Make that happy and safe to be gay; lesbian; bi-sexual; creative heterosexual; the list can go on. Designer Wendell Rodericks my guest on `Beautiful People' this weekend makes it a point to point out that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that the Delhi High Court recently said violates Articles 21, 14 and 15 of the Constitution is not just a gay law. In fact if you go through the conclusion of the 105 page order, the statement says "We declare that section 377 of the Indian Penal Code so far as it criminalizes consensual sexual acts of adults in private is violative of articles 24, 15 and 14 of the constitution." So whatever you are doing privately and willingly is legit now!
All eyes are on the Supreme Court and how it responds to the petition that it will hear against the Delhi High Court's order. What will be even more interesting is to hear the government's official response. Will the government talk on behalf of an inclusive, open minded, liberal Indian society or will it speak on behalf of a homophobic, narrow minded and cruel Indian society, is the question.
In an aside I think when it comes to changing social attitudes and mindsets the role literature and other aspects of mass culture play will be critical.
I was in my teens, in college, when I read `A Single Man' by Christopher Isherwood, a book that was written in 1964. If you can access books like that when you are growing up, or see movies like Brokeback Mountain more recently, instinctively, you will know where you stand on this divisive debate. Interestingly some friends who belong to the LGBT community say a hit film like `Dostana' that was about two men pretending to be gay, pushed the term `gay' and the idea of a homosexual relationship, into middle class drawing rooms. And the fact that the mother of one of those men in the movie(played by Kiron Kher) accepts her son's relationship has insidously gone some way in helping people accept these relationships as normal. Hopefully like Wendell says in 20 years time this debate will be dead. May his words come true, sooner rather than later.
16 comments:
you read books in 1964????
no duffer:) the book was written in 1964. i didn't indicate the year i read it in.
hey Anuradha Nice to see you back in Blogs... :)
Hey Could you let me know if i can read transcripts of ur Beautiful People and Being series somewhere..
Paras.
Hi Paras, Trying to be regular this time round! I don't think transcripts of Beautiful People are available but the shows can be accessed on www.cnbc-tv18online.com and on youtube/cnbctv18.
Transcripts of Being... should be available on www.ibnlive.com. The shows should also be archived there.
Thanks and Congratulations for your new show Good luck for it ..hope it rocks... But it needs better publicity... i didnt know about it till today..
May be you should catch on the latest twitter :) Best place for Marketing..
Oops think I deleted my own comment - anyway...hey Anuradha! I've been massively impressed with you on TV for years now - so its lovely to chance upon your blog! As a lawyer, as a woman, as someone who's outside the country right now - the delhi high court's take on sexuality has come as a breath of (overdue) fresh air. I think its framed the issue in a way thats relevant for everyone, not just the LGBT community! Lets hope the Supreme Court follows through rapidly on this - because to be honest, I think the tipping point has been reached.
Keep writing! I'm catching up with Beautiful People on Youtube - the Shashi Tharoor interview was super, by the way. ;)
Cheers, Malavika.
Ms. Sengupta,
It has been a really long time since I have come across a TV personality like yourself who carries her being with so much dignity and respect that it transcends into your interactions with the subject.
I just watched your interview with Mr. Rodricks and I must say that it was handled with much grace and Mr. Rodricks was spot on.
Thank you. HR
Hi Anuradha,
I recently came across your show 'Beautiful People' on youtube. I am really impressed by your interviews. I like the way you challenge your guests to portray their real self and to present the business (film-making, politics) or issues (environment, homosexuality) as close to reality. Your show is such a breath of fresh air after all the vain candy floss celeb shows.
Thanks for the great work,
Ipsita
Hey Anuradha,
You forgot to tell me about the blog. I'm going to pass on the link to your #1 fan :-)
Manju
Just to let you know - you are still one of the WORST persons I've ever known.
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That you called yourself a SWINE is a great insult to Pigs.
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What you've said on one of the earlier posts still continues and it will come back to you.
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What you sow - so you reap.
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My opinion remains unchanged - you remain the Self-professed PIG.
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Hope you like the food that pigs eat and live like pigs too.
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Anon~!
one a thief, always a thief ... Once a dumbo pig, always a dumb pig !!! ummHmm ... You cant sneak into the shoes of a genuine human being....
hey.. self-confessed PIG - your earlier post about 'THALAIVAR'.
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New movie released & broke both the dime-a-dozen khans' records.
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Irrespective of whether you support LGBT - you confessed yourself a PIG - and you're still a PIG.
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Do you like human excrement that pigs like you eat? Thalaivar rocks - you & your blog SUCKS. You're a pig and you eat what pigs eat.
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YOU ARE A SELF-CONFESSED PIG. - And that is a TRUE STATEMENT recorded in the annals of Internet-history as the worst pig ever. Other pigs that are consumed by humans are much better than you - you're the worst pig "EVER".
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"ENDHIRAN" rocks !! CPU Speed: 1 THz (Terra Hertz) & Memory: 1 ZB (Zeta Bytes). Both Terra & Zeta, though aren't quite enough to count the number of times a pig got f****ed on her blog because of her senselessness & insensitivity.
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Anon ~!
Dear Anuradha,
I just came here to say that you suck big time!! You seem like another egotist Bong Burqa dutt in making and on Congress payroll! The problem with loud mouthed bitch like you that people has to see you on TV! You are also hideously ugly! Go jump of a fucken cliff , fall something on sharp and die bitch!Your life is waste anyway!
I was re-reading your sivaji review rant. But the second blog you wrote "Thank you Sivaji" ... For every single line you wrote ... I felt like saying F*** Y** Bit**. It was full of attitude showing your ignorance and shows that you treated everyone who read your blog as if you are the only learned one and others are a bunch of baboons... F You. You know as they say, time will answer, after 2007, the entire Bollywood is running after the same theme that you critiqued. And decisively in the Indian cinema history, Sivaji was a turning point. That's Rajini's response to you in action. Eat that Bit**.
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