As a self-confessed Bollywood enthusiast who’s spent many hours daydreaming about a life that’s out of a Dharma movie and spent hours at the tailor’s trying to get the entire costume collection stitched (all at the age of 6), the most terrible part of ‘growing up’ was realising that this world that I’ve always been so in love with was far from perfect.

At the risk of being thrown out of the many (imaginary) Karan Johar fan clubs, here are the things that I wish Karan Johar hadn’t taught me (Cue: the longest sigh of my life).

1. Unnecessary Jokes About Homosexuality Make Your Film Funny

The scene that made Kanta Ben one of the most lovable characters of the film was the one in which she enters the room carrying breakfast and ends up seeing Aman (Shah Rukh Khan) and Rohit (Saif Ali Khan) sleeping in the same bed. She’s later shown chanting exorcism spells to ‘save’ Rohit from the evil spirits that had gotten to him. (Side note: Welcome to India, where there’s nothing a puja can’t fix. Not the girl. The prayer.)

It was much later that I realised that this was one, and not the only instance in which Johar’s films have mocked homosexual relationships, using them for laughter and entertainment value.

It was probably encouragement from this that lead him to produce a three-hour long film about John Abraham’s underwear, and platitudes about same-sex relationships. Dostana is on our conscience, everyone.

2. Only Hypermasculinity Makes A ‘Real’ Man

Bollywood has always been one to promote unhealthy ideals of masculinity, be it a business tycoon patriarch who doesn’t understand the concept of equality in marriage (“Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham”, “Student Of the Year”), the one to save the ‘Damsel in Distress’, and even to the extent of not hugging your best friend lest it appear “gay.” These ideals of hypermasculinity insist on socially conditioning men to be the protector, to appear strong, to conceal their emotions at all times and are usually, homophobic in nature. A man who is effeminate is usually considered to be a closeted homosexual or will be mocked as one. Furthermore, this idea insists on taking male bodies and sticking them onto a promotional poster, making them available to and in sync with the hetero-normative Indian sensibility. It leads to the creation of a ‘macho’ man.

3. The ‘Pretty’ Girl ALWAYS Gets The Guy

“Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” is my favourite Karan Johar film. As a teenager, I pledged not to be satisfied with my love life until I had exactly replicated the famous Placebo scene, complete with the red sari. I swore that it was the best film ever, completely disregarding the fact that Rahul, the man who handed out friendship bands like loose change was… not very nice. Rahul is attracted to Tina the girl whose outfits and makeup are more put together than my whole life, and blatantly mocks Anjali for trying to adhere to the stereotypes of femininity to impress him.

Later, when Anjali is engaged to be married to Aman, and is now a sari wearing woman who wields perfectly manicured nails and high heels, he suddenly falls in love with her. This is after he claims that love happens only once. Hey, Rahul…what happened to those principles? (Hashtag Team Aman.)

4. Romance 101: Stalk

If it wasn’t for the music (and Fawad Khan), I’d gladly wish for “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” to be a film that was never made. Sadly, handsome bearded men and Arijit Singh can only be saving grace so many times. And with this film, Karan Johar once again told us that no just means keep trying. Bollywood, look in the mirror and repeat this every morning – stalking is not romantic. Rejecting a person’s advances does not mean having to constantly face fear and exasperation, and being rejected does not mean hounding someone until they agree to be with you.

Sidenote: How could you ruin “Channa Mereya” for me with scenes of Ranbir Kapoor spread out horizontally on the floor to prevent Anushka Sharma from getting married? I did nothing to deserve this.

5. When In Bollywood, Make A Love Triangle

Repeat after me – A love triangle is not a valid plot point. Karan Johar’s directorial debut (“Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, for the uninitiated.) was a love triangle, and he hasn’t looked back since. (“Student Of The Year”, “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”, K3G). If the lead couple isn’t having enough problems already, you can add some more drama by pushing in a completely unnecessary love interest for one of them. (Or both, if you have a particularly large budget.)

But it isn’t just drama, these love triangles just become an excuse to play out the angle of abuse, virility and classism, packaged as a tear-jerking love story and sold to you.

6. Everyone Here Is Rich, Even When They Aren’t

Karan Johar’s trademark is a ‘larger than life’ film, in other words, one which is a prolonged celebration of affluence.
Picturesque locations, expensive clothing, and a life that seems more like an extended vacation, they have it all. When I first told my father about my love for these films, he told me they were to sell to me a world that wasn’t like my own and one that I would crave being part of. And it was true, Johar has often created worlds in which rich is the norm – the schools, families, opinions and social gatherings are all about a certain upper-class circle. Even the ‘poor’ are rich, and there’s always an ‘us and them’ distinction that exists, even if it’s never mentioned explicitly.

7. A Woman And A Man Can Never Be Just Friends

Apart from being completely hetero-normative, it promotes an unhealthy gender equations. “2 States”, “Baar Baar Dekho”, “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham”, “Gori Tere Pyaar Mein”, “Student Of The Year”, even “Dostana”. Why can’t we have more films centred around friendship, successful professional partnerships and quirky living situations without forcefully inserting the love angle (or worse, triangle) into it? The worst of the lot is “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” where the ‘hero’ refuses to believe that he isn’t the heroine’s one true love.

Bollywood, you’re 100 years old. Act your age. I don’t want to be told that every relationship I have with men is invalid or meaningless because eventually, there will be some form of sexual attraction between us.

Come on, KJo. I know you’re better than this. And there’s only so many times I can defend you citing Poo as an example. Give me some more material. Please.

Aakanksha Sardana is an intern with Youth Ki Awaaz for the February-March 2017 batch.

The post 7 Things I Wish Karan Johar’s Movies Hadn’t Taught Me 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.

दिल और मन सिर्फ बेरोक उड़ना चाहते हैं। मेरे, तुम्हारे और हम सबके। पूछो ज़रा उस ऑफिस की मेज़ पर हरदम कंप्यूटर से चिपके प्राणी से या कि किसी बेहद व्यस्त सीईओ से। कहीं कोने में चहक उठेंगी वही सतरंगी यादें और कसक जहां बंदिशों से परे अरमानों का आसमान हो। अरे! सुन्दर पिचई को भी याद हो आये न बचपन के क्रिकेट के दिन। अल्हड़ और मनमौजी। सामाजिक विषमताओं, आर्थिक असमानताओं और ऊंचे मॉलों से सटे नाले के पास की स्लम्स में भी वही सपने पलते हैं। पास्चराइस्ड अमूल के दूध की जगह शायद आटे के पानी या सिर्फ पानी से ही उन सपनों का पेट भरा जाता है।

कहते हैं व्यक्ति सामाजिक प्रक्रिया का परिणाम होता है। जन्म से मृत्यु तक उसके परिवेश की दास्तान उसके व्यक्तित्व में झलकती है। तो फिर कोई अपराधी, अपराध क्यों करता है? सवाल सबसे अव्वल यह होना चाहिए कि अपराधी इतना निर्मम कैसे हो गया कि उसके लिए मूल्य, कुछ नही रह गए। मानवीयता और सही-गलत के फ़र्क़ धुन्धला से गए। क्या ये पूछा हमने कभी खुद से कि फ्लाईओवर के नीचे और ट्रैफिक सिग्नल के पास की बेज़ार ज़िंदगियां हमने कैसे अनदेखी कर दी! क्या कभी ये सोचा कि नाले के उस पार की झुग्गी में भी इंसान रहते हैं? बस क्यूंकि वो झुग्गी वाले हैं तो ऐसे ही होंगे, झगड़ालू, गंदे और जाहिल? और अगर वो ऐसे हैं तो ऐसे क्यों और कैसे बन गए?

क्या वहां भी उस दलदल में एक ‘तितली’ कैनवास पर अपने पंखों में रंग सहेज़ रही है या न जाने कितनी ही तितलियां दम तोड़ रही हैं? क्या सपनों की इस लड़ाई में कोई किसी भी हद तक जा सकता है या कि भावनाओं से दूर बस तड़प हो। बेचैनी खूब दूर निकल जाने की और वापस कभी नही आने की। क्या झूठ, धोखा, फरेब, दुःख, तक़लीफ़ उन सब घरों में नही होता जहां आने वाले कल की सोचने की न तो कोई वजह दिखाई देती ना सतही ख्वाहिश! क्यों इस वैश्वीकरण और उपभोक्तावाद के दौर में वो चुप कोने में कसमसाता है कि जिसके कंधे पर सीढ़ी रख तुम यूं ऊपर पहुंच गए और वो कुचल दिया गया!!!

