It doesn’t take brains to criticise. Oh! How we love our drawing room and party conversations where most often pompous attitudes denounce those that are “less fortunate”. Ever so often I’ve overhead Society Mademoiselles snigger about XYZ being spotted at a bargain store in London whereas they, themselves, would of course only spend their husbands’ money at couture outlets. Unfortunately for them, tens of thousands of pounds later, it’s Miss XYZ who walks into a party in her outfit sourced from the seconds’ store, with a gorgeous body.

It’s so easy to be ‘superior’ because of privileges you enjoy and be disdainful without realising that putting someone down does not equate to elevating yourself. I have to confess I am guilty of it too. When the Rakhi Sawant kissing episode erupted I thought that she was just out to get publicity. And then I remembered my mother chiding me as a kid. I had labelled her running naked on the beach as ‘SHOCKING’ to which my mom had most amusedly replied: “The woman under the Taliban regime cannot even show a glimpse of her wrist without being whipped for it. This woman would find the most conservative Indian woman wrapped in a sari, yet showing her face and hands extremely shocking. This Indian woman in turn will find the young generation of today in their mini skirts shocking who in turn may find me, Protima, shocking for streaking on the beach. But you know what I find shocking, my darling daughter? The lack of personal freedom, fear and suppression that the woman under the Taliban rule must endure!

Rakhi Sawant sat opposite me and every fiery question of mine was met with an equally fiery response. But there was a big difference. I sat there with my years of experience ready to char my prey with my research, perspectives (...), while she sat opposite me with a smile, grit, tenacity and incredible inner fire. As the interview progressed I realised it must be so incredibly difficult to be a Rakhi Sawant. To be born in a chawl, give in to a childhood love for rhythm and literally dance your way into fame only to be rejected by your family, shunned by society, grabbed by men, and damned for a lack of “appropriate wardrobe and finesse”. I realised that we can sit (...) and pass judgement on a hard working girl who has done no more harm to society than wear some ‘indecent’ outfits, but if you compare that to the corruption, anarchy and communal tensions that we continually encounter in our society, we can all sympathise with all the poor girls who spend many years of their lives learning how to behave in a polite and decent society and then have to spend the rest of their lives trying to locate such a society! At least with Rakhi we get to choose if we’d like to buy the ticket!

<B>From India

Source: Pooja Bedi

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