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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Wed, 6 May 1998 00:00:10 EDT
I support the Shiv Sena leader for banning a public display of love in a physical manner. Instead of embracing the chips, sodas and bad aspects of western culture, the pseudo-Indian (or wannabe firang) should focus on imitating the Westerner's attitude towards his country and concentrate on achieving supremacy in engineering, research, sports, daily quality of life, basic amenities, etc. This growing group of pseudos should be publicly whipped. I also denounce the attacks made by the fascists Shiv Sainiks against performances by Ghulam Ali and M F Husain. Bal Thackeray does not have any control over his goondas any more; he will soon he will be their next victim.
Date sent: Tue, 5 May 1998 15:18:11 -0700
Things like morality are highly debatable. Trying to define it is a big cesspool. Rediff guys!!! Come up with some better articles.
Date sent: Tue, 05 May 1998 17:14:26 -0500
This piece on policing the public behaviour of youngsters/not-so-young people provoked me to write this. While accepting that government has more urgent matters to attend to, one should not forget that what constitutes freedom of expression for one may be an embarrassing spectacle for another. Hence, to say that I will do what I want in public is wrong because other people have as much right to watch a concert without having to see a hormonally overcharged couple kissing or necking. Such public display of affection or, rather, lust may invite unwelcome comments or, much worse, active participation by bystanders. This apart, I cannot fathom why people would pay through their nose to watch Michael Jackson, who has a chimpanzee for a pet, gyrate his pelvis. On a more serious note, this calls for some introspection among those Indians whose feet are planted on Indian soil but whose heads are floating in the hedonistic clouds of the west. The west, on the other hand, is looking eastward with people like Richard Gere propagating eastern philosophies. Events like the million man march, promise keepers march and oaths taken by young women who promise to be chaste until they get married make it to the front page in the US. But, in India, the younger generation is trying to ape the American behaviour of the 60s and 70s. They should remember there is no such thing as a free lunch or, rather, free sex. There is always a price to pay (like AIDS); sometimes it has to paid immediately while, at other times, the bill may be late but, by God, it does arrive.
S Paknikar MD
Date sent: Tue, 05 May 1998 16:11:16 -0500
If you are educated/ are not from a backward village/ have the ability to think independently/ are not a moron, you may get offended by this... But look at what's going on around you. People are living and dying in filth. Sole reason -- western invasion, the British in particular. I even blame the frequent train accidents on the British -- they should have made better systems before they left. Communal riots and caste fights are obviously influenced by western culture. So this is what I propose...
1. Ban hugging and kissing
Keep up the good work, Nandgaonkar.
Sony
Date sent: Tue, 05 May 1998 16:34:06 -0400
If Mr Shantaram Nandgaonkar says he is the guardian of our culture, then there is no difference between him and Hitler. Nobody can save any culture and there are no hard-and-fast rules. Culture evolves with time. If he thinks what we have now, or what we had during so-called golden reign of Shivaji, is culture then, in my opinion, he is wrong. Because there is no proof that this is, or was, culture. If he opens his eyes and see the temple sculptures, then he may destroy all of them because they are nude or semi-nude. Let's face it. Freedom of expression is more important than culture. You cannot enforce rules on people in whatever name. A particular belief may be correct for you, but enforcing it on people makes it wrong. The west is not wrong; it's just that they have their own culture. If a boy or girl like to kiss each other, why should they be stopped? If a man can piss in public, why isn't kissing allowed? Please keep your ideas to yourself and let the rest of us live.
Chandru
Date sent: Tue, 05 May 1998 12:13:52 -0700
Reading the article on the new "cultural diktat" by the Maharashtra Stage Scrutiny Board sent shivers up my spine. How long will it be before these people decide what time one must go to bed? Holding hands is okay, but kissing is not. How did they arrive at this conclusion? And their two-faced behavior, with reference to the Michael Jackson concert, is further proof of their duplicity and hypocrisy. We must unite and prevent such things from taking root in our country. Kudos to all who did so. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
Dinesh
Date sent: Tue, 05 May 1998 14:38:45 -0400
As an Indian, I am proud of my culture and my heritage and am also aware that my culture goes back thousands of years. I also know that the Indians were never abash about sex and sexuality. India gave to the world the Kamasutra -- a treatise on sex and sexual techniques. So I would suggest that our (respected?) politicians limit themselves to trying to govern the country and leave the citizens to govern their own lives. Of all people, how can the politicians of our nation talk about morals and probity? Is it the culture of our country to try and disrobe a lady on the floor of the state assembly? Is it the culture of our nation to hurl microphones and chairs in a assembly meeting? Is it the culture of our nation to put personal profit above national interest when holding a public post? I think the rulers of India should first put their house in order before trying to tell the general populace how to live their lives.