इसीलिए तितली और नीलू उस वर्ग को सामने लाते हैं जो इन सबके बावज़ूद इंसान हैं अपने सभी पॉजिटिव और नेगेटिव रूप में। विक्रम, बावला, सरिता और डैडी जी ये सभी मिल जाएंगे आपको बाहरी दिल्ली के उस पार या किसी भी उफनते शहर में।

फ़िल्म ‘तितली’ एक रूपक है। तितली की माँ, बेटी चाहती थी तो ये नाम रख दिया पर उन्हें क्या पता था कि ककून से निकलने को ये तितली सच में यूं बेताब होगी। नीलू आपको बताती है कि एक आदर्श समाज के नज़रिये से एक विचित्र फैमिली में आने के बाद भी वो अपनी गरिमा और अपना वजूद कैसे अलहदा बनाये रखती है। नीलू याद दिलाती है कि उस छोटी सी लड़की के इरादों का कद भी ऊंचा हो सकता है चाहे इरादा कितना भी भ्रामक हो। लेकिन विक्रम आपको सबसे ज़्यादा विचलित करता है। इसलिए नही कि वह आक्रामक किस्म का है बल्कि इसलिए कि वो जब कमज़ोर पड़ता है और तीन लाख के खोने पर बिलखता और बौखलाता है तो आप इस जैसे परिवारों की ज़िंदगियों पर सोचने लगते हैं और तब मुझे राजकुमार राव और हंसल मेहता वाली सिटी लाइट्स याद आ जाती है। वही जहां औद्योगीकरण और शहरीकरण की चकाचौंध में एक छोटा सा खुश परिवार बर्बाद हो जाता है।

तितली के साथ-साथ मैंने तमाशा भी देखी थी। वही तमाशा और वही सपने, वही रेस में पिछड़ते पर फिर भी रोज़ उसी दौड़ में दौड़ते, गिरते, पड़ते, लगे हुए लोग। शायद रेस में थोड़े आगे भी हो जाते पर ज़माने बाद पछताते कि काश, थोड़ा रुक के, ठहर के ज़ेहन के भीतर झांके होते और दुनियावी रस्मों से बगावत कर दिए होते, थोड़ी हिम्मत करते तो कुछ और ही होते आज। ज़्यादा खुश और इत्मीनान में। कहानी के पात्रों में रमने वाले मन को कॉर्पोरेट डील्स की कहानियां, इंसान के रूप में मशीन बनाते जाती हैं। वो मशीन बन चुका इंसान भूल सा जाता है कि वो कभी जीता था उन किस्सों में। आज वो बस बीत रहा है वक़्त सा।

पर तितली हो या तमाशा का वेद, बेकरार है और शायद अपने-अपने तरीकों से बाहर निकलने की कोशिश भी करता है। वेद कोर्सिका जाता है खुद को तलाशने क्योंकि शायद उसके पास फिर भी एक बार ही सही चॉइस है, पैसा है। पर तितली को अपना सब कुछ लगाके भी इस दुनिया से बाहर निकलना है। जहां वो किसी वेकेशन के लिए नही, एक इज़्ज़त से लबरेज़ ज़िंदगी की खातिर जाएगा।

फर्क इतना ही है। बाक़ी सब एक ही हैं- तारे ज़मीन पर का ईशान, थ्री इडियट्स के तीनों इडियट्स, वेद, तितली, नीलू, क्वीन की रानी और हमारे कॉलेज से सटे चॉल की लड़की। वो लड़की जिसने अपने पापा से खूब लड़के एक इंग्लिश मीडियम स्कूल में दाखिला लिया। जो डॉक्टर बनने का सपना पाल रही है और यह बताते हुए गर्व भरी मुस्कान से छलकी जाती है।

फोटो आभार: फेसबुक पेज तितली और तमाशा

The post ‘तितली’ सी तड़प या ‘तमाशे’ की तलब! 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.

The Hon’ble Bombay High Court had asked around three scenes to be deleted from the recently released movie, “Jolly LLB 2” as those scenes misrepresented the judiciary. Besides this movie in particular, I can assure you that almost every Bollywood movie and also the mainstream media have shown the judiciary in a wrong light and created a wrong image in the citizens’ minds.

What is the harm in that, right? After all, aren’t movies meant for entertainment? Yes, they are, but not at the cost of maligning the image of an important democratic organisation. Following are a few points that the Bollywood movies never tell you about the judiciary.

1. You need good marks to get into a good law college – Earlier there was a notion in our society that only those who did not get admission in any other colleges opt for law. This is entirely false. To get into a good law college, the marks required are equal to those that you would need for admission into an engineering or a medical colleges.
2. The number of books that we actually read in colleges – Many a times we have to read as many as three authors for one particular section or a topic because the interpretation of all the three authors are different and it is important for us to know the maximum situations in which a particular section may be applied.
3. Giving up on quality family time and luxurious lunches –  After graduating in Law, when our friends from other streams are enjoying the luxuries of a hefty pay cheque and relaxing with their families, we are struggling to establish ourselves. If our reputation is spoiled, we stand at a risk of losing our profession. The years between 25-35 years of age, are very crucial in our career as well as family life. Sometimes, even lunch is a luxury for us because that means we are away from our work.
4. The fees – Even if lawyers give you a solution in five minutes, there is hard-work worth years involved to be able to come to that conclusion. It is strange yet funny, how sometimes, clients refused to pay us because we ask them not to file a case (for their own welfare). We are not extorting you. We are charging you for our services.
5. The procedure and result – The courts do not function as shown in the movies. Clients giving us important documents at the last minute only adds to the hassle and complicates matters. It only looks good in movies, where the protagonist enters in the last minute and shows a vital piece of evidence. In real life, the judge may not even consider this kind of drama. We have as little as a few minutes, sometimes, even seconds to convince the judge about our point. The filmy drama doesn’t happen in real courtrooms.
6. Not all lawyers are liars – Stop being prejudiced against a profession. Every profession has good and bad people. Not all lawyers lie, many a times the clients give us wrong instructions and mislead us.

If a lawyer was given a glass of water and was asked to write about the contents of the same, they could write any of the following:

1. The glass is filled with plain water.
2. The glass has H2O.
3. The glass is filled with H20 along with various gases.
4. The glass is filled with a liquid compound constituting two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen.

In none, of the above statements there is a lie. It is just a matter of interpretation.

The post Why “Jolly LLB 2” And Bollywood’s Depiction Of Judiciary is Wrong 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 Newspaper,

In this fast-moving world with tremendous technological advancement, a newspaper still finds a spot in the common man’s daily life. Spending time with the daily newspaper makes us aware of all the happenings around the globe. This habit also helps us think.

Well, you are indeed one of the greatest inventions by humans.

Having said that, I am not happy with you, these days. I hope you are listening. I hope you’ll listen to this little reader who cannot live a single day without you. I hope you’ll forgive me, if I hurt you.

You arrive at our house every morning. Be it fog or rain, you are always present. You share all the news in some 20-odd pages. You may have different identities, you speak in different languages and you are circulated in different regions, but, as a whole, you are one.

I love to spend my time with you. Despite my busy schedule, I used to spend an hour on you. Sometimes, I used to invest a lot more time on you – but it wasn’t that hard!

Today, however, things have changed!  It takes me ten minutes to read you – even though I want to spend more time with you.

Nowadays, you are used primarily as a means of business. Once, you were all information but now you are a package of advertisements. Your owners seem to be more interested in making money through advertisement, rather than providing the public with authentic news from around the globe. I spend ₹6 to ₹10 daily on you just to update myself. However, I think that my money is being wasted because nowadays, the whole newspaper is full of advertisements. Today, a lot of people have lost their interest in newspaper dailies just for this very reason.

I hope that those concerned will listen to what I am saying and do the needful. Yes, the advertisements help in the sustenance of newspapers but there must be a limit to it. In order to cater to the needs of earnest readers, advertisements will either have to be curtailed to some extent, or be put in additional pages for the people to read, as and when needed.

I do hope that the people concerned do come to know of my views. They need to be informed that this little reader, along with many others, wants the newspaper filled with news and issues of interest instead of excessive advertisements.

I still love you, my dear Newspaper! Just return to your old glory!

I hope you’ll listen to this little reader.

Thank you!

Warmest regards,

Your little reader

_

Image Source : Facebook

The post Dear Newspapers, Stop Selling Ads In The Name Of News 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.

There is little doubt that Google is one of the biggest reasons why the internet is so popular in the 21st century. The ability to know any piece of information at the click of a button (or on a voice request, when you feel like it) is not only stunning, but has also redefined the way in which we accumulate knowledge.

