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Monday, March 23, 2015

Illogical Ban Culture In India Fuels Fear Of Intolerance








"Do not eat it, read it, feel it, see it" sings the Michael Jackson impersonator as she she raps her way through a list of pleasures banned by India's government before chorusing " Just Beep it". as claiming to be the world's largest democracy India has long been falsely proud of its tradition of artistic, cultural and religious freedoms. (Specially no religious freedom is seen in India). However, a series of bans, ranging from eating the beef to watching the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie, has sparked accusations of growing a climate of intolerance under Hindu extremist prime minister Nrendra Modi. Critics say how 'thin skinned' their politicians have become in this internet age where to put a lid on offending material are likely to backfire. The spoof of Michael Jackson's classical 'Beat it" which was made by the Indian trio Enna Da Rascalas, has gone viral since being uploaded on YouTube last week reflecting the backlash on blacklists. British-made documentary about an infamous gang rape in 2012 in Delhi, has also been banned. And a comedy 'roast'show that several featured Bollywood stars have fallen foul of the authorities after being uploaded on the internet is now at the center of obscenity investigation over some of its sexual explicit jokes. But the TV channels have been allowed to air shows like "Sex and the City" that would once been considered racy. The dual standard of Hindu mentality is expressed in condemnation of in India of attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, but when the editor of a Mumbai-based Urdu magazine reprinted a cartoon as a gesture of solidarity, she was arrested under law against insulting religion. Tamay Bhat, one of the AIB comedy team at the center of obscenity row said, "WE Indians tend to have-- an ostrich kind of mentality, we want to put our heads into the ground and be like 'if I do not like something then it has got to go away'.

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