A Nation without spine

At last, I saw the much talked about documentary, "Daughters of India" and frankly, my head is spinning and I am consumed with complete revulsion not only because of its content but also what has followed after the documentary was made public and subsequently banned! 

As a human being I feel numb and ashamed by this entire controversy. How can anyone be interested in giving voice to a hardcore criminal, who doesn't flinch while indulging in barbaric, dastardly acts of inhuman cruelty? I wonder, if women have any hope in this Nation without a spine? Or for that matter, any where in the world, at all?  

The case against criminals covered in the documentary is sub judice. In my personal opinion, despite all the claims by the maker of the documentary, it was filmed surreptitiously showing no regard for Indian laws for voyeuristic purposes that smells British hangover of colonial supremacy over India laced with moralistic tone. 

Honestly, the way the whole documentary stresses misogynistic mindsets of criminals and their lawyers, the smugness of the rapist, who despite the proof still maintains his innocence and the manner in which "views" of the criminals and their family members are contrived makes one wonder if the purpose for this documentary was to create sensation. Why should a viewer need to listen to the rapist, a psychopath gloating, "She (the victim) should just have been silent and allow the rape." ?! We already know about such filthy mindsets from our own backyards, work places and society. It is high time we DID something about it and started working on finding solutions right from the grass root level. 

One more equally shocking truth in this entire episode of controversy is the failure of the government in enforcing law when the documentary was filmed. Instead of going in denial and cry foul, as a Nation we must admit and accept the fact that this documentary and the manner in which it was filmed flouting all the Indian rules is a clear reflection inability of Indian state to implement its own laws. As a Nation we stand exposed with our fault lines yet again! 

It is time for deep introspection. And introspect we must! Because lynching of an alleged rape victim is NOT an answer to crime against women! It is a matter of shame if we still don't realise it.

A bad girl, a good boy !

As I write this post, there is a heated discussion going on television and the digital space is berserk with controversy about the interview of one of the convicts of Nirbhaya's gang rape and murder for a documentary by a British film maker for BBC.

The sum and substance of the interview is a reflection of regressive mindset, flawed attitude, a harsh reality of a parochial mental outlook towards women that seep through India:

1. "A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy."

2. "You can’t clap with one hand – it takes two hands. A decent girl won't roam around at 9 o'clock at night.

3. "A boy and a girl are not equal. Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes."

4. "About 20 per cent of girls are good.

6. "The death penalty for a rapist will make things even more dangerous for girls. Earlier, they would rape and say, ‘Leave her, she won’t tell anyone.’ Now when they rape, especially the criminal types, they will just kill the girl. Death.”

Abhorrent! To say the least, right? 

Last week, a loud, satirical poster, titled, "A bad girl"("Ek buri ladki") went viral on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Derived from the aesthetics of old-school Indian Adarsh Balak posters, this one shows a sari-clad woman indulging in activities that are usually deemed unsuitable for her. So, there she is — pouting, smoking, drinking, riding a bike, raving in Goa, watching pornography, letching at boys and falling in love in a park, walking around with open hair, she cannot make proper rotis, eats too little or too much and above all, she has breasts!!

Needless to say why this satirical poster has received stardom on digital media!

The internet is a vast repository of images that not only fails to amuse us but also helps us have glimpse of what is going on in our society. Every single day, we read about inhuman acts of sexual perversion, abuse, kidnapping, rape, incest, burning, acid attacks, dowry deaths, and so many gruesome acts of oppression of women, across all categories and class, that such news sound very "routine." 

Ask any woman, how it feels to be raped through eyes of sick men with deviant minds. Listen to their pain and humiliation of being groped by some pervert at the crowded place. We claim to honour and worship Goddess Shakti and respect her personification in women. We take pride in "Indian culture" and our "age old traditions" and fight for it when it is threatened. Let's do the realty check. 

None of the crimes I mentioned above, really shame us! The truth of our reality is in female infanticides being devoured by sewages from rural as well as global metro cities. Our reality is charred bodies in dowry and tandoor deaths. Our reality is, painfully disturbing, rotting stench of female foetuses and the hanged bodies of "honour killings". This is our TRUE "culture" and the manner in which we "honour" women. 

Rapists don't belong to any particular city, caste or community. This is a kind of breed is product of environment, that treats women as commodity, to be used, abused and treat inhumanly without iota of any guilt or shame. Such mindset gets nurtured from very formative years that deeply ingrain the message that men are superior to women. I bemoan lack of will and vigilance that any civilized society should display and be accountable for. It is sad that we lack basic education in humanity and forget that education starts from home. 

I am neither a feminist nor do I believe that all men are perverts. As a human being, every time I read about oppression of women, or for that matter any human being, I lament death of basic humanness that connects us all. 

The excerpts from the interview of one of the convicts of Nirbhaya case are painfully shocking and while it might brew our blood, it is imperative to check if we are teaching our children right values. 

This moment too shall pass!

