Slumdog Millionaire, the story of a young boy born and brought up in the slums of Mumbai, who inspite of having all odds against him manages to keep his grit alive (nevermind that the primary purpose of all his actions is for the girl he loves). The movie along with the music created by the incredible 'Mr. A.R. Rahman' has won alot of accolades. However, whether or not it deserved 4 Golden Globe Awards and/or 10 Oscar nominations is debatable. The thing that irritates most Indians is that a 'Western director' has the creative licence to depict a side of India which we would rather keep under wraps. What's upsetting to most is that it brings to light several uncomplimentary aspects of the so-called modern Indian society, that too at a time when the growth of our nation into a Superpower (in the next decade or so), has been heralded as inevitable. What we do tend to forget is that there is a need to rethink the position of our country given the extent of 'social change' that needs to be undertaken to meet the challenges facing us at this very crucial juncture on the path forward.
The very ideals of democracy, secularism, freedom of speech and expression characteristic of our culture have been tested and falsified again and again. Child abuse, one of the most henious crimes ever committed by humans, has become so rampant in India, that it takes much more for educated people like you and me to blink even an eye. Practically, in every city of India we come across young boys and girls dressed in rags (be it summer/winter) going from car to car in search of a few coins thrown their way. A Pandora's box of horror stories would be unleashed if we knew of the circumstances that led these children into begging. Its depressing to know that the human mind is so frenzied that it is capable of afflicting harm and pain of the worst possible kind on these young innocent beings. Whilst the government is grappling with corruption and inefficiency, the question is what can we ordinary citizens do to try and resolve the problem?
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Good point....i loved that about slumdog, it brought to light the underbelly of India and managed to be entertaining at the same time. What can we do?? Educate everyone, there is no other solution....perhaps if all of us dedicated 2 hrs a week to teaching someone it'll help the entire country.
ReplyDeleteudayan