The big soap bubble is ready to burst on Indian Television. Time has come for the 8-year-old Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, (KSBKBT) with it’s immortal characters (well, they just refused to die and saw five generations), kilos of jewellery, shimmering silks, naach-gaana, rona-dhona and the  regressive approach to women, to finally reach its last chapter by end October.

Many claim that KSBKBT is reaching a natural end (phew!) but it’s actually the TV channel (please read Star Plus) which has decided to end the contract with producers Balaji Telefilms. There was a time when this very regressive Balaji soap was responsible for the increasing TRPs of the channel, but now Star wants to reinvent itself. The last two years have seen quite a downfall in its popularity.

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A bunch of hooligans chanting ‘Jai Maharashtra’ enter the Thane Railway Station in Mumbai and thirteen examination centres to rough up the students come to appear for the railway recruitment board exams. The gundas in reference are actually members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the victims are people from North India. And guess what? Nothing is done about it. I wonder why………

Let’s hear what the play actors say in this grotesque display of violence and insanity. I have taken the liberty of voicing North Indians who ufortunately are left with no option but flee for their lives.

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There is big blooper in store for Indians this festive season. A time just reserved for shopping because of the long tradition of free gifts and special offers may just get a break thanks to the dwindling value of the rupee (and the cartoon you see above may just be a part of history).

People especially waiting for the Diwali season to buy expensive appliance and household goods are very disappointed to not find the usual razmatazz with the products. And it’s not just small brands alone. Big players like LG and Samsung are also willing to hold the flow of complimentary presents and discounts.

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The present scenario in Goa reminds me of the old saying ‘all that glitters is not gold’. That is precisely the truth for India’s tourist capital in the present day. Wearing the halo of a bohemian paradise, the beach city has been in news (please read international) for all the wrong reasons.

Imagine the money that four lakh tourists must be bringing to our economy but that too will not hold for long if the law enforcers as well as protectors do not wake up from their slumber of corruption and laxity.

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Probably the only scene with sense in Salman Khan’s latest film ‘Hello’ got snipped at the hands of, may I say, our Stone Age-d Censor Board. The scene in reference is the one where actor Gul Panag asks co-star Sharman Joshi whether he is carrying a condom before they have sex.

As absurd it may sound, but the Censor actually committed the crime of stupidity. When on one hand, we get to see soooooooooo many ads on radio and TV urging us to talk about sex freely to avoid health hazards and unplanned pregnancies. After all, if the public outlook does not change we might soon be the country with largest AIDS cases in the world and of course, largest population too. Then recently, weren’t we hearing all those ‘condom, condom’ ringtones?

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I am worried about terrorism in India. Not just Islamic, which without any questions and doubts does get addressed and taken adequate action against, but also Hindu terrorism, which always escapes from the grip of authorities for lack of hard evidence. Honestly, if nothing is done about the situation in Orissa we shall probably have yet another terrorist group, but this time participated by Christians.

The ‘gorious’ work of the Bajrang Dal in Orissa is not a figment of anybody’s imagination. Innocent people are murdered in cold-blood, burnt alive, nuns raped…do we really need more facts to take a call against the religious group? PM Manmohan Singh wants to ban the group immediately but defiance within his party is problematic because they fear the BJP may reap dividends out of it. So, in the political plotting nobody really suffers but people like the Armyman who fought for our country in the Indo-Pak and Kargil War; his paralysed brother gets torched by fanatics chanting “Jai Hanuman” in Orissa.

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See the basic problem is our country is that everybody is way too busy telling you how to lead your life; ‘”do this”, “don’t do that” and what not! I mean, isn’t that how ‘unnatural sex’ aka bisexuality or homosexuality is deemed illegal. Well, if that wasn’t enough, the Maharashtrian government has come forth to give the typical Indian ‘why should I mind my own business’ attitude to the concept of live-in relationships.
 
As if the Thackerays (young and old) weren’t enough with their very own ’special’ ways, that the state cabinet has decided to put chains to those unmarried men and women living together. Apparently, the ministers approved a proposal that said that a woman involved in a live-in for a “reasonable period” should get the status of a wife. Plus the proposal also requested that the definition of the word ‘wife’ under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) be changed to ‘a woman, living with man like his wife for a reasonably long period’.

