आम इंसान की आम ज़िंदगी से जुड़ी होंगी और उनमे जज्बात इसी तरह पिरोये गए होंगे कि मुझे एक दर्शक के रूप में फिल्म रोज़ा की याद आ जाये।

The post कुछ फिल्म, जिन्हें मैं एक दर्शक के रूप में आज भी जीता हूं appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” – George Bernard Shaw

This quote could not ring truer along with the ringing in on 2017. Other than Jallikattu, Zaira Wasim, the child artiste from the movie “Dangal” was trending news over the last few weeks.

All hell broke loose after the Jammu and Kashmir government released photographs of Zaira Wasim with the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Ever since, Zaira has been receiving heavy criticism from the people of Kashmir in particular. Her posters have been burnt and she has been receiving issues of death threats from masked militants.

The Kashmiris have lost all trust in their Chief Minister. Mehbooba Mufti is the chief of PDP, the ruling party which is in coalition with the BJP. Especially after the July 2016 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. The killing was followed by more killing. Nearly 90 people died in the violence that followed. So, this issue has clearly taken a very dangerous political and religious turn.

Contrary to the girl she played onscreen in “Dangal”, the real life Zaira Wasim is fearful of her life and possibly, her family as well. Let’s be frank, most people in her place would be. Who knows who her enemies are and how dangerous they are? Who is she dealing with? How powerful are they and what are their connections? So, the girl decided to play it safe and publicly apologised on Twitter.

“I hope people remember that I’m a just a 16-year-old girl and I hope you treat me accordingly. I’m sorry for what I did but it was not a deliberate decision and I really hope people can forgive me…I understand the sentiments behind it especially considering what had happened over the past 6 months.”

And it didn´t just stop with an apology for meeting the Chief Minister. It went beyond that.

“I’m not proud of what I’m doing and I want everyone, especially the youth to know that there are real role models…”

So, basically, she was apologetic for playing a Hindu character in the big bad world of Bollywood. And that automatically disqualifies her from being a ‘good role model’ for Muslim women. She does not want anyone to follow in her ‘unholy’ footsteps.

But the drama does not end there. Giving this non-issue an even more colourful spin, Wasim found herself trapped in another religious and political cage. Vijay Goel, BJP Union minister for sports and youth affairs posted a picture of him standing next to a painting of a woman in a hijab, trapped in a cage and remarked “This painting tells a story similar to that of Zaira Wasim. More power to our daughters!”

To this, Zaira responded, “Sir, with all respect to you, I feel I must disagree. I request you not to connect me to such a discourteous depiction. Women in hijab are beautiful and free. Moreover, the story depicted through this painting is not even remotely relevant to mine.”

Is that the kind of world we want our children or anyone of us to live in? Yes, I understand it is a political issue. The Kashmiris have every right and their own valid reasons for being hurt, disillusioned and angry with the Kashmir government. But, death threats to an innocent 16-year-old girl is a bit too extreme.

Let’s shift the focus from Zaira Wasim to Sania Mirza. I am not the greatest fan of her game but I am most definitely a fan of her persona. I love Sania Mirza’s attitude, her confidence, her passion, and her grit. Her mental strength is the secret of her professional success. I have always maintained that she is a fantastic role model for women in this country. And the more I see her grow and evolve over the years, the more I love her.

Now Sania Mirza has been the bone of contention for both Muslims and Hindus.

When Sania Mirza hit the Indian tennis scene, she was the biggest sensation in the country. Which disturbed a few of the orthodox Muslim clergy who issued a Fatwa against her in 2005, with a demand to cover up. She was targeted and criticised for wearing short skirts and revealing tops on the international tennis circuit.

“The dress she wears on the tennis courts…leaves nothing to the imagination. She will undoubtedly be a corrupting influence,” said Haseeb-ul-Hasan Siddiqui, a senior cleric of the Sunni Ulema Board.

Then in 2007, she got into another controversy for shooting a promotional campaign for Hyderabad’s heritage site Charminar at Mecca Masjid. This time she apologised:

“While I am fully aware that a woman must not enter the sanctity of the mosque, I was unaware that even entering the outer gates of a mosque was seriously objectionable, specially without permission, which I was assured by the agency they possessed.”

On New Year’s day in 2008, she got into deep waters for resting her feet on a table that was right in front of the Indian national flag. Following which, Prakash Singh Thakur, a social worker filed a case against her under the Prevention of Insult to the National Honour Act. She said that the pose was unintentional and accidental when her patriotism was questioned.

