The wild popularity of roasts and comedy shows demonstrates just how irreverent and out there the young of India are today -- there are no sacred cows
From Beer Biceps to Vodka Triceps, my head is spinning. This has been a thrilling week, getting high on mixed cocktails and scrambled messages. While the international press is focusing on the tragic death of a 20-year-old Nepali student on the KIIT campus in Bhubaneswar, we are busy dissecting a 33-year-old, madly popular YouTuber’s entirely idiotic “joke” during a podcast. So much outrage over a crass comment, carelessly made by someone who should have known better. But hardly any for the Nepali pupil who ended her life, unable to handle racist attacks directed at her by three staff members and two security personnel. All five were arrested, including the director-general and director (administration). Two “educated” women, Jayanti Nath, director of the girls’ hostel, and Manjusha Pandey, associate professor of computer science, have been suspended for passing unsavoury comments about Nepal.
Coming to the “Beer Biceps” nonsense, now that the hallowed judges of the Supreme Court have spoken, it seems a bit pointless to get into a debate that is going round in circles, with questions being raised about “freedom of expression” and the role of the State in controlling the rights of citizens. Is it just an over-reaction? Or is there something more?
This controversy is really about the “winds of change” blowing in gusts all across India and the rest of the world. Can these winds be stopped, redirected or controlled? Yes, and no. One just has to weigh the cost factor involved. Either way, the payout is stiff. The rules of the game are always challenged by the young -- as is evident in this case. What’s deemed as “vulgar”, “depraved” and “obscene” by the oldies (who may not be untarnished “goldies” themselves), does not resonate with our youth. The wild popularity of roasts and comedy shows demonstrates just how irreverent and out there the young of India are today -- there are no sacred cows. Sorry, not even parents! There is just one God -- the Internet. To liberally quote Professor of Psychology Rajat Mitra: “We need to understand what drives them, what they value. It is digital space that’s their most intimate companion, a secondary family, which in many cases, even replaces the first. The power of the digital space to shape their psyche has begun to exceed that of their biological parents and teachers.’’ Wake up!
Personalities are created and destroyed by the social media. This would have happened in Ranveer Allahbadia’s India’s Got Latent case as well, had the politicians left him alone to stew in his own juice. But no!
Netas jumped into the fray and milked the situation, claiming exaggerated concern for the “moral fabric” of our far from “pavitra” society, which is as foul mouthed a society as any! The crude language of the gutter can be heard all around us -- even in so-called “polite” company. OTT platforms, movies, rappers, entertainers, parliamentarians of various hues, have liberally thrown MC-BC gaalis around for decades… and nobody blinked! Our rich and colourful abuses involve multiple generations energetically engaging in countless sexual acts. Nobody is spared -- mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers… Suddenly, Ranveer Allahabadia, this immature fellow is being hounded for crossing the non-existent lakshman rekha. Why? Because his “joke” involved “Maa Baap”. And as we are all aware, or should be, in India, “maa baap” jokes are strictly off limits. Attorney-general R. Venkatramani and solicitor-general Tushar Mehta are being approached by the bench to “assist” in “devising something to regulate” YouTube channels and the social media – “Anything and everything” is being aired on certain websites and online channels.
Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh were particularly incensed when they asked Ranveer Allahabadi’s lawyer Abhinav Chandrachud: “If this (the remark) is not obscenity, then what is the standard or parameter of obscenity? Do you have the licence to speak all kinds of vulgarity and exhibit your depraved mind anywhere and at any time?” Tough, hard-hitting views with a long-term impact. Allahabadia will soon be forgotten. But these new rulings can dramatically alter the cultural contours of India. Beware!
Then comes the AI bogey. I am not scared of AI. I have made my peace with the monster a long time ago. Bring it on, AI! What further “damage” could you possibly inflict on a world that surrendered its privacy ages ago? Why squawk about our privacy being invaded, when it has been non-existent for decades? Someone solicitously sent me a longish personal “profile” on a site created by a former Google employee which demonstrates how Google would interpret a picture randomly picked from Instagram posts. I was impressed -- not alarmed! 70 per cent of what I read was a faithful, detailed and insightful analysis of my persona -- down to my buying habits. So what? That this info can be monetised by someone to cleverly sell me stuff I don’t need does not bother me at all. Ahem, some of the “info” is immensely flattering: “The image captures a woman seemingly in her late 50s.” I like it! I’ll take it!!! There’s more: “The woman stands adorned in traditional Indian attire. She exudes a sense of serene confidence. Is a follower of Hinduism and likely supports the BJP (errr… Hello???). She has refined pursuits and can be targeted for rare vintage saree auctions and high-stakes Mahjong tournaments (Really??? This had me in splits)”. There! That’s my X-ray.
Have we not accepted biometrics? What can be more intrusive? Nothing gets anywhere as personal as a full body scan at airports. Those merciless scans leave nothing to the imagination. Has that stopped us from jumping on the next flight? Do we challenge consulates and embassies, now that biometrics are mandatory while applying for visas? So many campuses and workplaces insist on biometrics. India’s higher education department has mandated biometrics for teaching and non-teaching staff at all state universities. Everyone goes along. Zero privacy is the new normal. It’s a given. Accept it… And get on with your life. Big Brother is definitely watching. But hey -- Big Brother has been around forever and was always a pesky voyeur. Ooooyi Amma!
Haye Haye Mai toh Mar Gayi!!!
