SEXIEST COMMENTS IN POLITICS- A TREND


Politics is looked as a gameplay nowadays .Religion and sexism are the topics without which it seems politicians can’t think of their campaigns and wins . Talking about Indian politics it has build a perception that more you throw mud on other politicians higher the chances of your win and politicians have taken it very seriously. In the season of elections we can see a lot of news flashing about politicians stating misogynistic or sexist comments for their rival politicians .These politicians are very much criticized for their statements but still no changes can be seen in the attitude of our politicians . They move on the same track as before . They are our representatives if they will set examples like this than what we expect from other people .
We all came across a statement by Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi party stating That “ladke ladke hain ,galti hojati Hai, during a discussion of hanging a rapist. I mean how can someone give this kind of statement ki ? He is trying to justify a rapist? And still sitting on chairs and living a grand life without any problem. This is the harsh reaality infront of everyone but yet no one to do anything about this problem. Taking recent cases of the election of 2019, Azam Khan of Samajwadi party, passed a sexist comment on Jaya Prada of BJP which brought massive criticism .He said ” People of Rampur ,people of Uttar Pradesh and people of India ,it took you 17 years to understand her true face .But i realized it in 17days that she wears Khaki underwear. I mean how can someone comment on someone like that ? And still no actions on him. Just 3 days exemption from campaigning and that’s it? Will it ensure that he or she or any other leader like them will not do the same ?This is not the only sexist comment of this year.
A lot of politicians has given statement which are just unbearable. Lets take another example Jaydeep kawade of Congress Ally People’s Republican party. Jaydeep Kawde said “Smiriti Irani talks about changing the constitution with Nitin Gadkari. However ,she wears a bindi keeps growing as she changes her husband “. Also in a debate on a news channel ,he called her thumke lagane wali. i mean really do these comments will bring something to them? Will comments like these will make win or these are just the hatred towards women of them. in the heat of election you will come across many such nonsense , misogynistic and sexist comments . But it is also interesting to see the take of election commission. they look like they are helpless/powerless or not serious about their work . No actions are taken on these issues or if taken it is due to no pressure from outside.
Due to no probhition or strong action on them , they get more courage to say things like this and we people elect them only . In this way it looks we are the one who are promoting these politicians . I think politicians who give sexist ,monistic or any type of improper language should be debarred from election or some actions towards them so that we can set examples so that no one dares to repeat these mistake. And the most important thing is changing the mindset of own and others so that this thing don’t happen.
https://www.jagran.com/videos/elections/lok-sabha-sexist-comments-by-indian-politicians-lok-sabha-election2019-v35743.html
This blog page is writtern by Mahima Mishra.

INDIC FEMINISM THROUGH THE AGES

Patriarchy is deeply entrenched in modern-day India, the country has a long tradition of women who resisted conformity, even under severe societal pressure. In simpler terms patriarchy is a social system established ages ago in which only men hold the power over political leadership, moral power and financial power. On the other side Feminism is a concept or a movement towards demolishing patriarchy and providing women equal rights in political, social and economic sphere of life.

In the history of the early Vedic period, Queen Didda , who had a leg disability, ruled Kashmir with an iron hand for more than four decades during the 10th century. Her tremendous political skills, her ability to rule and her achievement of stability in the kingdom she had inherited is why she is sometimes called the ‘Catherine of Kashmir’.

In the 17th century, Bibi Dalair Kaur, a sikh woman, formed an all-women army to fight Mughal forces. When taunted by Mughal commander Wajir Khan about the weakness of women in the battlefield, she is believed to have replied fiercely with the following words: 
“WE ARE THE HUNTERS, NOT THE HUNTED.

COME FORWARD AND FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF!”

