Friday, March 12, 2010

Musings

Lifestyles are changing, they have been for ages. But basic norms, decorum need not change. History shows what licence & epicureanism will lead to. Are we going to be wise or watch with folded hands history repeat itself? Cynics feel there is no stopping the avalanche of debauchery in this global era. But renowned ancient cultures cant afford to see their own death which is in no way INEVITABLE.
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When I read a newspaper or magazine I dont sift the news, articles & entertainment section- the whole counts for me AND the advertisements. Refinement is lacking in all these sections. It cries out BUSINESS, COMPETITION.
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Even now I am doubtful about our being hypocritical about our pride in ancient culture & its golden values.

Majority of the population, I honestly believe, are still right-minded, respectful, "civilised" and morally sane & healthy. I see life around me going on unobtrusively, on reasonable standards in spite of changes in lifestyle.

But only the MEDIA makes out as if whole Indian population is completely westernised culturally.

Yet there is no denying that schools and colleges are witnessing the slow serpentine influence of western cultural behaviour creeping in insidiously. MEDIA is committing the sin of emboldening our youth to cross the borders of decency, modesty, chastity & sanity.

The grudge I have against MEDIA- printed, electronic, audio, video, everything, one and all forms of it:
They are run for COMMERCIAL GAINS without even a pretence of ACCOUNTABILITY. Of course it is also business, and as such profit matters- but by fair means and not through sleaze. When you go to a grocer dont you expect unadulterated merchandise for the paise you pay? You are health-conscious, you know adulteration is criminal.
Now, in my opinion most of these opinion polls are blahblah. I attach no importance to them They are biased to enhance circulation-purely that. There is no honest reporting in today's MEDIA. That much for information.
Then comes the presentation. My sense of decency is violated, insulted grossly by the glaring pictures in the printed MEDIA. The visual MEDIA- cinema & television carry the insult to still higher levels. The dress code, the double talk obscenities are simply odious, not realistic, in the sense, that is not what common man's life is like & must be.
What is happening actually? The cheap, base instincts of man are whipped up, stimulated for cheap, instant thrills & titillations. Is this the definition of entertainment in our level of civilisation? Can we take pride in sinking to bestial level of carnal pleasures? All this includes social awareness, social accountability.
At this juncture of making leaps & bounds in the fields of economics & technology under the wonderful captaincy of the likes of Abdul Kalam & a host of technocrats & enterpreuners can we afford to lose our potential energy, youth in the pursuit of utterly wasteful pastimes & practices?
Last but not least,"the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world". That is an explicit saying for the supreme importance of woman's integrity to be saved, maintained, cherished at all costs.
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The distances having come to nothing due to communication technology our girls & women have developed an inordinate desire to ape their western counterparts

It is pure commercial marketting for cosmetic merchandise for which our "fair sex" haven fallen a pathetic prey. What sort of ego boost do they hope to achieve by shaving like men, baring like men, daring like men-doing all that were exclusively masculine activities?

The western woman is an enigma to me; she is a stranger to me, comes nowhere near my perspective of a meaningful life. I wish to keep my distance from her. And I am strongly averse to see the MEDIA for attracting our female population towards their western counterparts.

The younger generation has allowed its heads to be filled with a lot of newfangled ideas & rebellious prejudices. The new, overt lifestyle has upset a lot of accepted, healthy norms of life. This is a matter for concern needing careful study & analysis.
* * *Let me quote this from Sathguru Jakki Vasudev’s column, “aththanaikkum aasaippadu” in Ananda Vikadan:
“பெண் சுதந்திரம் பற்றி..?”

“சுதந்திரம் என்பது போராடிப் பெற வேண்டிய ஒன்றல்ல. உள்ளுணர்வுடன் அதைக் கவனித்துக் அனுபவிக்கக் கற்றுக்கொண்டால் போதும்

நகை, உடை, அலங்காரம், வசதிகள் என்று அற்பமான விஷயங்களில் சுகம் காண்பதை நிறுத்திவிட்டு, மேன்மையான விஷயங்களுக்குப் பெண் ஆசைப்பட வேண்டும்.

ஆண் சமூகம் விளையாடும் விளையாட்டுக்குப் பகடைக்காயாக உருட்டப்பட பெண் ஏன் சம்மதிக்க வேண்டும்? ஆண்களுடைய தந்திரங்களுக்குப் பலியாகிவிடாமல், கவனத்துடன் செயல்பட வேண்டாமா?

பெண்கள் உடல் ரீதியாகப் பலவீனமானவர்கள் என்பது பல காரணங்களுக்காக இயற்கை வகுத்த வழி. அதை எதற்காக மாற்ற முயற்சி செய்ய வேண்டும்?

அவளைப் போல செயல்படும் சக்தி அற்றவனாக ஆண் பின் தங்கியிருக்கிறான் என்பதே உண்மை. அவனைப் போல் நடந்துகொள்ளப் பெண்ணும் ஏன் பின்னால் அடியெடுத்து வைக்க வேண்டும்?

ஆண்கள் முன்மாதிரியாக வைத்து பின்பற்றுதலா சுதந்திரம்? அங்கே முதலில் இழப்பது பெண்மையின் மென்மையை. ஒரு பெண் முழுமையான பெண்ணாக இருப்பதல்லவா உண்மையான சுதந்திரம்?

