Posts Tagged ‘Sri Ram Sena’
Mr. Gupta, have you met Mr. Gupta?
Mr. Gupta, have you met Mr. Gupta?
Note:
- Text on the right on green background is from Liberty is not libertinism by Kanchan Gupta, written on February 9, 2009. Text reproduced in the following table in the left-hand column.
- Text on the left on white background is from Mini skirts, Jamaatis and their dark world by Kanchan Gupta, written on July 8, 2012. Text reproduced in the following table in the right-hand column.
| Kanchan Gupta on[1] the Pink Chaddi Campaign | Kanchan Gupta on[2] the dress code[3] called for by Jamaat |
|---|---|
| A … point that merits elaboration is the disdain which the charlatans who pose as emancipators of women … have for local community sensitivities, which are often casually referred to as local culture and tradition | No less telling is the implicit worldview of the Jamaatis. The world they crave for is not splattered with colours and cultural diversity; it’s a joyless world where women are made to disappear … |
| There really is no need to fashion our lifestyle after Sex and the City. | Recall … how faces were blackened of women who refused to don the burqa. |
| Just because … lip-locking …raises no eyebrows in the West does not mean the East must ape the mating game. | Frivolities apart, there’s something darkly and deeply sinister about the Jamaat’s attempt to impose a dress code … |
| What is material and important is whether those around the individuals … are comfortable with it; if they feel discomfited or outraged, then their sensitivities must over-ride the presumed right to make a spectacle of yourself in public. | … what is being sought is to titillate the imagination of the lowest common denominator of Kashmiri society, the rage boys of Islam … in the guise of protecting faith-based, culture-centric sensitivities. |
| By idolising deracinated men and women who have scant regard for moral values … we are promoting everything that is antithetical to our culture, our tradition. | In the absence of that resistance[4], time will come when Jamaatis – whatever their organisational loyalty and affiliation – will demand that women be barred from wearing “mini skirts and other objectionable dresses” anywhere in the country as it hurts Muslim sensitivities |
Alternative titles considered for this post:
- That was then, this is now
- Gupta vs. Gupta
- On Miniskirts and Pink Chaddis
Note: I am, in no way, implying that Mr. Gupta supported the Sri Ram Sena. He in fact refers to them as “a bunch of goons masquerading as soldiers of Sri Ram Sena” and states that he does not defend “Pramod Muthalik’s hooliganism”. The question however remains: why give more importance to one community’s sensitivities compared to another community’s sensitivities? Of course, it could be that his opinions on the issue of personal liberty vis a vis community sensitivities have evolved. However I received no answer when I asked him that.
Footnotes
[1] Gupta, K., Liberty is not libertinism, Feb 9, 2009 ↩
[2] Gupta, K., Mini skirts, Jamaatis and their dark world, Jul 8, 2012 ↩
[3] “Some tourists, mostly foreigners, are seen wandering in mini skirts and other objectionable dresses which is quite against the local ethos and culture. We have simply requested foreign tourists moving around to respect Kashmiri culture.” — Jamaat spokesman Zahid Ali said (emphasis mine). ↩
[4] … the political will and courage to call [the Jamaat’s] bluff and stand up to [the Jamaat’s] bullying … ↩
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