Sex, Seduction and Sheila

"My name is Sheila, Sheila ki jawaani.. I am too sexy for you, main tere haath na aani... no no no NO! Not this song again. Since the day it released a fortnight back, all I have heard is this one song. If by gods grace its not on some radio or TV channel, then it'll definitely be on the lips of some passerby. Forget audio-visual, this song hasn't even spared the print media, with daily analysis and public reviews about the song. And don't even get me started on the online discussion forums and social networking websites, which seems to have found a new obsession of coming up with daily comparisons between this and its nearest competitor - 'The Badnaam Munni'. So much so, that even the Music channels now play both the songs in quick succession, for what I believe is to aid comparisons.

All this obsession takes me back a couple of years to the 'Kata laga' days when one tattooed girl shook the country with her seductive and audaciously bold moves when she entered the pub with a stamp on her upper chest and bared her navel with such ooze that put the whole nation on fire. As for the first time in many many years had such a daring, provocative, 'female led' video been produced. Thus giving a rebirth to the Indian chapter of Item numbers (which in its classic meaning implies highly sexualized songs with racy imagery and suggestive lyrics). But while there had been many item songs with an alluring female lead before, it was for the first time, that one had been so 'bare'fully forthcoming. Piya Tu Ab To Aaja(1971), Jawani Jaaneman(1982), Choli Ke Peeche(1993) had also been item numbers garnering huge audiences; but none of these did it with the amount of sizzle, seduction and boldness as portrayed in the Kata Laga Number or the ones after that. Chadti Jawaani, Kabhi aar kabhi paar, Pardesiya (that shot Rakhi Sawant to fame) flooded the Indian television with sexually enticing-bordering on vulgarity styled Music Videos. And if at all the Indian audience was still reclusive to the notion of semi-naked women dancing on their TV sets,  the onset of popular figures such as Bipasha in Beedi Jalai Le and Aishwarya in Kajra Re, firmly eradicated from the Indian minds any doubts about the inappropriateness of such songs. Which is why, today rather than hiding embarrassed faces from one's elders, the gen-Y finds themselves singing along such songs, when not dancing to them. Which brings me to the crux of my topic. Is this change in the current generation a sign of sexual freedom or a sign of forgotten values? It is a topic that can be well debated. 

With the advent of songs such as Sheela ki jaawani and Munni badnaam hui, I feel that India is finally coming to accept that man 'is' a sexual creature, and that young, sexually potent females do not need to be shamefully hidden behind locked doors. That she too is free to exhibit her freedom; and that she's no more afraid of not just acknowledging her desires but also of voicing them. She is now not only free to choose but also, holding the power to choose. With this I feel it would be safe to say that the Indian women have finally come of age (thankfully only metaphorically). And while all this may be a good thing, as is to every debate there also happens to be a downside of the same.

I well remember what got me started thinking about this issue. It was when a friend of mine with such enthusiasm narrated to me a dance event he had just attended. At the event, a choreography team from some college had danced to the tune of Munni Badnaam hui, and his reaction to the same was to put it subtly, of complete and utter delight. His eyes full of wonderment, his smile of lustful amaze, he narrated to me how the crowd went wild and I mean WILD when the speakers blared this song. To the normal eye, this would seem nothing out of place, after all isn't this the whole purpose of dance performances, to make the crowd go wild, but that in itself is another issue. Why would one ever want to make the crowd go wild; knowing fully well that this wildness is full of lust and this lust the creator of an evil mind and the evil mind the initiator of evil acts. Isn't this why, it is advocated in our value system not to propagate such actions. Don't get me wrong, when I say this, I do not mean to imply that all evil acts are therefore the consequences of female action, neither do I suggest that the female restrict their right to self-expression. Heck no! I completely believe that one is responsible for one's actions, irrespective of the situation. If the Y-chromosomed can not practice self control then it does not imply that the female are at fault. However, if its not ignorance then it's sheer stupidity to expect no reaction to a provocation. You can not expect the tiger not to eat if the deer comes to sleep in his kitchen. Point being, the men need to learn self-control while the women need to learn self-protection. Clearly provocation is not an example of self-protection.

The debate is endless, the counter-points many. I myself subscribe to none, and only wonder with complete unbiased inquisitiveness that how, in a country where women are still expected to hide behind a veil and are ordained to cover their hair with cloth before elders (an act which unbeknown to most, is conducted as hair was considered as a sexually attractive bodily object by our forefathers), who would have thought that women shall once roam around gushing her own sex appeal.

One Liners

Whatever you do, don't be the biggest, Be the Best

The mightiest have the farthest to fall

This world is like a sieve, where god has put in all the souls to put to test. And now it is upto us to fight the evils of this world represented by the sieve and filter on to Heaven

God is perfect. So if you want to reach god, reach for perfection.

Compromise due to love, and love due to compromise are two very different things

First learn to say ' I ' before you say "I love you"

A person cries at someone's death, not out of pity for the dead person, but out of pity for himself.

There is no better test in this world, than the test of time.

A dish amazingly garnished and decorated may sell once but unless the taste and nourishment equals the decoration it won't sell again. Similarly, a person might be extremely beautiful & attractive but unless his/her nature and character are as pure and worthy as the outer appearance, He/She is worthless.

