Moral Molesting...

(picture courtesy of the Press Trust of India - PTI, Jan 09)

The recent attacks on women and men on Karnataka's pub scene shows the deep contradictions facing cosmopolitan India...

BANGALORE - Wednesday 11th February

The recent attacks on a group of women and men at the Amnesia Lounge in Mangalore, Karnataka, has shown a deep and morally unacceptable part of the current Indian culture. Just under two weeks ago, the Sri Ram Sene orchestrated a unprecedented assault on the pub, attacking men and women alike. There was no remorse from the perpetrators, and not even the standbys could do anything to stop it. This video (click here), like many other videos captured of the events, shows the brutality and clear danger facing youngsters targeted by the so called "moral police".

I do not know if these events were covered abroad in the Western news agencies, but in India it is has had mixed receptions. Firstly, there are those who say these attacks were completely "within the rights of the law", that the perpetrators are a blessing in disguise for India, because they would stand up to Western influence more than the government would do. Secondly, there are those who are "condemning" the actions, but not doing much about it. Finally, there those who are so distraught by the events that they have pledged to do "all they can" to stop such events occurring again.

What i find difficult to comprehend is the actions of such so called "moral groups". Lets face it, India is the largest democracy in the world, and its also the most cosmopolitan country in the world. It has so many different ethnic, caste and tribal groups, so many "phirangs", so many different faces, that the multiculturalism here should be celebrated. But at the same time, goons who take the law into their own hands go unpunished.

The Sri Ram Sene and groups alike claim that the reason and justification for such attacks is that "pubs are bad", "youths shouldn't be drinking alcohol", "girls shouldn't drink" and so on. These same groups claim that it is their responsibility to curb these western influences.

But when did it become right for such yobs to orchestrate the law into their own hands? There is no Indian law claiming that A. Women cannot drink, B. Women cannot go into pubs. In a free and democratic society, it is a individuals choice if they want to drink, it is a individuals choice if they want to drink in a pub, and it is a individuals choice what they do with their lives. No group, no organisation, no words by anybody can claim to be imposing moral values by preventing people from conducting their rights at free will.

What amazes me however, is the contradictions. These same goons claim that women shouldn't wear strapless tops, boob-tubes, tight, skinny fit jeans, and even recently, a Kerela MLA's daughter was attacked for walking down a street with a Muslim. These groups are the very "Talibisation" of society India doesn't need. On a recent TV debate, a spokesmen for the Sri Ram Sene claimed firstly that his groups had not conducted the attacks, and then half hour into the debate claimed the violence "conducted by my group was 'moral violence' that is acceptable". Is he crazy?

We need to read between the lines. The fact is this - India is a free and open society, or claims to be, and if groups like this are allowed to take the law into their own hands, then not only will it disenfranchise the nations youth, but the ever increasing popularity of India as a hot tourist spot and the beauty behind India will definitely disappear. Students, employees, independent women, would all think twice before they would choose India as their destination. If women's clothing is banned or targeted, foreign companies won't invest; if pubs are targeted, why would anyone want to even step out their house for a drink? Businesses will close, the youth would become even more disenfranchised, and the knock on effect of youth in disarray is not exactly what the world's largest democracy would like to characterise itself on.

If these groups think they are doing their moral duty, why not ban cricket? Cricket is a western (English) sport that was bought to the Sub-Continent when the British Raj was here. Is that not against moral values? Of course not, because these same loony members of these groups are jobless nobody's who only cause trouble, yet play cricket in the many fields, in their spare time (when their not morally bashing women).

And even more sickening is the fact that the Mangalore attacks showed a contradiction in what these groups claim to stand for. They say women shouldn't be in pubs, as if they were protecting them. Reports and evidence has shown that the girls were also "molested" in these incidents. Worse still, these guys are given alcohol before they set of on their days rampage. They are payed in mediocre sums, provided free liquor, and given political support. The State govt hasn't really spoken out about these incidents, and worse still, some major players in India politics haven't condemned these acts either. It just makes you think, Indians vote to keep people in power to protect them. Instead, it seems the very people ones votes to protect them, is in fact working against them at times.

Valentines Day reaches us on Saturday and the "moral police" is sending teams of 100 men to cause havoc in all the major cities of Karnataka. If a couple are seen together, either they will be forced on the spot to marry and taken to the registrars office, or they will be attacked for celebrating Valentines Day. Even clothing is targeted and it makes me wonder what freedom does anyone have when such retarded groups take the law into their own hands.

Luckily, India's youth and intellect have woken up - there is now a "pink Chaddie's" (underwear) campaign by the Consortium of Pub-Going, Loose and Forward Women (click here), whereby everyone is urged to send used, pink underwear to the leader of the Sri Ram Sene. Of course, for every underwear item sent, the leader has said that he will send a sari back.



My sister and my mum arrive in Bangalore this Friday. I wonder if I'll be stopped when drinking with them in a bar, by these retards, who'll ask me to marry my sister because I'm seen with a girl?!

At the end of the day, this is the land where the Kama Sutra was created (and practiced); the land where sari's make women look so elegant; the land where there are 1.5 Billion people all with their own morals - not that of one group. Go ahead, the youth of India, enjoy the pubs, enjoy freedom of speech and movement, because as Gandhi once said, a individual should always be allowed to make his own decision and his own choices, and not be directed by that of others. By these groups committing these acts in the context of "expressing their own freedoms", they are taking away freedoms of others, albeit unlawfully.