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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Thu, 7 May 1998 10:41:27 -0500 This is an excellent article... People in a position to do something should concentrate more on helping the poor and uplifting the economically backward classes instead of monitoring some rock concert for moral depravity. Three cheers to Prem P for making this point so vehemently. I hope the so- called honorable minister for culture gets over the hypocrisy of allowing his political head to watch Michael Jackson perform and then complaining about moral depravity. Sanjay
Date sent: Thu, 7 May 1998 07:40:43 -0700 Prem you have hit the nail on the head, most politicians are just running around doing less for the people who need and doing more harm to people who do not need them. Freedom of speech and expression along with freedom of religion is the gist of Hinduism. Did he ever go to the caves of temples where erotic figures have been carved on the stones? Why does not the Sena build toilets for the brave Marathas in Maharashtra? Or provide compulsory family planning? Or education to the kids on the streets with a decent meal? So many important issues forsaken to nab someone removing his shirt. I thought Sunil Dutt's son casts off his shirt in most movies to show off. Oh! I forgot that the Dutts are Sena financiers. Navalkar has run out of nava tricks from his bag. If Jackson can gyrate in Bombay so can that Savage. Never vote for the Sena again who are full of mediocrity.
Date sent: Thu, 07 May 1998 10:16:54 +0530 That's fantastic!!
Sameer Chivate
Date sent: Thu, 07 May 1998 13:03:26 +0900 The articles by Mr Panicker are excellent. Pankaj
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 20:21:18 -0700 I haven't enjoyed an article more than this one! Right on -- it should be printed in large letters -- and hung all over India. The hypocrisy, obscenity and paradoxes concerned with morality and nationalism in India makes one want to puke. Keep up the good work. Thank you, Prem for putting it into perspective.
R Bhaskaran
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 20:37:04 -0400 A very witty and hard hitting column. I hope the responsible people after reading the column understand their folly and do something about the growing poverty and unemployment in our country. Eagerly looking forward to reading such columns in future from Mr Prem Panicker. Mohan
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 16:56:16 -0400 Prem Panicker has captured the insanity and the sheer absurdity of the Navalkar episode in a brilliantly satirical manner. Hats of to Prem... As far as Navalkar goes, the lesser written the better!!! He is just trying to put up a farce and get some "good name" from it. The bottom line is that it the people's choice, not the government's. Morality is an issue of personal development and this cannot be forced upon the people. I wonder if Navalkar realises that or not... Anyway, Prem has hammered the point but will it register in the bunch of jokers who call themselves the leaders of the largest democracy in the world? God save India! Aravind
Date sent: Wed, 6 May 1998 16:18:50 -0400 Right on Prem. Sign my name at the end too. At least now I can crib to Navalkarji -- Sasurji thera ladli love you love you kehthi hai! Rajesh
Date sent: Wed, 6 May 1998 16:08:22 -0400 This article has surpassed the earth's limits of sarcasm!! Mind blowing!! I have one question though -- will Navalkar get to read this? I mean, people are not going to realise their mistakes unless and until it's pointed out to them in a decently understandable fashion, right? Neel
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 14:54:07 -0500 Excellent article! Satire at its best!
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 14:43:39 -0500 The article written by you seems to suggest that "since there are so many other bad things going on (like vulgarity in Hindi movies), the behaviour of these pseudo-Indians at the rock concerts should not be criticised or corrected. Given a chance these people would even get plastic surgery done so that they can look white and cool. Being an NRI, who has been living outside India for the last nine years, it appalling when I visit my motherland to find an increasing number of copycats, who think that wearing the cap backwards or kissing their girlfriends in public is "Kool" and "Westernised." Well, they are in for a shock, if they see how the Western countries portray our country in their newspapers and television programmes. We will be truly Westernised or "Americanised," the day our lower or middle class can live like the respective classes in the Westernised world. We don't become Westernised because some industrialist's son is blowing off his dad's black money at a Michael Jackson rock concert, wearing his Levis jeans and a Tommy Hilfiger shirt and flashing his cell phone to call. I can't believe you are actually criticising somebody because they don't want us to act cheap and uncivilised in public, and to prove your point you are just giving another example of vulgarity in movies which we are all putting up with. I am truly disappointed with you Mr Panicker, unless I am really missing something. Vijay Madduri
Prem replies: Hello, Vijay. I keep hearing this bit about aping the West, whenever the question of a guy and a girl hold hands, or kiss, or some such. I think a visit to our interiors, to the villages where you can see the real India, might prove enlightening. I was born in one such. I have bathed, as near nude as dammit, in temple tanks and rivers, sharing the waters with grown women in similar states of undress, in broad daylight. If you kiss a girl in public in a city, there is a hue and cry about the deterioration of our morals -- deep inside India, we make love in the fields, as a matter of course, and if someone happens to pass by, well, he just keeps passing by and thinks no more of it.