 In 19th century, the Indian woman’s quest for civil, political and religious rights arose from the belly of the great social and religious reform movements of the era. Historians refer to the abolition of Sati as the first watershed moment in India’s modern feminist movement.
During this time Indian women also continued to challenge the status quo in the background. Struggling for their place in the sun. some of the women who went on to becomes feminist ideals include:

 Anandibai Joshi – the first Indian women to study abroad

Muthulakshmi Reddy- who studied in the men’s college to become a doctor and went on to abolish the devadasi system

Sorabjee- the first Indian women lawyer
A special mention must be made of the inspiring woman who is often described as one of the first modern Indian feminists. At a time when people hardly acknowledged the grievances of women in India, Savitribai Phule, along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, fought injustices against women with all they had.

In those days, widows used to shave their heads, wear a simple white sari and live a life of austerity. It was Savitribai who decided to stand up against this practice and organized a strike against the barbers in order to persuade them to stop shaving the heads of the widows, most of whom were still children.
Entering the 21st century, Indian feminism engaged with a whole host of issues – from domestic violence and rape to victim shaming and consent. 

Activist Kavita Krishnan set in motion a series of protests and uproar after the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case, which eventually led to the legislation of the Criminal Law Amendment 2013 that made changes in the existing rape laws in the nation. Identified by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential women in 2013, lawyer Vrinda Grover was also influential in the drafting of the Criminal Law Amendment of 2013.

In india, the government has launched various campaigns to support the feminism movement such as the Beti Bachao,Beti Padhao movement to prevent female child abortions and provide girls with the opportunity to study and become global leaders.

Social media has also supported feminism by creating hashtags such as:

 #IWillGoOut – Bengaluru mass molestation case right in the beginning of the year gave way to the much talked about #IWillGoOut protest across the country. It came into existence after the comment of Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi who shamed women for staying out “beyond sunset” on December 31, 2016, in Bengaluru.
#AintNoCinderella – The infamous case of stalking and street harassment of Chandigarh-based DJ Varnika Kundu gave way to the hashtag #AintNoCinderella. Two men—one of whom, Vikas Barala is the son of a BJP chief—tried to chase Kundu around midnight in Chandigarh when she was returning home in her car. This sparked a nation-wide controversy and another BJP leader, Ramme Bhatti, commented on the incident blaming Kundu for being out on streets late at night.

             The comment went viral and women across country            started sharing their pictures while they were out at night on Twitter along with #AintNoCinderella.

 #WWC17 – Undoubtedly 2017 will be considered as the game changer for Indian women’s cricket and their performance speaks for themselves. Cricket has always been portrayed as a male dominant game, but Mithali Raj and Co.’s sheer resilience and their amazing journey to become the runner-up of ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 has put the question “Why should boys have all the fun?”

Thus, this was the Empowering Journey of Indian Feminism.

SOURCES:

http://www.outlookindia.com (History of feminist movement in India)

http://www.yourstory.com 

http://www.scoopwhoop.com ( 9 Rebellious women in India)

http://www.shethepeople.tv ( feminist hashtags)

http://www.newindianexpress.com 

http://www.thebetterindia.com ( Feminism through ages)

Google Images
Blog by Tanishka Jain

SABRIMALA TEMPLE ISSUE

Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple, is the most famous and major among all the temples in Kerala. At Sabarimala, the divinity is worshiped as Ayyappan. The shrine of Sabarimala is an ancient temple. The prince of Pandalam kingdom, an avatar of Ayyappan, meditated at Sabarimala temple and became one with the divine. It includes Pampa Ganapathi temple, Nilakal Mahadeva temple and Palliyara Bhagavathi temple.
There are worships like Prasadam, Harivarasanam, Neyyabhishekam, Makkaravilaku, Aham Brahmasmi and Tattvamasi.
6-7 million people visits the temple in a year from across the world.
Lord Ayyapan is worshiped as a “Naishtika Brahmachari”. Therefore as per the board authorities of the temple, women belonging to the menstruating age are not allowed to enter temple.

