How to spot a teenager...

A couple of days ago I read a shocking piece of news. While doing age determination tests on women rescued from prostitution rings, doctors realized that the ‘physical’ age of these women was different from their ‘mental’ age. I found the use words rather curious; it could just be a physical or mental deformity, right? It became clearer as I read further; these girls were in their teens but looked much older due to the introduction of hormones in their bodies, to enhance general growth and features such as breasts, leading to fuller bodies at a much younger age. In fact they are even injected with the male hormone testosterone to increase their sexual desire. However the level of testosterone in female bodies is minute, and therefore these practices often lead to an overdose, causing such abnormalities as hoarse voices and facial hair.
How sick are these practices, of flesh trade and forced prostitution? As if all the physical and psychological abuse that these women are subjected to is not enough, there are now ways to physically alter their growth… their adolescence is all but lost anyway, even the tell tale signs of age, that which would allow the more compassionate to interact with them the way it ought to be, is now being messed around with… not even the mirror would be much of a friend anymore.

The next day there was a news item about the increase in flesh trade following the flooding of the Kosi river. Apparently relief camps have become hunting grounds for pimps looking for fresh ‘maal’. A people in distress would indeed be easy to manipulate.

Cinema of prayoga

Attended this very interesting session yesterday… it was said to be an evening of cinema of prayoga (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/New-pinch/321754/), films by Ashok Sukumaran and Shaina Anand, curated by Amrit Gangar and held at the National Centre for Performing Arts. Their works however can’t be called ‘films’, in the strict sense of the term, even if one were to widen the gamut by terming them experimental. Though experimental and imaginative they certainly were. Their works can perhaps be described as media interventions or interactive/ installation art. And much like art, they seemed to have little ‘relevance’ though the inherent ingenuity and yet simplicity was marvelous.
Since they presented several projects, its difficult for me to write about all. I found Ashok’s (http://0ut.in/) interactive roadside installations involving electricity rather heartwarming. The connections and interactions they necessitated between people, mostly strangers, and often from entirely different socio cultural backgrounds was wonderful to see. Since this was public art, with free access for anyone who chose to stop and be a part of it, it led to a cross section of people reacting and interacting with the experiment as well as among themselves, united only by their curiosity and sense of participation.
Shaina’s (http://chitrakarkhana.net/ ) works were less obscure and rather more ‘useful’ in many ways. Certainly easier to analyse and use to one’s advantage, though precisely such interference by the State in the public life of the common man, was probably her provocation for the ‘surveillance’ camera series of works called ‘Khirkiyaan’ (http://chitrakarkhana.net/khirkeeyaan.htm). I found this series very interesting. This was more direct interaction, with both sound and video. She hooked up four cameras and television sets with split screens showing images from all four cameras. These were installed within a 200m radius of each other, in different neighbourhoods in Delhi. There were also mikes, allowing real time interaction between the people in front of the camera. Depending on where the cameras were placed, this led to very interesting conversations among the people involved. This was local reality tv with a twist…
I’m not sure of the inspirations or provocations behind their works. But they certainly are doing some fairly interesting stuff.

Shoppers, Stop!

Shoppers’ Stop advertisements never cease to amaze me.
They are distinctive, black and white images with a tag line, and you can make one out from a distance. The brand recall for Shoppers’ stop is amazing.
Several of them are also brazen and in poor taste.
Sometime ago I had seen one with children playing with toys. ‘Keep them quiet, avoid noise pollution’ or something to that effect, ran the tagline. And today I saw one which showed a woman sitting by the side of the road in a micromini and high heels, with a guy in a motorcycle in the background, who had stopped and had turned around to look at her. The tagline read ‘Wear a short skirt. Hitchhike. Save fuel.’
I fail to see the humour in either. If at all they encourage dangerous trends. The first one encourages parents to fulfill a child’s needs and demands by gifting her toys, an easy way out, and potentially very damaging to the way the child learns to view relationships. The second is totally out of context in India. If a girl tries to do what is suggested in the advertisement, she won’t just get a ride, she’ll likely get abducted, raped, and murdered. One could argue that they are not to be taken seriously just as Sardarji jokes are not, but somehow I find them in poor taste.
Unfortunately the whole Shoppers’ Stop campaign is beautifully executed. It’s simple and classy, and I suspect, pretty much a success. That’s what makes it even more disturbing. Just like the Pond’s White Beauty campaign.

As an aside, let me mention that I have a renewed sense of respect and admiration for all those Sardar boys and girls, who grow up listening to Sardar jokes, and learn to take it sportingly, even when they know that they are some of the smartest people around. A dear friend of mine who is a Sardar with a razor sharp mind and a sense of humour to match, often refers to it as a form of racism. He’s got a theory that I have come to respect. He says that one of the reasons why Sardars are able to do so well in foreign countries, even in the face of extreme racism is that they have learnt to deal with it, because they have faced it in a different form all their lives on their home soil.
It’s something to think about.

To each what he deserves...

I have been meaning to write about the recent controversy regarding Jaya Bachchan’s remarks, and its aftermath, but for one reason or another, didn’t get around to doing so. In hindsight, perhaps that’s exactly how it needs to be treated. The emptiness of Raj Thackery’s argument is apparent to any sensible and responsible citizen of the country. Why repeat what has already been said umpteen number of times. This attention is exactly what Raj seeks… perhaps a better strategy would be to deny him what he knows he badly needs: press. Report what needs to be reported, but give him as little coverage as possible. That might be a real blow to him.