Rajesh Bhatia
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 19:33:54 -0400
Nice effort, sir, though I doubt whether the sarcasm will affect the morality brigade -- the recipient will only be affected by sarcasm or cynicism if s/he has a certain element of self-respect. To put it bluntly, if they had any sharm-o-haya to begin with, the members of the morality brigade might actually be doing something constructive about the decaying social structure, instead of making superficial noises about saving it! Feed the kids, clothe and educate them; if nothing else, at least RESPECT the members of the area they are chosen to represent -- that kind of thing. It's kinda funny if you think about -- has our morality brigade forgotten that the hai-tuaba mentality was Queen Victoria's legacy, and did not come from our erstwhile ancestors? The latter were the people who dreamed up the temples of Khajuraho. Is the M-brigade planning to drape our ancient sculptural legacy and destroy the miniatures of Radha-Krishna?
Sonal
Date sent: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 11:07:32 -0400
Here's Mitra again with his diatribe against everything BJP -- its ideology, its leaders, its cadres, everything. This person has adopted a partisan approach and does not see any good anywhere, not even in the BJP. The desperation our Communists are feeling is glaringly evident. They were never relevant in the fundamentally capitalistic Indian society. But the Marxists managed a back door entry into national politics. This dying tribe of manipulators will be extinct in India in next 20 years.
Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 14:03:40 +0100
Great effort!! Fantastic indeed. It was an excellent article which gave the reader a total insight into MATUNGA. Though I have visited the place only once, it was indeed exhilarating to read the detailed account given by you. I am from Madras, and have travelled though Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. But I have visited Bombay only a couple of times. Now I am going to be its damad, since my would-be wife is from there. I have always loved the place, despite having been there only for a short period. Now I am in Hong Kong, working as a software consultant. Please continue publishing these kind of articles in the future. Once again, accept my congratulations for such a fine effort. Good luck and all the best.
Venkat
Date: Mon, 4 May 1998 07:25:06 +0530
Super site! All the very best!
Date: Mon, 04 May 1998 14:05:03 +0900
I was thrilled to read the article about Mount Kailas. My father (age 59) has been talking about it for a long time. Can you please tell me how one can comfortably go and see this place and how much does it cost now?
Sankar
Nilesh Korgaonkar responds: I need to know where you are going to start your journey from before I can begin to give you travel advice. Fair, isn't it? Waiting to hear from you.
Date sent: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 17:18:45 -0800
I completely agree with this article. It is very well written and says a lot of things I'd have liked to have said in the past. It is incredible that the attitude you refer to here is so rampant in even the "educated" classes. I know someone who used to brag to his friends about going steady with an American girl. To me, she seemed like a nice person who had genuine affection for him though I don't know what she saw in him. After spending a couple of years with her, he went through a "painful break-up" -- although, the pain seemed to be pretty much on the girl's side. He was about to travel to India to ask his parents to find him a respectable girl from his own community as it wouldn't do to be involved with some American trollop. The couple of times I'd asked him whether he'd eventually marry his American girlfriend, he'd said, "You can't be serious." Indian males are the best hypocrites on the planet. They consider it acceptable to lead carefree lives, but they expect the women they marry to be respectable, chaste virgins. Another "friend" of mine defended this viewpoint by claiming that men have stronger libidos than women. It's really laughable. The people I feel sorriest for in this sordid saga are the women they end up marrying. If I can blame anyone, it's our parents. They make it a point of idolising and glorifying their sons and vilifying their daughters. Sons grow up believing that they don't have any moral standards to adhere to, and daughters grow up believing that they aren't entitled to anything better. I'm glad my parents knew better. Tirthankar
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