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Most of my friends in college are ardent fans of the reality shows being featured on Mtv and channel V, and thats how I happened to come across some episodes of these programmes.I find it very strange and I dont know why but some strangely bizzare thoughts came to my mind on watching the shows.
It is an acepted fact that India is an emerging economy.The global economic meltdown has given way to a huge financial downfall in the Western countries.India was one among the countries which sustained the crisis due to the strength of her agricultural sector.India could maintain her economy in a steady manner while most of the so called "developed" countries got entangled in heavy financial problems and looked enviously at India.All these things clubbed with the inherent invasionary tendency of the Occidental society has forced the Western countries to destroy the growth of the Indian economy.The western multinationals are searching for a market in India to sell their soft drinks,alcohol,junk food etc.I feel that the introduction of reality shows which feature Western lifestyle and attitudes is a ground activity for the formation of a sound market to sell western commodities.In order to sell brands like the KFC,CocaCola etc and find buyers for the branded clothes sold by western sellers,there needs to be a generation of people who like and prefer such stuff.To create that kind of a generation,their attitudes should be moulded and tilted towards that of the West.This is exactly what reality shows like Roadies and Splitsvilla are doing now.
Knowingly or unknowingly,the Indian youth are being made victims of a very planned cultural invasion which can be very very fatal because of the vulnerable nature of the Indian mental fibre.(While saying this,I also am reminded of the discusion I had with my teacher regarding the "Politics of American Actor Training", about the political stratergies that Western organisations have in mind behind allotting funds to Indian theatre persons.)The Indian youth is becoming excesively apolitical and they often fail to recognise such stratergies.
When I expressed my concerns to my friends,they laughed at me.Maybe,at a later point of time, I too may laugh at myself for having such strange thoughts or else, my friends will then agree that I was right.Whatever it is,this is what I feel now and I have expressed myself honestly.

"A Woman's Wheel Of Life"

I was fascinated by the book "A Woman's Wheel Of Life" which I read recently.It contains excerpts from the conversations that the author had with 20 eminent women of India.While reading,I came across some very perplexing and rare observations on the mental structure of contemprory women.In the chapter which deals with the life and views of Advt.Jethmalani's divorced daughter,she asks,"Why is it that most successful women are alone?Is it because they are too independant or is it because they simply intimidate men?".I found this very sensible and my mind started to look into and seek answers for this question from that very moment.
It was in this backdrop that I happened to watch a Malayalam movie "Paleeri Maanikyam".The reason I went to watch it was because the movie is supposed to discuss the insecurity the a woman faces in the Indian rural society.Initially,I was quite surprised to see a flow of people appear to watch a "supposed to be academic" movie.But as the film progressed,I witnessed what I felt was a movie which tends to commodify the feminine body and sell the agonised life of a rape victim.I watched the male minds in the playhouse turn into a perverted lot smiling with lust in their eyes and waiting to see more.The experience was more than bearable for me.My mind started reading the question posed by Ms.Jethmalani and my experience in the theatre side by side.
The condition of a woman is always the same at every era of time.She lives the same innner life- subject to the domination and possession of man.If at all she tries to exhibit her ideologies or tries to create her own creative space,she is either ostracized or killed and maybe thats why women of substance are often all alone.