Nidana Heights - e-Choupal - Response

Pretext: Reference here is to the delicious and ear-loving speech delivered by Javed Akhtar Ji in parliament regarding the 15th April 2013 girl child gang rape (heinous of heinous face of brutality).

Personal note before proceeding ahead: Being a stage performer since childhood and a small theater artist of seasonal art and theatre, I have been influenced and thrilled by your creativity and writing charisma thus the contribution towards Indian Cinema by you; so whatever I am going to write here may be sour but value of your art and creativity to me would always be of the level it has been throughout my life. It is immortal and forever in my heart for and will always be.

Content: Now I proceed to the points I want to make. Yesterday's (22nd April) exhaustion by you in parliament was nothing but a mere ceremony to divert the attention of public similar to the way done by Delhi Police Commissioner and Home Minister pertaining to this particular incident. You brought three points of Cinema, Consumerism (Liberalization) and Westernization on desk, which were beautifully briefed but what you might miss-presented was somewhat awkward to me thus felt the impression of you being defensive in your speech:

Akhtar Saheb, be remembered each object/subject in world of existence has both side of a coin, whether it is the point of cinema, liberalization (consumerism) and westernization. I equally emphasize on the positive aspects of these fields, but who will hold or bear the responsibility of shits (the negatives) spreading over in communities by the same factors? I think the recently recorded video by our beloved cricketer Harbhajan Singh (Bhajji Paa Ji) on use of molded and mischievous languages and its absurd artistic presentation by some/many of Indian artists may help you in understanding my point (video enlisted in references below).

Your speech was nothing but throwing back the responsibility on public. Though it was half way true also but what about the other unpleasant half? If India cinema has the wonderful history of movies like Sholay, Mother India, Mughl-e-aajam, it carries the dark side with incidents like cancelation of concerts/programs of singers like Honey Singh (not so old story - 2013’s new eve programs from him were either canceled or postponed). And I can trace back a list of such malfunctions in hundreds starting from very first movie of Indian Cinema by “Dada Saheb Falke” in 1913 across the adultery cinema propagated by famous legendry icon from Kapoor’s of Indian Cinema during 70’s and 80’s through till date. And reason being is known to all of us.

If under table money is called as bribery in offices, bureaucracy and politics then adultery is the bribery of cinema industry. It is such a big bribery that once time upon met to bankruptcy the RK studio got second time life respiration. Otherwise even the animals of my village also know how to expose, how to do sex and how to make love, so what special on the name of art and theatre your industry serves or has been serving us by taking adultery means?

Another examples being the 16th December gang rape incident happened exactly after the release of movie KLPD and exactly the same scene was portrayed by the perpetuators which was shown in this movie, like the way of abducting the girl, strolling with her on roads of Delhi? I don’t blame that they did it only just after the release of this movie but dare you assert that they might have taken this idea from KLPD movie?

More and quite often the statements like “We serve what people see” or “We work for earning and put what can get us the maximum of business” are heard from cinema fraternity of almost all genres like director, actor, producer etc. Do you find any kind of sense of responsibility in such kind of retrograding statements? What is the difference between the time to time murmured statements like these and recent statements of Delhi Police Commissioner and Home Minister? Don’t you anyway see any correlation between the two? Such lines don’t undermine the positive contribution to society from personalities like you and it is the dark face of your profession, isn’t it?

Movies and theatres have been source of motivation for different people of different aspects. There is enough stuff available in movies for a man to become as wiser as one can imagine but on the contrary there is enough material accessible to become as heinous, brutal, criminal or spoiled as possible for one. I don’t mind when you wish to grab credit for former point here but you should also bear the responsibility for the later point too. And believe me I would have applauded you unanimously if you would have come saying that yes despite the fact that cinema has contributed distinctively positive to society; it may also have been the motivation behind drastic tragedies like gang rapes and any other.

You wrote so many scripts but have you ever taken a biz in writing scripts pertaining to pure cultural roots like the Haryanvi culture? Have you ever searched and promoted the means had prominently been practiced in these areas, which were sufficient enough to make a man of self control and character? That’s a different story that your films hardly showered blessing on Haryanvi culture and always found absent on it, in an impression of which Haryanvi youth always found perplexed and unconfident to take which rout, the one shown in movies or the one inherited from family?

Now the points put by you:
1. Cinema and Item Songs: You took example of three south Indian states to prove your point but forgot to mention that
  1. These are the three states which are most affected with the evil traditions like “Devdasi” (which still in practice even after legal ban, references put in bibliography) and they are home to international women trafficking mafia. Have you counted these unsaid and by birth accepted lines of woman degradation and crimes from these states, while presenting figures on rape? No, then what would you call it happening to these women, isn’t it a form of forced rape or slavery; if to say on more demonizing note? Isn’t it as heinous and severe issue as female feticide or rapes found in any north or anywhere state in India? Have you ever seen the National Police Crime Bureau reports and then did a proper analogy while patting specific states for something you cheers? One of the states acclaimed by you tops the list on crime against woman (look at reference 5 and 6 from bibliography below).
  2. And if for instance crime against woman in these states is lesser, then it is because theirs is the most uniform society where as the areas like North India (NCR in focus) is an amalgamation of almost all races and cultures of India? And also on the same track taken by you that women rapes is not an invention of a decade or two, the amalgamation of various cultures and races in North India is also not of a decade or two, rather it starts back as old as 10 centuries and still in continuation. And undoubtedly the uniformity in society is always better than an amalgamated society when it is talked on crime index. You may find this amalgamation in three-four major cities of the states from your list but states in North India especially like Haryana and Punjab, theirs each village is/has been an amalgamation at some point and for or since decades and centuries, because of which evils like biased gender ratio, veil tradition, goggling narghile are found most in these states (though that is a different story that people never found discussing on why Kerala has the most biased sex ration of other side? Why only 922 males over 1000 females there? And if it is accredited to natural birth then upto which extent you would like to pretend the same stand where ratio is reverse that of Kerala?).
    
