Originally posted here on February 13, 2009.
I was born and brought up in Maharashtra. I come from the land of the Shiv Sena and now the MNS. I am used to the Valentine day routine. This-is-not-our-culture-we-will-beat-them-up-police-will-ensure-complete-safety-but-yes-it-is-not-our-culture.
This year, I will witness the same routine in Karnataka, my new home.
Being so used to it, I had almost not taken notice of the whole episode (including the pink panty mails). However, two pieces of fine literature made me stop and think. Both are blogs written by journalists, in fact on the same website. They differ in their outlook and look at the two sides of the coin.
This is the first one. This blog by Sagarika Ghose defends the ‘pub culture’ (there is no intended slight in the use of the inverted commas. They just help the specific term stand out.). It explores the panty mail concept and why it is necessary.
The second one, by Zubin Driver, is my personal favorite among the two. It looks at the whole episode from the point of view of a Mutalik or a Raj Thakeray. His analysis of the situation, in my opinion, is perfect. It reasons why sending panties to Mutalik is a self defeating step.
In the latter half of the blog Zubin goes on to suggest his solution to the problem. A rather long list of things to be done.
Things like: schools should impart gender equality, all male conondrums should be dismantled and replaced by unisex ones and so on.
As I read every word of the solution list, the thought that kept hitting me was that his solution is not very different from what Sagarika is suggesting – both are as useless in an uneducated, uninformed society. It reminds me of the era of the moderates in India’s freedom struggle. Very eloquent, educated, with the right ideas. But it takes a man who can talk to the mass to finally drive a huge country to independence.
To millions and millions in this country, gender equality is as incredulous as a girl sending the chief of SriRamsene a pink panty. There has been no change in the lives of so many people that it is hard to even find out who is stuck in which era.
To many around the world this is still the concept of justice.
I have no solution to offer on this issue. I respect freedom and rights. But I also respect responsibility. Are we prepared to talk to the masses of this country in their language long enough for them to understand what we are trying to say? If the answer is yes we shall have earned the right to enjoy the pub culture.
