Monday 29 December 2014

Senitmental Fragility

This made me wonder. To give you an idea:
 Are your `Hindu' sentiments hurt by Aamir Khan's take on godmen and gods in the new Bollywood movie PK? Or by Ram Gopal Varma's queries regarding Lord Ganesha? Don't worry, the Hindu Legal Cell will address your concerns. Launched six months ago by more than 100 lawyers across India, this organisation will tackle any perceived insults against the faith, besides fighting for “Hindu human rights“.
Initially, I was in denial. Then I tried to make sense of it. I seem to have failed. 

The article in the Economic Times goes on to state the following:
“Our religion is under threat, and in India, in the name of secularism, everyone wants to protect other religions, except Hinduism,“ said Prashant Patel, a 27-year-old graduate in management and law from Delhi who's the organisation's secretary. “In India, there are some people who talk against Indian culture and get away in the name of free speech,“ he said. “But free speech should be used to talk good things and not hurt others' sentiments,“ Patel said.
Note how there is a mention of free speech. How poignantly put!

After successfully tackling trivial economic issues like poverty, corruption, illiteracy, women's safety, hunger, housing, infrastructure, water, other environmental issues, et cetera we finally seem to have taken a turn for the better. Focus on greater development and make India an economic power. Focus on protection and development of religion and take legal action against people talking smack about Indian culture, Hinduism,  and the so-called force fed faith in Gods and Godmen.

Shame on Indians. Talking about the Indian culture in myriad ways and destroying its sanctity. You have a differing opinion? How dare you? Did you not know that there is no room for independent thought?

Shame on Indians. Making movies like PK & OMG. Is it so difficult to produce item numbers and mindless Bollywood masala movies? That is what Indian culture is all about.

Shame on Indians. Watching, liking and enjoying movies like PK & OMG. What audacity! Who said your choice even mattered? It is an Indian family's birthright where everyone from grandparents to infants enjoy Munni & Sheela.

Shame on Indians. Voicing their opinions against Gods and their men. Follow them. Blindly. Now.

Shame on Indians. Using their fundamental rights in such blatantly normal ways. You live in a democracy. You have free speech. It doesn't mean you can stand against what is considered 'acceptable behaviour'.

No, no. We need to put an end to this. We need to stop this apocalypse before it takes over the country. We need to stop people from having a rational and logical thought process. They need to adhere to norms. How hard is it, really? We have been doing it for generations. We can do it for generations more!
Ram Puniyani, a leading political commentator and member of the All India Secular Forum, finds the emergence of organisations such as the Hindu Legal Cell a worrying trend amid the coming to power of the BJP-led Narendra Modi government. “This lawyers' organisation is a step in the same direction--to harass those opposing blind faith. Those promoting rational thought will be targeted and this will subtly promote Hindu religiosity.“
Rational thought? Hahaha. Even our education system doesn't have any room for this. Why should religion?
The next step for the organisation will be to expand its base in other parts of India and encourage people to file cases against any issue that impacts them.
Industrial development? Development of the service sector? B*tch, please!

On a serious note, instead of focussing on Modi's Japan model for development of the nation, we seem to be on the path to recreating a certain East Asian country's ruthless dictatorship.

I am interested in what you have to say. Leave a comment below or e-mail me.

23 comments:

  1. I read about this outrage against PK in today's Economic Times, too. At first glance I didn't realize what they were on about, but then it hit me: While I interpreted Aamir Khan/Rajkumar Hirani's criticism as being directed towards all religions, most narrow-minded Hindu imbeciles could easily misconstrue the criticism as being directed towards Hinduism alone.

    Regarding free speech, I recently wrote on answer on Quora for a question titled "Do Americans realize what the rest of the world thinks of the United States?" My answer I thus quote:

    "This is what I think of the United States, though it may not necessarily be what the rest of the world thinks.

    They take their freedom of speech very seriously, as every country that proclaims it in its constitution should. There are currently no officially banned books in the United States. There is censorship on a more local level, and books are challenged from time to time, but none are banned per se by court order. India, where we also have freedom of speech in the constitution as one of basic rights, has amassed a long list of officially banned books by the Indian government: List of books banned in India (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_banned_in_India)

    Most of these books are banned for religious or political reasons. A country that not only claims free speech but also to be secular, is in reality adhering to neither. The eight basic constitutional rights is just a platitudinous plaque to show to the rest of the world with a smirk: "Look, we, too, have freedom of _____ here." "

    (https://www.quora.com/Do-Americans-realize-what-the-rest-of-the-world-thinks-of-the-United-States/answer/Akash-Chandra-1?)