பெண்கள் இல்லையென்றால் இந்த உலகமே இல்லை. தங்களை உடலுடன் மட்டும் அடையாளப்படுத்திக்கொள்வதை நிறுத்திவிட்டு, தங்களுடைய உண்மையான சக்தி என்ன என்று அவர்கள் உணர வேண்டும்!”

* * *
The difference of greeting a woman in the east & the west. To give a French kiss on the stage has been popularised by 2 "lady"(?!) luminaries of the west. Even today in most of the families/communities even fathers or brothers don't touch a grown up girl, leave alone strangers- it is a mark of respect, a dignified behaviour. But today we see in the MEDIA girls & women getting vigorous handshakes from Tom, Dick & Harry. Co-education system has come to be because of the growing masses that need to be educated in adequate educational institutions. But that does not in any way warrant all this "rubbing together" we see mostly projected in reel life, & perhaps in some places in real life. On the screen a girl is shown to behave exactly like a sweetheart, but lectures about the supremacy of "friendship" as the best relationship. Many such ridiculous norms, culturally alien are being brought on by the MEDIA. The net result being women degraded to the status of a fleshy commodity, stripped of all her superior qualities, achievements, capabilities & honour.

I know my old granny's views will come in for a lot of flak, that is not going to prevent me from expressing them.
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What need is there to talk about men separately ? Since “men” are included in “women”(like an appendage!!!) they cant have any interest/worthwhile or mentionable activity/achievement/motivation/purpose excluding women. So anything related to women- problems, pleasures, prides, possessions, pangs, predicaments etc compulsorily leads to men, directly or indirectly.
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Be it Helen, Cleopatra, Sita, Panjali, Shakunthala, Dhamayanthi and the whole lot of epic heroines there is much to be debated in the view of socialists ; but only admiration-sheer admiration- from a literary point of view.
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Actually women are very different from men - biologically, homonally, emotionally; their very logic of reasoning, reacting, manipulating & achieving are completely different: that is the secret of the permanent interest, attraction, curiosity they have for each other! Like poles repel, unlike poles attract is a very true law in man-woman relationship.
As for selection of different toys for boys & girls I read somewhere that in an experiment conducted to break this myth about gender differences of tastes, preferences, I vaguely remember it being found out for the great astonishment boys & girls converting the given toys to the traditionally believed pattern of playing. Boys take naturally to balls from very early stage; girls are less interested in balls. Now it is the beyblade craze season. It is the boys mostly involved in spinning those tops while girls look on with very slight interest! Definitely it is a chromosomal matter
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Modern day husband helps his wife in each & every household chore like cutting the vegetables, changing nappies, washing the laundry etc, unheard of in his father's generation. But that does not mean he has to send out his wife to earn for him! There is a difference between a man helping his spouse in the house & opting to stay in the house!
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Man's broad shoulders are meant to, expected to protect the smaller sized woman.
Who said housewife is inferior because of staying at home, or a house husband is to be humiliated because he stays at home? It is rather a question of who belongs where, naturally!
Fortunately a housewife is an uncrowned queen in our households!
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What a machine life with machines & lack of human attachment. More money less time for real LOVE! An age of creches & old age homes because man & woman chase money hand in hand together! Wonderful life!
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Sadly the fact there are still a vast majority of girls who do not want to hold the hands of any & every boy except her only man's is conveniently overlooked by those who are quick to bash Indian 'hypocrisy' about our ancient sense of values called 'culture'!
As we go up the rungs of civilisation & culture & refinement over the centuries brighter, healthier, improved concepts have been spread by great thinkers/reformers. Mahakavi Bharathi has boldly, loudly proclaimed for the whole humanity to hear"kaRpinai aaNukkum peNNukkum pothuvinil vaippOm".



Is it not sensible that we become better human beings as the centuries pass by? Muscle power ruled in the stone age. Then came money power, political power etc. Today a man can't just carry away a woman of his liking. there are stringent laws against it. But it was extolled in epics of ancient times. A natural renaissance of arts, thought & governance has come into existence. A greater maturity in all our approaches & perspectives is obvious.
The past should be viewed in its own background, political, social, moral etc. For political gain kings married wife after wife as they went on conquering kingdoms. The reason for the harem. But we have come a loooooong way from those days, that period of limited awareness.
With much improved political science & the scientific progress we have made we have learnt a lot to shed off whatever was not proper for human dignity. We have redefined our moral code, not deviating, all the same, from the fundamental moral base in all societies, like for instance, Moses' Ten Commandments.
More accountability as social animals is the need of the day. In our democratic government rules & regulations are stipulated to ensure a happier, healthier & more dignified life for both man & woman.
If we have awareness about personal hygiene, moral pride, a proper sense of propriety & a wish for guiltless conscience many of present day ills will vanish. Beware of wrong notions about individual freedom, lack of responsibilty in a social, political setup. As we become more & more civilised the distance between man & beast should increase. Both behave differently. Our government forbids us to urinate in public places, to throw litter anywhere we please and so on to ensure a clean environment for the society of people it governs.
we need the courage to take responsibilities seriously, to weigh the consequences of our acts for ourselves AND others.

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