In 2010, she came under the patriotism radar yet again when she married a man whom she loved, and who happened to be the famous Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. Now, that is one hell of a combination to anger any ‘patriotic’ Indian in the country. Her integrity, character, loyalty and patriotism were questioned. Then in 2013, Telangana BJP leader K. Laxman addressed Sania as the ‘daughter-in-law of Pakistan’ questioning her credentials to be the brand ambassador of Telangana.

And who can ever forget her spontaneous and clever response to the journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai for questioning when is she finally going to ‘settle down’!

As you can see, Sania’s reactions have always been badass. She is the Muslim equivalent of Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor is a self-proclaimed ‘beef-eating Hindu’ and he’s openly challenged anyone who questions his faith. He is a temple going, ritual following Hindu man who is proud of his roots. But, he eats beef and he doesn’t see how that should affect anyone’s else life and he dares anyone who questions his Hindu belief systems. He’s known to block all those who impose their views on him and abuse him for his way of life or his opinion. He’s always been brutally honest and unapologetic for his way of life or thoughts. It is simply nobody’s business.

Sania Mirza is a devout Muslim. She lives her life the way she thinks is right for her often making her own choices and being unapologetic about it! Thus, bringing on the ire of both the Mullahs and Sadhvis but never bowing down to either.

The problem in this country is that one’s individuality is completely insignificant. There is no respect and sensitivity for an individual’s opinions, thoughts, likes, dislikes or choices. You are expected in fit in with the standard protocol. Often, in most cases than not, standards of mediocrity and hypocrisy. Or else, you are branded a freak or an outcast.

Mediocrity hates being challenged with ingeniousness. Veiled hypocrisy hates being confronted by the naked truth. That’s the bottom-line problem. Not a Zaira or a Sania or a Rishi Kapoor!

I am glad that we have people like Rishi Kapoor and Sania Mirza in this country who are unapologetic for the individual choices that they have made in their lives. They may not fit into your conventional picture of what a role model Hindu or Muslim might be, but the fact remains that they are proud devout followers of their faith. I see the same kind of bullying even among other religious groups.

Back to Zaira! I will not be harsh on her because she is only 16 years old. Seriously, all I would like to say is give that child a break. Let her enjoy her youth, her newly found fame. Let her be! Let her do what she wants to do. Be it trying to meet politicians to empower women, or make roads to joining politics if she has political aspirations, or join acting classes or pursue science or go on a celebratory worldwide tour or visit discotheques. Let her do what she wants to!

Right now, she is on the defensive. She has clearly made a choice not to upset the religious authorities. Unlike Sania Mirza, who was pretty clear in her head and conscience that she was not wrong in her intent or choices.

Yes, we all live in a society, belong to a particular community, gender and a religious group and a certain country.  And it’s great to belong to so many groups. But, it is tough trying to find that perfect balance when you’re classified into so many various sub-categories. Then, you have a hard time trying to figure out your true identity and what you should be standing for. And that is a very tough call for not just a 16-year-old Zaira, but many adults. They have no idea why they fight or stand for a particular cause. And if they do, how tolerant are they of other groups or other individuals choices?

All I can say with certainty is that there is nothing wrong with what Zaira Wasim did and there was no need for her to apologise to anyone.

She owes no one an explanation. To each their own karma, judgement day, whatever!

Till then, let there be love, peace, joy and harmony on earth!

The post Just Like Sania, Why Zaira Doesn’t Need To Apologise To Anyone appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

It seems like everywhere you turn, there is someone looking down at their phone, refusing to interact with the people around them.

It’s important to say that not everybody is like this. But every single day, I see more of the same type of behaviour that is becoming prevalent in today’s youth.

A sense of entitlement, low self-worth, little drive to achieve anything in life.

Perhaps that is a stretch, but it’s not far from the truth. Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram – you name it, there is someone around you on those platforms trying to prove to the world how “great” their life is.

Right now, there are probably thousands of people taking pictures of their food in a nice restaurant. There are people at a social gathering that are on a social app, instead of socialising with the people around them. There are also people who have few friends in real life but have thousands of “followers” on Instagram.

In short, there are a growing number of people who pretend to be something they are not.

What’s the point of all that?

Has society really pushed us to believe that our “self-worth” depends on the number of friends and “likes” we have on Facebook?