ISSUE:
In 1991, Justices K. Paripoornan and K. Balanarayana Marar of the Kerala High Court, restricted the entry of women belonging to menstruating age from offering worship at the temple, stating that such a limit was in accordance with the usage customary from time immemorial. In addition, the judges directed the Government of Kerala, to use the police force to ensure any illegal entry into the temple.
On 28th September 2018 The Supreme Court ordered that the restriction of not allowing women into the temple is unconstitutional.
The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, said prohibition of the entry of women into the temple is gender discrimination and this practice violates the rights of Hindu women. The court noticed that it can’t be ignorant to the fact of the case that women sged between 10-50 are not allowed to go inside the shrine due to physiological reasons (menstruation). The Supreme Court verdict – that the Sabarimala temple must be open to all women. It should be seen as another success for the cause of gender equality.
After the supreme court verdict, when the temple was opened for the first time many women aged between10-50 tried to enter the temple but the police sent them back as the situation there got violent by the protesters. The cops also tried lathi charge to get the situation in control. Many women journalists were beaten up by the protesters.
The harsh reality is in this case was mostly Women were against the law of entry of women into the temple.

According to the protesters, Lord Ayyapa was a “naishtika brahmachari”. Allowing women on the hill is like breaking their beliefs, tradition and customs. The traditions which were followed from centuries would break their beliefs.
While the law was ordered Pandalam Royal Family and the authorities of the palace ordered the tantric the head priest to close the temple if they see any young women in the premises of the temple.
The protesters believed that it would be an offense to malikapurthamma’s love and sacrifice. Not only this temple but every divine places has a rule that no one should enter the place with impurity. They believe menstruation as impurity. Some says lord Ayyapan himself restricted the entry of women into the temple. Some people believe that the entry of a women can distract the men. Some sees it practically difficult to climb the hill as the temple is located in on the top of the hill and in a dense forest. Some women claim that only this was a place where they could send their husbands without any doubt, now that also cannot be done.
Some important priests also commented on the issue that the tradition is followed from years and should not break the beliefs of people. The supreme court should overlook all the traditions and customs.

My view on this issue:
According to me restrictions for women to enter the temple is against the Indian constitution. It is against the rights of equality, t he right against discrimination based on gender, freedom of religion, freedom of movement. Imposing patriarchy in the way of restriction of women into the holy place. Women has the equal right to enter the temple and worship the lord. Restricting anyone into the temple is discriminatory. It changes the thinking of people being equal to god. The shani shingnapur temple also restricted the entry of women into the temple but after receiving court orders they allowed everyone.
It is not about the entry to the temple but about equality. We’re not trying to break the sacred tradition but trying to get the equal rights in the society as others. It is one of our civil rights and symbolic equality. Women should not be criticized that they are impure just because of the physiological reason of menstruation. It shows how the society has become gender discriminated. Lord Ayyapaa never told that women should be restricted into the temple. He considered all women as motherly figure. Initially dalit were not allowed to enter the temple as they believed they have born as dalit because of the sinds they have done in their past life. These type of mentality should be change in the society. Everyone should get the equal rights. Restrictions named as traditions are just superstitious and ill logical beliefs of the society. These beliefs are just human made. A god is all above the humanly desires and all worldly materials. God have conquered everything that is in the world and beyond our imagination, so he is not going to be tempted by anything. Rather than restricting people inside the temple we should pray and worship the lord with a pure heart. Gender discrimination like men should only enter the temple should not be done. It is the civil rights and symbolic equality of all the human beings.

Source – (Wikipedia) for supreme court verdict.

Fake Feminists be like…

BLUSH Channel is one of those which talks about topics like feminism, sexism etc in a light hearted way and yet is successful in passing on the message. This video is about who and what fake or pseudo feminists are like. Pseudo feminists are basically the ones who talk everything about feminism except for the major point; EQUALITY. Well we all want equality, be it for men or women. It is easy for you to talk about feminism without knowing what it actually means and why was there a need for it.

