It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a cricket match. At least ten years. And today I watched it starting at 6:00 am for 12 hours straight! And right up to the last six I was holding on with bated breath :) But everything about the world cup has already been said, and there’s nothing for me to contribute. Apart from the interesting case of Poonam Pandey.
A few days back she had promised to strip out of joy if the Indian team won. And win they did. From the start, everyone said that the whole thing was an attention grabbing stunt. If so, it’s worked very well. All our babus, netas, and fire breathing moralists are up in arms. We have many sections in the IPC dealing with things like obscenity and the horribly named “Indecent representation of women.” The BJP has predictably gone all out to “protect” the image of women. But this statement really made me perk up my ears:
“Indian women are revered and respected since time immemorial. We have a tradition of Sita, Draupadi, Jijamata, Queen of Jhansi, Tarabai Holkar, Savitri Phule, Ramabai Ambedkar, Sarojini Naidu, Indira Gandhi, Kalpana Chawla and many more…there are many other ways of celebrating India’s victory without sullying the image of Indian women before the whole world.
Ok, so I have several problems with this statement (no surprise there!) But for those who think this is reasonable, here are my objections:
1. What is wrong with nudity?
One of the two main premises of the argument is that nudity is shameful and embarrassing. Specifically, a woman’s nudity is shameful and embarrassing. No one raises a fuss when a guy pees on the road and exposes himself to the world. When sadhus in the Kumbh mela arrive naked not a sound from the moralists. But heaven forbid a woman chooses to do the same!
Here’s a tip to the moralists. Nudity is our natural state. It’s the human body at its best. We were born this way. There’s nothing shameful about it. Stripping people is a popular way to “shame” them in India. Women in villages are stripped by mobs when they go into a moral frenzy. But such people are actually degrading themselves. As if they can deny their own body by shaming another’s.
So lesson number one: Be chill about going nanga!
2. How does one woman represent all of womankind?
Suppose Poonam Pandey decides to do something really degrading to herself. And she’s choosing to go nude which some people find degrading. How does that in any way affect the remaining half a million women in India? Poonam’s choice reflects on herself and herself alone. If she’s doing something silly, don’t go and drag all the remaining Indian women into it! This isn’t very different from the Khap panchayats thinking that a family’s “honor” depends entirely on the woman. We all know how screwed up that is.
3. Why this obsession with women’s dignity? And why Indian women?
So let’s assume that Poonam is doing something shameful and embarrassing for the sake of argument. Let’s also assume for fun that it reflects on others and not just herself. Why is that larger group restricted only to Indian women? Wouldn’t her actions shame all women throughout the world no matter where they are? Are Indian women anatomically different from those found elsewhere? Are there mystical boundaries which prevent her influence from spreading beyond the lines drawn by politicians?
While we’re at it, why should her actions reflect only on women? Why doesn’t it reflect on all human beings? I’m a man and I demand to be affected by Poonam’s “shameful” actions too!
So let’s recap. Here is what the events are like:
- Poonam decides to strip
- Stripping causes nudity
- The nude body is shameful (no one knows why)
- Poonam’s actions reflect on all women (no one knows why)
- Therefore all women are shamed
- But Poonam’s actions shame only Indian women (no one knows why)
- Poonam’s actions shame only women (no one knows why)
…..(brain explodes)
So am I wrong in thinking that no woman associates herself with what another woman does? Leave your opinion below:
[poll id=”27″]
Apparently, Poonam’s proposed action also shames the Brahmin community…Some lawyer has filed a case against her because of this…Some people have are really idle…
Haha.. The recap part is superbly put!
I have problems with the statement too. And yes, I would also ask the questions you have asked.
You write quite well.. I’m amazed to see your pseudo-secularism. We humans being have been gifted with this apparent quality of genetically improvement. Over the span of several centuries we mastered the art of living in societies and thus came to be known as the social animal. But, then society has some norms which need to be followed. Also, you brought a point that we are born nude so whats the harm in that? A thing which makes us civilized and differ from our early ancestors is the art of wearing clothes. Early cave men remain nude for much of their life. Yet, a transformation engrossed them which led to the invention of clothes. Even they used to wear clothes made up from skins and fur of animals.
You talk about the Sadhus, especially the Naga one’s. They don’t do this for publicity shake or they are not preaching the act of obscenity. It’s a way of attaining salvation or the MOKSHA. Comparing a insane girl with them is ridiculing the strata and the divinity associated with them Naga Sadhus.
Lastly, we are Indians and our culture is different from the Americans. God knows where the mad race with them will lead to us. Point to be noted : we Indians have much more important to read and talk about.
I’m sorry if at any instance I hurt your feelings.
In reply to RACHIT SHARMA
Do you even know the meaning of the phrase “pseudo-secular” or do you just use it as a generic label for someone who you disagree with? Shaking my head here.
Thanks for informing us that our culture is different from America. What is the relevance to the topic, pray?
We have more important issues to talk about and yet you obligingly spent time reading the post and adding your comment. Very generous of you, I’m sure.
In reply to RACHIT SHARMA
Clothes were invented for protection…not for style or for the sake of hiding one’s “shame.” Poonam is not saying she will remain nude for life!
What’s the difference between a sadhu’s goal of attaining something and Poonam’s goal of getting publicity? Why is one more important than the other?
