AmarSharma-Sensible Nonsense

At last, Lipstick Under My Burkha has been watched. And what a disappointment it has been! The film’s director and producer(s) must thank Censor Board chief, Pahlaj Nihalani for providing the oxygen of publicity to a mediocre and regressive film which came to be hailed by feminists et al as a pro-women progressive film being stifled by archaic value systems held dear by Nihalani and his employers. In fact, that’s one reason I decided to watch it…as a form of protest against this stifling. People’s right to freely express themselves is paramount regardless of the quality of the thoughts & feelings expressed.   The film undoubtedly touches upon a topic that has been a taboo in Indian society – female sexuality. It uses 4 protagonists to drive home the point that like men, women too have sexual desires and feelings which need to be satisfied. Fair enough! It also tells you that these desires and feelings of theirs are suppressed by our patriarchal and feudal value s...

Indian youth had never had it so good. With over 50% share in the population, youth is being venerated  day in & day out…paens are being sung by all & sundry…the media is going ga..ga over them, films are being made targeting youth & what not. In some cases, youth are even getting prominence at the cost of other groups. The entry of 79 MPs below 40 years of age is being heralded as a watershed moment in India’s parliamentary history. Anyone who doesn’t fit into the `youth’ category must be feeling completely out of place, as if (s)he has committed a sin by not being young! But why are we celebrating youth? What’s so special about this group…what have they done?? Why do we speak so highly of them??? It’s time we understood this stuff. `Youth’ in my view, is synonymous with a deep & never ending yearning for positive change, an element of rebellion against what exists,  the way it exists and a fountainhead of fresh ideas & boundless energy to trans...

Have you ever wondered as to why almost all the religious gatherings in your neighbourhood including Bhagwati Jagrans, Paaths, Kathas, Satsangs, Pravachans, Langars, Daans and donations etc. are invariably sponsored by individuals and business entities that are not really known for their `above board’ practices when it comes to making money? Very few, if any, of such sponsorships involve cheque payments as transactions in cash and kind are the norm. Majority of the sponsoring traders, shopkeepers & businessmen are known to be indulging in tax evasion, dealing in spurious and adulterated stuff, price manipulations, evading or underpaying dues owed to the govt. & civic bodies (by way of electricity theft, tampering of electiricty meters in collusion with department officials, undervaluing properties etc.), encroachment on public land and cheating customers – all of which are seemingly against what any religion preaches. And yes, all of these also fit into the definition of corr...