Recently, I watched a series called “Black Mirror”. There is an episode where things are fast forwarded 20-30 years into the future. In this “future” world, everyone gets rated out of 5 stars… the high-status people are usually above 4.7, the “middle class” are around 3.8, and those lower than that are usually considered cretins.

During the episode, everyone is trying to be extremely nice to each other (so others will rate them 4-5 stars so they can keep their social status up). Infractions, like messing up an order at a restaurant, accidentally bumping into someone, or making a minor mistake could get you rated 3 stars. People are walking on eggshells, afraid to make mistakes, give the “wrong” image to others, or do anything which could be considered negative.

And although everyone is extremely “nice” to each other, there is an underlying feeling of people using each other to gain a higher social status. It’s like everyone is so afraid to be themselves because they’re afraid of being judged.

As I watched this episode, it made me feel extremely uncomfortable. Because I can see the same type of behaviour becoming more obvious by the day. People who post only the most attractive photos of themselves. People who buy expensive clothes but live at home with their parents. People who take photos in luxury apartments they simply don’t have the money for.

People trying to be someone they are not.

Over the last few years, I’ve noticed this in the dating world too.

You’ve probably seen videos on Facebook where people post cute relationship videos and think being in a relationship is a 24/7 fairy tale.

We’ve all been in failed relationships. Things don’t always happen the way we want them to, and most of us later come to understand that relationships end for a reason – whether it’s to be taught a (sometimes) painful lesson or to learn something deeply important about yourself, people, and life.

That’s why it’s completely unrealistic to expect things to be “smooth sailing” the entire life of a relationship – whether it’s a month, year, decade… or forever.

But these days, the impatience of people has become such an issue that people seem to run at the first sign of any trouble. Personally, I’m the kind of person that is willing to work out just about anything, no matter how “rough” it gets. My father was a military man, and he taught me the value of discipline and dedication. Sadly, many of today’s youth only care about themselves and their image.

I recently took it upon myself to read about some the “relationship advice” on the Internet and came across some atrocious forums and websites dedicated to “pickup artists” or PUA as they call themselves. There are men out there that actually memorise canned lines, fake stories, and other strategies in order to convince women to sleep with them.

I couldn’t believe what I was reading!

Some of the lines seemed so robotic, and what was even more shocking is that I remembered certain guys using these kinds of strategies and felt that something was… “weird” about them. Like they were reading right out of a book, instead of just trying to have an actual conversation.

For example, one of the popular “openers” as they call them, is making a negative comment about you in order for them to try and make you see yourself as a lower value person, and see them as a higher value person. He commented on my painted fingernails, which was bizarre, but it just made me feel creeped out rather than intrigued.

As I went deeper down the rabbit hole, I realised I was getting lost in a world of extremely deceiving things. Perhaps not as bad the “pickup artist” community – but stuff like pheromones, subliminal hypnosis, fake military patches (valour thieving) and other stuff which was designed to impress women.

I’m sure some of it works a very small percentage of the time. But if you are reading this article, please, do all us a favour… please be yourself! We see right through tricks and gimmicks, and the only reason any of that stuff ever works is because the person already likes you – not because you said a certain thing, a fake story, or negative comment or whatever.

The post The Dishonesty Of Today’s Dating World appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

Child sexual abuse is one of the ugliest hidden realities of India’s dangerously repressed society. Over 53% of children in India have faced some form of sexual abuse, as per a government study, despite the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, a comprehensive law to deal with the crime and deter perpetrators.

While this heinous crime thrives under our silence, many Hindi films have however, attempted to talk about it directly. Bollywood, of course, has seldom been the best when it comes to portraying sensitive topics. From rampant ableism, objectification, and sexism to the glorification of rape culture, it has contributed to the worst forms of oppression. However, even a broken clock can be right twice, and a number of Bollywood films exist which address child sexual abuse in a surprisingly sensitive manner. Given the breadth and complexity of the issue, not all of these films completely hit the mark, but the fact that they exist as part of one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world is a big step forward.

