6.2.09

Are we coming close to becoming a cuckoo society?

I don’t know what Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury’s trip is, but it sure is a shaky one. She has suggested that the only way to tackle the moral police in Karnataka - they went on a rampage last month in Mangalore beating up women in a pub and warning them against wearing noodle straps or tight jeans and celebrating Valentine’s Day - was to launch a “pub bharo” andolan.


This is a ridiculous way for the youth to make a point.


Going to pubs is a personal choice and trying to make this agitation reminiscent of the “jail bharo” of the freedom movement is making a mockery of both the situations. Pubs are one of the offshoots of urban life and limited to certain sections of society. Has the good minister ever asked people to do a “call centre bharo” when there were instance of exploitation there?


I wish she would not simplify the matter and do her usual drum-beating.


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Of course, the attitude of organisations deciding how people ought to behave socially has no validity. Just read the quotes of Sri Ram Sena chief Pramod Muthalik (and my comments follow):


On attacking pubs:


"We are totally against alcoholism. There are traditions, like in Kodagu where parents and children sit together and drink. But why come to the streets to drink and behave in an obscene manner? (Arrack is banned and now) We want the government to ban 'foreign' liquor. Liquor lobby is behind all these incidents."


Hmm, so is it possible that a certain Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher brand will make hay?


On Valentine's Day:


"These would turn our boys and girls into perverts. They will lead to misuse of women who are our sisters and mothers. Last year, 38 girls committed suicide in Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi during VDay. We oppose not just V-Day but all celebrations having a Western touch, including New Year. By creating awareness, we are safeguarding our boys and girls."


One hopes that rapes and battering and abuse in the workplace all stop. We should ban Holi where it is a free-for-all then…and ragging in colleges, and sexual exploitation in remand homes. And, that the mothers and sisters are asked what they want.


"We will submit memoranda to the governor, CM and home minister seeking a ban on these celebrations. We will also seek help from the police chief. Moreover, all colleges, hostels, hotels and greeting card stalls will be requested not to support the celebrations. On February 14, our volunteers will go around parks and hotels carrying mangalsutras and accompanied by priests. If anybody is caught 'celebrating' love, they will be taken to a nearby temple and married."


The moron does not realise he is living in a multicultural country; he may have his issues with the influx of western commercial interests, but not everyone gets married in temples and wears a mangalsutra. Does he realise it may end up costing much more than those Hallmark cards? Who will pay for it?


He says his organisation has many volunteer donors. I believe him. We are becoming a society of totally shackled herds who will buy our way into anything that claims to make us feel ‘proud’ of our roots, even if the tree is plastic and merely stuck on the soil with adhesive.


Welcome to India blinding.

8 comments:

  1. FV,

    If you were to ask me whether Muthalik is a cretin or a creep, I would say both.

    It is distressing to see that such people and their goons can run amok, and then easily get bail too.

    We need stringent legislation against these self appointed moral police. And yes, Renuka's "pub bharo" andolan is surely not the answer!

    ReplyDelete
  2. FV:

    Good work to call these bastards out. India needs a rule of law. Simple.
    ... and lesser media coverage for such small-time goons.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ms Choudhary is a bit impetuous. Other than that, I feel she means no harm.

    Of course, all this beating-sheating seems like a big charade.

    Beating people up when they are having a few drinks seems too stupid to be an end in itself.

    Regards,
    Hades

    ReplyDelete
  4. Milind:

    Muthalik is the tip of the iceberg, and probably a front for the bigger players.

    PS:

    Less media coverage? Ouch...

    essbee:

    'Cuckoo' is also a stupid and incompetent person...and I have no problems with certain animal behaviour manifested by humans.

    Hades:

    Aw, impetuosity at a political level that has to do with serious ramifications cannot be dismissed off as harmless.

    I wonder why they don;t beat up people in arrack shops, though.

    Btw, thanks for your comment elsewhere! 'Spunk' in dotage is a huge compliment, na? And, no, I stay away from certain places...you can click on columns, articles right here for more recent stuff, if you wish.

    SM:

    Illiteracy is a major problem in our country and people struggle to get an education. Do not call these cunning fellows jahil. Lecture over :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think when societies achieve a degree of comfortable 'normalcy', they do not have many 'real' issues to consume them and so people turn finicky. Time and energy is spent on trivial stuff, because there aren't too many serious problems. They probably think this qualifies as patriotism...maybe it does, in a "cuckoo society", as in a society which doesn't have enough huge problems for more serious protest than pubs and Valentine's.

    There used to be more grumbling about "morality" in Lahore before the regular blasts set in, which is paradoxical.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ram Sena should be banned immediately.Period.Not that the 'ban' will turn them into sober law abiding citizens, but when under a ban the chief clown Muthalik won't be able to participate in the news channel discussions with his moronic views about women and other human beings.The govt. already has their hands full with the other deadly mischiefmaker, namely Bajrang Dal, on whom they have been too leniant (even after horrible crimes)for too long. Same goes for MNS and ShivSena. These orgs have no business to function freely in a democracy.

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  7. Mask:

    While your 'normalcy' theory has some currency, it does not apply to present-day Indian society. In fact, there is too much flux and therefore the insistence on finding 'trivial issues' to take away the heat from the real ones.

    RBaruah:

    Banning the Ram Sena would give it martyrdom and Muthalik more legitimacy than he has. I wish the opposing 'liberals' wouldn't resort to the gift of pink chaddis and condoms...this makes a joke of a really serious matter.

    ReplyDelete

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