October Fireworks

At a time when the country was bursting firecrackers, we in Delhi/NCR entertained ourselves with political bombs and news sparklers. The ground spinners (chakris), flower pots (anars) and the rockets played themselves, but with a twist. 

For Rahul fans, the month of October brightened with the news that rocket Rahul would be finally launched as Congress President. Unopposed, of course. Time will tell if he can push the boulder up the mountain but as of now he looks like those red popping strips with symmetric dot like protrusions loaded in a toy pistol. Remember them? You kept pulling the trigger, some went off, some didn’t? Phatak. Phuss. Phuss. Phatak. 

Propelled by the news of his coronation and retweets from Kazakhastan, rocket Rahul landed on Gujarat’s political landscape. He rolled his sleeve and called Modi’s GST, Gabbar Singh Tax without explaining why his party passed the Gabbar-esque bill in the house.

A tweet by Shahsi Tharoor

There is no denying that after DeMo bomb and GST damp squib, the BJP fireworks aren’t as spectacular as last year. Meanwhile, when Modi ji was celebrating Diwali with soldiers, his foot soldier lit a snake tablet (remember saanp ki goliyan? They emit the highest amount of PM 2.5) by denouncing the legendary Taj Mahal. Does the publicity seeking hate monger have any answer to the lovely churches of Goa and Kerala built by the Portugese or the Puducherry landscape so lovingly painted by the French? If we were to question the past of every monument, our inclusive culture and heritage will go up in the smoke of our colonial past. 

Looks like the Delhi CM was not in a mood for any festive revelry. No psychopath bombs, no anarchist bangs and no sparks on television. Total black out. Barring a favourable review of the movie the Secret Superstar and a populist stand on metro fare hike. Allegedly, the Delhi govt threatened to revoke the appointment of DMRC chief on fares but the board refused to give in to political pressure. Just so you know, the last metro fares were hiked in 2009. Moreover, there is no political interference in most countries, like in the UK for instance, it’s the Mayor who decides the fares for the London Underground. Subsidizing a world class service for votes can delay expansion and convert Delhi metro into another local train service. Sigh, you can’t blame the CM. Since there are no farm loan waivers in Delhi, aam-admi appeasement is the only ace up his chequered shirt.
Not to be left behind the Fin Min dropped a reform bomb for recapitalization plan of public sector banks. The Kapil The Sibal called it selling of another dream. Time will tell if this one is a big bang reform or another one that failed to explode. Because fireworks are great but where are trillions coming in from?

Meanwhile the set-jaw spokesperson of the BJP, GVL Narsimha Rao lit a sparkler by questioning the general knowledge of film industry. Rao’s comment by no means was directed at Manoj Tiwari who is a direct descendant of Albert Einstein and Madam Curie. While Kirron Kher and Hema Malini kept quiet, a furious Farhan Akhtar exploded, ‘How dare you Sir?’ 

Talking of Bollywood, Bipasha generated some light and more heat by featuring in a condom advertisement. But nothing is newsworthy unless Twitter trolls give you a hard time. Bipasha trolled for starring in a condom ad, read the headline. In a country with second largest population in the world, its funny why condom ads create such dhamaka.

Image from Pintrest

October was also a month that saw the acquittal of the Talwar couple framed in their daughter Arushis murder. It broke my heart to see them emerge from jail as shutterbugs circled them like vultures with their cliched, ‘Aapko kaisa lag raha hai?’

You know what, sometimes the loudest bang happens when we think fireworks are over. Even as I type, news is that Virat and Anushka may tie the knot in December. And Jab Virat Weds Sejal, perhaps this what Virat would say - You blow my Mind.

Image from here

The Choice Factor

It is that time of the year. The crisp air holds the promise of festivities. And if Dusshera is past, can KarwaChauth be far behind? As evening haze envelops Gurgaon, a strong whiff of KarwaChauth emanates from mushrooming mehndiwalas, sweet shops and bangle sellers.

Hailing from a family where women were unfamiliar with KarwaChauth, I wasn’t really excited by the idea of fasting, or decking up for a story session as a young bride. Given that my mother-in-law, bless her soul, was kind enough to respect my choices, I decided to test KarwaChauth waters with selective participation. Fasting entailed taking fruit and water, and prayer at moon sighting was personal, minus the customary story session. At first, the idea was to test my patience and tame my food temptation. Over the years, I have embraced the festival and many other rituals that were not a part of my growing up years. All because discretion trumped traditional expectation. And no, Ekta Kapoor had no say in my celebrations, if anything, her portrayal of KarwaChauth on television was a deterrent.

The trigger for writing this post is the fact that the rituals of the kind Karwachauth entails are held in contempt by some who call it ‘sexist’. Regressive. A few months ago, a noted journalist called the festival of Rakshabandhan ‘nonsensical’. The basic concept of the festival, according to him, was flawed because his sister was capable of defending herself. Another feminist activist tweeted that Rakshabandhan should be renamed Snehabandhan for the sake of gender equality. For me, Rakshabandhan was a celebration of sibling bonding and it did nothing to make me feel inferior on the gender platform. As long as festivals come with a discretionary choice, taking the nomenclature literally appears trivial to me. Moreover, in the world I live, sisters are a constant pillar of emotional strength and brothers seldom rush to rescue distressed sisters.

Coming back to KarwaChauth, it is interesting to note how Gurgaon couples have devised ways to celebrate the festival that appears punitive for women. From being an attention seeking dominant partner, the husband is gradually emerging as a supportive friend. Guilty of being placed on a pedestal where he is the deity and his mortal wife prays for his long life, it is actually amusing to see the sheepish grin on his face. So the guilty partner has devised ways to make up for the guilt. Pampering the wife by buying gifts is one. Keeping a partial fast in solidarity is another. Going out for dinner is equally effective. And so is spending the entire day together. Showered with all the attention, many women feel equally special, if not more.

Triggered by market driven consumption forces, most festivals and traditions will survive the test of time if the inherent idea is to respect free choice. Most urban working women, I find, are free to drink water, eat fruit or not keep a fast at all. And yet, in today’s age women download apps where they can see their husband through a virtual sieve. Interesting, right? From what I observe, it is not an Indian phenomenon alone for my US based sister-in-law and her friends adhere to strict fasting and celebrate most rituals.

Given the patriarchal society we live in, disapproval from feminist voices is welcome, but it is also true that bright spots are visible amid pervasive darkness of sexism. I see change when an Indian politician has to apologize to a porn star. I see change when an AAP advertisement depicting a homemaker performing household chores is slammed for perpetuating stereotypes. I see change when a woman officer leads the Guard of Honor for the US President. The lady is an officer first and then a woman -a woman free to celebrate or ignore KarwaChauth.

Whether it is Rakshabandhan or KarwaChauth, most festivals are about celebrating relationships and not about celebrating gender one-upmanship. This is not to blame feminists because from an historical perspective, Rakshabandhan and KarwaChauth might appear regressive, and rightly so, but from a discretionary angle the celebrations are gently tuning in with contemporary sensibilities.

Soon we will celebrate Bhai Dooj, which, I am hoping will be more acceptable to activists because it is devoid of Raksha. They can always rename BhaiDooj as Bhai-Behen Dooj. For the sake of equality, of course.