Here’s a look at six of them:

1. “I Am”, that shows the power of saying “No!”:

“I Am Abhimanyu”, the third short in Onir’s landmark anthology “I Am”, tackles child sexual abuse in a way few Indian films have ever done. Based on the true stories of fashion designer Ganesh Nallari and equal rights activist Harish Iyer, it film depicts how a film director (played by Sanjay Suri and Zain Salam) deals with the trauma of sexual abuse at the hands of his step-father (played by Anurag Kashyap) for 11 years and attempts to move forward and forge his own identity as a person. The film demonstrates the power of being able to say “No” to abuse and unwanted advances, and the sheer courage it takes. Not only does it show how the effects of such abuse can persist lifelong, it also addresses the fact that often, sexual abuse occurs at the hands of close family members or acquaintances.

2. “Page 3”, that speaks about how ‘respectable’ people can be involved in child trafficking and abuse:

Madhur Bhandarkar is known for his sensationalist take on issues, and his depiction of child trafficking and abuse in “Page 3” is no different. But the film still tackles the fact that such incidents can happen under the veneer of ‘respectability’, by depicting famous figures committing such crimes. Sexual trafficking of children is a serious, difficult to tackle problem, and an attempt to draw attention to it in a sensitive manner in a medium that can reach millions is more than welcome – it’s necessary.

3. “Highway”, that shows how child abuse cuts across class:

4. “Monsoon Wedding”, that shows how necessary it is for family to stand by a survivor:

5. “Gunday”, that shows how people in positions of power can exploit children:

6. “Kahaani 2”, that tries to tackle child sexual abuse head-on:

Sujoy Ghosh’s 2016 sequel to his 2012 thriller hinted that it would deal with child sexual abuse in its trailers, but what surprised many when the film was released was how crucial the issue was to the plot. The film’s direct approach to several aspects of child sexual abuse is, in many ways, unprecedented in mainstream Bollywood cinema. From the difficulty children may face in articulating the abuse they have experienced, being barred from accessing the language of sex, sexuality, and violence that would allow them to express it, to the fact that such abuse often occurs within the family and is either hushed up or silently encouraged by other members of the family in an attempt to maintain a facade of respectability, “Kahaani 2” attempts to give a serious, rounded view of a pressing issue in the garb of a thriller; and while it may be guilty of sometimes reducing the child’s trauma to a plot device and not giving her enough agency, it is still an important film.

With Bollywood’s focus on the family as a unit, it is no surprise that many of these films focus on abuse at the hands of a family member/friend, and how families deal with the same. Survivor accounts abound that show how often families react by covering up the incident – even though that is a crime under POCSO – and how societal repression ensures that families are reluctant to confront or come to terms with it, regardless of the long-term effects on the survivor.

While these films have each attempted to tackle child sexual abuse in their own ways, with varying degrees of success and sensitivity, the one point that they all make is the necessity of breaking this silence surrounding this grave issue. It is crucial that we follow their lead – beginning from our own homes.

The post How These 6 Movies Dealt With The Issue Of Child Sexual Abuse appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

“Get off the computer and go read your book!”

That line, or a variation of that line, has been yelled towards us gamers during our childhood by our parents for as long as we can remember. At one point in time, we were all sitting in front of the computer or console, mashing the keys and buttons while we take on foes that threaten the safety of the universe – every game immersed us until Mom yelled.

That’s how every parent and the media views gaming, unfortunately. They think it’s all fun and thoughtless – but is it? If you’re one who shares those unfortunate views, sit yourself down and prepare that scroll wheel on your mouse, you’ve got some reading to do.

1. Learning From Mistakes

DarkSouls III – Source: Darksouls3.com

Gamers all over the world will know of the legendary difficulty of the Dark Souls series of games. You face enemies of impossible capabilities and monstrous looks; your initial attacks barely scratch their hide before you face the dreaded “You Died” screen. But what a lesson that teaches us.

“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
– Rita Mae Brown

Facing the same enemies repeatedly in Dark Souls teaches us to learn from our mistakes. Each time I die in-game, I learn to anticipate the creatures’ offences and then avoid it, earning myself another opening to strike. This cycle of learning from mistakes goes on and on until I have defeated the creature; if we made a mistake in the past, we should change our approach to succeed.

2. Teamwork

Your team is holding out at B-site, and you’ve decided to defend A-site alone. All is well until suddenly the terrorists rush to A-site, taking you out and planting the bomb to earn themselves a win.

It’s fine to operate alone, we like to work alone occasionally. It can be a hassle to have to cooperate with others, but even so, working in a team is bound to be better. It’s not exactly a good thing to be selfish; like in games, working alone will be difficult, and the chances of winning are low.

