Detention of KHANS or Retention of AMERICAN PARANOIA????

The news item which has engaged the entire nation into a debate is SRK's detention and frisking in US last week. Now there are various school of counterviews coming into this fiasco and why not, when the cynosure is the the man who draws the maximum attention of his countrymen after Amitabh Bachhan, Sir Sachin Tendulkar, The Prime Minister and the ever so happening Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav. Its not that he is garnering so much attention because of the fact that he is the Numero Uno entertainer of the country but its also because a huge mass of population loves to hate him too, attributing it to his overacting stints, extremely arrogant mannerisms or for his irritating die hard penchant to be in the news all the time. All in all the entire nation takes a keen note of his moves and life for reasons ranging from love, hate, extreme fan following to criticism of the highest degree. But strangely enough, what's interesting to note in this episode is, he himself is not the one who is calling all this attention, but its the media and the common people who are blowing the issue out of proportion. Mr Khan has categorically said that he neither wants an apology of any sort nor he wants a tit for tat with his contemporaries in Hollywood, rather he mocked the entire incident saying that, yes he was a bit disturbed with the entire Quizzing session, as any normal human being would have but he laughed it off by saying that if given a chance he would love and cherish to frisk Anjelina Jolie and Megan Fox for over 66 minutes to have the time of his life.

In fact if it would have been any celebrity much smaller in stature to him, he/she would have done the same thing too, by calling up the Indian Consulate and asking for help. I don't think Bobby Darling would have done anything different to what SRK did and even that would have drawn the same media coverage. But what's disappointing is the fact that people are blabbering their outrage and disliking or support and solidarity for the man just based on their personal affinity for the star, and in turn terming it an unfortunate incident or a publicity stunt. Now factually speaking does he actually need to do all this cheap stuff to gain publicity??? A man who has given the biggest hits in the history of Indian cinema, so what if he has broken all the records of overacting and repeatedness in all his roles, a man who is anyways always in the news be it because of his star studded cricket team, so what if his team has got badly butchered and battered by even the teams of the likes of Chinchpokli Mohalla Eleven. I don't think he needs to do all this to be in the news, its absolutely rubbish! Now how the entire matter should have been dealt is an altogether different issue, that whether the government intervention and their press notes were actually called for or not. But what has happened over last few months in terms of frisking and detention, be it with SRK or be it with his highness Mr APJ Kalam, is seriously worth giving a thought.

Now personally I feel there are two aspects attached to this, which people are intermingling as per their convenience or as per their liking or disliking for the stars involved in these fiasco. One of the aspect is, 'When it comes to security and safety checks, should be treat the VIPs and V VIPs with the same yardstick with which a common man is treated?' and the secondly ' Is it true that United States of America has actually crossed its limits and have exhibited the highest degree of paranoia when it comes to dealing the Muslim or Asian people?'. Now there is a very thin line between these two aspects, which media is overlooking for its benefit, understandably so to increase its viewer ship and revenues. And the common man is overlooking this demarcation to show their loyalties or hatred against its star, as the case may be, without actually understanding the situation in terms of practicality. Now if we talk of the 1st aspect, which argues about the special treatments being given to the celebs in terms of security and safety checks, there is nothing wrong in treating them at par with the common man, and I believe no celebrity who has got even an ounce of brain will object to it. But if we talk of the second aspect which actually frisks the travelers all the more just because of his nationality or his faith, it is absolutely OUTRAGEOUS! A Hindu, Catholic or a Sikh traveler should be frisked and cross examined with the same rigorousness with which a Muslim traveler is being frisked. Because if Muslim envoy can cause a 9/11, even a Hindu contingent can demolish the sacred Babri Masjid. Though America has been successful in avoiding any untoward event after 9/11 due to its excellent and tight security measures but by crossing these lines every time, they are doing nothing but inciting the islamic radical groups and outfits to act against them. They are by no means lreducing the hatred which the middle east and far east extremists carry against them, but they are only catalyzing the hate process even more. On the same lines, the media and the common man should also show some restraint and express their outright views on such contentious issue with utmost caution.

And abhorring a man only because one dislikes him in other walks of life and so whatever he does needs to be criticized is absolutely unfair and so is the fact of blindly appreciating him just for the simple reason that he is a heartthrob, and whatever he does is worth a clap. We need to behave maturely now when it comes to alienate between our personal choices and the macro issues, otherwise we are doing no good to ourselves but just frisking our minds unnecessarily. Very much the AMERIKAN style:)!!!!