Things have been different around the house off lately. It is past midnight and as I write this, there is complete quiet here. Not the usual, joyful, serenely comforting calm of my home but the suffocating silence and it is unsettling. 

I am feeling bit rung out of energy with my tired body that is uncooperative to the will. My mind is constantly reiterating on doing double time with me even while I am on verge of collapse any moment! It is a very peculiar feeling to be physically exhausted, emotionally drained and yet your mind wanting to work relentlessly. While my body and mind struggle to have a compatible, synchronized rhythm, there is a quiet riot in my heart. I am stressed, withdrawn, looking blankly outside my window.

I stare vacuously at the screen of my laptop. A glance at the photo on the screen and it brings alive, hues of twilight sky. I look out from the window with weary eyes and the silhouettes of a quiet night calms my nerves for a moment. The cool breeze, a few shining stars and random barking of a street dog keep me company while weight of each moment passing by becomes difficult to bear. 

At the table near me are the medical files of my mother in law on which I have worked for last four hours, planning next course of action, figuring out how to accommodate her dozens of tests and counseling sessions with psychiatrist in a routinely frazzled schedule. Having a cancer patient in the house is painfully long and deeply exhausting experience.   

I am on the brink, physically and emotionally. A casual insensitive remark a relative made last week rings in my mind, yet again! I can't stop thinking how inflicting pain seems to be uniquely human trait because in Nature, creatures kill one another for the sake of food, dominance or territory. Why do we do it? Why do we stand by and watch others passively while they suffer and add to their pain and attain joy out of it? Some incidents bruise you deeply questioning the very basis of relationships within family and outside it. Past few months, me and my family have experienced harrowing time.

Not many of us honour life but when people fail to disregard decorum and sanctity that life threatening illness naturally commands, the realization numbs you.

I keep reminding myself "this moment too shall pass". From across the window I hear little chirping of birds, indicating arrival of new day. I dash to the bed praying God to grant me and my family all the strength and equilibrium to help us pass through this difficult phase in our life and ability to accept what is beyond our control and garner acceptance and serenity. 

Snapshots from Kala Ghoda Festival 2015

Mumbai's nine days of high energy revelry and cultural festivities that reminds one of a carnival, The Kala Ghoda Festival got over! Each year, I regale in its hangover for few days but unfortunately, this time, I could not pay as many visits as I would have ideally loved to, due to time constraints. 

I have done enough talking about KGAF in my last post. So, presenting here is a glimpse of some of the art installations and artefacts I clicked during my two visits to KGAF amidst all the chaos around! 

 

A peep into Kala Ghoda Festival 2015

One of the most popular events that define the core character of beautiful city of Mumbai, through its various hues, The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, is back! I have been able to pay visit only once so far to this community celebration of arts, culture, crafts and life in general at one of the most beautiful and historic precincts of Mumbai, The Kala Ghoda Art District. 

Like it happens every year, the art installations have drawn people and are deeply engaging for the viewers, even for the people who would not ordinarily cross the threshold of a gallery. A work of art can have certain influence and yet connect to its viewer regardless of its social, political or cultural conditioning. What ultimately matters is the object of art itself, that is, the physical or intellectual expression of the artist’s vision and intent, and how it relates to the viewer who engages with it. Remember that quote, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” ?When a piece of art is installed in a public place then it has to be interactive as a visual and also intellectual, wherein the spectator has an opportunity to take away something every time he/she encounters the piece. Or else, it will be considered as a just another statue at a cross road! 

I find quality of visitors at KGAF an interesting mix and not necessarily only art loving folks. Albeit, I was shocked to find many people abusing art installations by climbing/sitting on them or holding some part of the installations and getting too close for sake of getting a good shot! When reminded, that they were not supposed to cross the line drawn around the art installations, many people were found shockingly rude and I was told to "mind my own business". I cringed to see so many beautiful art installations broken due to mishandling of visitors. 

For art to meet its purpose, it should reach out to every person on the street and not be restricted to only elites. In India, unfortunately, we fail to understand that sense of responsibility expected from viewers to respect art and the artists. Most of the times, in my observation, people don't even bother to read about the work of art at display to understand its nuances or interact with the artists present at KGAF. They are more interested to get that "perfect shot" even if that means shoving and pushing others! I hope the KGFA organizers take a serious note of this and address these issues from next year. Art is an important part of our core identity. It is our moral obligation as viewers to respect our heritage and culture.

Each year, the KGAF, packs immensely creative activities for all the age groups; be it music, dance, visual arts, literature, theatre, food, films, pottery, photography, street art, heritage walks or  a number of workshops on several topics. No matter how hard one tries, it is difficult to participate in all activities as so much happens there every single day! This quintessentially Mumbai cultural event provides space for everybody; the elites, the kitschy, the eccentrics, the commoners and the unconventional ones...all feel absolutely welcome and at home here as there is something for everyone and therein lies its appeal!

I intend to catch a much detailed glimpse of KGAF in next few days. Do look out for some more photographs and stories here!