Wearing a cap in reverse is seen as aping the West. Did you notice, though, that the sari, to cite one instance, is haute couture today -- and I mean in the fashion capitals of the world? Like much else today, friend, fashion is international, and the charge of mimicry fits it ill. As to the other, kissing and such -- hell, we invented sensuality, it is the rest of the world that is slowly catching up.
You asked if you were missing the point. I don't know -- my point is, simply, that in India today, there are issues far far more urgent, more pressing, more heart-breakingly vital, than the happenings at a rock concert attended by a miniscule percentage of the population. That was my point -- did you hit it, or miss it?
I also made the peripheral point that if we must go in for censorship of this kind, for god's sake let us at least be uniform about it. It is downright stupid, given the prevalence of cable television which in turn brings MTV into every home, to try and censor one rock concert. The other day, Prince was performing on MTV, we know what his songs are all about, and the audience would by any yardstick be a few dozen times the number that attended the Savage Garden concert. Just who is this supposed to fool?
Date sent: Wed, 6 May 1998 12:40:16 -0700 (PDT) These attempts to police the "morals" of people by Pramod Navalkar and his cohorts remind me of how closely they match their Afghan cousins, the Taliban. Come to think of it -- aren't they both doing the same thing? The Taliban wants everyone to follow what *they* think is moral - purdah, mutilations as punishments, etc. And our Havaldar wants everyone to follow what *he* thinks as moral. This *has* to be stopped once and for all. The government should busy itself in providing basic amenities to the people and administration. The morals of the people will change as the time goes by. Sati and child marriages were once considered morally right and now fortunately, are no longer so. India is moving away from being a closed society to becoming a more open one and all attempts to subvert this natural process *must* be met head-on and shattered. The press, which is the voice of the public (since the politicians are not bothered), should spearhead the process of exposing this medieval age individual. P Das
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 15:39:12 -0400 Hello Navalkar and Nandgaonkar!! Are you guys nuts!! Why don't you guys concentrate on poverty, garbage and traffic problems in Bombay which have always been on the legislative agenda? These problems need more attention then getting a free ticket for yourselves at the 'Savage Garden' concert watching over young people. Bombay has its own culture, it doesn't need yours!!
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 16:22:05 -0400 HATS OFF to Prem Panicker for writing such a nice, meaningful column. HOPE the concerned minister at least reads and understands EVERY BIT. Chandra
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 15:24:35 -0400 As you've done countless times in your cricketing segments, you deliver the goods once again. Hope this is a wake up call for all Indians with an inkling of sanity, to rise up and speak out against demagogues such as Navalkar. The real threat to India are its exploitative politicians and not some imaginary "Western values." Yes, the people need to use good judgement in the choices they make, whether it be movies or music. However, the last thing we need to do is get an earful from the self appointed thought police of this day and age. I hope you would continue to write on various issues, not just cricket. So Long!! Denny
Date sent: Wed, 6 May 1998 15:23:15 -0400 Beautiful article. I appreciate the way Prem has laced his article with sarcasm. Personally, I feel that we Indians are in a confused state because of the influence of Western culture. This is bound to happen as the communication booms and media reaches the masses. The only way to make people realise the societal norms is to educate them. A single comparison between Indian movies during the 1960s and 1970s and the ones in the 1980s and 1990s would tell us how the focal points have changed. Current day movies lean heavily on lewd exposure, suggestive songs, actions and dialogues to attract the public. So do the commercials and every other medium of communication. If the government feels that the tendency of the society to be less conservative may not be a well-boding signal, it should conduct a study and point out to the public about the pitfalls in such a social climate. In addition, the government should prove why our culture's conservative norm of life would be better than a more relaxed environment. Over the years, we have misunderstood our culture, religion and twisted facts to suit our needs. Life can be much simpler if only we understood things better. There are good and bad points in every culture and even the meaning of "good" and "bad" keep changing with time. Hence, from time to time, there would be confusion in the society and people like Navalkar would like to take advantage of the situation and plant themselves in a comfortable situation. We have promoted "goondas," with little knowledge and education and persons with no national or public interest as our politicians. That is the main reason why India is in this turmoil. There is a possibility for population growth to come down if people cross the gender barrier and interact more freely. People would then not crave and lust for obscene stuff. People would start realising an individual's right and would appreciate life more than what they do today. This would make persons realise importance of life, friends, marriage, society etc. Once the realisation sets in, the public would become more conscious of the exploding population and would be more forthcoming to address societal issues and contribute to the improvement of the same. Eventually when a freer society gets to the point where freedom and individual liberty are confused with major aspects of life (like what is happening in Western society today -- high divorce rate and divorces for no big reason -- alimony and financial suffering -- children not knowing