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This year Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday brought along a special gift for the aam janta in India — the ban on public smoking. Indian Health Minister Anubumani Ramadoss finally had his way after chasing the tobacco smokers for a long long time.

First, it was the ban on onscreen smoking that even targeted top notch stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. The result is no actor dares to light that offensive roll of tobacco which they sometimes carry for an effective role portrayal in front of the cameras.

Afterwards came the respect for passive smokers. Apparently, if you smoked in front of your maid she has the right to register a complaint against you. Soon, due to an amendment in the traffic laws smoking while driving was ordained illegal.

Then there were talks of introducing pictures/images of diseases caused by smoking on the cigarette box, a law which too was implemented on 2nd October. 

Ramadoss has been pummeled for his radical approach to health problems. Cigarette smoking is a major health concern facing India right now. Will these laws actually help? I, too like many others, have some doubts.
a) Will these give some more reasons to the cops to earn the extra 50 bucks?
b) Will smokers come up with ways around these laws? (I am not predicting anything, but the human mind is a great innovative machine in times of ‘crises.)
c) If India is so serious about banning the tobacco, then why not stop the production altogether? Let tobacco join the bandwagon with heroin, LSD and the likes.

All that said I am still very happy to see the government take action against cigarette smoking. Just that these laws still have some loopholes which the authorities and law enforcers should not ignore. Also, the public health care scheme should include ‘leaving tobacco’ procedures. We know how expensive they are. Maybe the government hospitals should be guided to provide the same at less or no cost.

But yes, it is indeed a pleasure to say goodbye to public smoking!

Are working women more sought after as wives than those prospective full-time homemakers? Well, most men in the Indian metros seem to be in accordance with the former. Primarily because having a wife who works at an office like you do has a series of benefits.

Double income is a huge perk. The increasingly expensive lifestyle in a country like India makes it imperative for both partners to work. In fact, beyond a point it becomes difficult to survive on just one salary. Yep, the wish list is increasing and so should the monthly income too.

The feeling of empathy is on a completely different plane altogether from contributing financially, but again equally important. Working women understand their husbands better and the pressures of his job. Plus, a working wife gets a lot of exposure and meets different people on a regular basis; this increases her info bank and makes her rather more interesting than a wife who stays home 24X7, lacks company lest the saas bahu serials and fails to understand the demanding conditions of a job. C’mon, gone are the days when opinionated women were burnt on stakes. The Indian man prefers a financially independent life partner who has a mind of her own. And if she earns more than hubby dear, the deal couldn’t be better. The complete package is vavavoooom attractive!

Indeed a huge paradigm shift in a country that always looked at women as second class citizens, who were just meant to look after the house and bear children. Not anymore. Hmmm…at this extremely modern argument, can I share my apprehensions? Ok, here I go. Working women are a good, progressive sight and stand for women lib n all. But what about children? With more and more women preferring career over children, will India end up like a second Japan? Serious food for thought.
Via thetimesofindia

It is surprising to note that Muslims in the U.K have a greater freedom than anywhere else and they receive governmental grants and funds to build mosques in prime locations in British cities including London. A predominantly Christian society, the British have been quite tolerant in accepting immigrants and also allowing them to practice their personal beliefs. However, the fate of Christians in the Muslim world is one that has to be dealt with cautiously. Christians have been persecuted and marginalized in most Middle Eastern countries and recently, in India too.

However, the idea is to live peacefully and with religious tolerance. Though Atheism and non-religious societies are always welcome and of course safer too, it is difficult to change the way people think. If the British decided to avenge the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and promptly persecute the Muslims of Britain, it would be harking back to the Middle Ages. The Old Testament law of an eye for an eye and a hand for a hand would not work in a modern society and free societies must set up an example by not tolerating ‘other’ religions but in fact discouraging overt religious behaviors anywhere. In fact, avoiding religious topics and stopping the funds for religious institutions would do well and the money could be diverted to saner purposes like education and research.

The concept of religious tolerance must be thought over and when it is thought over, we would know that there really isn’t much to think, except allow others to live productive lives while we live our own live productively.

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Via: Guardian