and if you don't like them... well, I have others. - Groucho Marx
Some conversations that I overheard left me wondering about the impact of this quote…
The 2 principal characters, let's call them Mama1 (M1) and Mama2 (M2)...
M1: Hello mama, how are you? Long time since we met…
M2: I am fine indeed… and yes, you are right, it has been a long time… So, all well in the family? How is your son doing?
M1: He got into engineering at XYZ college. He would have got into an IIT if not for this Arjun Singh and his stupid reservation policy…
M2: Oh, I see…
M1: What to say, mama? Long after discrimination based on caste has vanished, these politicians still want to milk the issue for their gains! Slowly, these people are taking over the nation. We are educated people. We don’t discriminate based on caste. Our ancestors used to do that. Why, we even allow our maid into all areas of the house except the kitchen nowadays.
M2: That’s very progressive of you indeed…
M1: And I heard that the high court is giving incentives for inter-caste marriages. Such sacrilege! We are not saying that our caste is higher than yours. But we look for brides only within our caste. It is just that we are more comfortable with people who follow our own customs and traditions. After all, what’s a daughter-in-law if she can’t appreciate Thyagarajar?
Both mamas go back to The Hindu and their filter kaapis… Silence ensues…
M1: Look at this news, this dalit man has been arrested for beating up his wife!
M2: Oh… wife beating is bad indeed…
M1: We are educated people. Progressive minded too… we don’t consider women inferior to men in any way…
M2: good, good…
Back to browsing the newspaper…
M1: This country is going to the dogs… Look at this lady’s gall… she has filed a case in the court, demanding entry for women at Sabarimala… thankfully, women in our home respect tradition… they still isolate themselves during those days so as to not pollute the house…
M2: Hmm…
M1: Why can’t these women respect century-old customs and traditions… We have given them voting rights, education, freedom… but this is taking things too far…
The Paper, again…
M2: mama, look at this Kashmir issue. We have given them everything, money, special rights under Article 370 etc., and they still want independence.
M1: We are educated people. We don’t support violence. We want Kashmir to have a plebiscite for self-determination. After all, we don’t want to rule people against their will.
M1’s son enters…
M1’s son: namaskaram, mama…
M2: Hello, how are you? Heard you are studying engineering. All the best…
M1’s son leaves after saying the customary namaskaram…
M2: that reminds me, didn’t your son want to study journalism?
M1: Ah, he wanted to… I dismissed that as misplaced enthusiasm… I enrolled him into engineering… After all, who knows what’s good for the child other than the parents? We have their best interests at heart...
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hehee... true example of hypocrites at their best.. I hate such people
ReplyDeletehmm... wait for a post on how we are ALL hypocrites... in one way or the other...
ReplyDeleteyes we are in some or the other way agreed :)
ReplyDeleteThe Kashmir reference was unnecessary .. and that, you'll say, is my hypocrisy at work
ReplyDelete@ avionic spanker:
ReplyDeletethe Kashmir reference highlights the hypocrisy of people who consider it their goddamn right to decide the careers/brides for their children, who think they know better than the people concerned... but argue for freedom of self-determination for a whole state...
i am not arguing for/against plebicites... haven't researched much into the subject yet... jus highlighting the hypocrisy involved...
i don see why u think it is unnecessary... pls elaborate
I thought you were making a case for/against the plebiscite in this post.
ReplyDeleteAm not sure u or me are qualified to discuss the pros and cons. Not many people are. On the other hand, nothing stops us from holding an opinion. If you choose to write about it, I'll be glad to offer my views.