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:
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No ‘like’ button?
In reply to Indian Homemaker
Waiting for Google to implement its “+1” button. I kind of dislike Facebook, and their “Like” button really slows down a page :(
RenKiss,
As I implied earlier, those who say that women are revered in Indian society are, at best, extremely ill-informed. At best.
In actuality, it is probably more about political opportunism and attention-grabbing than about any genuine belief in the so-called reverence.
I have personally been involved twice in verbal spats with harassers in Delhi buses, in a span of four months during which I took the bus to work. There is no reverence. Only unrestrained and shamelessly expressed physical attraction towards an objectified stereotype of women, as produced by our deeply misogynistic and sexually repressed society. This is specially true of the Hindu-Hindi urban cliché prevalent in Northern India (and I say this as a native North Indian)
Southern India is not as bad but they have their own hang-ups.
A LOT needs to be done here.
Oh for Pete’s sakes. The same Poonam Pandey must have virtually posed nude in the Kingfisher calendar along with loads of other female models. Where are the so called moral leaders then? Or are they too drunk (pardon the pun) with Mr. Mallya’s courtesies?
Btw…there is a kannada philosopher / poetess by the name of Akka Maha Devi. Her songs are sung even today with great reverence. And guess what – she gave up on clothes as another thing tying her to the mortal world and would roam naked. She was a great woman with a lot of wisdom and no one though her nudity was offensive, especially considering it was about 500 years ago.
If Poonam Pandey wants to strip, really it is her business. I don’t think any one’s dignity including hers will be harmed in the process. I would just request her to make sure no underage kids are sitting around.
In reply to Clueless
if it is really her business why she needs to speak it in loudspeaker ? just to make some humbug in society ? then be ready for opposition
Agree with the publicity/attention stunt/marketing ploy idea. Ideally it shouldn’t matter what others do. But in this case, especially because it is India it does. Although I don’t agree with what other women say, I understand why they are conditioned to believe and say what they say.
To begin with, India is a very controlled society. Sex is taboo until marriage = Men and women have repressed urges for life. The nude celebrity would get to freely walk away after the stunt with lots of protection. But an aroused low wage worker who witnessed this and gets drunk will probably find some poor woman to rape. Hence women, instead of identifying the patriarchy, believe that other women are responsible and therefore be stopped from causing disgrace.
The comment above from clueless brings up a very valid point. “No underage kids”. We are rational enough to know that kids do not have the capability to process and assimilate such actions, hence protect them. Sadly, many men (and women) in India are like kids. But unlike kids they are completely ill conditioned and mentally stop growing.
In reply to sowmya
I’ve often said that men are not animals who can’t control themselves once they are “aroused.” No one goes and commits a rape just because they happened to be aroused by seeing something accidentally.
Rape is a pre meditated offence – and one which is done with full deliberation and knowledge.
In reply to bhagwad
Like I said earlier, I am not agreeing with or justifying but merely stating facts. Fact is that men in India, especially the ones that grow up with no worldly exposure, good education or open mind do believe that it is ok to rape.
One solution is to punish them (which seems to be very flawed and biased in the current system). The other is for women to be self sufficient and learn how to defend themselves. Martial arts, spray guns and such perhaps?
Assuming there was a video telecast in a busy public street in India of a woman stripping with no prior notice. How many women do you think would cringe and try to protect themselves? My answer is everyone. That’s called instinct. That and the conditioned response based on past experiences. That even though men are supposed to be civilized and control themselves, a majority of them don’t.
What is the point I’m trying to make? I’m not saying it is ok for men to rape (or anyone for that matter). I’m not saying it is ok for women to pounce on other women for their own insecurities. All I’m saying is that there needs to be solutions discussed after understanding the problems. Whether it is legalizing prostitution, strip clubs etc. Or women being aware, prepared and knowing how to defend and retaliate.
In reply to sowmya
Sowmya, if men believe it’s ok to rape then why do they try and hide the fact after they rape the woman? Why do they run? Why don’t they do it in the open instead of waiting when the victim can’t protect herself? After all, if it’s ok to rape then no one will object no?
Let’s not kid ourselves. Men who rape know full well what they’re doing is wrong. It has nothing to do with their education or worldly exposure. There have been many primitive cultures where rape is as wrong as it is in “developed” nations today.
It’s hardly flawed to punish people for rape. We punish people for murder and theft – why not rape?
In reply to bhagwad
You’re right about rape being premeditated. Yes rape should be punished. But the issue is, it seems the mentality towards rape has to change. The thing is, many societies view rape as being as ” oh rapists are just sex starved.” We all know that’s not true, but people just simply can’t wrap their minds around that fact.
I’m only commenting on this now because I was having a discussion with a friend of mine, who feels that women who dress proactively are partially responsible for bringing rape upon themselves. I was trying to explain to him that it doesn’t matter how women are dressed, they can become victims of rape if they’re wearing a burka.
