Calicut's own moral multiplex

Sociologists and other commentators often lament the lack of policing in Indian society, where our law enforcement agencies are too busy protecting political leaders from scams to look after the safety of the so-called Mango people.

However, to make up for this inadequacy, we seem to have spawned a whole host of vigilante self-appointed `moral police'. These protectors of our socio –cultural values have been particularly active of late, diligently performing their voluntary duties. Unlike their counterparts in Khaki uniform they receive no monetary recompense.

After successful performance in the northern part of the country, these forces have entered the Literate (Liquor) state of India. The most recent of their activities being restricting students in school uniform to watch films in theaters. When contacted how this will fall into the socio-cultural value protection act of moral policing, Calicut team head Mr.Sashi had a clear defined answer. According to Shashi “This proactive step is being taken in order to prevent American government and MTV channels strategy, of reducing our literacy rate of the state”.

Though lot of petitions had been submitted for inducting the “Moral Police Team” to the, Kerala state police department; government has still not giver her consent on the same. Kerala Police minister have however agreed to have a discussion on the same after today’s Harthal. The "terms of reference regarding the same shall be based on Manorama vision's "COUNTER POINT" discussions and Malayalam bhoomi editorial.

However Mumbai Police have already taken steps to induct the moral policing team to the state police. In February last year, a 25 year old youth Kuber Swarup was fined Rs.1,200 by the police when they spotted him kissing his girl friend on her cheeks while saying good bye. The youth was fined under section 110 of the Bombay Police Act, for 'indecent behaviour in public'. The act doesn't define what 'indecent behaviour in public' is, leaving the interpretation to the local constable as to what constitutes 'indecent.' 

(After a year long battle which ended in April this year, Swarup finally won the legal battle when he was acquitted of it, incredulously he got saved because the police did not have sufficient evidence to show that he kissed his girlfriend. If there was sufficient evidence then he could be in trouble.)


Moral Police - Welcome to Kerala - Cheers(I am a male so guess I can say cheers)

The Name is Tharoor.. Shashi Tharoor

Nothing gets social media more excited than a good scandal. And when the scandal unfolds on social media itself, well that's just icing on an already delicious cake.New age media has been a curse and blessing for politicians involved in sex scandals. It is now harder than ever to hide an intimate relationship with a colleague or a journalist and yet even easier than ever to make a quick come back.

The news feeds from India is filled with Shashi Tharoor again, and obviously for the wrong reasons.However if political analysts have to be believed, Shashi Tharoor has greater acceptance among the youth, more than any other congress leader.Does this mean that overly conservative Indian society are more willing to overlook at politician’s sexual interest and behavior?

Not necessorily, I believe politicians still need to go through a process to regain the trust of the voters after a sex scandal, but today that process has sped up.A sex scandal would have required politicians to go for state wide convention, a political yathra(National explanation tour), media discussions, editorial interventions and would take years to build back the lost image, but it is a matter of couple of months now.That’s because the pressence of social networking site, blogs and 24 hour news channels.But Politicians still have to follow a strict script if they really want to make a come back.

While the private behavior of Shashi and other politicians makes for compelling voyeuristic reading and may help sell newspapers and television news shows, it really has no direct connection to their stances on critical public issues. Still, one can certainly argue that private immoral behavior raises serious questions about one’s moral fitness to serve in a political capacity as a public representative.

But if you play your card correct and stick to a full proof script post the scandal, the secrets between the sheets will not hamper your political career.And if you are looking for  statstics, a recent survey in America reads Bill Clinton has 61% approval rating higher than Obama(52%) and Bush(45%).

Shadow of shame is the right ecosystem for the seeds of forgivness.So be cool Tharoor, the scandal would change the discussion but not the game.

Jai Hind

Candle light

Through a dark and deserted street in kalamassery wafts in familiar Jesudas, Baburaj and Devarajan melodies, sung out of tune but coated with glee. Trace it to reach Abbukka’s house. It is the 45 min load shedding and Abbukka’s family is sitting around the candle light on the veranda, playing antakshari. This is a common scene these days in most houses in Kerala.

How much ever you crib and complain about the daily power cut and the perspiration trickling down your spine, you can’t help but wonder doesn't it bring your family closer?

With no serials and football matches to glue you to the television and no Internet and Facebook to browse on your laptop, this daily blackout helps you connect and bond better. A much needed and routine family time.

It is indeed surprising to find what all half an hour plus of darkness can do!

Hostelites claim to have the most fun. They follow the tradition of howling the minute the lights go out and then huddle in the front yard beneath the starry sky, gossiping and pulling each other’s legs.

It is time to leaf pages soaked in the yellow radiance of a candle, to sing to your heart’s content in the dark and to place those extra cushions in your balcony chairs, to indulge in the 45 min of serenity after the hectic schedules of the day.

