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Showing posts from December, 2017

Bollywood's new age heroines

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In the recent past, we have had some refreshing Hindi films centered around the spunky leading lady, instead of the hero, for a change. Tumhari Sulu, and Qarib Qarib Singlle were two such films, in which the heroine was not a glamorous doll or a weepy willow, but a personality of her own. Even her age group was 30+ rather than the usual 18-20. None of them were vociferous feminists, but quietly believed in themselves. Sulu or Sulochana, played by the inimitable Vidya Balan, is a happy housewife seeking a job to boost her identity. She lands the job of a Radio Jockey for a night show, and despite having to make several adjustments in her routine, takes up the challenge with a smile and "can-do" attitude.  Braving lewd callers, her husband's growing discontent, and the open disapproval of her relatives, she doesn't budge from her stand and continues with her job. She also seeks out an ingenuous solution for keeping the frustrated husband engaged and happy. In

Who disciplines schools?

Recently in Kolkata, two back-to-back revolting incidents shook the public, both involving one of the most hallowed institutions of all times: the school. Children as young as three and four were sexually assaulted by school teachers or support staff, in the school premises, within school hours!!! So much for the famed strict discipline and propriety our elite English medium schools boast about! What have we come to as a nation? Where is our sense of morality? Are we so depraved that even babies are not spared these days? How will a child regain her self worth and her faith in adults? These questions fill our minds as we read the gruesome details in daily news. Parents shout slogans and corner school authorities, and demand the resignation of school heads. The ICSE has woken up from its slumber and insists that each school be covered with CCTV cameras. But among this hullabaloo, what comes uppermost in our minds is the reaction of the reputed school authorities to the incidents.