And what is the connection to the Americans here? If Indians have much more important things to read and talk about (like poverty, hunger etc.), then it’s better we don’t go mad over things like cricket :D – after all, it’s so stupid to go around hitting a ball with a bat no? Indians have much better things to do…
In reply to RACHIT SHARMA
Wait…so now wearing clothes is a sign of being civilized? Really!? Yeah….the rest of your comment is full of fail.
I agree. I’m actually pretty sick of the misinformed idiots who talk about India’s “reverence and respect for women”. We are one of THE most sexist, misogynistic societies in the world and anyone who thinks women are “revered and respected” in India has obviously never travelled on a public bus in the Indian capital with any degree of regularity.
I will prefer watching porn than Miss P P :-) . Tell me a person who didn’t enjoy nudity , And I will show you a pious woman and man.
I would just say one thing.
1. She is an attention hogger – but an intelligent one.
It would be worthwhile to contemplate about one thing – If it wasn’t Poonam Pandey, would there have been anyone else who would have done the same thing?
In the age of Rakhi Sawant and Dolly Bindra, my answer would be yes.
And if that someone would do something which you might as well do it, why not beat that person to the winning post – as Poonam has done.
Aiming for further glory, she is is asking for her “show” to be staged in Paris – the fashion capital of the world. All in the name of Indian culture. She isn’t doing this for respecting Indian culture, but is doing this with a strong business opportunity and fame in mind.
Well, only time will tell whether she keeps up to her promise.
P.S. I wouldn’t be following whether she would have kept her promise or not :-)
In reply to Vyankatesh
Even though it’s probably an attention stunt, I’m still happy it happened because it brings out certain issues and exposes the mindset of our politicians and police.
gr8 post…lol
u r right…but the reaction of the hypocrites to Poonam’s decision to strip all was expected…
I’m with the comments about it being an attention stunt. Besides, I find the whole reaction to her posing nude rather hypocritical. I mean, from an outsiders point of view, it seems that I don’t understand how you can claim to respect women’s dignity when this is the same culture I hear about women being raped and then it’s blamed on her. How much sense does that make? O_o
To answer your question about why women it’s focused on women, it’s just a way to control women’s bodies and sexuality.
In reply to RenKiss
The cry about women’s dignity is a joke. Politicians have a strange definition of dignity which means that women must keep quiet and do what they’re told.
I have been having a similar argument on twitter.
I am just glad that we live in an India where she is not going to be stoned for something that seems to have ‘offended’ (and strangely, fascinated) a section of the society.
Also I don’t think women in India are respected or revered. BJP has forgotten what some hooligans did to show reverence to women in Mangalore? How come not a word of protest from them then?
How do we show this reverence/respect to women?
Let me blog about this.
In reply to Indian Homemaker
The BJP seems to think that dignity only means that women must quietly be submissive and do what they’re told. That is “real” dignity!
In reply to bhagwad
I don’t belong to BJP or Congress or any other political party. I am just a just an ordinary woman. And it is big disgrace to womanhood when a girl is ready to strip like this in front of whole nation.
People like you think you are very liberal. For you being liberal means right to strip, right to drink, right to sell your body. If Poonam Pandey wants to strip, she can go to strip club, do it in her home. What right does she has to impose it on us. We don’t want to see her nude running around across the nation. Disgusting woman!
It is not just stupid politicians but even educated, liberal, modern girls like me also dislike Mr. Pandey. It is true Poonam has a right to do whatever she wants to do but why is she imposing nudity on us. And worse is she is doing it in the name of Patriotism. Wht the hell. Worse is she is doing it for publicity. How cheap one can go.
In reply to Zooni
I can understand if you don’t want to see Poonam naked – or anyone naked for that matter! But why is it a “disgrace” to womanhood? It’s possible you don’t feel like looking at her, but that doesn’t mean that it’s disgraceful. Moreover, why do you feel that you are disgraced? She has no relationship to you after all no?
Even if Poonam did strip, I highly doubt that any TV channel would show it without at least blurring the picture! So you won’t actually have to see anything :)
In reply to bhagwad
I will like to know will u allow/accept ur mother or sister to Go nude in public ? when u want to go nude in “public ” the opinion of “public ” u can’t ignore , go nude in wild , no one will say anything, and we r proud of our culture , this general public opinion is “culture” , and by common sense that is against “nudity ” , no culture is perfect but even then we r much more evolved than westerns , it is only young generation of urban india , who r imitating western style , and among those also only they who are uprooted from culture and have been taught everything negative only through NCERT , and have seen the so called “intellectual” always abusing Hinduism
In reply to Amit
You seem to forget that my mother/sister are people with their own minds. If they want to go nude in public and are over the age of 18, no one will force the to stop. Certainly not me.
What about you? Do you treat your mother/sister as your property?
In reply to bhagwad
So then you will be ready to accept the opinion and reaction of public also ? because everyone will not turn out to be as liberal as you ? if yes then why this blog post , BJP is giving their opinion ? if not then stop posting nonsense on name of liberalism
In reply to Amit
How can I stop people from giving their reactions and opinions? This post was to expose the flaws in the logic of people who say that “all women are disgraced.”
Giving your opinion is fine – and I have the right to give my opinion on that opinion. And that is the purpose of this post.