Not only does Google provide search results, it also manages to provide a host of other services that make it easy and fun to use the Internet (ignoring the privacy concerns for now) to get tasks done – and also prove our friends wrong when it comes to trivia on our favourite films or celebrities!

Of late, the student community has voiced its concerns about the need for teachers, textbooks, and ‘education’ itself, when everything is readily available online. The fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on the side you take) solution is that Google can never truly replace ‘education’, and will always co-exist with other sources and means of spreading information. Google can never truly be the ‘big boss’ that we all envision, and there are plenty of reasons why.

Not All Information Is True

Let’s face it – the ultimate issue is that since information on Google is crowd-sourced, it is not necessarily true. This is a big heartbreak that we will all have to learn to live with. It is far too easy to set up a website and upload information. It is also very easy (although a bit expensive) to ensure that the website comes right at the top of the search results – all thanks to Google’s Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Thus, it is hard to trust any information that is available- it requires years of patience and hard work to ensure that the information available is the truest possible. However, thanks to the feedback mechanism that social media has created, this issue can be resolved to a small extent.

There Is No Absolute Truth

Today, social media has ensured that everyone, irrespective of their gender, caste, religion, country and language, has a voice. The ability to speak out is perhaps the greatest plus-point that social media has offered to us.

This, however, is also its biggest drawback. In case of any incident, there will always be multiple viewpoints, all of which may seem to be equally true. It requires great skill to be able to know which version is the absolute truth. Often, this becomes an impossible task. The democratic spirit may ensure that all is heard, but the subsequent information overload resulting from this makes the task of distinguishing the right from the wrong extremely difficult. In cases where ‘everyone’ seems to be right, Google will feed you information you ‘want’ to hear, irrespective of its implications in the larger context.

Information Overload

As mentioned previously, information overload is indeed a key issue. The sheer number of results Google shows within milliseconds can make one’s head spin. Distinguishing the truth from the fabrications within this sea of information may take up a lot of time, and may not be a ‘fun’ activity.

As the number of devices vying for  our attention grows each day, we constantly find ourselves buried under a mountain of information that can cause more harm than good. This overload of information can never truly be fought against – sometimes it is better to follow the textbooks.

Waste Of Time For Students

In light of these reasons, it is not always a good idea to ‘Google’ the night before an exam, without a textbook or syllabus to guide. Without an idea of the ‘age-appropriate’ content or materials that are provided by the syllabuses and textbooks, it is highly unlikely that we would all pass our exams by ‘Googling’. It may indeed translate into a waste of time, energy and effort. Looks like textbooks aren’t dead after all!

It is quite hard to see how Google can reduce our cranial capacities and also put textbooks in the museum. It will always be one of the best search engines, and undoubtedly push the boundaries of possibilities. However, it can never truly replace the power of our brains. If anything else, Google has only served to increase the capacity – as we now have the ability to remember larger amounts of data. We have also significantly learnt to identify and avoid the dangerous waters of the Internet, and also increased the rate of performance at our jobs, again thanks to Google’s ‘interconnected services’.  When one looks at the ‘interconnected services’ that Google provides, one may be tempted to think that there is no stopping the Google influence now – but that again is not absolutely true.

It is true that Google services such as Drive, Sheets, Docs, AdWords and YouTube have redefined what it means to work in the digital age, but having said that, these are not the only options that customers have. Competing services from Microsoft, Apple and other smaller companies provide a more ‘open’ playing field. Despite Google still being the most popular among available options, it has been confined by its competitors. Google cannot simply do whatever it wants, especially at the cost of ‘consumer privacy’, which companies like Apple are working so hard to protect.

In the connected world that we now live in, it is of paramount importance that our individual privacy isn’t sacrificed. Although Google may claim otherwise, the truth is quite clear- uses are being tracked, every minute they are online, in order to provide better and more ‘relevant’ information. This is quite a dicey issue, and one that needs careful planning and deliberation, before laws and policies are framed around Internet services for the modern age. Techniques like ‘differential privacy’ that Apple uses are not foolproof either. What is done on the Internet stays on the Internet, after all. Thus, everyone leaves a ‘digital footprint’, which can be exploited by anyone with the requisite knowledge of the functioning of the Internet and computer systems.

It may seem scary at the outset, but it is a sacrifice that we have to make in order to stay ‘relevant’ today. Users, nowadays, are asked to ‘give themselves up’ to be a part of the modern world – but that does not mean that they are completely exposed. Governments and private companies still believe in the notion of ‘privacy’, and as the world gets increasingly connected, it is well possible that privacy laws will be enforced, more strictly. Companies like Google will have to operate within these laws, which will, in turn, cause a dramatic shift in the way we behave online. No matter how big a company grows, it cannot simply ‘rule’ the world – for today, we live in a society built on ‘hierarchy’, one which always has someone ‘above’ the other!

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Life is a strange feeling of belonging. It’s about clinging to memories and the yearning to be even more tangled in them. But memories are not always sweet. When sorrows rebound, they often take a bitter turn. Vengeance arrives. Dark as it is, vengeance often bewitches the mind. The deeds once done, often leave the person bewildered. In “Shubho Mahurat”, Rituparno Ghosh, the late director, unwinds the tale of love and revenge, tangled with memories and relationships. The watchful man has no way but to cover himself under the cloak of surreal death, which is a near invisibility.

The movie begins with a ‘Miss Marple’, which every household has. The mother. She knows the mischievous child’s feverish tantrums to not go to school. She even remains quiet when the daughter returns from the in-laws and settles in a dark corner. The movie has been dedicated to these women who have always handled the chores and remained within the four walls of the kitchen, toiling for the family. Rituparno Ghosh knew that women, often regarded to be the ‘backbone of the society’, by the intelligentsia, must be crowned with talents, not with special reservations. So, he creates Ranga pishi’s character (Rakhee), as a widow in her late 50s, having few kittens and someone who takes care of them.

“Shubho Mahurat” is obviously different from the films of that era. It is a film on the crisis of life. Even when success is achieved, satisfaction continues to remain a teddy in the hands of ambition. The watchful eyes of a loving family wane when one reaches the zenith of wishes. Actress Padmini Chowdhury (Sharmila Tagore) sees the same fate. Living in the families of in-laws, she falls in love with Sambit Roy (Sumanta Mukherjee), a fairly young movie director, while filming the movie “Praner Pradip”, and eventually marries him.

She is pregnant when she gets infected by Kakoli Sinha (Kalyani Mandal), another actress, who is suffering from a contagious disease. In the process, she delivers a spastic child, who dies at the age of 16. A bewildered and divorced Padmini, saddened by the news of her child’s demise leaves for America and doesn’t return after a long time. When she does, she comes for a fateful revenge: to avenge the death of the person, because of whom she lost her most prized belonging, her son. The revenge is successful. Kakoli Sinha dies at her place and after various misleading events, the police is put on the trail.

IPS officer Arindam Chatterjee (Tota Roy Chowdhury) befriends journalist Mallika Sen (Nandita Das) on the way. A freelance photographer, Subhankar Chowdhury (Anindya Chatterjee), falls for Mallika and tries his best to woo her. Ranga pishi also indulges in Subhankar and as a prize gets to know the big secrets related to the murder.

The story then turns from a crime potboiler to the story of an unreciprocated and unfulfilled love. Mallika asks Subhankar, “Akshathe dujonke bhalobasha jay na?” (Can’t we love two people at once?) Director Ghosh is the genius who knows that walking down the less taken road isn’t the only secret to his genre of cinema. It’s also about the film being successful. So, Rituparno Ghosh paints the canvas of “Shubho Mahurat” with a bit of glamour, but more with out of the box thoughts, bringing forth notions of neo-modern feminism, where independence is about the soul of everything. He rejoices with the essence of love and somehow provokes the audience with the simple talk of making merry in life. That life is about friendship and well-being. What Padmini did was necessary for her intolerant soul to have solace. But that is not the way. Lust is a kind of balm to the cracking nerves of the mind, but love is the emotion to put it to death.

The director Rituparno Ghosh makes “Shubho Mahurat”, a movie worth watching.

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The Election Commission Of India on Monday, ordered the registration of an FIR against the managing editor and editor-in-chief of Dainik Jagran daily newspaper and a related agency for conducting and publishing an exit poll during elections in 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

It is against the rules and regulations of the commission to conduct or publish exit polls before elections in any state. Quoting the violation of rules, the commission has written a letter to the Chief Election Officer saying that according to the Section 126 A of the Constitution, there is the provisions of two year’s imprisonment or fine or both for the violators.

