The sickness

 

This collage of pictures is in one km radius. I took these on my evening walk, and this could be any random place. This deranged obsession for white is reflection of a deeper sickness. It is also connected to infection of purity. It has created land of ‘fair and lovely’ where bunch of few hundred white people from faraway land could easily colonize and exploit for more than a century while the nincompoops supplicated and try to match colonizers to appear civilized. They aspired and identified with colonizers than with common people or any ethical value system. To assume that white skin has nothing to do with it is a big mistake. This sick society saw them as natural rulers while obsequiously arranging themselves around it and valorously compete for attention. It was quite easy for colonizers to feed the ego and help create narration of valor. History, myths, reality…everything was manipulated to control the herd, there really was nothing else that occupied the minds of inbred mediocres. With no sense of history or facts they try to fill in myths of grandeur, as moral arbitrators to the world and intelligence that is yet to be understood. Such is the sense of entitlement that unfortunately doesn’t match the sparse miserable reality hence this full-time occupation to fill in the gaps by weaving grand stories and selective valuation of present. It is a society where the least of talent or any redeeming human quality strut around as god's gift. 

White people in West have taken the burden of racism -which they brutally perpetuated, but much of the world is racist in varying degrees of brutality. South Asians when they are in West -essentially gained from feudal system, whine about racism against browns but nowhere I have seen shops referred to as brown hotels or brown homes, nor black homes or black lodge. Ofcourse, english language has embedded racism hence dark is valuated as sinister while white as fair but that doesn’t and cannot exonerate local racism and value systems that nurture these. Forget humans even animals are not spared. We are aware of white cows in north India, in here, elephant that are kept as props for degrading rituals are evaluated on whiteness! Imagine the sickness. They have worked features of magnificence and white being important marker in an essentially dark-skinned region -indeed the same had much sympathy towards white people hence evaluated higher hierarchy. The dark magnificent creature is not only exploited but has been assigned hierarchy on the level of whiteness! It’s a deeply flawed society.

Worst of these are noted in Tamil Nadu –a region that had much potential and was attuned to face realities of medieval times and thrived into east Asia, and how sinister forces worked to undermine egalitarian movements and reduced it into caste cesspool. Tamil movies had a major role in this degradation. Meanwhile Hema Commission has opened pandora's box in Malayalam film industry- they make relatively better movies but overall amazing level of mediocrity while pandering to social morass, regressive ways, feudal references nurtured as valued identity while patriarchy morph into modern as sexist fun. What is seriously problematic is the story and intention, incapacitated to face pathetic reality it hinges on mythical grandeur and crude expressions, ofcourse in recent times there is marginal shift -as people access better entertainment options, but still is overwhelmingly degraded. The idea of entertainment as complex and elevating is rarely understood and appreciated in primitive society. It always falls back on lowest commonest denominator and in Indian case it really is a pit. It is a sexist world no doubt, there are exploitations but allegations cannot be taken on face value. In the overwhelming attention seeking value system, where everything is seen as opportunity for branding, an actress making allegations cannot be put on high pedestal, also the social context of exceptionalism and entitlement that is nurtured cannot be negated. Assault is a legal matter and must be dealt accordingly and not in the realm of wild speculations as entertainment. Two factors become paramount; one is whether there is pattern of allegations -that is multiple instances blaming a person, is a serious matter. Hence one-off incident, maybe serious, must be understood in the context -chance of fictitious cannot be ruled out. Also, in a profession where physical involvement is common everything is subjective, and in Indian context situation is complex. The idea that women cannot be perpetrators doesn't stand the scrutiny of cannibalistic society. Also, there are lots of low talent manipulators trying to gain attention in high stake money churning glamour world. Attention is branding. Director Ranjit (who is extremely talented and widely respected) being treated like this is deeply disconcerting and doesn’t augur well. Voyeurs and hooters are having field day, tarnishing lives and muddling issue is not how you deal. Secondly, serious allegations of rape and child molestation must be dealt strictly (the actor against whom grave allegation of orchestrating assault is still able to act in movies while process of justice languishes is a sick joke on society). How are some able to control the system in their favour must be scrutinized. Is the film industry under the control of exploitative cartel? Hopefully these are unraveled and guilty punished. WCC has done remarkable work.

The pertinent questions also are: What are the kinds of movies that get made, what are the value system they are espousing and authenticating, on what basis people are chosen to be artists? Who are these people who decide these? Who or what are they representing? In most cases lacking basic training anyone can become an actor (not all but in most cases) what are the parameters on which they are given the role? What is the caliber an outside artist -who cannot even understand the language, bringing that is not found in this region? What is the process and markers of casting for a role? Is it not perpetuating prejudices and primitive ways in a degraded society? Are these movies aiming progressive ways or nurturing and authenticating primitive values? 

PK Rosy was the first Malayalam actress and instead of celebrating her they threatened her with assault and lynching. She had to flee the state and live in anonymity and poverty. Such is the foundation of this degraded entertainment industry. What makes it grievous is that she is completely forgotten and no attempts made to reinstate her memory and rectify grave intrusion on a human being least an artist. Though some actions are seen in recent times but nothing short of public apology by state and assigning best actress state award in her name will suffice.