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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Jana Gana Mana Rann!

If you are wondering that I messed up with the title of this post, then you have definitely missed the controversy surrounding RGV's latest multi-starrer Rann.

The title track of the movie, also the promo for the movie,- "Jana Gana Mana Rann, Is Rann mein Zakhmi hua hai Bharat ka Bhagya Vidhata" has been banned by the Censor Board in accordance with the Prevention of insult to National Honour Act 1971 because "the tune of the national anthem has been played around with and distorted".

Ramu has decided to challenge the Censor Board's decision in the apex court because there isnt any rule against using of the Anthem and because the song doesn't portray the Anthem in a bad light. This is what the lyricist Sarim Momin had to say:

"if we had used lines like "Jaag jao... Bharat ko bachaao' or 'Humari jaan Hindustan', the maximum reaction would have been a yawn or a raise of an eyebrow. Or both, if somebody really liked it and were generous.

It would NOT have made people sit up and think about the current state.

Diverting from the song for a moment, the Election Commission started many campaigns this year to urge Indians to come out and vote yet the turnout was only around 50 per cent.

It's not like we don't care. It's just that we don't care enough to make an effort to even elect the best men to decide the future and fate of our country.

We are comfortably numb and almost sleepy to what is happening to us."

Will the song cause spread of unpatriotic, anti-national feelings? Will this result in the youth believing in and reciting this instead of Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak?

Or is the integrity of the Anthem too solid to be breached by trifles?

What's your say? Comments are, as always, welcome.

P.S: Watch the video here.

Friday, May 1, 2009

India Untouched: Stories of People Apart

I dunno how many of you have seen the award winning docu India Untouched: Stories of People Apart by Stalin K. but I strongly suggest you to do so..that is if you believe that modern India has come far in eradicating untouchability.

The film introduces leading Banaras scholars who interpret Hindu scriptures to mean that Dalits "have no right'' to education, and Rajput farmers who proudly proclaim that the police must seek their permission before pursuing cases of atrocities against Dalits.

Unfortunately, thats not the end of the story. Stalin and team travelled across the country and has captured few hard hitting facts from across 8 states. I mention a few of these which I call most shameful for lack of a better word.

1)In Madurai, TN: The dalits have to descend from their bicycles and remove their shoes in the upper caste parts of the village

2)Mehboobnagar, AP: The masons that build the house are not allwed to step inside them once the buildings are painted

2) Jamui, Bihar: The mid wives of the village are paid only Rs 100 for a child birth and a week's oil massage. And they can't eat food within the house they work in

3) Patiala, Punjab: Street cleaners from the corporation say that the corporation doesnt have any non Dalit member

4) Jhajha, Bihar: The Dalits clean the railway tracks off of mutilated dead bodies of humans and animals and all the shit. Will an upper caste member ever do this, asks one of them

A Brahmin when confronted of the ill that will befall the human society if we touch the Dalits says the Godhara massacre was a result of this!!!

The situation is same in other religions as well.

This is the real scene guyz! People dont even know why they follow untouchability...its always been like this, they say...Paradigm!

A common Dalit song translates roughly into:

We clear up the garbage while you roam about ungroomed
For the crime of cleaning you call me scavenger
When you step into rain water, does that change your caste?
We are stabbed at street corners, our lives end in hard labour

We want the rights written by Baba (Ambedkar)
You treat us as your slaves for your will and pleasure
We will not tolerate this nonsense now
We want the rights that Baba gave us!

Just give this a thought..

P.S.: The video is available on IITB Lan for those who can access it.
P.P.S.: The documentary was released sumtime in early 2007. So I guess it isnt exactly ancient