Two decisions- one of the Central Government and the other by State Government- and both, oh, so wrong, in my opinion.
The first one of course pertains to the documentary by Leslee Udwin titled India's daughter. I understand that there were legal issues and my concern is not with that. Of course if the case is pending before court then it cannot be broadcasted though of course BBC has already broadcasted it. My issue is with the Parliamentarians and the Government. There was a hue and cry about how one of convict says in the documentary that it takes two to clap and the girl should have been passive while they raped her. In that case, the convict goes on to say that they would have allowed the girl to live. That entire statement is nauseating but the issue is that most of the men in our country do believe that women are property. At no stage do we teach our boys to respect the girls or teach them about gender equality. Of course it always hurts when an outsider points out the unpalatable truth but truth it is. However, the point is that by banning the documentary we are not going to make the issue go away. Already the entire debate is about how Leslee Udwin was allowed to make the documentary rather than about how do we teach our children about gender equality. Maybe by screening the documentary would have dinned some sense into some people?
The second one is about the banning of sale of beef by Maharashtra government. I really do not see what business it is of the government to regulate what people can eat. If the Government was so concerned about the welfare of animals, then it would do it good to take a look at how animals are transported for slaughtering. It is a heart-rending scene to see hens tied together carried on the back of bicycle, or being cooped together in a small cage and transported across. If the Government was so concerned about cows, why don't they take a good look at how they are really kept, especially in cities with no access to air or good food. I am a vegetarian but I do not see how I have the right to decide what others should eat.
The first one of course pertains to the documentary by Leslee Udwin titled India's daughter. I understand that there were legal issues and my concern is not with that. Of course if the case is pending before court then it cannot be broadcasted though of course BBC has already broadcasted it. My issue is with the Parliamentarians and the Government. There was a hue and cry about how one of convict says in the documentary that it takes two to clap and the girl should have been passive while they raped her. In that case, the convict goes on to say that they would have allowed the girl to live. That entire statement is nauseating but the issue is that most of the men in our country do believe that women are property. At no stage do we teach our boys to respect the girls or teach them about gender equality. Of course it always hurts when an outsider points out the unpalatable truth but truth it is. However, the point is that by banning the documentary we are not going to make the issue go away. Already the entire debate is about how Leslee Udwin was allowed to make the documentary rather than about how do we teach our children about gender equality. Maybe by screening the documentary would have dinned some sense into some people?
The second one is about the banning of sale of beef by Maharashtra government. I really do not see what business it is of the government to regulate what people can eat. If the Government was so concerned about the welfare of animals, then it would do it good to take a look at how animals are transported for slaughtering. It is a heart-rending scene to see hens tied together carried on the back of bicycle, or being cooped together in a small cage and transported across. If the Government was so concerned about cows, why don't they take a good look at how they are really kept, especially in cities with no access to air or good food. I am a vegetarian but I do not see how I have the right to decide what others should eat.
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