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    1. Did you notice what that guy said?

      "But free speech should be used to talk good things and not hurt others' sentiments"

      It feels like a seat in that law college was wasted!

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    2. Yeah, these dimwits have a hard time understanding the purpose of free speech. If everybody said only nice things about everything, we wouldn't need free speech. The whole idea of having freedom of speech is to protect the dissenting voices and the unwelcome opinions, alone as they might stand. What that idiot said is about as ludicrous as saying that right to education should only be restricted to rich kids. Rich kids can afford education with or without the right. It's the poor and the destitute who can't afford it who need the right, so that the government cannot say no when such a kid wants to learn.

      On this note, Jon Stewart did a FANTASTIC piece on free speech when someone was attacking Islam. It's hilarious because it's so witty and true at the same time. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhe8uafs5IE

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    3. Actually, I posted the wrong link earlier. It's this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE80NuMkvg8

      :)

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  2. Films like PK and OMG are eye-openers. They've very precisely shown the real scenario, the blind, baseless faith that are instilled in people's minds and businesses which are flourishing in the name of God.

    "But free speech should be used to talk good things and not hurt others' sentiments,“..haha. Period.

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    1. Very rightly said. 'Eye-opener' being the operative word.

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  3. I havent seen the movie.. I remember we had the same issue when OMG released. Also Haider invited a lot of criticism frm imbeciles who think it was anti-Indian.

    This post was too good!

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    1. The absurdity increases here with professionals like lawyers advocating blind faith in the name of religion!

      Thank you! :) Glad you stopped by. :)

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    2. Also, do share. Thanks. :)

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  4. The problem is in "Unity in diversity". By nationality we are Indians but by religion we are diverse and it is this diversity that becomes a tough thing to digest at times. It becomes even more troublesome if we are to look from art perspective. Art has no religion no nationality, no borders, how do you justify a true piece? how do you appreciate it? Entertainment however has different meaning to different individuals.
    Someone rightly put it, movies like PK are eye-openers. Yes as a movie it entertains but at the same time it leaves you thinking, asking "did I touch you? if yes in what way?"

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  5. thank god they dont have fatwah or something like roman church order of god. ;)

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  6. It's awesome article... reminded me one of the best diaglog from the movie OMG that was "Dharm insan ko ya to aatankwadi banata hai ya majboor"... These lines are so true and deep in meaning...

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  7. 'Religion' is the biggest business today and films like PK and OMG raise questions against the 'management' of these businesses... so 'managers' of religion would inevitably feel threatened and come out with such agendas. And a law college degree can just be a 'degree' for some people., not necessarily it will enlighten them from within. I am not surprised. Rather such reactions are expected because this is India. Great article!

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    1. Hello! Yes, you are right about "knowing from within". A degree is but a piece of paper. But, aren't we all depending on education in the right sense to take this nation forward?

      Thank you:)

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  8. 'Religion' is the biggest business today and films like PK and OMG raise questions against the 'management' of these businesses... so 'managers' of religion would inevitably feel threatened and come out with such agendas. And a law college degree can just be a 'degree' for some people., not necessarily it will enlighten them from within. I am not surprised. Rather such reactions are expected because this is India.. Great article!

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  9. Well, that escalated quickly. Great article.

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  10. IMO, the people who have an issue with movies like PK and OMG are those whose shops are being threatened. The Godmen. So, they use their considerable influence to get politicians, lawyers and social commentators to create this ruckus. Even if a few of their followers started to think like the protagonists in the movies, their profits will suffer :(

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    Replies
    1. Very true. This indirectly halts their financial inflow: the main reason they are into this business.

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  11. And I was idiotic enough to think when I watched the movie on the release day that majority of the Indians would appreciate the eye opener theme.My understanding was that the movie targeted godmen of all religions, or did my idiotic brain forget to think like a devoted hindu??!!!

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    Replies
    1. Rational thinkers apparently have no right to question and hope to receive fathomable answers.

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