Image result for fake feminists be like by blush channel

 The video shows 4 types of fake or pseudo feminists:

  1. The Theorist feminist– one who only likes uses heavy words in order to make feminism sound complex and as for them, they don’t have their personal take about feminism.
  2. The one with the sixth sense– they are the ones who are nowhere, yet there. The ones who see the world through the glasses of “sexism”. For them everything is sexist, but it is fine when a male pays the bill just because he is related to them.
  3. The Hater feminist– the one who is a motivational speaker but hates to appreciate anyone. Basically a proper example of a hypocrite.
  4. Last but not the least, The Internet feminist– we all know how social media has drastically affected our lives and how people have become ‘keyboard Ninja’s.’ Sitting in an AC hall, with good internet connection and a keyboard, you become a Keyboard Ninja, the one who just sees the world from their own little shell. Well they might write great things on the internet, but when it comes to real life, they are not at all interested.   

These were the 4 types of fake or pseudo feminists who exist around us. I personally loved this video and it actually helped me distinguish between these different pseudo feminist who claim to be the flag bearers of feminism. I strongly believe that one must never see the world from his/ her little bubble, one must go out, talk to people, know their experiences, and the challenges they have faced or are facing or at least try and read about such people who have emerged victorious not only from their personal struggles but have also got some revolution.

Feminism is not always about criticising men or the norms and traditions that were laid down centuries and centuries ago, in fact it is about bringing a reform in those norms. Over the years women from across the globe have fought battles which resulted in so many reforms in the lives of women because at that time this was a necessity as men almost were enjoying their rights. Just because Feminism started as something for the rights of women does not mean it only confines to them. It was started with a thought for equality for everyone. I strongly believe that if all the people on this planet start respecting themselves and the role of others, there will be no need for things like feminism or empowerment. We are just a step behind from acknowledging, understanding and respecting each other’s role on this planet.

I would want to end this by a statement given by Anne Hathaway at the UN Women on the International Women’s Day, ‘In order to liberate women, we must liberate men.’ If we want rights for women we must also understand at certain places men lack their rights. Have your opinions, but also respect others opinions as well.

Here is the link to the video: Fake Feminists be like by BLUSH channel. Enjoy!

-Tamanna Sharma

Portrayal of Women in Vintage Print Ads.

Everything changes with time be it thinking, mindset or lifestyle. Over the years there has been a drastic change in our lives and media has played a major role in influencing and molding our minds. It is usually said that either the media reflects in the society or the society reflects in media.

Over the years media has portrayed women as glamour dolls and is still doing it. Revolutions and protests have taken place, yet we haven’t stopped glamorizing women. All women are some sought of damsel-in-distress, waiting for their hero to come. In fact, a lot of times women are not even necessary in the frame, yet they are their showing off their beauty. Not only today, but going back in time we can see the portrayal of women by the media. Here are some vintage print ads that show how women were portrayed in these advertisements.

Ah Taj: Ah Taj or Wah Taj, as it is known today, had made this beautiful print ad of a women holding a cup of tea in her hand. As such there is no problem in the ad except for the fact that the woman is shown wearing a bikini. Well so what if she is wearing a bikini? There is nothing wrong in that, but the only thing is that the product and the model don’t go hand in hand. Or in other words the addition of the woman wearing the bikini is just to attract the male gaze and provide visual pleasure.

Cinthol Promise: Another impressive ad by Cinthol is here. We all know how refreshing and good Cinthol soaps are, but who would have known that they will be presenting it in such a way back then. A nude lady holding the Cinthol soap bar in her hand portrays nothing except drawing male attention to the product through her body.

Binaca Talc: Here comes another ad. This is the ad of a talcum powder. As you can clearly see that the lady in the picture is all nude, her torso portion is covered by the line saying “Don’t go Wild!” There are other ways as well to sell off your talcum powder instead of showing nude women.