The exit poll was conducted by the Resource Development International Pvt Ltd (RDI) and published by Dainik Jagran during the first phase of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

The commission said, “Section 126 A (1) of the Representation Of The People Act says that no one can conduct or publish any election exit poll during the period as notified by the Election Commission.” The commission declared this act of the newspaper was a clear violation of the section.

Assembly elections for UP’s 73 constituencies were held on February 11 and two days later, on February 13, the newspaper published its exit poll.

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Bollywood is the sobriquet for the Hindi cinema, and we all have been ardent viewers of it from the past many years. Bollywood has always lived up to our expectations. Earlier, movies were made with an objective to amuse people, teach them some morality with a good story line, make the viewers aware of several social issues and make a profit out of that.

Nowadays, movies have no plot, no integrity but still break box office records and earn an enormous amount of money. Actors have started creating a hype about their movies on a huge scale on various social media platforms through various creative digital media campaigns, influencing people by showing their presence at various colleges and malls when their movies are about to release.

This depicts how Bollywood is degrading and converting itself into a corporate world. Directors are casting only those who are the popular among the public to always be in the limelight. Not only this, the sons and daughters of popular actors always get a chance to receive the stardom in the Hindi cinema due to which new talent is overlooked.

In the recent years, many movies like “Titli”, “Shahid”, “Maasan”, “Lunchbox”, etc. were released and sent to Oscars, but they remained unidentified in Bollywood. I ponder, is Bollywood the next hub for investments?
It is true to say, that Bollywood has become a business these days, but we can not deny the fact that directors never leave a chance to entertain the audience. Sometimes, I feel so petty when I watch movies like “Grand Masti”, “Baar Baar Dekho”, “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” gaining an immense popularity and winning people’s heart.

It makes me wonder what took Bollywood to produce films which are so absurd and ludicrous. After racking up my brain, I inferred that it’s no one but us.

Directors are directing what we, as spectators, want to see and what enthralls us throughout the movie. All Hindi films have clichés in them, and still we pay through our nose to watch the same stuff as many times as we can. Until and unless we are bored with it, Bollywood will remain evergreen and the source of entertainment for all its viewers.

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Way back in 1991, American artist Michael Willhoite wrote and illustrated a children’s book called “Daddy’s Roommate”. It depicted divorce and same-sex relationships, both taboo subjects (even more so in the ’90s!) and caused quite the stir when it was published. Till date, it is regarded as one of the first children’s books to offer a simple and measured explanation of any kind of non-heteronormative family set up, and is treasured for that alone.

And recently, thanks to the Imgur account ‘usernumberseven‘, the German version of “Daddy’s Roommate” (with translations, of course) has now surfaced online! And you can take a gander at it here:

Following this book, Willhoite went on to create caricature important lesbian and gay figures, and the collection was printed in 1993 as “Members of the Tribe”. Today, we may have more and more artists and children’s writers sensitising children to the gender and sexuality spectrum, and we know that many more will come. But it’s always nice to look back at the starting point, and Willhoite’s book remains a source of inspiration.

Images courtesy of usernumberseven/Imgur.

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Advertisements are one of the biggest means of mass communication throughout the world. Since time immemorial, we have been witnessed the obscene portrayal and commodification of women in advertisements. However, times have changed. Today, I am proud of people in Indian advertising industry. They are showing women as an independent, bold, strong, self-sufficient and intelligent. These modern advertisements show women multitasking.

There are several advertisements that portray strong women. It shows that our society has started accepting that women are equal to men. Here are a few examples:

Dabur Vatika Hair Oil Ad:

Dabur Vatika’s ‘Brave and Beautiful’ campaign was on the struggle of cancer survivors, especially women who lose their hair during chemotherapy. It stressed on the social negation and hate they face in the process. This ad is one such effort which depicts one of these women foregoing her headscarf to go to work, and the support she gets from the people around her, regardless of how she looks has shown different outlook of our modern society.

Havells Fan Ad (2013):

The video shows a man deciding to take his wife’s last name after marriage, and the shocked but satisfied look, the female registrar gives the couple proves that little things go a long way! It is an effort to counter the patriarchy prevalent in India from times immemorial.

Nirma Ambulance Ad:

The advertisement depicts two women who decide to take matters into their own hands by pushing a car out of a ditch while all the men stand around and watch helplessly. Their clothes get dirty but they don’t care. Nirma portrayed women change-makers and not just home-makers.

Stayfree Army Ad:

This ad shows with a woman who wants to follow her dream of joining the army, despite her parent’s continuous objections.

Anushka Sharma’s TVS Scooty Pep Ad (2012):

This is a commercial for Scooty, a brand of scooters for women. This ad highlights independence.

But, the target audience is very small. Essentially, these ads imply that a woman can only be empowered or achieve independence if she is young, single, and belongs to the middle to upper class, does not have family or home obligations or children etc.

So, we need a change in the mindsets of people. Freedom or equality is a right of every human, be it a male or a female, who could be married/unmarried/a widow/mother etc.

If, however, more women acquire a higher level of purchasing power, these progressive ads may well reach a wider audience with their message of empowerment and gain more strength. Better to be strong than be pretty and useless!

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Image Source : TanishqJewellery/You Tube

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In the last few weeks, we have heard so much about Jallikattu and Sasikala, that I dreamt about a bull nominated by Sasikala taking over as the next chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The state seems to be the flavour of the month on every news channel, giving the UP elections a run for its money and TRPs. Amidst all the brouhaha, there seems to be an itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie state somewhere in the eastern corner of the country fighting its own battles and desperately seeking some attention. For the uninitiated, the state I am referring to is Nagaland, whose capital is Kohima. No, Dimapur is not its capital, but the largest city in the state.

The same Nagaland, whose last encounter with primetime TV was when Mr. Modi had decided to sign an ambiguous peace accord with one of its prominent political groups – National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah NSCN (IM). Sounds familiar? The Nagaland that usually makes headlines on social media every year because of its Hornbill Festival – a musical event showcasing (read stereotyping) the state’s tribal culture that has done more harm than good to its PR exercise, as most people believe that the Hornbill is Nagaland’s state bird. It is the Blyth’s Tragopan in fact!

Like most north-eastern states that make it to the news only for the wrong reasons like insurgency, military operations, AFSPA, border security, political unrest, Nagaland too caught the media’s attention only when tribal groups opposed to the 33% reservations for women in urban local bodies went on a rampage, burning government buildings and vandalising public property. Till then, there was no talk or discussion about events unfolding in the state. No discussion about its pathetic condition of roads, frequent power cuts, poor internet connectivity, the absence of any opposition to the present incumbent government in its legislature, widespread corruption in public life and gender inequality.

Even the two minutes of coverage it got, flattened out a complex issue into black and white, with most TV channels not even having a correspondent posted in Nagaland. The correspondent of a popular English TV channel was reporting all the way from Guwahati and had to reiterate ‘Kohima is the capital of Nagaland’ thrice, so that many of his viewers didn’t feel lost and changed the channel. Have you ever seen a journalist repeatedly saying ‘Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra’ or ‘Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka’, while reporting from these states?

Well, this should not come as a surprise for even our patriotic National Anthem does not mention the north-eastern region at all. The Assam floods are washed off the TV, Irom Sharmila gets just enough coverage to keep her alive, Meghalaya is all about rainfall and Christmas in Shillong, Arunachal Pradesh needs to be protected against Chinese incursions, Sikkim means a nice vacation, nevermind Mizoram and Tripura. So why should Nagaland expect to be treated any differently?

At the heart of the ongoing crisis lie issues of alienation and neglect, gender, customary laws, reservations, representation, and democracy – issues that India does not care about anyway. I wonder what Nagaland’s women’s groups, like the Naga Mothers Association and Joint Action Committee on Women Reservation, fighting for 33% reservations in urban local bodies would need to do, to grab your attention. Would they have to strip down like the indomitable women in Meira Paibis or go on a rampage setting ablaze buildings? Just what will it take to awaken your conscience?

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Culture, in society, evolves as a result of the interaction between groups and individuals. Culture determines and influences how we think about the world, how we see it. Therefore, how we perceive and treat women is also determined by society.

History is full of examples where women have been treated mostly as “flower pots” – ornamental and delicate, pleasing-to-look-at objects. Just take a look at this advertisement. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then such ads tell us all we need to know about the sexism of a particular era. In an ad for Mr Leggs dress pants, a woman’s head is attached to a tiger-skin rug. The woman here is a representation of an independent, powerful lady. A man, dressed as though he works in a big corporate, triumphantly places his shoe on the woman’s head. The headline? “It’s nice to have a girl around the house.” And the copy says: “Though she was a tiger lady, our hero didn’t have to fire a shot to floor her. After one look at his Mr Leggs slacks, she was ready to have him walk all over her. That noble styling sure soothes the savage heart!”

