Having watched an episode of Kiran Bedi’s ‘Aap Ki Kachehri’ a long time ago, I had wrongly presumed that the programme ‘Rakhi ka Insaaf’ would be on the same lines. I thought that the only difference would be some smart comments thrown in by Rakhi Sawant. Channel surfing, I chanced upon an episode of Rakhi’s programme and was horrified to hear the language used. I couldn’t quite make out what the problem between the disputing parties was and I didn’t particularly care either; the words used were enough to make me turn off the TV. I wasn’t particularly surprised to hear that this particular show along with ‘Big Boss’ had been termed ‘adult shows’ by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and were to be aired only between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Big Boss managed to get a temporary reprieve. Rakhi’s show could not. The I&B Ministry deserves praise for showing so much concern for the morality of our children. I have some suggestions too. • And what about the obscene amounts of money our politicians and babus make out of infinite scams? Does the Government want children to know pretty early in life that if they want to make loads of money they should aim to become politicians or bureaucrats? It is better to prohibit news items which expose corruption in the Government. • Our serials in the name of portraying real life regularly show violence against women. The good women are those who are obedient, submissive and who will not even blink without permission from their elders. And what about obscene and sexist advertisements? Doesn’t all this build a wrong attitude towards women in childhood itself? I humbly request the Government to ban all the above mentioned programmes or shift them to the night slot when we, the already corrupted, thick-skinned and cynical adults can watch them. Let our children remain innocent for as long as possible. Wait a minute. Banning all obscenity from television may turn out to be a wasted effort. The internet will continue to pose problems. How about banning the internet or closing down all cyber cafes … [Read more...]
Family honour or Child’s Happiness?
Reading reports of honour killings in the papers, I can’t help wondering if we are living in the medieval ages. Killing your own children for the supposed dishonour brought upon the family by marrying outside the caste is not just despicable, it is downright barbaric. If these shameful acts were performed by illiterate folk in villages, where caste reigns supreme and khap panchayats lay down the law, it would still shock. But it is even more horrifying to know that educated people, who should have been open-minded, are doing very much the same thing. It is as if education does not make any difference to the way we think. In a country slated to be a super-power, a journalist with a reputed business paper is reported to have been killed by her mother for deciding to marry a person from another caste. Killing, of course happens is some rare cases when the daughter is murdered in cold blood, when she, the epitome of family honour crosses the line. But the lives of many children are sacrificed everyday when parents by force, by emotional blackmail, by threats of disinheritance, make their son or daughter marry a person of their choice. It is a common fact that a majority of marriages in 21st century India are the prerogative of the parents. Children today, have the right to decide on their education, on their career, on so many matters pertaining to their lives at least in urban households, but even now finding a life partner for oneself is out of bounds for many Indians irrespective of their economic and social background. The argument is that, in India, the system of arranged marriage has stood the test of time. This system may sound strange but there is not anything wrong with it per se. It is after all part of our culture. The problem starts when parents force this system on their children. They are very strict in this one matter. So a boy or girl may be very bold and independent minded in the workplace and elsewhere, but when it comes to marriage they are more than willing to toe their parents' line. We usually will have heard of at least one instance among acquaintances, where parents refuse to accept a … [Read more...]