Suraiya Lux Toilet Soap: The Lux Toilet soap luckily does not portray women wearing a bikini or complete nude, instead this ‘soap’ ad shows a women wearing a lot of make-up and heavy jewellery. Just a normal, light make-up and light jewellery could have done the work or in fact no jewellery would also have done the work.


These were a few ads that showed how women were portrayed back then; glamorous, doll like figures. The above 3 ads had women just for visual pleasure and to attract the male-gaze. You can imagine back then, even after independence, women were still not independent in the sense; they were still and in fact even today are seen as nothing more than objects. Their perfect skinny body, with amazing curves and a lot of make-up is how women must be. We’ve still not accepted ourselves the way we are, we still see ourselves through the lens of the society or maybe the media.

I believe not only women but men must have a great body with muscles and biceps toned or as we say a proper tall, dark and handsome physique whereas women must be slim, pretty and fair enough to entice the men. The day we all accept ourselves the way we are, respect each other and break through the chains we are tied to by the society will be the when we won’t need any protest or revolution.

-Tamanna Sharma.

THE COITAL CONTEXT

WHAT IS SEX TO YOU AS AN INDIAN WOMAN?

*(I apologize for not using the names of the women I interacted with but this was something they requested me not to divulge) *

“Sex for men is pleasure and for women means children as per the society”

“It isn’t a decent question to ask me in public beta”

“It’s a natural thing but it is scary for me to ever even mention the word?”

“Do you realize how inappropriate this question is.”

“It is one of the duties of a married woman toward her husband.”

These were some of the women who “somewhat” answered my question. They called it inappropriate, a duty, and referred to it as a means for reproduction. Some stated it in the context of the society and some didn’t answer the question at all, finding it not only indecent but rude.

The question is what is sex to you as an Indian woman. Sex everywhere in each society and culture has a different understanding, though the act is the same and is indulged in for similar reasons whether it be for reproduction or pleasure. But their uneasiness and change in demeanour when asked such a question answered my question. Women in India are scared to say that they indulge in coitus and like it. It has been a man’s zone of interaction and ‘expertise’ (as some called it) since generations. It cannot be yet fathomed that women too have sexual desires and are inclined to implement them.

In the small group that I interacted with, which were mostly my female relatives (including my mother) and friends I realized the fear that has been put in them majorly by their own gender i.e. their mothers and other females surrounding them than the men. A lot of them are scared to even talk to the senior female members about intercourse due to the fear of being looked down upon. My own mother and the mothers of my friends have risen above this and have nurtured us to understand sex as not a thing to be afraid of; the choice of partner is what should be taken into consideration. Safety in terms of biological and emotional health is of the utmost importance not just for us Indian women but men too.

As shocking as it may be to read this but many women do not understand the difference between rape and sex. In certain areas of the Indian society where patriarchy is being taken advantage of; women are not only made to supress their sexual urges and choices but are being told to fear it and to enjoying it would be a sin and therefore some women pretend to be in pain during the action.

“Sex, my dear, is a tool of power and manipulation not just used by a man but by a woman too.”

Seen in the caste system of India wherein women are the victims of sexual abuses (of the gory sort) just so that the discrimination and the position of power by the upper-class males is maintained. It also occurs in relationships where in one partner tries to control the other using sex which eventually transcends into sexual indecencies and sometimes sexual abuses. It is also used by the subordinate person to attempt to balance the disparity between him and her and vice versa in a relationship.

But sometimes caste, class and role has noting to do with sexual crimes; it is just the immoral urge to satisfy the sexual need irrespective of it being illegal. This is not an accusation against men but is a nature widely noticed in them, though women do so too; in order to be sexually sated they will rape or molest their ‘object’ of desire. The number of violent sexual predators due to this is increasing day by day.