This advert speaks for itself, and the way society was (and still is, to a large extent). This one is a particularly harsh depiction of the subjugation of women, but overall, the depiction is of a weak individual, who needs the strong, powerful man to take care of her.

Indians are not far behind. Let us take the films of Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna and even Salman Khan. The central character is always the angry young man that saves his sister or a female family member from a dire situation where her honour is at stake. The female character had (or still has) a dress code which makes them sanskari and is from a well-off family, who quietly goes along with the will of her male family members.

Remember the movie “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge” where the girl (Simran) just gave up all her dreams of marrying the boy (Raj) because her bauji forbade the match? To a large extent, this movie is not just a love story, but again a reflection of our society and how we perceive women.

But today, we’re starting to see a shift in the portrayal of women. There are women-centric movies, and movies that show strong, independent women taking care of themselves.

The question that I’m asking is, is it a change in society’s perceptions that is being reflected in the media, or has the media contributed to the shift in how we perceive women? There is a strong case to be made for both, because if we look at the fact that we still haven’t fully been able to move away from the weak, damsel-in-distress image of women, then clearly the media is catering to an existing demand.

Change must come from within and perhaps that was the reason for creating the character Wonder Woman, who is today considered the epitome of girl power. But the part of the story that is lesser known is that when the character was launched in its early stage, the story was all about showcasing the superhero as a character who could be tied up easily and could not do things just on her own. As mentioned by Lauren Davis in her articles, the original Wonder Woman comic was actually filled with bondage, submission, and domination – and even spanking games. This female character perhaps made her niche in the market full of male dominated superheroes, but even then the creator had to add some bit of sexual connotations and give her the look of a dominatrix, to make her popular. Today, the latest trailer for “Wonder Woman” depicts her as a powerful force, fighting evil. Her cameo in “Batman versus Superman” even shows her being far superior to both the main characters, and the key to winning the final battle. And now, one can easily spot many women superheroes – the latest one in the list is Miss Marvel (Kamala Khan) who also happens to be the first Muslim character introduced by Marvel Comics.

Let’s take another example. Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic, whose story revolves around Draupadi and two branches of a family that are feuding. Even though the central themes of the epic are karma and dharma and the nuances of morality, it is also at its heart the story of a woman. The original text narrates the story from a man’s point of view and is very patriarchal in nature. A different perspective from Draupadi’s point of view is presented, for instance, in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s book “The Palace of Illusions” or the legendary theatre guru Shaoli Mitra’s “Nathabati Anathabat”. One will realise that there was another angle as well, a story from the central character’s viewpoint, which talks about how she felt during the course of Mahabharata. The reason this depiction has come about and done so well is the same as the re-imagination of Wonder Woman.

Some recent movies like “Pink” and “Queen” push the boundaries of how our society looks at women – especially single women. Of course, just movies are not enough — we remained a patriarchal society: never mind “Mother India”.

Image source: YouTube

The post was first published here.

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2016 was the year of fake news.

From the President of the United States to the Indian Prime Minister, nobody could escape its clutches. The reach of fake news and just how much it can impact readers, and its consequent outcomes, came into sharp focus during the 2016 US presidential elections, when fake news stories about the elections drew more engagement on social media than those reported by major news outlets.

“Mainstream media in India is more impacted by the phenomena (of fake news) because they broadcast these kinds of stories without verifying… There is no standard policy for TV news and newspapers about the process of researching and publishing stories,” Prabhakar Kumar, from the Indian media research agency, Centre for Media Studies, told The Guardian. Authenticity of stories takes a back seat when media organisations look for big (read viral) stories driven by the rat race for TRPs and the pressure of achieving targeted social media shares.

A part of the responsibility to check the spread of hoaxes and misinformation, however, also lies with readers who lend fake news its credibility by sharing it on social media. The New York Times, in fact, conducted an in-depth case study tracing just how shares by a few people who do not verify facts and information, contribute to fake news acquiring a life of its own and going viral.

If you are wondering how you can spot the ‘real fake news’ and not just be paranoid about it, here’s a quick guide to get you started:

1. Read Past The Headline!

The simplest way to ensure you aren’t reading a “fake news” is to actually read the whole news. One of the major reasons for fake news getting amplified is because busy readers don’t go beyond headlines or opening paragraphs – a tendency that publishers exploit at times.

2. Check The Source

Googling a site’s name and checking out other articles often helps determine whether the source of your information is trustworthy or not. Many, if not most, fake news sites outrightly claim if they do satire or are mimicking major news outlets. Double-check URL names of pages that look suspicious, to make sure your source website isn’t a hoax site that’s pretending to be a trusted source.

3. What Kind Of Language Does It Use?

Does it use emotional words or too many exclamation marks or language that sounds shady? It’s incredibly easy for fake news writers to invent false quotes, even attributing them to major public figures and it’s usually done in extremely colourful language. Be sceptical of shocking or suspicious quotes, and search to see if they have been reported elsewhere.

4. Who Is The Author?

Looking at the author bio or who has written a particular article can reveal a lot of information about the news source. It not only reveals if the source of your news is trusted but searching through the author’s previous work can also help you judge the quality of their work.

5. Check Who Is Reporting The Same News

Most of the major news are reported across various platforms. If a piece of news looks even remotely suspicious, search to see if other news outlets are also reporting the story. A single article from a suspicious source making loud claims can often be fake.

6. Look Out For Questionable Photos And Vague Statements

It’s very easy to take a stock photo from one event and say it’s from another. Photoshop is also every mischief maker’s best friend these days. Reverse image searches through tools like TinEye or even Google can help you find where the image originally from.

7. Beware Of Personal Bias

People most often read stories that reinforce the way they see the world. Fake news is no exception, and many of the articles that fall under its umbrella are designed either to stir up emotion or prey on existing biases. It’s important to check if a story you read is based on facts, instead of sharing it just because it supports one side of an argument or bolsters your pre-existing beliefs.

8. Know Sites That Can Help You Verify Facts

Late last year, Melissa Zimdars, a media professor at Merrimack College in Massachusetts, compiled a list of “fake, false, or regularly misleading websites” that purposefully publish false information or are otherwise entirely unreliable. Websites like Snopes.com, On The Media Fake News Handbook, FactCheck.org and Washington Post Fact Checker are some places where you can verify facts or re-check dubious information.

9. Remember That Videos Can Be Altered Too!

Take, for example, the allegedly doctored video of a protest in Jawaharlal Nehru University that ended up raising doubts on the legitimacy of the entire institution. The video, whose authenticity is still unclear, was further shown by mainstream media on primetime television without verification. This led to a national furore that culminated in a public thrashing of students inside court premises

10. Think Before You Share

Fake news sites rely on readers to share stories ahead. This is how a rumour becomes news. In extreme cases, this news can balloon out of control and have unintended consequences for those involved in the stories. It is, therefore, upon the reader to apply their minds and think twice before sharing a piece.This practice can go a long way in changing things.

There is nothing wrong with healthy scepticism, but there is also nothing wrong with acknowledging that a little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing. Social media today is an excellent source for getting information and news. However, caveat emptor, as always.

Yashasvini Mathur is an intern with Youth Ki Awaaz for the batch of February-March 2017.

Image source: YouTube

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In the last episode of Koffee With Karan, there was something else brewing (apart from the coffee of course). Kangana Ranuat was on the couch, all guns blazing in classic queen fashion. For the entire running time of the show, she answered question after question, calling out Karan Johar for years of “rejection” and “mockery” she has faced because of many like him.

Why does it matter that a female actor took on Bollywood’s biggest names, while being polite and composed? Because for the first time, on a show termed ‘frivolous’ by its own host, and reserved mostly for the who’s who of the Bollywood film industry,, here was an ‘outsider’, shaking the ones right up at the high rung of the ladder – with a smile on her face through it all.

“You made fun of my English on this couch. These things do drive you,” launched off Kangana, within the first five minutes of the episode, as Karan visibly struggled to a respond. In one shot, Kangana had blown off the privilege and the hypocrisy of the so-called elite, for sidelining all those who don’t necessarily talk like them, or keep the same company. “I am not trying to fit in and say I want to prove myself,” said Kangana, as she pointed out that Karan’s appreciation of her craft was long overdue.

Both Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra had said “Nothing would happen [of this girl]” when they saw Kangana’s foray into Bollywood, over 10 years ago she shared. And boy have they had to eat their words.

Kangana has proven every naysayer who thought a small-town girl, who couldn’t speak fluent English and had no big industry daddies completely wrong, and how. She’s built herself up independently and all on her own.

