Ouch… that couch…
You couldn’t have missed the tamasha that has been going on recently on the India TV…Suhaib Illyasi’s now infamous sting operation has stung some of the mighty names in industry & has it seems the whole nation polarized, one way or other. Yellow journalism? Shamelessly sensationalist selling of news? Or Exposing the seamy underbelly of Bollywood that has always existed perhaps in the blind spot of the general public but was never before brought forth in a way that makes it impossible to ignore it.
How dare he… shouts the outraged industry… how dare someone state the truth? That casting couch exists & newcomers, both males & females are exploited in showbiz & have to provide sexual favors to those in power.
What was even more interesting was the press conference called to air their grievances in public. If anyone had any doubts left regarding the nature of this industry. Govinda, it seems, had a case of verbal diarrhea. Even he wasn’t aware of he was saying, how could we attempt to do so. And Salman Khan showed himself to be an obnoxious and chauvinistic jerk (as if anyone had doubts about it:) through his highly insensitive comments that verged on insanity.
A few days ago Aaj tak presented a similar expose of corruption in the Sales Tax Office. Another example of bringing forth something all of us knew existed and had taken for granted. They didn’t hold a press conference to rally support for their acts…
Of course there is another side to this madness of allegations and counter allegations. There are people (not just women), in this industry as well as other fields that use their bodies as a shortcut to land roles, jobs or promotions. They give rest of us a bad name- even the ones who slog their asses off to carve their niche in a male dominated society have aspersions cast upon their character, thanks to such unscrupulous few.
February 22, 2005
No, our country doesn’t need children to grow up any faster
Mother dairy’s latest ad campaign is kind of hard to miss. Its everywhere, on the billboards, bus stands – wherever you go, you see this asinine ad with children dressed in ridiculously oversized clothes, in garb of lawyers & doctors etc.
It makes me wonder whose brain dead idea was it to launch this not just incredibly dumb but also potentially harmful ad campaign? Such ads should be banned. They do a lot more damage than ads with sexual content, which draw a lot more flak.
There are enough screwed up individuals to mess up the country & they are doing quite a competent job of it. Why add to their ranks? It would serve no purpose to have children grow up faster. Childhood is supposed to be the most glorious period of one’s life. As it is children are growing up a lot faster than the earlier generation thanks to TV & the Internet & I m not sure it’s a good thing. Children should be allowed to remain children for only as fully developed and mature individuals can serve a nation well and hastening the process may do more harm than good.
February 18, 2005
Fifteen Things to be glad for: -
1) Flowers
2) Chocolate
3) Cakes – baking & eating them
4) Books
5) Good movies
6) Winter sunshine
7) Warmth- of a blanket, hot water bottle or love
8) Music
9) Festivals
10) Friendships and friends
11) Color in all its manifestations
12) Fragrance
13) Pets
14) Hot chocolate, tea and coffee
15) Home
It could happen to your children
This morning, I got a rude awakening when I went through not one or two but multiple news items concerning rape of kids-not by those wolves hiding in the bushes- by school principals and teachers. The amount of revulsion I feel cannot be expressed in words. Is this the kind of world we live in? Where the mentors & protectors molest children & infants? Do you know our country doesn’t even have laws for protecting minors from sexual abuse? And even in case there are laws to protect women they are woefully inadequate. Do you know how much is the maximum punishment given to a rapist? 7 years. (Please correct me if I am wrong) Is it enough to deter someone from scarring a person for life? Due to the social stigma attached to it, how many cases of rape and sexual abuse are actually reported? How many convictions take place?
We need stronger laws and an honest implementation of them if we are to protect our families. And no, it doesn’t happen to someone else’s children. If we fail to do anything about it today, it will happen to our children tomorrow.
February 14, 2005
Ever wondered Who you are?
I was just listening to a song on the radio that currently is a rage everywhere. You might’ve heard it (I’d be surprised if you haven’t) It is sung by the sufi rocker Rabbi Shergil’” Bulla ki jaana main kaun”(Penned by a sufi poet who declares his ignorance regarding his self) The Lyrics really make one wonder, who I really am? What does my self comprise of, apart from the body. Soul? Spirit or intellect? Or an amalgamation of all three? & What is this intellect made up of? How much is it my own & how much is the conditioning I received from school, parents & the society? Was my mind really a tabula Rasa at birth or was I born with my unique perspective on things? How much of me am actually mine? How much shaped by study & education? What is original & what has been borrowed? I honestly cannot try & answer these questions. Maybe they cannot be answered. But at least they merit a thought.
February 8, 2005
Today I was sold a dream & I didn't buy it!
The lady at the cosmetic counter said- “ Buy this crème - it’ll restore glow onto your face. She pointed out my flaws, played upon my insecurities regarding my looks & told me how it would help rectify those. However, I paused for a moment & thought, “Will it, really?”
Isn’t this the myth we are sold daily by the media & the cosmetic companies- A shampoo will give us glossy, silky super hair which have actually been conditioned & flat ironed by professional stylists. Every winter, I switch over to a specific body lotion just because it promises to keep my skin soft & supple. It doesn’t. Yet, for ages, I’ve never paused & thought whether it delivers what it promises. I now know it for a fact that it doesn’t & that horrible, stinky mustard oil I’ve rejected in its favor is a lot more effective for my dry as a parchment skin. But will I reform? I don’t know. Similarly, I really don’t think that fancy body washes are any better than the much -maligned regular soaps. Both give me the same result! Then why don’t I switch over to natural & time -tested remedies from grandma’s repertoire? Is it lack of time or sheer inertia that keeps me stuck in the same groove? I really don’t know.
Switch it off!
Have you at times felt absolutely frazzled, sick and tired of absolutely everything, & feel that the world is too much with you? I’ve got a tip. Just switch everything off. Switch off your mobile. Remember why you bought it in the first place- so that your life could be convenient, & not to invite the rest of the world to intrude upon you at all hours. Ok, I understand that maybe you fear that unthinkable things will happen if you dare to switch the cellphone off.They wont. But in any case, lets go slow. Put it on the silent mode and hide it somewhere for a little while. This is your time & you must know how to protect it. Now switch off the radio.While the sound of music is very healing, the cacophopny of RJ’s yakking on & endless advertisements aren’t. Have you done that? good! Now switch off the computer (after having gone thru this site, of course:), TV or any other such distractions. Switch off the lights & just savour the sound of silence for a few minutes. Its very resorative & once you try it, believe me, you’ll get hooked.
