The 'Chalta hai' Syndrome

The administrative headquarters of a state catches fire. The opposition cries foul. It alleges it was a sabotage to destroy crucial files pertaining to various scams involving senior ministers. To make matters worse, the fire department says it did not receive information about the fire from the government hotline. The ruling party plays blame games even as probing the case takes a back seat.

But still, Chalta hai!

A 10 year old girl is forced to drink her own urine as a punishment for bed wetting. The school and warden refuse to accept the allegation that traumatized the girl. State government keeps a stiff upper lip about the issue. Parents of the victim are taken in custody and questioned while the warden roams free.

But still, Chalta hai!

These two events are just a fraction of the number of incidents that have taken place and are being digested by the people of this country every day.Indiahas been plagued by the ‘chalta hai syndrome’ and the cure for it seems nowhere in sight.

For every police complaint to be lodged, for every insurance claim to be made, for every pension to be received, the common man has to drag his feet to a hundred places only to be turned away to knock on another door. A rape victim has to be the one to hide her face in shame.  A national athlete has to undergo humiliating gender tests. Minorities lured into voting for parties that actually stab them in the back.

Why is it that we accept injustice so soon? Why do we wave a white flag when we should ideally be determined into safeguarding ourselves and the society?

The answer to these questions is stored in the pages of history.

Indiahas always been subject to suppression and authority either by invaders from foreign lands or our own leaders under the guise of democracy. This has thus imbibed into a majority of individuals to safeguard themselves, their families and anything that truly matters to them.This leads to an individualistic society, whose branch of ‘Nationalism’ has begun to break.

The rampant red tape in almost every department of the system has led to a built up of frustration, anger and finally acceptance among people. And it is this acceptance which has turned into a futile, tame and helpless ‘chalta hai’

The concept of ‘Counter Hegemony’ was stemmed from The French revolution which took the world by storm. People started to recognize their rights and begun exercising them. However, inIndiathis phenomenon like candle flame which rapidly melts down to almost nothing.

A police officer, who tries to shed light on the alleged extremist misdeeds of a Chief Minister is in turn slapped with a murder charge becoming an ‘Enemy of the State’. The fact that this is still accepted without much hue and cry defines the intensity of our laid back attitude. The inability of the public to go against the incumbent has been a major plus point for the system to continue its methods of functioning and hypocrisy.

Anna Hazare tried fighting tooth and nail for an attempt to get people together to demand for a corrupt free country. But the flame slowly faded into oblivion because of the laid back approach which has been imbibed into us Indians for a long time. Initially, his crusade was not taken into account as a serious outrage by the government, due to mere ignorance.

When people filled out into the streets shouting slogans, demanding a strong and effective measure for curbing of corruption was when the government took notice. Till then Anna Hazare was just another activist who was like a fly that the government was trying to swat.

The former CM of Uttar Pradesh fashioned statues of herself all over the state but no one really bothered because even if they did, the end result was predictable: Nothing!

Call it frustration, pessimism or immunity to the laid back attitude of the government, the saying people are as people does. Man, by nature is a lazy creature and needs to be pushed or motivated to work. When one of us displays the “Chalta Hai” attitude, there are ten others who easily emulate it assuming it is acceptable to be like that. Gradually it becomes inherent and everybody starts adapting to this mode. ‘Herd mentality’ is thus reflected in this too as we get caught in the endless cycle of cribbing, blaming and helplessness.

Conclusively, where is the solution? If it was that easy- it would lead to a utopian society. Also, complete absence of those leads to chaos. A balance has to be made. If a certain Anna Hazare could bring change with the RTI along with the existence of the cancer of corruption, the balancing has to be and can be done by others as well.

Our society is what shapes us and by that belief it is our society which has made you, me and the government laid back. Thus forms the vicious cycle of ‘who changes whom’ and who takes the responsibility for it. As for the ‘chalta hai saga’, till the time we remain submissive and indifferent, the story has no happy ending.

CSA and the Social media Tamasha

Star India’s and Amir Khans biggest project, ‘Satamev Jayate’ started off with rave reviews and greater expectations. A doe eyed Amir khan along with victims of persistent social evils in the country bring out the defacto grudges, apathy, abuse and conflicts still prevalent in the country.

Everyone has been talking about this show long before its first telecast and still continues to be point of intense debates.

So why then would social media lag behind? The most potent kind of communication platform available, social media took matters in its own hands about the pros and cons of this ambitious project.

According to a report by Starcom MediaVest, ‘Satyamev Jayate’ recorded around 6.5 lakh ‘likes’ on the social networking site Facebook by May 9. The show has been among the top five trending topics in India on Twitter and has had around fifteen thousand followers the next day.

The second episode aired on 13th May highlighted the very hush-hush issue of Child sexual abuse in India. The victims of this heinous abuse were called upon to talk on what they went through and what they learnt from it.