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Are we really proud of being INDIAN???

Why is it so that we tend to get this patriotic feeling only twice in the year, once on 26^th January and once on 15^th of August? I guess that too is mainly because of the fact that the media, be it print media or electronic media makes a lot of hullabaloo about it by showcasing special shows and documentaries on patriotism and greatness of Indian nation. Otherwise we spend the entire year cursing and cribbing about our nation by comparing it with the more developed western nations. And those people who have been to those countries continuously lament by giving instances like, that particular country is so damn clean that even if you throw a banana waste anywhere other than in the dustbin, you ought to pay a very heavy fine, but if we see the case of our great Indian nation, people make it a point to throw there waste everywhere but in the dustbin. Agreed it is not acceptable and people should take some responsibility for the society and the nation, but ever wondered if somebody slips and meets with an accident by the virtue of that banana waste on the street, dozens of strangers come to your rescue selflessly, which is in total contrast to you being on your own in a similar situation in any of the those tidy developed country. Yes it’s a fact, and that’s makes our country so different, and that’s how you identify with that feeling of being Indian, so cared and so loved! Similarly we have this habit of cribbing that the standard of movies being made in Hollywood is much higher and technological advanced in comparison to the ones being made in India, there is no denying this fact too, that those movies are notches up when we talk of quality and technology and we have to do a lot of catching up, but what is painful is whenever we happen to make a really good movie, be it Lagaan, be it Slum dog Millionaire or be it Swades, which are being appreciated worldwide for its excellent showcasing of Indian culture, we are the ones who eventually end up criticizing them by cribbing that those movies portrayed poverty, illiteracy slavery to Englishmen etc etc, I am not arguing that just because of these few movies we are at par with the ones being made elsewhere, but at least we should respect and feel proud about our creations too, after all all the Indians are individually and collectively the ambassadors of Indian culture and its values and we should feel proud about being a part of these success stories. Similarly there have always been instances, where our players who represent our nation in various sports, when they travel abroad are subjected to racial discrimination and abuses just because for those countrymen, our sportsmen belong to a third world nation, their talent, their skills all go for a toss, but on the contrary just think, how do we treat any foreign contingent coming in India for any sporting or for any activity, we treat them we all the love, care and affection irrespective of the ill-treatment we might have received in their homeland, this is because we follow the principle of ‘Atithi Devo Bhav’ (guest is god). And this particular treatment is unique in itself and makes our country stand apart, we should all be proud about this inherent quality in all of us. There can be many such examples which one can actually make us realize these things and compel us to feel proud about ourselves and our nation. But the fact is we don’t need any particular dates or occasions to feel proud about our nation and our Indianness, we should feel proud about our nation, its legacy and its values all the time. Though we need to constantly strive for improvement but it should never be at the expense of weakening of our strengths or with a feeling of dejection or belittlement. Because at the end of it we don’t always need to win an Olympic gold or climb Mount Everest to make our nation feel proud, we can be ourselves and just follow our inherent values wholeheartedly to feel proud about ourselves, our nation and our Indianess.

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WADA or erstwhile TADA!!!!

If you were not entertained enough with the twists, turns and drama which Rakhi Sawant provided to the entire nation, then there is no need to get disheartened. The latest deadlock between BCCI and WADA(World Anti Doping Agency) is giving enough food for thought to keep our voracious appetite for such entertaining news fulfilled. Now the clause which is causing this major ruckus is something like this-

“Players should inform the ICC at the beginning of every quarter (three-month period) of the year, a location and time that they will be available for an hour each day in that quarter for testing. If a player changes his/her schedule in between, then he/she needs to update the whereabouts information to the nodal officer either online or even through SMS. However, if the player is not in the location at the time specified, he/she will have a strike recorded against his name. Three such strikes and the player will have breached the code and can face up to a two-year suspension from the game.”

I really can’t stop laughing reading this hilarious clause which has turned out to be a bone of contention for Team India and BCCI, so what this means is that if unfortunately in the middle of any quarter Yuvraj Singh suffers from loose motion and he is forced to visit the loo more frequently than his routine morning call, then he will have to immediately inform the officials about this, otherwise if he is unable to answer their calls thrice because of being in such a bad state, he will be suspended from the game for 2 years! Hahahahahahaha…Goodness me! Or for that matter if Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s manages to have a new girl friend and plans a date with her, so he will have to inform the officials about the reasons for choosing this new chic and what led Mahi to choose for a particular dating spot, and may be what all Mahi did on that date! Utter stupidity…I really don’t understand the rationale behind this clause and infact I am myself unaware of any individual who knows everything he is gonna do for next 3 months.