what to do etc), people would automatically start looking up our culture and start understanding the facts and teachings passed down by our ancestors. It would take a lot of Panickers and other persons to keep writing and pointing out to the public the necessity for their involvement to improve the society. Educating the public, getting the right ideas across to them and time would govern the change for the better. Another important issue to be addressed by all effective journalists is the concept of "service" and "duty." In India, currently, people consider performing their duty as a favour. People have developed enormous self-pity which is really bad. An auto rickshaw driver in Madras, asks Rs 5 to Rs 10 over and above the meter charge without any guilt or remorse. He thinks he is doing a favour while he would just have to do his duty to earn money every day for his living. When questioned, he would start ranting and raving about the hike in petrol prices and the bribes taken by police and what not. If this is not self-pity, I wouldn't know what to call it. If you questioned a policeman about taking bribe, you would find yourself in an uncomfortable situation soon or would again get such ranting and raving answers. Everything would have been in order, if the people were able to perform their duty without feeling the pressure of time and demand. Population explosion once again is the culprit. Having contributed to the population, we ourselves must find other ways to get things done the proper way and not resort to greasing the palm of individuals and end up crying like what I am doing right now. Currently India sure is facing more than one Year 2000 problem. I hope that more groups get formed which have a definite concern for the society and which have positive solutions to rectify current problems. And this would have to be done soon. It would be nice to see a New India move into the next millennium. Bala
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 13:50:27 -0500 Hats off to you Prem! God, that's exactly the way I was thinking when I heard about these goons trying to enforce/impose morality as the way they see it. But what saddens me is that both or all of them involved in trying to impose this morality are too stupid and parochial to understand your article. Sometimes sarcasm can't have its desired effect on morons. Ravikanth Avancha
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 13:22:45 -0500 Bang on target! Satire at its best!
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 14:04:58 -0400 Very nicely done.
Mani
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 14:01:40 -0400 I fully agree with Prem. If there were ever an Oscar for vulgarity sans nudity, our Hindi film actresses would've got it time and again. These cheap and vulgar gyrations of our stars to the double-entendre lyrics are the most vulgar things you can ever watch. But these are watched by the majority of our population and these same stars are looked upon with adulation. Even Balasaheb regularly attends these film functions ennobling the stars by his presence. Hence the guardians of our morals and the acolytes of that despot, are not concerned about them.
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 09:57:19 -0700 Just great. What a stupid minister he is? But anyway, why does Rediff has to spend so much of resources and Prem's time in these stupid, irrelevant and most irritating statement from our politicians?
Ananth
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 11:25:23 -0500 Mr Navalkar has a tough job. Obscenity is so difficult to define yet very easy to spot. A beggar woman with tattered cloth is not obscene (some may consider poverty more obscene than anything else), while a vamp with a six yard saree in the Indian movie could behave in a vulgar way.
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 11:30:45 PDT Wow, way to go Prem. Just another of your masterpieces. You are by far my favourite writer on Rediff. PLEASE, PLEASE send this article to a national daily. Sidney
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 13:46:03 +0000 Correct me if I'm mistaken...I thought the whole point about a free society was to allow people to select what they want, right? So, what's with this banning nonsense? If someone doesn't want to see a particular show, no one is forcing them to see it. Same case with books. Why should a book be banned? If someone doesn't like what's in a book, then don't read it. This whole banning business is like "Oh, the people are too stupid to know what's good and what's not good for them. So, as a big brother, we will make the choice for you".
Kameshwaran Sankaran
Date sent: Wed, 06 May 1998 00:22:16 -0700 I lived in Bombay for 20 of my 23 years. Having moved to Canada for a better lifestyle, I often wondered how things were back home -- in fact, I was thinking of coming home later this year. The question now is homecoming to what???? I didn't say a word -- when they renamed it to Mumbai -- but to check people's personal behaviour with this kinda morality police is just like the NAZIS came to power. Who are they to decide what is right or wrong? Why don't they carry out some introspection first? What happened to the former minister who molested an air hostess? Please, the last thing our nation needs is a morality police. For want of a better example, look at the Arab nations -- everything is banned -- yet is so easily available. Why don't they build some schools for a change??
Date sent: Wed, 6 May 1998 00:25:42 -0700 I thought you would have better articles to publish on your web site....
Date sent: Sun, 3 May 1998 17:34:40 -0400 This is about Prem Panicker's article on Pramod Navalkar. I'm glad to see that his passion extends beyond cricket to other ills that affect Indian society. Personally, I believe that Pramod Navalkar and his ilk should be educated, because the greatest thing about Indian culture is the ability to assimilate and improve, not censor. But, hey, Navalkar would be out of a job then. Good article, Mr Panicker. Keep them coming. How Readers reacted to Ashwin Mahesh's recent columns
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