Our society is in a stage of transition. Influenced by our own heritage, and also by that of the West, we are being continuously churned. This period is very crucial, for what we adopt is going to stick on for a long time.
It is keeping this in the background that I view the recent forms of protest in Kerala. It was only a month back that the Kerala society, which is usually slow to adopt to changes, witnessed a totally radical way of protest. To oppose the monster of moral policing, a group of youth decided to take to public kissing. Kissing in public per se is something that will raise eyebrows of many Indians, not to say of the conservative Keralites. It was in such a society that this group of youth, either in the quick and less thought decision that they took or influenced too much by Westernization, or with some other intention, gave a call for public kissing.
My views on Kiss of Love can be read here. (1) (2)
When the Malayali society was debating Kiss of Love, people who had favoured it did talk about the pink chaddi protest of 2009 wherein pink colour under-wears were decided to be sent to the extreme right-wing members who protested the celebration of Valentine's Day.
When pink chaddi happened, its supporters praised it as "novel," and when the Kiss of Love happened its supporters said that it was a fitting reply to the extremist ideologues. A gentle alarm that quite a few had voiced - that the society, the youth in particular, would be misled - went unheeded.
Not a month has passed and those who had warned the society have been proven correct.
Weeks back, in a factory in the Cochin Special Economic Zone, women staff were strip searched to find as to who among them was mensturating because the management had found a used sanitary napkin in the toilet. Though the veracity of the claim made by the women that they were strip searched is yet to be proven, the act, if done, is beyond doubt reprehensible.
There was also an incident were a lady was forcibly asked by the conductor and driver to get off a KSRTC bus which was going to Pamba as it was booked by swamis going to Shabarimala. This act too needs to be condemned and those found guilty should be punished.
To protest against these two incidents, a lady currently in Kerala government service and formerly a television journalist with a Malayalam news channel has put a picture of a used sanitary napkin as her profile picture on Facebook. Her intention: "to show what reality was!"
Journalists do influence the thoughts of common man. More so if they are television journalists. This lady, by keeping such an obscene picture that too to register her protest, has breached even the farthest boundaries of propriety and decency. It is disgusting that such lowly means of protest is adopted by the educated and the responsible. It is hoped that this nasty act does not get replicated by others who also wish to protest.
Meanwhile, I will not be surprised if a group of people would raise their voice in support of this lady's act.
This is just a reminder to what is in store for the Malayali. An unintentional crushing of the social fabric is happening. The earlier we realize it and act, the better.
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It is keeping this in the background that I view the recent forms of protest in Kerala. It was only a month back that the Kerala society, which is usually slow to adopt to changes, witnessed a totally radical way of protest. To oppose the monster of moral policing, a group of youth decided to take to public kissing. Kissing in public per se is something that will raise eyebrows of many Indians, not to say of the conservative Keralites. It was in such a society that this group of youth, either in the quick and less thought decision that they took or influenced too much by Westernization, or with some other intention, gave a call for public kissing.
My views on Kiss of Love can be read here. (1) (2)
When the Malayali society was debating Kiss of Love, people who had favoured it did talk about the pink chaddi protest of 2009 wherein pink colour under-wears were decided to be sent to the extreme right-wing members who protested the celebration of Valentine's Day.
When pink chaddi happened, its supporters praised it as "novel," and when the Kiss of Love happened its supporters said that it was a fitting reply to the extremist ideologues. A gentle alarm that quite a few had voiced - that the society, the youth in particular, would be misled - went unheeded.
Not a month has passed and those who had warned the society have been proven correct.
Weeks back, in a factory in the Cochin Special Economic Zone, women staff were strip searched to find as to who among them was mensturating because the management had found a used sanitary napkin in the toilet. Though the veracity of the claim made by the women that they were strip searched is yet to be proven, the act, if done, is beyond doubt reprehensible.
There was also an incident were a lady was forcibly asked by the conductor and driver to get off a KSRTC bus which was going to Pamba as it was booked by swamis going to Shabarimala. This act too needs to be condemned and those found guilty should be punished.
To protest against these two incidents, a lady currently in Kerala government service and formerly a television journalist with a Malayalam news channel has put a picture of a used sanitary napkin as her profile picture on Facebook. Her intention: "to show what reality was!"
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| (The name of the lady has been removed from the screenshot) |
Journalists do influence the thoughts of common man. More so if they are television journalists. This lady, by keeping such an obscene picture that too to register her protest, has breached even the farthest boundaries of propriety and decency. It is disgusting that such lowly means of protest is adopted by the educated and the responsible. It is hoped that this nasty act does not get replicated by others who also wish to protest.
Meanwhile, I will not be surprised if a group of people would raise their voice in support of this lady's act.
This is just a reminder to what is in store for the Malayali. An unintentional crushing of the social fabric is happening. The earlier we realize it and act, the better.