“Brands don’t hire you because you aren’t on social media. I don’t do ads for fairness creams, I don’t do shows,” she went on to say. “You let go for something more valuable, which is my values.” In two lines, she had ripped apart the notion of all that female actors in Bollywood need to do and must do to ‘fit in’ or just ‘succeed’.

Even in 2017, it makes the film industry uncomfortable to have a female actor, that too an ‘outsider’, with strong opinions at the helm. But Kangana continues to prove how she’s determined to do just that. Let’s not forget – she is the first actor to have proclaimed “My period blood is not gross” on national TV, when she was shamed for a natural bodily function, and she continues to challenge popular perceptions about female actors, proving that you’ll find people who are “ready to pay three times” because they really want to work with you for your talent.

When Karan asked if she’s ever jealous when a film does really well, she admitted that it does pinch her. But the icing on the cake was that she went on to quote “Dangal” as an example – a film starring a top male actor – proving that gender doesn’t really matter when you’re talking good cinema. For a couch that’s used to judging male actors based on talent and female actors based on looks, this was a big moment.

And then came probably the biggest highlight of all five seasons of KWK combined. When talking of the role Karan would play in her someday biography, she laughed and said, “[You’d be] the stereotypical Bollywood biggie, snooty, intolerant of outsiders, flag-bearer of nepotism, movie mafia.”

As Karan almost choked, Kangana seemed like she knew this had to be said. For a viewer like me, this was the moment the ‘outsider’ had proved that she is here to stay. It was so refreshing from the usual tirade of celebrities joking about wanting to play the next part in Karan’s films, and cozying up to the idea that being on KWK implies you have to be ‘bitchy’ and ‘snooty’.

For the first time on the show, a female actor refused a part opposite any of the three Khans – because she wouldn’t get an ‘equal role’. She proved how you can be intelligent and funny, instead of being just one, and said she was sick of male actors assuming that female actors have “low IQ”.

In recent times, other female actors too have called out sexism in the industry. Anushka Sharma recently blasted the media for spreading rumours about Virat Kohli producing her upcoming film. Sonam Kapoor too has gone on record to state that the wage gap in Bollywood is utterly sexist. Kangana asserting all this and more on a show that kept branding itself ‘frivolous’ (not once, but twice, or maybe more), was almost like a call to Bollywood to grow up.

Oh, and what’s more? Karan asking Kangana if she’d like to be rich without love, or poor but in love. The response? “Karan, your idea of poverty is very different from mine.” Quite apt, for someone in whose films being rich is as commonplace as the dust on the streets.

It wasn’t just the fact that Kangana called Karan Johar out that matters – it matters more that she stood up to the ones considered most powerful on their own turf. For an industry that’s too comfortable in its rigid hierarchal ways of working, here is a woman who announced that she’s not stopping till the coffee (and the system) is shaken well and good.

Yasss Queen!

The post Kangana Showed Who Is Queen On This Episode Of Koffee With Karan (And We Loved It) 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.

अठारहवीं शताब्दी में उर्दू उत्तर भारत के संभ्रांत वर्ग की भाषा थी। उर्दू ने भारत को ग़ालिब और मीर जैसे शायर दिए और आज भी सिनेमा पर उर्दू शायरी का वर्चस्व नकारा नहीं जा सकता है। परंतु इस मिठास से भरी भाषा का एक रूप और भी है। एक ऐसा रूप जो रक्तरंजित है।

21 फरवरी 1952, ढाका। स्वतंत्रता के चार वर्ष और अनेक वार्ताओं के बावजूद पाकिस्तान के पूर्वी प्रान्त को भाषा का मौलिक अधिकार प्राप्त नहीं हुआ था। स्वतंत्रता के एक वर्ष बाद ही कराची में एक प्रस्ताव द्वारा उर्दू को राष्ट्रभाषा का दर्जा दे दिया गया था। एक ही झटके में पाकिस्तान की दो तिहाई आबादी अनपढ़ बन गई थी। उर्दू लिख और पढ़ न पाने के कारण बंगाली मूल के लोगों को अब सरकारी नौकरियां मिलना असंभव हो गया था और लोगों में आक्रोश था। उसी वर्ष जिन्ना ने रमना रेसकोर्स से घोषणा कर दी कि एक मुस्लिम राष्ट्र की भाषा केवल और केवल उर्दू ही हो सकती है। जिन्ना ने उर्दू विरोधियों को गणशत्रु घोषित कर दिया।

चार वर्षों के अथक प्रयास के बाद जब संघर्ष ही एक मात्र रास्ता बचा तब ढाका विश्वविद्यालय के छात्रों ने प्रदर्शन का मार्ग अपनाया। प्रशासन को प्रदर्शन से परहेज़ था, जो कि स्वभाविक है। ढाका में निषेधाज्ञा लागू कर दी गई। प्रदर्शनकारी छात्रों को बंदी बनाया गया। विधायकों को ज्ञापन देने पहुंचे छात्रों पर गोलियां दागी गई। अनेक छात्र मारे गएं लेकिन रक्तपात अभी शुरू ही हुआ था।

भाषा ने एक नवगठित राष्ट्र को विभाजित कर दिया था। भाषा के अतिरिक्त क्षेत्रीय वर्चस्व भी एक कारण था दो वर्गों के बीच की कड़वाहट का। सेना में पश्चिमी पाकिस्तान मूल के लोगों का प्रभुत्व था। बाढ़ और चक्रवात से प्रवृत्त पूर्वी प्रान्त को हीन दृष्टि से देखा जाता था। इसी बीच शेख मुजीबुर रहमान के नेतृत्व में आवामी लीग, पूर्वी प्रान्त के लोगों के मौलिक अधिकार के लिए लड़ रही थी। पश्चिमी पाकिस्तान के दमन से त्रस्त पूर्वी पाकिस्तान ने छः सूत्रीय आंदोलन आरम्भ किया। आंदोलन का मूल मंत्र पूर्वी प्रांत को स्वायत्तता प्रदान करना था। भाषा आंदोलन अब एक मौलिक अधिकार की लड़ाई में परिवर्तित हो गया था। 1952 में शुरू हुआ यह आंदोलन 1971 में बांग्लादेश की मुक्ति और पाकिस्तान की शर्मनाक हार में परिणित हुआ।

एक ओर जहां उर्दू ने पूर्वी पाकिस्तान को रक्तरंजित किया, वहीं दूसरी ओर पश्चिमी पाकितान की बहुभाषी संस्कृति को भी नष्ट किया। पंजाबी, बलोची, सिंधी इत्यादि भाषाएं उर्दू के सामने बौनी हो गई। उन पर एक विदेशी भाषा को थोपा गया जिसे पाकिस्तान का संभ्रांत वर्ग भारत से ले गया था। एक ऐसे देश से जहां रहना उन्हें गंवारा न था। ग़ालिब और मीर की उर्दू ने जहां एक समय दिल्ली की शामें रंगीन करीं, वहीं ढाका और लाहौर की भाषाओं का दमन भी किया।

The post उर्दू: ग़ालिब की शायरी से ढाका की रक्तरंजित गलियों तक 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.

“Peepli Live!” by Anusha Rizvi is a hardcore satire based on farmer suicides, a much discussed and later, a media-hyped issue. Released in 2010, “Peepli Live!” was nominated for the 83rd Academy Awards in the best foreign film category. Starring Omkar Das Manikpuri, Naseeruddin Shah, Nawazuddin Siddique, Mallika Shenoy, Raghubir Yadav and other actors from Naya Theatre Company, “Peepli Live!” revolves around the farmers of Mukhya Pradesh (fictional name for the largest state). Natha (Omkar Das Manikpuri) and Budhiya (Raghubir Yadav) who after having spent all their hard-earned money on alcohol are now unable to repay their loans and will be stripped off their land and house. They have a bedridden “amma (mother) ” (Farooq Jaffer) at home, Natha’s agitated wife Dhaniya (Shalini Vatsa) and their children.

During these troubled times, they meet the rural political leader who informs them about the “sarkari yojna (government provision)” which gives ₹1 lakh to the farmer families whose bread earners have died. Budhiya, the elder brother, has an idea and urges Natha to commit suicide who readily agrees despite Dhaniya’s repeated denials. It is time for bi-elections in the state, so the ruling Samman Party and the chief minister Ram Babu Yadav, the agriculture minister at the centre, Saleem Kidwai (Naseeruddin Shah), and the opposition party Apna Dal, start digging up the news bringing media attention to the solitary Peepli village.