These predatorial tendencies can be, to a certain limit, attributed to the lack of sexual awareness of the parents and the man and woman in adolescent stages. Sex education is important but to understand what and when and how an individual has to understand their own body and then the body of their partner. Individuals, women or men or others have to understand the term consent which is an essential before the act itself is committed.

They have to understand that in terms of sexual activity age is not just a number and has to be taken into consideration. Two underaged individuals shouldn’t indulge in coitus not just because it is illegal but also understand its repercussions on their health and psyche. But sex has been treated like a trend amongst the youth and is more of a ‘Plaything’ than a complicated intertwining of two consensual individuals to express not only their love but respect for one another.

Sex or coitus or intercourse has been grossly misinterpreted and neither women nor men have understood it properly yet indulge in it and suffer dire consequences. This goes a long way to show that sex iin india is not only considered a taboo but is a synonym for sin and disgust.

Gender wala Sports

 

Sports has the power to change the world…..it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does . It speaks to youth in a language they understand .Sports can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.
– Nelson Mandela
Sports is looked and said to be away from any type of social evil like race caste creed etc. .It is said to be for anyone and everyone. But his statement contradicts to the actual scenario of of the world of sports today. In twenty first century also ,we can see that sports is seen as man’s field .Some may disagree to this that it is not so .Women are participating and exceling in this field. But my question is that are women’s sports are given same status as men’s ? Huge disparity can be seen between sports of men and sports of women .Preference is always the males and their sports be it any in media ,be it in school ,be it salary or any other aspect .
The problem starts with the parents mentality that girls should not be a part of sports .It is because of many reasons ,like girls are weak and not suitable for sports , because of some religious beliefs ,because of the fear of what others will say ,because if any injury takes place no one would marry her etc. If girl fights all this and tries to be in this field still she has to go through a lot of problems in this field .In school where teachings of equality is given, there also disparity of gender in sports can be seen .There are trained coaches and equipment’s for boys but not for girls . Teams and training only for boys and not for girls. Funds of sports for women and men if compared is like ant infront of elephant. So hurdles – hurdles everywhere and to has to achieve goals in this field.

Even technology is becoming gendered.

Now talking about the salary of sportspersons of both gender is another comparison which can reveal the dark side of this topic. In India cricket is the most popular sport in India so I am taking example of that. Comparing the salary of both the captains of Indian men’s and women’s cricket team you can see the dispairity.Our captain of men’s cricket team Virat Kohli falls in A category of the categories A,B,C gets annual income of average 2 crores .On the same hand our captain of women’s cricket team Mithali Raj who also falls in A category of only 2 categories A and B gets average income of only 15 lacks per annum. Though she is the highest paid women cricketer in this world but is painful to know that her salary is very low even if compared to the C grade cricketers of men’s cricket. In an interview she also shared the problems she faced in early 2000s when she didn’t even had a proper kit for matches which is most basic thing for a sportsperson .her father arranged it after a lot of efforts. She always talks openly about these disparities very openly. But the fight for her and for every women sportsperson is bigger.
Media has a very big role in bringing a change or promoting things so that it can be cached by people’s eye but our media is also in the same track as others .they sometimes even add to the problems. If we carefully look at the portrayal of men’s and women’s sports in media ,we will see the difference in how they are portrayed so differently. It is seen that rather than focusing on game they focus on looks and figure of the sportsperson .We can also notice that the coverage of women’s news is noting infront of men’s. They don’t get the publicity, they don’t get the fame ,they don’t get the appreciation they are worthy of .If we ask people why the scenario is like this ,they have a ready answer that female sports doesn’t attracts audience .But question again arises why? If we will get the answer of this why and change the mindset and behavior ours towards women’s sports ,for sure we will create wonders..

For further information’s –
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326173583_Gender_unevenness_in_the_sports_pages_of_newspapers_A_case_study_based_on_Indian_womens_cricket_team
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIZ24gD6XM8

This Blog page is writtern by Mahima Mishra.