Modern Hindu Conservatism

IN a country following a religion that preaches love, respect, tolerance, and submission to truth and one’s inner self, it is appalling to witness such intolerance of one person wishes and freedom of love for another. In the wake of the recent wave of honor killings that the North India seems to be witnessing in the name of self-respect, religious and social beliefs, one fails to understand on which adaptation of the Hindu religion have these murderous people willingly and self consciously slaughtered their very own brothers, sisters, children and grand children. In the name of sacrifice to earn the respect of the society and the wishes of ancient Hindu rituals not to allow inter-caste marriage, has the modern hindu beliefs undergone a paradigm shift from the ancient and the extremely admired form of Hindu religion. The temples of Khajurao, the teachings of Kama Sutra both an intricate aspect of ancient hindusim are bold enough to raise the brows of the today’s Westerners. Even closer home, the daily worship of the very spiritual and religiously supreme form of Hindu god, the phalanx of the Great Shiva, is considered one of the most auspicious and most commonly followed form of worship of the god. So much so that it is considered imperative for all unmarried Indian women to pour milk and seek blessing from the Shiva phalanx every day in order to find a suitable husband. Priests covered only in loincloth worship in many such temples all over the country blessing men and women from all walks of life. Why then should we show such narrow mindedness and ignorance when faced with true love blossoming between two young beings?! Why can we not disregard their caste status and instead except them for who they are and what they share amongst each other. Why should an invisible tag of belonging to a small sect of society created several hundred years ago, to group people by their occupation become an obstacle in the current modern  society when they hold no relation to that section or to the occupation of that community save for the tag that is reflected in their family name. Sociologists claim that this is done to ensure the continuity of their family name and community. But how fair is it to kill their own kin also a member of the society they claim to protect?

Hinduism has always preached love, and not just love for thy neighbour, but also love for one’s life partner. Waging epic wars to protect the love and respect between husbands and wives. Their stories have been passed on day after day to promote the existence and to emphasise the need for true love. Krisna, one of the greatest gods of Hindu mythology, was always known to be, to put it simply, a Casanova, running after gopiyas of all ages and of all castes, this despite being in love with the one woman  of his desire, whom he never actually married, but is still always associated with. And despite having such a colourful history, hindu’s today are still intolerant of most of the intimacies that take place between the two sexual beings that existed and was accepted earlier (example. Prostitution, once a much respected profession now outlawed). It is as if the hindu thought process having reached its zenith in ancient times has since then became more conservative and backward than ever before.

Partition 1947

The morning of 14^th August 1947 was no ordinary morning for young Mrs. Lily Soni. Her worst fears had come true, and the most dreaded announcement had been made. Her free and independent India had now become a divided nation.

(The left image represents the Hindu Majority Regions while the image on the right represents Muslim dominated areas. Darker Shades represent greater majority)

Roaming about the valleys of Kashmir, and enjoying the romantic moments of her newly married life, she was caught off guard when Lord Mountbatten declared India as a divided nation and East Punjab, her ancestral home, a part of another country. So while she was safely tucked away with her newly married husband in Bombay, her parents residing in the epicentre of riots – Punjab, lived the most excruciating moments of their life. Being a believer of Hindu religion, none of her family had to go through the precarious journey to Pakistan. However some of her relatives, namely her aunt late Mrs. Akshari Uppal had to take the treacherous path back to her home, India and as could be expected, the going was not easy.

With the declaration of the Partition, nearly 14.5 million people crossed the border to reach their new homeland based on their religion. According to a 1951 Census, nearly 7,226,000 Muslims went to Pakistan from India while 7,249,000 Hindus and Sikhs moved to India from Pakistan immediately after partition. It is said to be one of the largest population movements ever in recorded history. It also became the first and possibly the largest massacre in the history of the two independent nations.

With so many people hurrying to cross the border in search of a safer home, people left behind not just a land full of memories but also all their belongings, properties and hard earned wealth, hoping for a new start in a new land. At least this was the case with the cousin of a distinguished Indian Prince, who left behind her all her riches and entered India in rags, devoid of all her jewellery save those which she had successfully stolen into the nation, hidden from the prying eyes of the many robbers and looters on the way. So tough was it to carry one’s own belongings with them that many preferred to throw them deep inside their well in the hope that they shall soon return to collect it. But precious metals weren’t the only thing that the raiders were after; the sight of a pretty woman was more desirable than any gold. Because of which women too had to be hidden at the bottom of their caravan, covered by quilt, beneath one’s foot to escape the lustful eyes of the strangers. Despite this many young Hindu women were forcefully dragged away to a life of slavery at the hands of Muslim men. Rape and sexual assault had become common practice. Death too didn’t come easy for many, the ruthless nature of a mob ensured that there religious enemies died a torturous death by pulling their body of in opposite the directions until the body split into two. The sight of train full of human carcass rolling into the station was not that infrequent. Slavery, forced marriages, riots, manslaughter; they all became a regular event. Official figures peg the loss of life in the ensuing days of partition at above 1 million. The Hindus claim it was the Muslims who started the killing, while the Muslims maintain that it was the Hindu Sikhs who took to the sword first. Violence truly reached its peak in the inaugural days of independence. Ironic for a nation, that achieved its independence through non-violence.

But on the upside, the native Hindu & Muslim on either side showed a lot of compassion and benevolence towards the newly migrated refugees. Refugee camps were set up all over the country to assist those who have just entered the nation as well as for those who wish to deport to the other side. Free food and living space was provided to the residents of these refugee camps, it also served as an important place to trade properties of that they had left behind with a living quarter in their new country. Special colonies were built to accommodate the refugees. A number of schemes such as the provision of education, employment opportunities and easy loans were provided at national level to help start businesses at all-India levels. Yet many who had sprawling businesses in their pre-partition times had to make a fresh beginning from the scratch. “Mr. S C Kohli, a reputed film distributor of Pakistan, was one of the many people who maintained that partition would never take place and thus had not made any arrangements for when it eventually did happen. He was thereby forced to leave his prosperous business of film distribution in Lahore and embark on a new life in India by starting from the scratch” said Mrs. Soni.

It was only after Nathuram Godse assassinated Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi that riots and infighting truly came to an end. It took the death of the most peace loving person ever to teach the nation the lesson and importance of non-violence.