This episode shocked the country by presenting the statistic that 53% of children allegedly undergo this abuse. A few cases were presented that further shocked the nation. There were real life cases of Anamika, Cindrella, Ganesh and Harish who further garnered courage and spoke out openly, that made all parents think twice about the people they trusted most in their family circles as well as their closest friends.

A report by Exchamge4media group said that, “Before the telecast of the second episode, some accused Aamir of borrowing the ‘idea’ of his show from Barkha Dutt’s ‘We the People’, even ‘borrowing’ some of the victims from either Barkha’s show or Zindagi Live. But in saying that, these people seemed to have missed the point.

However, as opposed to the buzz created by the first episode, a sharp decline was noted on all platforms including TRP ratings and social media activity. 

Twitter saw a 52% drop over last week and we noted a total of 12565 mentions of #satyamevjayte (only this specific hashtag)

In terms of timeline, the pattern was very similar to the 1st episode, though volumes were much lower

Volumes matched upto 11 am, but couldn't build-up to last week levels thereafter

Note the significant drop in reach and impressions.

 (Pic Courtesy Twitter Report: Star Plus)

 

With sighs and bloodshot eyes, Amir managed to strike a tone with the audience, but nevertheless, gradually, the misty eyes and bated breaths gave way to pragmatism and practicality. 

It got its critiques and analyses from major social network sites like Twitter and Facebook on the voracity of the channel and the anchor. Ironically, these same websites were earlier trending and gushing about the magnanimity and vision of the show.

Critic and Journalist Pritish Nandy said, “A movie star does not see exposing the truth as his job. His job is creating illusions. So while he may occasionally endorse a cause, he will be the first to step aside when things get rough. I don’t blame them. It’s not what they set out to do.”

Harrish Iyer one of the victims who came forward and relegated his story, after initial sympathy received some flak about keeping his sexual orientation under wraps through out the show. This created a spark on the social network with people questioning the reason for this hide-up.

Some viewers went full steam against the show .

• SATYAMVEY TRUYLY WORTHLESS OTHERWISE IT”S NOTHING BUT A TRP EXCERCISE.!!!
• Men, do not support Aamir Khan blindly. He is spreading hatred (misandry) against Men. Oppose all Domestic Violence Laws like Section 498a, until they are made "Gender Neutral".

In India, a topic like child sexual abuse has been extensively discussed inbooks, niche NGO programs and feature shows of news channels, however this was the first time that a topic like this was aired on national TV for a wide audience which created a buzz bothy positive and negative while Amir Khan moved on filming yet another episode and getting paid yet another heavy fee.

Whether it is the star power of the anchor or the honesty of the show, it has received mixed responses. It’s all a wait and watch for the views and Mr. Khan himself.

Feminism- a tamed ideology

Indian feminists have continued to under-perform, but not because they choose to attain mediocrity from their actions or solve petty questions of social jurisdiction. To this day, if the western world still debates whether the word ‘feminist’ is a dirty word, there remains little hope for a modicum of respect to be given for a point of view that has suffered stigmatization since its coinage and existence. Before the word was put into being, points of views coinciding and aligning with feminism reaped no rewards. Those who chose to accept them- from the medieval witch-hunts, a patriarchal campaign that continues to this day. Emancipated women, women with power, women with the will to demand equity were the Game. Unlike the older times, the witch-hunts of today have a new label- instead of the word ‘witch’ they choose to brand the woman with the simple yet heavy tag of a Feminist. Just like in the older times, the prey is punished- by further stigmatization and subjugation.

In a country like India where for most part of the last century women had no right to inherit property, the non-male population has been handed a rougher, rawer deal than their western counterparts. There was no outrageous Women’s Liberation Movement, no push from the fever of a Flower Power generation to carry a revolution on and no sign from the patriarchy that it was ready to listen to the voice of the women.

The lack of mainstream support for women’s issues leaves much to be desired- such agendas are seen as misguided and a by-product of western hedonism by the right-wing, while proud male-supremacists approach such movements and expression to be sign of non-conformist women-folk eager to ‘seize power’, for want of a better phrase. Misogyny carries on in our country, and lack of faith in women’s causes as well as unwillingness to compromise makes for a shallow setting. The drama surrounding the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Indian Parliament is a testimony to the chauvinistic attitudes pervading among the ruling class of this country- men. One does not necessarily have to assume that all men have it bad. It is merely easier to admit that women just don’t have it as good, from the sense of ease in an unfamiliar neighbourhood to that big promotion at the workplace.