Patriarchy the Mind-set of Society

The main idea of feminism is to let women be free, but we rarely realise that we are being dominated or oppressed in some or other way daily.
This patriarchal dominance is so well fitted into our life style that many a times we don’t recognize that we are being dominated or being dominant.
Have a look upon these situations …
Generally in family get-together, discussion starts with politics, health, education, school, grandfather, and his only grandson(my brother)… and things would get upon properties and who would get what … Where I don’t have any right on them … Moving on with these property affairs things would transfer his eldest granddaughter …yup me … Now since I m about about to touch 20 … When ever talk about me after 60 seconds of discussion on my academics and my hobbies they would for sure land up to my marriage plans( rather shaddi, doesn’t this word gives more feeling )… And then comes this great topic Dowry (aah! No! Dahej … Dowry sounds like a crime… but Dahej, it’s a tradition)… Even on this topic they wouldn’t need my opinion What I want to take along with me? What kind of jewellery I want? Or which car if I need one ! Even this topic is something they would discuss in themselves and close … Even before the closure they would ask me if I m satisfied or not? So how would I think of having my say in deciding whom I want to marry … The only thing I could imagine right now through these things is one fine day they would be ready with marrige cards and would be offering me with the “shadi k zoda” to get ready for the “mandap”…
The most ironical part of every discussion is, they would say “arrey mera beta toh itna sunder hai ki ladkiya uske piche ghumti hai, arrey society m toh ladkiya ghar tak bulanee a jati hai” ( I mean seriously that is a proud moment mum … you should throw parties …celebrate it …) but if I say “arrey iss hisab se toh pura school hi bachpan se aaagee piche ghumta hai mere”(Oh no! Aditi !! How dare you say that!! Atleast thing you are standing in front of your grandparents … Oh!! Yeah ladki haat se nikal gayi hai! such a characterless behaviour)
The other stakeholders of patriarchy is the society… Just think about these situations …
A girl in chaniya choli and saree is decently dressed, she is so much in touch with the tradition but a girl in crop top, oh!! how dare she ? Just look how confidentiality she is showing so much of her stomach!!
Why talking about someone’s chaadi k naara is ok but a bra hook is always a secret… It’s censored … If they are in vest with their packs giving shapes, ahh! They look more of a man… But a bra giving shapes of boobs is generally her want to appeal someone sexually… The most sad part of all this mind-set is that it leads to the assumption that the girls is completely responsible for her own rape …

You might either agree or disagree upon all the views that I (Aditi Parasher) have on Patriarchy A mind-set that governs the society.

DEAL DONE (FILM REVIEW)

“Deal Done”

“Deal Done”, a short film written and directed by Om Choudhary alarms the audience about consequences if the dowry practice persists. It shows a typical scenario of parents meeting for fixing the marriage. The conversation between the families is portrayed in a way as if they are discussing a business deal.

The dialogues in the film reflect the reality of patriarchal society. The only difference between reality and the film is that in the film, the characters are speaking their mind out while in reality everything is understood. When the boy’s father asks the girl about her hobbies, the girl simply answers that she does not have any likes or dislikes; she follows whatever her parents say.

The boy’s parents appreciate the girl’s parents for good control over the “product”. The product’s parents list features of the “product” and they proudly say that they have taught her everything a girl should know, and they have invested in the product a great deal except in education because after marriage education is not necessary.

The characters are desensitized about the matter of marriage. The user’s father asks for a dowry of 50 Lakhs because every product needs capital for its maintenance and if the product’s father fails to deliver the money before the marriage, the product will face side effects like abusing and teasing. The product’s father bargained and 45 lakhs was fixed as dowry. The product is sold, deal done.

Unlike how Bollywood movies portray actress’s entrance which is objectified by the camera angles moved from bottom to top, the director of photography, Manas Tiwari used the law of thirds which enhanced the character’s personality as well as the ambiance.

Secondly, the technique of freezing the characters when they are not participating in a particular scene made the film interesting to watch.

