When I first heard about the spoof on Gandhi, I was glad. I said, yes, our icons are meant to be lampooned. We can't be putting them on the pedestal all the time, and only accept complete and utter worship of these great people.
So, I downloaded the youtube video. Its cumbersome task - download on remote machine, and then copy from remote machine to local one. But then I saw the video, and trust me, it isn't funny. I mean, the guy just uses a national figure to provoke a few pitiful laughs. The whole act was degrading (far more for Gautham Prasad) and cringe-inducing.
Good to know that Sahara and IBN 7 have apologized. They are perpetrators of the crime and need to be booked themselves. They are far more culpable than Gautham Prasad. His act was not for broadcast and his audience for that act was only to blame if they were offended and sat through the show. I didn't watch the whole thing, coz it was plain disgusting.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
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6 comments:
Who is Gandhi?
Sonia Gandhi?
Rajiv Gandhi?
Indira Gandhi?
Rahul Gandhi?
Priyanka (Gandhi)?
or are you referring to the other
person who we have never seen but
appeared in text books and taught
to be called respectfully as,
Gandhiji
Noone would respect your elders if
you yourself do not respect them.
We are taught the words like tum
and aap not just you.
Lets not make life simple by
deducting respect out of it.
AM.
The respect is there when I use a common surname to attribute to one great individual. It is like - when we say Einstein, we know who, when we say, Nehru, we know who. Their greatness has already led to appropriating of the surname. No one would address any of these other individuals as Gandhi.
As to the point whether you put ji behind the name, thats an individual prerogative.
Expressions of respect, I believe can differ from person to person.
so if it were funny, it would hover near the bounds of acceptability, and since it is not funny (or some people don't find it funny), its unacceptable?
shouldn't something being acceptable be independent of how funny it is ?
Well my angle was not with respect to how famous a person or surname is. But in this case, Gandhiji as an elder, as a fatherly figure. That's why he is also called Bapu.
You would not call your dad as Toraskar? Would you?
But yes it really depends on if you really consider him as an elder or just a leader.
I would not expect a foreigner to refer him as Gandhiji or Bapu. But I would be pleased if he does.
Just an example, but not trying to enforce anything by example. In Lage Raho Munnabhai too, initially Munnabhai refers as Gandhi ('Ye Gandhi kaun hain?') but once he realises what person he was and his principles, he started using word Bapu. Oh yea but if Munnabhai was real, you wouldnt have called him Munna, no matter how famous he would have been you would still say Munnabhai. Pity!
AM.
"no matter how famous he would have been you would still say Munnabhai."
should be read as:
"no matter how infamous he would have been you would still say Munnabhai, aha respect!"
AM.
Aka,
If my post gave the impression that it is unacceptable because it is funny, than it's my fault. I didnt mean to. I thought the whole act was puerile and meaningless. I would allow Gautham the liberty to doing comedy, but if I was watching this act, I would walk out of it (I stopped the video mid-way the first time). I have a problem with tv channels broadcasting the whole thing, coz its purely for provocative purposes.
One can do any rubbish comedy anywhere, but when it is comes in public domain, then we surely have a right to criticize it.
Amish,
You are arguing about ways of expressing respect. As long as respect is conveyed, it is fine. One can't help, if you have set parameters that qualify as expression of respect.
I won't call my dad Toraskar, but of all the Toraskars, if India knows and implies Toraskar as my dad, I think, that's enough respect.
Also how about the case, I don't want to use a ji because it is a way of protesting against the fawning ways of the political chamchas who use such ornamentation (on billboards and during address) purely to show their servility.
I also don't think bhai as in Munnabhai conveys respect. More than that, it conveys his profession. See that's where different point of view comes into picture. You can't grudge anyone that.
Abhi
(I hope I am not rambling!)
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