V for Vulgar

Just a few days back, while surfing channels on T.V I came across Channel V. A young boy and a young girl were being shown sleeping in bed together. The host of the show, a bearded sixer, was trying to wake them up. The show on air was Dare 2 Date.

First of all, let me tell you, I used to watch Channel V and MTV quite a bit till a couple of years ago but now I don’t feel like watching at all. Earlier, the shows they used to broadcast were great in terms of quality of content. But in the last couple of years both the channels seem to have lost the plot. Anyone who views these channels nowadays will agree with the point that most of the shows are vulgar. By being so they may be attracting more eyeballs than ever before but in my opinion, this is being totally, socially irresponsible. It’s not only adults or youths in their late teens who watch these channels but also children in their early teens. Shows such as Dare 2 Date, Splitsvilla and similar others are the most senseless and indecent. I don’t understand what they try to achieve by putting youngsters in the show and getting them to enter into a relationship. Even the relationships they enter into are founded on loose grounds, always a recipe for disaster. Some of the things they are made to do are just not suitable for universal viewing.

Apart from vulgarity in the form of intimacy and obscenity, there is another form of it – Swearing (gaali galoch). Before the start of this millennium very few young people used to use obscene language in their conversations. Even the frequency of usage was less. But now, it has become mandatory to have a good vocabulary of abuses both, desi and videsi, partly thanks to these channels. Swearing has become a trend. If you don’t swear you are looked down upon. A show such as Roadies has people abusing each other tens of times in a single episode. In a way, such shows have encouraged swearing. Putting a beep or blurring the mouth doesn’t help. You are considered ‘cool’ if you watch such shows. Your coolness is measured by the number of such shows you watch and how many of the things which they show you imbibe in your daily life.

My opinion is this vulgarity in the aforementioned two forms has become an unwarranted part of our youth culture. We just don’t need to do what the people in those shows do. Some youngsters are aware that what they show should not be followed but they fail to go against the norm. They succumb to peer pressure. It is, inherently, not a part of our culture. It is the Western culture that we are aping. I know what I am saying is a cliché but it is true. It is easy for the channels to say that the youth knows what to watch and what not to, what to practise and what not to. And so it becomes necessary for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to enter into the fray and crack down on them.

Also, let me make it clear that not every show of theirs deserves contempt. For example, ‘U R Fired’ on Channel V. Boy, it takes creativity to get yourself fired. Also, ‘Stunt Mania’ on MTV. I think it is one of the best reality shows on T.V presently.

So, boys and girls, don’t get run over by what you see around. Stop and reflect. You will realize what you have become while what you should have been.

Riding In The Rain

I feel immensely satisfied to resume blogging after a period of hibernation inflicted by important activities and events. I have been longing to resume it but, you know, you need a calm mind to write, don’t you?

All right , now coming to the subject of my post. Not many people know about my fetish of automobiles. I enjoy both driving & riding. Most people like to drive/ride fast but I like to cruise so that I am able to take in the views.

It was a pleasant Sunday evening yesterday and a good opportunity to hit the road. I have a 125cc bike which is nimble but not very quick and not a great cruiser either. Still you got to make do with whatever resources you have. So I set about my journey. I usually go along the new bypass which provides a fast and scenic ride. It was slightly overcast but didn’t seem it would rain, leave alone raining hard. So initially when I was on that strip of tarmac it was all going according to the script. Just after a few minutes and a few kilometres I saw a wet patch which was about 500 metres away, a clear indication that it had rained just then. Moving ahead I could see dark clouds in the distance with grey rays oblique to the ground which meant it was raining. I stopped. Within no time it started raining heavily and before I could find shelter I was drenched. I rode to the educational institution which was just a stone’s throw away and took shelter in the guard’s cabin.

After 10-15 minutes the downpour turned into drizzle and so I decided to return and no sooner did I start my return journey it again turned into a downpour. With no protective gear, not even something for the eyes, and the light fading it was getting extremely difficult to ride. If the falling rain was not enough there was thick spray of water emanating from trucks every now and then which made overtaking a tricky affair. Since it was getting dark I decided to take the old bypass as it is comparatively safer and slower. And just when I joined the old bypass the rain got heavier. By the time the thought of taking shelter again came there was no safe place to be found. With thunder and lightning just any roadside spot was not safe. So I kept on moving cagily. At some moments the rain eased off and at some it was heavy as before. At one point it was so heavy that virtually nothing was visible and I had to stop immediately and found a safe place which was a commercial complex. I realised I was shivering. The constant sound of thunder and lightning was frightening me a bit. The rain eased off again and I resumed riding. It was not long when I again had to find a safe place. It was still raining heavily when I decided to not think about the intensity of the rain and sprint back home. Luck was on my side as the heavy rain turned into a drizzle just after I set out.

And finally I reached home, got off the bike, had a look at it and smiled as if saying “Well done, sweetheart”. I felt a great sense of camaraderie. It was a stern test of my riding skills and temperament and I think I passed muster.