A question mark at the end of the title i.e. “Deal Done?” would have maintained the curiosity of the audience till the end, also using special sound effects in the background would have increased the intensity of the situation.

The dialogues and expressions undoubtedly awake the audience to stop the practice of dowry. I rate this short film 4.5/5 and recommend it to all the citizens of this country. Dowry is the biggest social evil of our society and we must actively stop it, starting from our own homes.

.

This blog post is written by Priya Valaniya. Please share your views. Thank you.

EK LADKI KO DEKHA TOH AISA LAGA

MOVIE REVIEW

Movie name: Ek Ladki Ko Dekha to Aisa Laga

Release Date: 1.Feb.2019

Director: Shelly Chopra Dhar

Cast: Anil Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja

RajKumar B

Box office collection: Rs 43.95 crores

PLOT OF THE MOVIE

The movie revolves around a Punjabi Family, who is over enthusiastic about the young women in the family named Sweety Chaudhary (Sonam). And on the other hand Sweety is a type of girl who hates men and never wants to get married. The family calls off many boys for Sweety but she does not want to get marry with anyone of them. Once a boy was called for her named Sahil Mirzia (RajKumar) who is a struggling drama writer, who urges to marry Sweety in any condition. Then Sweety once called up Sahil to meet her and then she told the real reason behind ignoring all the marriage proposals. She told she had a secret close to heart that is she is a lesbian and she loves other girl Kuhu since a long time. That is why she does not response to any of the marriage proporsals as she loves Kuhu. For the first time Sahil did not understand anything and never wanted to comment over Sweety’s relationship with a Girl. And about this relationship Sweety’s brother also got to know that is why he wanted her to get marry as soon as possible.

But later Sahil thought to help her out in this situation.Then after listening the whole story of Sweety with her love Kuhu he decided to make a Drama over this whole story said by sweety, so that the Chaudhary family could get to know about the homosexual relationship of their daughter with another girl.

The drama was named “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga”. So the stage was set, the characters were set but nobody knew that this story revolves over a real story. And everybody was ready with their script and the story.

After all the preparations on the day of play Sahil brought Kuhu to play the role of Kuhu in the drama. Maximum all the characters were inspired with the real life characters. And the play started, which revolves over a wedding scene where Kuhu and Sweety met for the first time.

 Till the end Sweety’s brother got to know about the drama which was held in the hall as he was not there in the place for last some days. And when he got to know that Kuhu had also join the drama, he went in the crowd to watch the drama and got to know that this story revolves around Sweety’s homosexual relationship. Then he decided to speak up about it but before that only Sweety had spoken for her relationship with Kuhu. The whole family and all the audiences were shocked to know about all these and was against the relationship. But later after some inconvenience with the help of same drama Sweety’s father and whole family realized that there is no curse in Sweety being a homosexual and sharing her relationship with same sex.

MY WORDS (CONCLUSION)

In the beginning of the movie the women was not praised by her brother for being a homosexual. But this story does not only revolve over the family or it’s not only the problem of her brother it’s the bad mentality of the whole Indian Society. The people here don’t want to see two same gendered person together.

Every Indian has the right to live their lives as they want. If a women loves to be with another women, if she wants to be in a relationship with her then we are no one to dislike or like her decisions. The movie is all about a women’s relationship with other women. The society is now not ready to accept these types of relationships.

 Indian society is very confusing for us, as if they see any girl being a friend with a boy it hurts them a lot they even start trolling the girl and talking about her in the Society, but when the girl grows up she has all the rights to be with a boy but after marrying him. Like what!

If a girl is always told to be friend with “only girls” and be away from the boys, then why that is she can’t make that friendship deeper by being in relationship with her. If she is told not to be with boys in her younger age then afterwards if that girl does not want to be with the boys in her whole life then there should not be any controversy over being a Lesbian.

This blog post is writtern by Kumud.