Now the logic which is being given against Team India and BCCI is, that 571 sporting bodies across the world have already accepted it, so why the heck are you not accepting it. Now I don’t understand 1 simple thing, that if 571 odd people or group buckle down to a stupid clause, does it become a Universally acceptable fact??? And how many of those who have already signed this clause are actually fine with it, the answer to this is NONE, if not some. Nobody wants to have a public display of their lives, and if you are a celebrity you are bound to safeguard your personal life even more. Now the argument put forth behind this is, even players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have signed it so what’s the fuss with Men in Blue? But the flip side remains that even these super stars have raised their concerns against this draconian law. Now another truth of the fact is, most of sporting bodies amongst these 571 sporting bodies are not the ones who administer Team Sports but are the ones governing individual sporting events, like archery, athletics, swimming, tennis etc, mostly the Olympic games. So an individual sportsperson is more liable to succumb to these laws than a team as a whole, because otherwise his survival is at stake, but a team on the other hand can take a collective stand and actually raise their voice against anything they find objectionable. Agreed that players like Federer and Nadal are too rich to actually succumb against untoward pressures of any kind, but at the same time, the governing bodies under which they perform aren’t that rich as BCCI. So they don’t enjoy the same support and backing of their administering bodies, hence they have no option left but to adhere to these norms.

Also, the main objective of WADA is to have an environment which facilitates fair play, free from all sorts of cheatings related to drugs and dopings. And Team India and BCCI have never opposed to any form of tests at any point, infact BCCI was among the first cricket boards to actually become WADA compliant. Their simple argument is, Team India plays for over 9 months in a year, so they are open for any tests for 265 days, now what they are asking for is just some space for themselves for 90 odd days. And even in that period they are ready for any tests and investigations as and when notified by the officials, so what’s the point in disclosing an hourly detail well in advance when the players are themselves available for any tests at any point of time with some prior notice, be it their playing season or be it their non playing season. Now the funniest aspect in all this are the people involved in moral policing of Team India, Saina Nehwal, Abhinav Bindra, Sania Mirza, Mahesh Bhupathi to name a few. Now with all due respect to these sportspersons who have done lots for Mother India and made us all proud time and again, the simple question against this argument is, Do they play as much of their sport in the year as Team India plays??? Statistically the answer is NO, but even if some say YES, that even they also play as much as the cricketers do, then the counter question is, Will their sporting body ever support them, if they go in the lines of these cricketers??? The answer would again be NO because none of the supporting body is as cash rich as the BCCI is, so they can’t even think of going against anything, even if they know something is wrong. Now one last question to those eminent and great sportsmen, Does anybody with the name of Dawood Ibrahim or Hafiz Muhammad Saeed(Lashkar-e- Taiba chief) even knows them, leave apart threatening them for life??? I am sure the answer for this will also be a sure NO. So why on earth people aren’t understanding this fact that the concerns which Indian Cricketers are raising are not just confined to safeguarding there personal lives but they are also for there safety and security which is under a constant threat from various quarters, because of the huge fan following and mass appeal which these people and this Game enjoys in this part of the world. Infact the threat which these people face is much much bigger than what other prominent sportspersons face who are even bigger in stature and talent than these cricketers.

The common cause of dissent among all is the fact that BCCI is misusing its financial might to maneuver things as per its convenience. And I totally agree with this, that if BCCI is in a position to call its shots the reason behind that is definitely the financial supremacy of BCCI over all its contemporaries. And what’s wrong in that, rather than being ruled by white men in every sphere for ages, it should be treated as a welcome change, and we all Indians should relish this, that atleast somewhere we are in a position to dictate terms. If we talk in practical terms, BCCI might also adhere with these controversial rules, may be with some minor tweaks, but the truth of the fact will always remain that if you have the power FLAUNT it and USE it, because in this competitive world you wont get many such opportunities to use your power to your own advantage, even if you are fighting for a right cause, be it WADA or its erstwhile equivalent TADA!

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Reality Shows or Morality No Nos????