I’ve played enough games out there to learn to put my ego and pride aside to get things done with others – not quickly, but properly. Like the saying goes: “You can move a lot faster alone, but you can go a lot further in a group.”

3. Critical Thinking

StarCraft II – Source: Kotaku.com.au

People who think gaming is simplistic in nature have probably never had the experience of micro-managing the acquisition of resources, the strategies of an attacking army (and all its flanking manoeuvres), while at the same time defending their headquarters. That’s just an example of what could happen in a real-time strategy (RTS) game.

Playing a video game often requires quick-thinking and equally fast responses. I can proudly say that I’ve never felt more alert than in a game where I’m on the offence to defuse a bomb while also barking out orders for my team to take up defensive positions. It’s made me think out of the box and also be prepared for the unexpected.

4. It’s A Big, Big World

Final Fantasy XV – Source: GameSpot.com

The world is vast; it’s filled with many unexplored places and undiscovered items. That’s what a lot of those open-world games tend to tell us. Games like GTA V and Final Fantasy XV feature large beautiful worlds that are filled with the tiniest of details – very much like our own. The populated and life-filled worlds of GTA V and Final Fantasy XV are still being explored by gamers today with new things being discovered almost daily.

Developers put in lots of details in the game world that have no reason whatsoever to be there other than the fact that it’s beautiful detail. Whenever you can, do take a break from everything else (games included) and take a look around you: Breathe in the fresh air, take in what you see – and just marvel at how amazing our world is. Go out and explore!

5. Patience Is Virtue

In a modern world like this, a lot of us expect instant gratification. Most people often complain when the Internet is slow, when their items take a long time to get to them, and so on. Yes, slow Internet speeds don’t agree with gamers, but hear me out: In a lot of games, patience is a very important trait to have. You can’t rush in games: Your army takes time to build, rushing ahead without proper planning gets you killed.

Patience often rewards the gamer with success and wins of the battle. It allows for proper planning and a more relaxing pace. Rushing in life, like in-game, will also lead you to nowhere; it’s always better to have proper planning.

6. Things Get More Difficult As You “Level Up”

Lots of RPG (role-playing) games give you harder enemies with each time you level up. These enemies are always pushing your limits and putting your skills to the test – just when you thought you’ve got the hang of something. It’s the same concept with the real world.

As we age, we’re bound to take on more responsibilities and commitments that can make our lives a little bit more complicated and challenging. We’re constantly facing more obstacles. Levelling isn’t just our age of course, it’s also the same with your skills. As our skills improve, we’re bound to take on more challenging tasks that can help us to improve even further. I, for one, like to push the limits of my skills so that I can be even better.

There are just so many things one can learn from playing games. This list could be endless, but these six lessons are what I’ve personally found to be the most significant lessons I’ve learnt from video games. It is highly unfortunate that the media and most parents remain very doubtful of the benefits of gaming. That’s a perception I hope will change for the better one day; in the meantime, I’ll take my life-lessons from gaming and make my life a better one.

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The article is written and provided by Lord Tan, a dude with probably too much interests. He’s got an opinion on almost everything (a mouth that won’t stop), but he’s mostly vested in a lot of technology, gaming, and many other geeked-out hobbies.

The post 6 Life Lessons You’ll Learn From Gamers appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz, an award-winning online platform that serves as the hub of thoughtful opinions and reportage on the world's most pressing issues, as witnessed by the current generation. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more.

किसी भी स्थान या संस्कृति विशेष के लोगों द्वारा किया जाने वाला कोई आयोजन, खेल, भाषा, भोजन सामग्री का पैटर्न, त्यौहार इत्यादि, उस संस्कृति विशेष में कई सालों से अपने आप ही समाहित हो गया होता है। समय के साथ-साथ इसके स्वरुप में परिवर्तन भी होता रहता है। निश्चित ही इन सभी विशेषताओ के प्रति उन लोगों का लगाव अत्यधिक होता है जो उस संस्कृति का हिस्सा होते हैं।

लेकिन इसका यह अर्थ नहीं कि इन परम्पराओं का पालन किसी भी तरह के मॉरल स्क्रूटनी से बाहर होगा या परे होगा। मनुष्य के आचरण का नैतिक मूल्यांकन केवल उसके द्वारा, अन्य मनुष्य के साथ किये गये व्यवहारों के सन्दर्भ में ही नही किया जाना चाहिए। गैर मनुष्यों जैसे पशु-पक्षी आदि इकाइयों के प्रति किये गये व्यवहारों का भी नैतिक मूल्यांकन किया जाना चाहिए। चाहे उसका जस्टिफ़िकेशन जो भी हो।