We urge the minister not to hamper with the 45 min candle light bonding that we are enjoying and to reintroduce the load shedding at the earliest.

NB: This post is not sponsored by any inverter manufacturers 

Propaganda Cartoon

We as an audience tend to take everything for granted. We forget that everything presented to us, has been constructed by the media in a specific way, to convey the message that; what is presented is the truth. But is it so?

New generation today support batman and superman over the almighty. Little do they know that all these super heroes are cartoonized version of Jesus or other biblical characters, filled with racial stereotypes.

We had always this problem with comic books; We believe it is full of propaganda.We haven’t found in our whole life a Children’s comic book. The comics that we have are manuals of parenting or religious teachings. You would never find a gay/lesbian couple in any children’s book, thanks to the religious code. With regard to comic books being parenting manuals; We need not explain, for any Indian who had gone through the torturous Amar Chitra Katha would know it better.

Philosophers argue that only way to teach creativity is by teaching children perspective and creativity is very essential for empathy. If we love to have a future with empathizing population, We suggest we ban all the children’s book, because the perspective that we are giving them is highly biased.

We don’t dream of a childhood without bias. We are all biased, but we would love to bias the child with multiple perspectives.

Satyamev Jayate: STRAIGHT UP HARD AND TWISTED

Aamir Khan's talk show 'Satyamev Jayate' returned for another season with a bang. The first episode focused on the epidemic of violence against women that has gripped the nation since the horrific Delhi gang rape incident of December 16, 2012.

I give hats off to Aamir to start off the second season with gender issues. But somehow I feel like all men Aamir also fell to the stereotype of considering gender issue as a women’s issue. I don’t see this as women’s issue, which some good men help out with. I argue that these are men’s issue.

Gender violence is often represented as a women’s issue and that gives men an excuse to stay away from the same .Gender has always been synonym with women, as race is for Africans and sexual orientation for homosexuality. This is the way system and media acts in creating a distorted perception. We address the issue of rape and domestic violence from a single perspective, the victim’s perspective and the show also primarily did the same. It is a legitimate thing to do, but this approach has not taken us anywhere in terms of preventing the horrifying incidents.

Why don’t we address the issue of gender violence from the men’s perspective?

We boys have always been taught to be a man. Tough, courageous, leading, fearless, superior and emotionless, that is what men are supposed to be. We are conditioned to be boring from the day we are born. We are conditioned not to cry and not to be compassionate. There are of course absolutely wonderful things about being a man, but at the same time there is stuff that is STRAIGHT UP HARD AND TWISTED.

My cousin brother, probably 12 years old,was crying the other day and his dad’s comes in and ask him the same question that I had faced 20 years before, “Why are you crying? Stop crying like a girl and be a man!!”  

My god! What is wrong with us?

My cousin brother is a football enthusiast; he calls himself a player though. I asked him today as I was watching Satyameve Jayathe; on what he would he feel if in front of all the players, coach tells him, that he plays like a girl? I was expecting him to say something like he would be sad or frustrated, but instead he said, “I WOULD BE DESTROYED.”

If it would destroy him to be called a girl, what are we teaching him about girls.

I believe we need to have a drastic change in our attitude towards women; not raping them is not everything. We need to give a serious thought on how we raise our boys, and teach them to be men. It’s time to teach them that it’s good for a man; to have feeling and emotions; to have empathy, and not to be dominating, to have women who are good friends and nothing more.

Let’s liberate boys from the stereotype of a man, for my liberation as a man is tied to the liberation of my sister as a woman.

Satyamev Jayate

Fear and Favour

Barefoot paradise

I still remember going on a shoe shopping with my best friend’s girl friend. It took nearly 16 hrs and she had bagful of soles, one for the party, one for the office, one for the…. (Baa, baa, black sheep… One for the master... One for the dame). It was then, I realized how shopaholic we were.I decided not to buy any shoes again.

And after 1.5 years I am left with no sole to wear, I decided to do without one. Can you imagine never have to wear shoes all your life? You go to school, work, and go about your daily activities in bare feet without anybody giving a fuss about it. Sounds like barefoot paradise? It sure does.

Barefoot walking is probably the simplest and most intense way that you can get outdoors and closer to nature. You are closer in the obvious sense of actually touching the earth, but you will find that walking more quietly and slowly brings you nearer to wildlife: Birds, butterflies and even deer and rabbits.

Like any other modern day bwoy, my research on finding similar people, who decided to do away with the sole landed me in the world of web, which directed me to Soles4Souls.

Soles4Souls is a global not-for-profit institution dedicated to fighting poverty through the distribution of shoes and clothing worldwide. The object of the Soles4Souls event, which is occurring globally, is to spread awareness of the 300 million children worldwide who live every day without shoes, and the impact that a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life, by living a day barefoot.

To feel the ground, to feel our humanity, to commune with each other, to connect with God, to walk lightly, to live out in the open lets go barefoot at least once in a month.