In reply to sowmya
@Sowmya
If adults have kid like mentality and cannot take up responsibilities for themselves, then they should not be give specific rights either. After all , rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. If a guy cannot control himself, behave in an acceptable manner when he sees a woman, then he loses the right to go out in public. Period.
So if there are men that are proudly saying things like “After all I am a man, I cannot control myself” then such people should be placed under house arrest so that the rest of the society that can control itself can function properly without this nuisance. Women comprise almost 50% of the population ( thanks gender ratio!) and there is no reason why they should give up their right to public space because of others.
…We have a tradition of Sita, Draupadi,…
Sita was tried by fire to prove her chastity and then abandoned when pregnant by lawfully wedded husband; Draupadi pawned in a chess game by her husbands and then almost strippped naked by her husbands’ male relatives. Wao what great examples of respect shown to women.
@Rachit Sharma,
… It’s a way of attaining salvation or the MOKSHA….
Nudity is addressed with respect to the viewer not the exhibiter. That is what moral brigade is trying to work up. So on the same lines what about all men and women who may feel aroused or offended due to the personal motive of MOKSHA of these sadhus? The sadhus may get MOKSHA but the other mortals may rot in the fire of lust :) Oh, agree that is not happening coz’ their matted hair and ash rubbed bodies are pretty disgusting.
Few decades ago it was Madhu Sapre in an ad charged with sullying image of brahmins and now this attention seeking juvenile, few more days and we’ll have something else to fret about.
Peace,
Desi Girl
In reply to girlsguidetosurvival
It seems that Indian women are “dignified” only when they quietly do what they’re told and don’t argue and put up with unequal treatment! This is our version of “respect.”
In reply to bhagwad
Yup, you nailed it. Respect is bestowed conditionally depending on the incumbent’s caste, class, religion, urban-rural and what not social location. We respect what we consider is worth respecting and what does not fit our definition or is beyond us immediately demands persecution.
DG
Yes, I would ask the questions you ask…when I did ask some, there is no real logical answer other than their preferences and to top it all, not one wanted to see why they Preferred so. What Poonam Pandey does is completely her business.. why are we even bothered? Giving such news the time of the day is sort of weird.. Better news- YAY!! we won the cup.
Indra Gandhi was a respectable woman? Who knew? The one who forced sterilizations on a helpless populace and claimed dictatorial powers for herself during the emergency. But at least she did not show her naked body, so that makes Indra Gandhi a respectable woman.
Poonam Pandey sounds like a publicity hound who is trying to shock to gain attention. Her stripping is not going to effect Indian women one way or another. The people who are truly degrading Indian women are the bride burners, the greedy grasping dowry fiends, the female fetus killers, the wife beaters, the sexual harassers and the pious sanctimonious politicians. But of course none of these problems can be solved unless we look deeply into our dark souls, so its so much better to go after an easy target like Poonam Pandey. Its a great way for people to point fingers and feel good about themselves.
I agree with poonam above.
Hang on a sec. I don’t understand. Has she stripped already? Or is she contemplating stripping? If she’s still contemplating, what’s the point now? India’s victory is history. If she’s already stripped, then what’s all the fuss about?
By the way, it’s remarkable that in all these comments, the Khajuraho temples haven’t featured even once. The Indian culture that I know of enjoys nudity and sex purely for the sake of enjoyment! Clearly, the ‘Hindutva taliban’ don’t share my idea of this Indian culture.
Thanks for writing this post.
In reply to Ashish Deodhar
I am not sure if Khajuraho matters at all in all this. We may have been more appreciative of nudity and sex a long time ago, but that is as they say ancient history. Now we are very prudish (Hundreds of yrs of British Victorian and Moghul culture will do that). I have never heard anyone mention Khajuraho with approval (My middle class conservative background may explain it). I was told once that one should only visit Khajuraho after marriage.
As for the Hindutva taliban I am sure their view of culture is some mythical way of Hindu living created by their own minds, and like fundamentalist everywhere they are going to force everyone to live in that idyllic paradise, even if they have to kill people to get their way.
In reply to Ashish Deodhar
Khajuraho does not represents Hindu culture in totality , it just shows a time period when the ruling class was filled with the “Vamachar ” of tantra , these are exceptional cases , these does not stand as argument for allowing nudity in public , and does not verify ur opinion of indian culture , Indian culture is a struggle of achieving higher spiritual goals , all kind of people are everywhere , so things of kind of khajuraho happen , but that does not makes a general idea of hinduism ,
In reply to Amit
I’m an Indian. And I don’t believe in god and spirituality (along with many others). So how can you say that this is “Indian” culture?
Surely “Indian” culture is something that applies to all Indians? Like Indian law?