हज़ार सालों की परंपरा का हो या किसी पशु के नेटिव ब्रीड को बचाने का तर्क हो।”मनुष्यों को अपने आनंद के लिए पशुओं के साथ किसी भी सीमा तक अत्याचार करना चाहिए क्योंकि सर्वाधिक महवपूर्ण कुछ है तो मनुष्य का सुख है।” यह तर्क हमें उस स्तर तक भी ले जाता है कि यदि मनुष्यों का सुख ही किसी भी आचरण का नैतिक प्रतिमान है तो उसे पाने के लिए सिर्फ पशु ही क्यों मनुष्यों पर भी किसी भी सीमा तक अत्याचार किया जाना चाहिए। इसे भी परम्परा या आइडेंटिटी के नाम पर जस्टिफाई किया जाना चाहिए।

अगर आप इसे नैतिक रूप से अनुचित मानकर किसी न्यायालय की शरण में जाते हैं तो उसी तरह न्यायालय ‘जीवन जीने के अधिकार’ का विस्तार ‘गैर मनुष्यों’ तक करता है और उनके इस अधिकार की रक्षा के लिए निर्णय देता है। अन्यथा किसी एक हिरन को मार देने के जुर्म में किसी पर इतने साल तक मुकदमा चलाने का कोई मतलब नहीं था। कोई भी परम्परा, संस्कार या संस्कृति सतत रूप से मॉरल स्क्रूटनी के अंतर्गत होना चाहिए। सती प्रथा भी कभी भारत के कल्चरल प्रैक्टिस का हिस्सा था। लेकिन इसकी वजह से यह किसी तरह के नैतिक मुल्यांकन से बच नही पाया।

यह सत्य है कि मनुष्य अपने जीवन के दौरान अलग-अलग तरीकों से पशुओं का प्रयोग करता है ,भोजन के लिए वस्त्र के लिए ,मनोरंजन के लिए, जीविका के लिए इत्यादी। अलग-अलग संस्कृतियों में इस सन्दर्भ में अलग अलग पैटर्न पाया जाता है। अतः पशुओं के अधिकारों का निर्धारण बिलकुल संस्कृति निरपेक्ष होकर नहीं किया जा सकता।पशुओं के अधिकार की बातें हमेशा उस संस्कृति के सापेक्ष ही की जानी चाहिए जहाँ की बात हो रही है क्योंकि यह उस संस्कृति विशेष के लोगो के जीवन निर्वाह का प्रश्न होता है।

लेकिन जीवन निर्वाह की सीमा को पार करके किसी अन्य ऐसी जरूरत के लिए ऐसे प्रैक्टिसेज़ किये जा रहे हैं जिसके बिना भी रहा जा सकता है। जिस खेल में पशुओं को भयानक कष्ट होता है तो इसे सिर्फ स्पीसिज्म, ह्यूमन शाविनिज्म, या कल्चर सेंट्रीक व्यवहार कह सकते हैं जो की नैतिक दृष्टि से अनुचित है। किसी स्थापित परम्परा के सन्दर्भ में, जिसमे किसी मनुष्य या पशु पर गैर जरूरी अत्याचार किया जाता है तो उसे लेकर समाज में एक स्वस्थ और संवेदनशील बहस का आरम्भ होना चाहिए।

जनतांत्रिक बहस ही किसी व्यवस्था में स्वस्थ परिवर्तन ला सकते हैं न कि कोई उन्माद से भरी हुई भीड़। जल्लीकट्टू या ऐसे ही अन्य प्रैक्टिसेज ऐसे बर्बर खेलों की याद दिलाते हैं जिसमे दो मनुष्यों के बीच फाइट होती थी और वो तब तक होती थी जब तक उनमे से एक मारा न जाए। कई हॉलीवुड की फिल्मों में इस तरह के दृश्य देखे हैं जिसमे जनता सबसे ज्यादा आनंद तब उठाती थी जब उनमे से एक की मौत बहुत ही ब्रुटल तरीके से होती थी।हमारी संवेदनशीलता केवल हमी पर समाप्त नहीं हो सकती क्योंकि प्रकृति में सिर्फ मनुष्य ही एक मात्र स्टेक होल्डर नहीं है।

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