From ITVN7 to ‘Bharat Live’ all gear up to present the “breaking news” and film Natha’s way to death for the outrageous TRP’s. We also find Rakesh (Nawazuddin Siddique): a local reporter, who with ITVN7’s collaboration, was the first to deliver the news of Natha’s suicide announcement, but later the hype of “death” becomes questionable for the 104 minutes roll of Peepli Live!

“Peepli Live!” is a movie whose cinematic nuances peep through the windows of thatched mud houses, the lanes and bylanes of the barren fields, frowned brows on the farmers’ faces, flashy camera lenses, high pitched lectures of “blah blah blah” political leaders and lingers with a psychic gloom in the audience. From Dhaniya’s shrieks to amma’s never-ending wails, the kids asking Natha “Bapu aap kab maroge? (Dad when will you die?)” and the swaying background score of Indian Ocean with Brij Mandal, “Peepli Live!” has the basic story line of how a sleepy village like Peepli turns out to be a mela (fair) ground overnight and how political leaders, creepy as they are, send “Lal Bahadur (name given to hand pumps)” to homes where even implementation of these hand pumps is a luxury!

Anusha Rizvi, bringing the rural dialect and terrain with expert cinematography, is a raconteur of many tales. “Peepli Live!” to some extent talks about the farmer suicide issue, media’s intravenous tussle and political leaders’ never-ending diplomatic answers. It also focuses on the petite introspection of the human mind, where Rakesh notices a lanky farmer selling mud, committing suicide and is yet left as an unsung “hero”. Rakesh, Budhiya, Natha, Dhaniya are victims of dark times where a person to dies because of pressure from politicians and kin. The need is money for some, while “vote bank politics” for the rest.

The climax of the movie tends to make the audience feel back stabbed to its general notion. Here, the issues are not put into mere headlines but are “savagely raw” says film critic Subhash K. Jha while Pratim D. Gupta praises the director Anusha Rizvi saying, “She shows the fire of Mira Nair.” With very little twists and turns and the lack of over-dramatic makeup and dolled up cast like that of a regular Bollywood movie, “Peepli Live!”, with its simplicity and composure, is worth a watch for sensible and “the box office se hatke (alternative) audience.”

The post “Peepli Live!”: How State Forces Farmers To Commit Suicide 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.

Facts about the Indian Nationalist Movement of the early 20th century are drilled into every school kid in our country from the tender age of seven and up. I was one of these kids, taking down copious notes about the Battle of This or That, the Leader of this Rebellion, or the Architect of so and so Treaty. A lot of it I accepted at the behest of an unrelenting grading system, and a lot I accepted because of some innate interest in The Past.

A decade later, when university happened to me, I began to crave those sides of history that were seldom presented to me. And it was a chance encounter with Kalyanaram Durgadas’ novel, “Songs of the Cauvery” which gave me just that.

It follows the story of Panju, a young boy at the cusp of two ages. Behind him, lies the world of his Brahmin father, of strict divisions in society, and a measured respect for British settlers and all the learning they had to share. In front of him, on the other hand, lies the freedom struggle – a world that is as alluring as it is dangerous. We see Panju grow from a precocious little boy into a restless youth, treading the fine line between these two worlds. His inner conflict and journey are the foundation of this novel, but Durgadas infuses it with many other remarkable characters that make “Songs of the Cauvery” all the more captivating.

Panju’s father, Sambu, is the chink in the wall of tradition, making several allowances for his young son that would he himself never had. There’s the wrestling teacher who prepares Panju, mentally and physically, for a still-to-be-identified mission which constantly propels him forward. And there’s Ranjitham, a devadasi who catches our young protagonist’s eye during his college years. Panju falls head over heels for her, but Ranjitham is no push over, or damsel-in-distress. She is cautious and unswayed by this Brahmin boy’s adoration until she is more sure of him. And even when she is, her decisions are driven by her calculated understanding of the world, and the power she can exercise in it.

Like Ranjitham, Janaki is no passive plot device – a terrible fate that many a female character must suffer, both in books and film. And it’s to Durgadas’ credit that we have these two intelligent, headstrong female characters, couched in a story about what is apparently one of the most masculine pursuits – Nationalism.

What resonates with me, over and above the characters and plot, is just how rooted this novel is in its South Indian (specifically, Tamil) context. The names that had lined my textbooks for ten years (and then some) were invariably North Indian ones. Thumbing through these before every exam was the subtle practice of forgetting. It was the act of erasing a history, a language, customs, dress and even food from anywhere outside the handful of Northern states, the static image of which have come to represent this vivid, diverse, ever-changing country of ours. Today we are surrounded by a ‘national’ narrative and culture that is distinctly Hindi-speaking, Hindu, and upper-class. Sitting smack-dab in the middle of it all, it’s oddly comforting to read a book that flows with names like “Thanjavur”, “Kumbakonam”, “Pondicherry” and, of course, “Cauvery”, each of which form the setting of a story that carries you along in its ebb and tide.

It’s all of these elements that come together – like tributaries of a river! – and make “Songs of the Cauvery” an important and relevant read to us today. Oh, and did I mention the novel delivers a great plot twist, too?

The post I Came For Tamil Nationalism, And Stayed For Well Written 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.

भारतीय परम्परा उत्सव और त्यौहारों की संस्कृति के लिए सदियों से मशहूर है और आने वाले समय में भी रहेगी। ऐसा ज़रूर हो सकता है कि समय के साथ- साथ इन त्यौहारों का आयाम और रूपरेखा ज़रूर बदल जाये और बदलनी भी चाहिए क्योंकि हम सभी को परिवर्तन और नयापन भाता है। आज के ज़माने की बात करूँ तो हम बहुत से खास दिन और दिवस भी मानाने लगे हैं। जैसे अभी पिछले महीने ही बहुत से लोगों ने रोज डे, वैलेंटाइन डे और राष्ट्रीय बालिका दिवस मनाया होगा।

आज जब आप ये लेख पढ़ रहे हैं तो ठीक 13 दिनों के बाद महिला दिवस आने वाला है। क्यों हमें महिला दिवस (8 मार्च) के दिन ही महिलाओं के सम्मान, उनके लिए समानता का ख्याल आता है। ऐसा ही क्यों होता है कि महिला दिवस पर ही बहुत से लेख प्रकाशित होते हैं और न जाने क्यों महिला दिवस की शाम ढलते- ढलते वो लेख, वो समानता की  बातें, वो सशक्तिकरण की बातें कहां लुप्त हो जाती हैं?

कभी महिलाओं के अधिकारों की लड़ाई से आरंभ हुआ यह महिला दिवस अब बहुत दूर तक चला आया है, पर एक  सवाल सदैव उठता है कि क्या महिलाएं आज हर क्षेत्र में बखूबी निर्णय ले रही हैं? क्या उनको वह साधन उपलब्ध हैं जिनसे वह अपने आपको बाहर की दुनिया से बांध सकें।

वैसे तो हम सभी जानते हैं कि महिलाओं को  सक्षम बनाने में उनका साथ देने के लिए काफी प्रयास शहरों और ग्रामीण स्तर पर हो रहे हैं परंतु फिर भी कुछ अनकहे, अनदेखे पहलू हमारी दौड़ती भागती ज़िन्दगी से रूबरू हुए बिना ही रह जाते हैं,  जिसका एक उदहारण मैं इस लेख के माध्यम से आप सबके साथ साँझा करना चाहती हूँ।

राजधानी दिल्ली और गुड़गांव की चकाचौंध से दूर दिल्ली से मात्र 70 किलोमीटर की दूरी पर स्थित हरियाणा का नूंह जिले में महिलाओं की सोच और उनको आत्मनिर्भर बनाने में सूचना और नई-नई जानकारियों से लैस संचार का सबसे पुराना, सुलभ साधन कम्युनिटी रेडियो अल्फाज़- ए- मेवात एफ एम 107.8 (एस एम सहगल फाउंडेशन की पहल) अहम भूमिका अदा कर रहा है। अगर हम नूंह जिले के गांवों की बात करें तो डिजिटल इंडिया के इस दौर में 10 प्रतिशत से कम घरों में टेलीविज़न हैं, ऐसे में महिलाऐं जो पढ़ना-लिखना नहीं जानती रेडियो सुनकर सारी जानकारियां पाती हैं।

पिछले 5 सालों से कम्युनिटी रेडियो अल्फाज़- ए- मेवात न केवल समुदाय की महिलाओं से जुड़ा है व समाज के हर वर्ग बच्चों, किशोरों, किसानों, वृद्धों को विभिन्न रेडियो कार्यकमों के ज़रिये सूचना और जानकारी देकर आत्मनिर्भर बनाने में सहयोग कर रहा है। मकसद ये है कि वे अपने निर्णय खुद ले सकें और समाज में अपनी भागीदारी सुनिश्चित कर सकें।