    People are changing but what the most challenging factor thwarts the native races of these regions is the nonstop continuous amalgamation of different races and it seems endless to them. And in such amalgamation, it is always hard to pin-point which race is more criminal and which is sober; one may like to take help of organizations like MNS or Shivsena to pin-point the most criminal ones? Thankfully that in this regard the native races of north India are/have been more democratic since ages and at least till date no issue of regionalism or lingualism is sought on such an higher level as in Mumbai.
  3. Why out of 14000 cinemas Nationwide 8000 are just in three south Indian states? I agree that south Indian people are more sensitive towards art and culture though north Indians are also not so tragic on it. The point of difference is that governments of these states promote and finance the cinema and art there. They properly and independently have budgets, resources and departments for theatre and cinema. And it all happens because they have properly decided on their state language and ambiguity. In south India specific groups have hold over the finance and income coming from cinema and they are properly conserved with their rights, where as in North India it’s nothing here.
    
    In north Indian states like Haryana, the governments are no way near to declare the most widely spoken language and the language on the basis of which Haryana got the name Haryana, “the Haryanvi language” as the state’s primary language. They play politics on the name of language even. They have time to declare primary and secondary languages but no concern on the promotion and assertion for the language which the state is home to and in such situation you expect the states to become theatre and art flourishing?
    
    Yes they are but on small scale. There is incubated talent in state but except a few majority of them are creeping in absence of no government aids and supports. Never the late could you please put this voice of Haryanvi artist in Rajyasabha to your government and that also after being an artist of top genre? Or you also believe in territorial representation while in politics?
  4. South Indian states mentioned by you are the most superstitious states and it is not just my say, you can easily google and find as many as facts you want in support of this point. These are the states which you can easily convince with your art and theatre either this way or that way. Where as in North India, people don’t easily go sheeple on such things.
2. Westernization: You said, ”If so then rapes should be more in western countries and their papers and T.V. programs should be flooded /floated with such news”. With due respect to your senses have you ever imagined the level of infrastructure, basic facilities, human protection sensitivity and highest rate of action on complains in these countries? Can you make a comparison on these parameters with what is available on counters in India?
  
  Another point, I have seen that people here are not even 10% on index of pain and irresponsiveness from administration. When it comes to delay in delivering services and facilities we Indians are at least 10 time higher capable because we are thrashed on habit of waiting and adjusting at every stage in our system by both legal as well as social. Try to put the westerns in shoe of living and earning conditions of an Indian and then compare, I bet you if they could even survive in conditions in which your Indian does; forget about an output of improper, irresponsible and indecent behavior from them in such situations.
  
  Moreover don’t misinterpret the statics here, crime and rape indices are no way lesser in these countries than India and you might have heard on same in similar T.V. debates going on this issue that U.S. is no way less in crime against women than India and that too after being a developed country of facilities and infrastructure. Do a google and see who from the world is at the top list of rapist index and undoubtedly you shall find these only countries? And when it comes to gender sensibility, they are as equal sensible as Indians. Read the 7th reference from bibliography in support of this point.
3. Consumerism: You said “If it is because of consumerism then European society should be the most affected”. When to talk on rape index about consumerism, you should first provide the administrative functionaries like these countries have, individual social security systems like these countries have and then compare. Their administrative bodies hold a proper responsibility and liability to even a scratch on your body, so you can imagine that responding to a rape victim for them would be of what level priority? So first bring that sensitivity in system responsible and then let’s do a comparison between the two. Don’t forget you are protecting consumerism in a nation where even Home Minister and Commissioner level bureaucrats show insensitivity of lowest level, then forget about the sensitivity of 3rd or 4th class employee of your system.
  
  Can you even imagine the level of social security system in these countries in comparison to what you and your governments have been delivering in our nation? You are appointed as an MP to prestigious Rajyasabha of India and it should be a question of shame in as equal proportion to any other MP so to you. You didn’t even speak a single word on it. Do you know sir; consumerism only can survive if individuals are fed-up with timely and quality services on which your government and system creep on grounds.
  
  I hope that you also have the idea that US economy which is claimed to be the most consumer based economy is on the verge of fart? Why on verge of fart because consumerism has yielded the capitalism there and capitalisms have been the reason behind worldwide famous revolutions like the 1760’s French Industrial revolutions.
  
  Consumerism can’t serve the people in equality in a country where resources and money is hold by a specific group of society, but it is the fact that consumerism is like that. Sir, you being in government of India please assure us something on establishing a profound social security system like European Countries and then only compare their consumerism with ours. Their consumerism provides security, is liable and responsible. Where as in our country consumerism treats us as a commodity, use and throw item put their ambitions on us and expects us to earn them money using our purchasing power and in return they owe no responsibility to human sensitization, such the kind of consumerism you want us to live in?