Is it history in the making or are we treading down a wearied track that leads to the inevitable dead end? On 19 May 2008 the Delhi High Court started hearing final arguments on a petition seeking to change certain portions of the Indian Penal Code’s Section 377, leading to the decriminalization of homosexuality in […]
Social issues
Quaint category, or a right to be?
Which is worse — being openly prejudiced and shouting your opinion from the rooftops, or being so insensitive as to subtly but inexorably grind a knife in and not realize it? Virgin Mobile have recently come up with a series of ads that encourage you to ‘think hatke’ (differently). In one of these, a young […]
Religious nuts at Ledger’s funeral?
Why are those who make the most noise about being religious and righteous among the most intolerant people? This is of course in reference to the news that a group of cranks who profess to represent a church intending to picket late actor Heath Ledger’s funeral. His crime: being associated with Brokeback Mountain. The hate […]
The unkindest cut
Censorship is a funny thing. I know I’ve ranted on the subject time and again, and this is unlikely to be the last time. Consider these scenarios from a series being telecast on Star World currently: [Two people talking; one slightly tipsy, the other trying to work. TIPSY ONE is trying to apologize, and finally […]
The other side
“Sexy sixty”. That is what the media is calling it. But you don’t have to be a hardened cynic like me to realize that the media had sold out years ago. While almost every publication has gone to town about the sun shining out of the various orifices of this sixty-year-old nation, only one newspaper—Indian […]
Blank Noise Action Heroes blogathon
This entry is for the BlankNoise Action Hero blogathon. According to the brief: This year for Women’s Day we’re asking you to share experiences of times when you were an ACTION HERO and fought back against harassment. Thinking back, there is one incident that stands out. This happened almost 12 years ago when I was […]
Speechless…
There comes a point when you run out of words. Yet another terror attack, yet another phase when we are scared of stepping out of our houses. Well, I don’t know what to say, so I’m using other people’s words: Very scary to think that the trains will be boarded again—or rather they already have— […]
No sex please, we’re Indian!
Unlike many people, I prefer to buy my movies legally—which is to say, pay the extra amount for an original VCD or DVD. Which means my movies have that horrible little smudged Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) poster that classifies them as U (universal), U/A (not sure what the technical term is, but I […]
Batting on a queer pitch
Where there is a way, leave it up to us Indians to find a will—a will to misuse, abuse and exploit! In a country known for its intolerance towards sexual minorities, young people are now grabbing at the homosexuality straw to buy an emigration ticket. According to a story in the Times of India today […]
The “concept” of men
(Posted as part of the Blank Noise Project Blogathon) Delhi’s attitude to women and the reason why it is so can be perfectly illustrated by this following incident I was witness to some time last year. Coming home one late afternoon, I boarded a bus that got pretty crowed a few stops ahead. Among the […]