This fear of emasculation begins with social conditioning- forget female foeticide, households positively reinforce male dominance and righteousness by awarding asymmetrical systems of duties and responsibilities and unequal distribution of household resources between siblings of different sexes. Those who will protest against this statement probably won’t account for the millions of households in small metros, towns and villages where gender oppression is a way of life; even in large cities, such family practices percolate socio-economic barriers. Our conditioning extends itself to colour perception of strong-headed, independent women as negative influences while an aggressive archetype of an Alpha-male is seen as role-model worthy.

While it may be too strong an assertion to make that all men equally reject pro-feminine and feminist policies, especially in the wake of gender budgeting taking on a greater role as a policy tool by the Indian government or a number of men being employed in fields related to gender equality, an unfortunate reality holds that the common man is at best inclined to view feminism as a frivolous academic pursuit and sees protests and social rallies such as the recent Slut Walk in New Delhi as a shameless display of unwarranted and misplaced feminine angst.

However, a positive transition is alive, currently. A growing number of women are employed in the workforce, with many earning just as much as their husbands or even more. Greater investment and funding in projects which involve female-oriented legal literacy campaigns in towns and villages as well as gender-sensitive lobbying by umbrella organizations working to effect changes in legislature and budgeting. While all these efforts are welcome and essential towards meeting gender equality goals, one is yet to see an effort on a large scale that attempts in changing perspectives of Indian men. A majority of the projects are female-centric and female-oriented, with very few aiming to counsel, train or reach out to menfolk. Gender sensitivity remains an intellectual privilege not limited to class or wealth, but to those men who recognize that emasculation is not the desired end-product of female empowerment and women who are fortunate enough to be in proximity of such men.

The public space. Is it really?

Being a single woman in an alien city, away from your comfort zone, thrust into a space which is not yours is a scary thought to begin with. The responsibilities of being a new comer to a large cosmopolitan city of the likes of Mumbai are huge, unfathomable. The onus of carrying one’s ‘Izzat’ and upholding one’s ‘sanskar’ is burdened on the shoulders of the woman, who bravely decides to open up the doors of her dreams for once. She feels going to the city as being liberated from the clutches of boundaries and restrictions behind her, but little does she know that in this new ‘promised land’ of hers, she is differently, if not more, still bound.

Along with being new and alone in the city, the highest responsibility that comes along is that of ‘being a woman’.

Public spaces today demand a reason for them being used by a woman loitering on the streets, at the bus stop, on the marine drive promenade, on the ‘katta’ is strictly restricted to men as they cannot be questioned for their purpose of being there. However if this is followed suit by women, it takes no time for eyebrows to be raised and tongues to lash out at the audacity of these women to be out without purpose.

Recently, gender experts from a legal news service surveyed that, India ranks 4th in the list of most dangerous places for women in the world. Our country is so largely and so clearly divide into the westernised ‘them’ and the Indian ‘us’ that bridging the gap seems near to impossible.

Gender divide, apartheid and discrimination have long been an integral part of the ‘civilised and cultured’ society we boast of. The ‘little hapless woman’ attitude has been so thoroughly infused in the minds of the people at large, that even the woman herself is astounded and confused and questions her own ability.

We as a country have been boasting about the diminishing differences between towns and big cities, but is it so? Leave out the big multiplexes and fancy restaurants that have marked their place in a lot of towns lately, the status of women, the cultural difference, the economic revenue etc. have a sharp chasm of difference.

You see the sari clad woman of Mumbai in the local trains, the loud and ‘care for nuts’ attitude of the Delhi females, the smart intelligent retorts of the Bangalore girls. But what happens to the remaining percent which constitute a much larger number of women?

Recently, the rape of an 18 year old at Kalyan station near Mumbai comes as a rude shock to people living in the phantom world of being safe in a big city like Mumbai. However, the intricacy of a heinous assault like rape is also linked to the chastity of the woman before the incident. The crime apart, the first question that comes into minds of the society at large is “what was the woman doing there/with them/at that time of the day etc. It is ultimately the fault of the woman for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Today, the reason why women have come out to rebel with a gimmick like the ‘slut walk’ is mere frustration. It is anger, boiling to its fullest which has been put on a simmer by the society. For the socio economically liberated woman of the city, to the docile small town girl to the ignorant tribal woman, it is always been and will always be

‘Your chastity is your responsibility’

Trace enroute...trying to bring class! :P

The name of my blog literally means 'to trace on the way'
I may not exactly have a reason for naming my blog this but i kind of found it classy!
Well it's French you see!
Utkarsha Kotian I officially thank you for that!

Perhaps this name, because I wish to trace along my life through the years and see what marks people have left behind. Have they trampled upon, not caring what comes beneath their feet or have they trodden with care?
I know it won't be any different even if I do mange to race all of that back...but just as I have always been..a dreamer of the dreams. I don't know if all this makes any sense to the readers, but it does to me!
To trace on the way, I should also leave a trace behind which someday someone might want to follow. Till then I hope I leave at least an impression deep enough to be traced back to me. :)