The hottest topic these days among my colleagues during lunch hours invariably happens to be the discussions on the mega successful shows Rakhi ka Swayamvar (RKS) and Sach ka Saamna (SKS). Though I have been watching SKS from its inception, I purposefully kept myself away from RKS, for the simple reason that I just can't stand that lady who seems everything but REAL. But I use to hear so much about her weirdo drama and about the bunch of morons involved in the bid for their prized catch, that it compelled me to have a look at the show once. And funnily my first rendezvous with this mega irritating aka mega successful show happened while watching one of the 24*7 news channels, which believes in telecasting all the rubbish stuff except some really useful and meaningful news items, obviously so, because the real meaningful stuff hardly fetches them any moolah when compared to the revenues earned from these melodramatic soaps.

So while watching the RKS for the first time I found it so genuinely fake, irritating and made up that it well and truly compelled me for a second watch. And there on I started following RKS religiously, not because I was mighty impressed by the concept of the show or for the fact that I am a big Rakhi Sawant fan but for a simple reason that it so highly dramatic, unreal and disgusting that it makes you laugh on the stupidity of the characters involved. And the funniest aspect for me still remains the fact that the entire lineage of all the grooms are involved in this drama, but not a single mention or a glimpse of the bride's parents has been shown yet, as if they are pretty sure that their daughter is fooling on with the entire nation J. It really can't get any HILARIOUS than this. But no matter what, I believe if it is consistently making you laugh, for whatever reasons whether for its magnificence or for its stupidity, for me it qualifies for entertainment.

Now if I talk about another chartbuster reality show Sach ka Saamna which is actually the desi version of Moment of Truth, I believe it is doing particularly well, however it is not as good as the master copy but still if we rate it in terms of shows on Indian Television I feel its a wonderful and a very fresh concept. Though it is quite evident that the makers of the show are leaving no stone unturned in attracting maximum attention and hype, be it starting the show with not so popular Mr Hussain who would have spent more time of his life in establishing all possible untoward relations with whosoever came across in his life, as long as that person qualified to be of the opposite sex rather than doing something productive in other walks of life or be it fabricating and highlighting Mr. Kambli's angst against Sir Sachin Tendulkar for not doing enough to save Mr Kambli from self destruction or be it hyping the show on the basis of Ms Urvashi's Dholakia's expulsion from her college for the reasons of being pregnant as a minor girl. Now with this sort of spice, frenzy and masala the show was got to be nothing but successful. And for me it again qualifies to be an entertainer for the simple reason that it gives me enough masala about which I can chit chat with my friends,colleagues and enjoy.

But there has been a major ruckus going on in various quarters including the esteemed houses of Parliament, questioning these reality shows esp SKS on the grounds of ethics, morality and traditional values. There have been umpteen no. of talk shows where many prominent personalities from various corners gather up and root for an immediate ban on such reality shows, on the grounds of serious obscenity, vulgarity and breach of our traditional values. Now I don't understand what problem these intellectual people have when neither the participants involved have any problems nor the viewers following these shows have any hassles watching these shows. After all the participants come into these shows with their own consent, they disclose all the controversial aspects of their lives with their own wish and only those viewers watch these shows who find them entertaining and worth watching. So by no means there is an imposition of any sorts on any individual or group to participate or watch the show. And as far as the arguments on morality and vulgarity are concerned, I feel these people are no moral police to pass on their judgement, asking for a ban on these shows, also they should be well aware of the fact that today’s youth enjoys an easy access to lots and lots of obscene and vulgar stuff in the form of truck loads of pornographic material of all forms freely available on the internet. So these arguments of breaching the traditional values are absolutely rubbish. Though I agree there can be some sort of regulation which can be enacted on these sorts of controversial shows, but imposing a ban just because a select bunch of self proclaimed intellectuals feel that it is detrimental for the nation’s culture, is actually preposterous. And when you question about the genuineness aspect of these reality shows, I agree they can be framed up to a good extent for the sake of TRPs, but they are still much more real and at least watchable when you compare them with the age old Saas Bahu series in which the characters marry 4 times, reincarnate umpteen no. of times, live for over 120 years, go for plastic surgeries in heaps and do all the unbelievable attics which might even make a ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not’ contestant feel shy.

I would just say to those intellectuals that get a life guys and if you can’t do that, than you always have a gadget called REMOTE CONTROL to switch over to more ethical, moral and meaningful stuffs!

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