रेडियो के मुख्य कार्यक्रम जो लोगों की ज़िन्दगी का हिस्सा बन गए हैं वो  हैं :- किसान भाइयों के लिए कृषि खबर, तोहफा–ऐ- कुदरत जल जंगल जमीन, ब महिलाओं को उनके स्वास्थ्य से जुड़ी जानकारी देने के लिए सेहत का पैगाम, मेवाती संस्कृति से रुबरु कराता है। कार्यक्रम सूफी सफ़र बच्चों को शिक्षा पर जानकारी देता है। कार्यक्रम रेडियो स्कूल और वक़्त हमारा है। किशोरों के भावनात्मक स्वास्थ्य से जुड़ी रेडियो श्रृंखला कुछ तुम कहो, कुछ हम कहें।

आज यहां की महिलाएं और किशोरियां इतनी सशक्त हुई हैं कि कम्युनिटी रेडियो कार्यक्रमों की लाइव चर्चोओं में भाग लेती हैं, अपनी राय प्रकट करती हैं। गाँव में कुछ महिला समूह ऐसे भी हैं जो  रेडियो कार्यक्रमों को बनाने में भी सहयोग देते हैं। आज इन महिलाओं की सोच में बदलाव आना शुरु हो गया है।

ज़रुरत है इस सोच को दिशा देने की ताकि इनके कदमों से हो इनकी पहचान। ये एक अलग बात है कि न जाने ये लेख कितने पढ़ने वालों को प्रभावित करेगा, कितनों के नज़रिए में बदलाव लायेगा परंतु ये इस बात की दस्तक ज़रूर है कि हमारे ग्रामीण इलाकों की महिलाओं ने अपने नज़रिए को समाज से अवगत करवाना शुरु कर दिया है।

The post अल्फाज़-ए-मेवात 107.8 एफ एम: हरियाणवी महिलाओं की नई आवाज़ 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.

The infamous censor board is back in news again. This time because it has refused to clear a powerful women-centred movie – “Lipstick Under My Burkha”.

The reasons given are very bizarre and insane. None of the reasons given by Censor Board justifies the ban on the movie. As a movie buff, I hate how the Censor Board is taking away my freedom to decide what to watch and what not to watch. The ‘sanskari’ people manning the Censor Board should understand that this country runs by the rule of law and not by someone’s personal understanding of sanskar.

Unlike law, ‘sanskar’ has no uniformity. It varies from region to region and people to people. For several people, watching a movie is unacceptable. So, does that mean that the entire film fraternity should pack their bags and move to the Himalayas just because their work is not against a few people’s sanskar?

The only job of the Censor Board should be of certifying and rate movies on the basis of age. Forcing producers to delete scenes just because it does not ascribe to the value system of the censor board members is tyranny. It violates freedom of expression of the movie makers and also takes away freedom from people to view what they want. A movie should be a direct interaction between the cast and the audience. And in this form of interaction, there is no room for anybody else to decide what is morally right or wrong for the viewers and filter content.

India is a country where a person a person of 18 years of age is considered conscious enough to decide who will rule the country and at the age of 25, the person is conscious enough to become the ruler. In such a country, there should be no censure in the liberty of viewers to decide which movie to watch.

Movies are said to be the mirror of society. While, at times, people follow movies, movies too derive a lot from the society and people living in it. There are so many stereotypes in our society and movies are an excellent medium to break them.

Just a few days ago, a similar treatment was meted out to Akshay Kumar’s starrer “Jolly-LLB2” when the Bombay High Court ordered certain scenes to be removed from the movie since they maligned the image of the judiciary. I mean, really?

Tomorrow, if we subscribe to that logic, any chief minister can ask for a ban on the Anil Kapoor starrer movie “Nayak” since it ‘maligns the image of chief minister’. Is this how movies should be censored?

It is high time that the Government of India and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting implement the Shyam Bengal Committee Report on Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The preamble starts with “We The People” and power should always remain with people. We, the people, will decide what to watch and what not to watch. The Censor Board has no authority over my unalienable right!

The post Why The Censor Board’s Ban On ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ Is Bizarre 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.

शादियों का सीज़न एकबार फिर आने को है। एक बार फिर से हम सब के घरों में शादियों के इनविटेशन कार्ड्स आने शुरु होंगे। कुछ करीबी लोगों की शादियां होंगी तो कुछ शादियां ऐसी भी जहां सिर्फ खाने के लिए जाना होता है। वो इसलिए कि समय आने पर हम भी उन्हें अपने घर की शादी में बुला कर भीड़ बढ़ा सकें।

आजकल की शादियों में हम खुशी से ज़्यादा दिखावे पर ध्यान देने लगे हैं। किसने अपने बच्चे कि शादी में कितना खर्च किया, दुल्हे और दुल्हन ने कितने महंगे और फैशनेबल कपड़े पहने, मेकअप कैसा था, खाना कैसा था, रिलेटिव्स कैसे थें, अरेंज मैरेज थी या लव कम अरेंज। और अगर लव वाला एंगल है तो किसने किसकी बात मानी। कास्ट क्या है दोनों की, रिलिजन क्या है। दुल्हे-दुल्हन का रंग कैसा है, सैलरी कितनी है ये सभी चीज़ें बहुत ज़रूरी हैं आज के हिसाब से, यहां तक की दहेज भी। खैर पहले और अब की शादियों में एक और अंतर है और वो है लोकगीतों का

”ओ सासु बेटा बेटा ना कर अब ये मेरा बालम है।”

हर रस्म के लिए अलग गीत। कुछ गुदगुदाते, कुछ रुलाते तो कुछ पांव को थिरकाने पे मज़बूर कर देते। इन गीतों में बड़ों की सीख, उनकी चुहलबाज़ी, छेड़खानी सब छुपी होती थी। एक अलग ही समा बांध दिया करते थे ये लोकगीत। दादी-नानी, आंटियां, मासी, सहेलियां, सब मिल कर लड़के-लड़की की ज़िंदगी की नयी शुरुआत में इन गीतों से मिठास घोल देते थे। पीढ़ी दर पीढ़ी ये लोकगीत ना सिर्फ गाये जाते रहें बल्कि बड़े ही शौक से सीखे और सिखाये जाते रहे हैं। यहां तक की कुछ टांग खीचाई और हल्की फुल्की गालियों वाले लोकगीत भी शगुन के तौर पर शादियों का हिस्सा रहे हैं।

नानी-दादी कहती थी एक यही मौका होता था जब गालियों वाले लोकगीत को सब हसी-खुशी बिना शिकायत के सुन लेते थे। तब की शादियों में तो महिलाओं का एक ग्रुप सिर्फ गीत गाने के लिए ही बारात में शिरकत करता था काति दुल्हा पक्ष किसी भी तरह दुल्हन पक्ष से कम ना पड़ जाए।

पर आज की तारीख में शादियों में लोकगीत की जगह शीला की जवानी जैसे बॉलीवुड के गानों ने ले ली है। दौर बदला है और शायद इसिलिए लोगों का म्यूज़िक टेस्ट भी। या फिर यूं कहें कि दिखावे के लिए भी लोकगीत की जगह बॉलीवुड के गानों ने ले ली है।

माना उनकी सोच थोड़ी आउटडेटेड होती हैं, पुरानी होती है पर प्यार तो उनका आज भी  सच्चा ही है। उनकी सीख भले ही हम ना माने पर सुनने में शायद कोई हर्ज़ नहीं। ठीक उसी तरह लोकगितों की समझ हमें भले ना हो और हमें सीखने में दिलचस्पी ना हो पर एकबार अगर आप उन लोकगीतों को सुनना शुरु कर देते हैं तो यकीन मानिए कि डूब ही जाते हैं।

मैं बिहार से हूं और यहां लोकगीतों  की अपनी परंपरा रही है। सिर्फ शादी ही नहीं बल्कि बच्चे के जन्म से लेकर होली,छठ पूजा और हर तरह के पारिवारिक उत्सवों में गाए जाते हैं। और लोकगीतों की वजह से भी त्योहारों का अपना महत्व बन जाता है।

इन लोक गीतों में छुपे मतलब को जानने के बाद सुनने में और भी मज़ा आता है। इक्के-दुक्के घरों की शादियों में आज भी लोकगीत सुनने को मिल जाते हैं। गांवो में ये परंपरा अभी तक बची हुई है, और ये धरोहर बचे रहें इसलिए प्रयास होने चाहिए।

The post ”ओ सासु बेटा बेटा ना कर अब ये मेरा बालम 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.