Social media can be disgusting. Trollers are the most pathetic idiots wearing blinkers and the garb of misplaced patriotism to give the world lessons. It's the most shameful thing that happened when Kareena Kapoor Khan gave birth to a baby boy and christened him Taimur Khan to see Twitter resorting to all kind of name calling and insults. We are shameful as people.
What's in a name? one is tempted to ask. The kind of hate that poured on Twitter reveals the character of people sitting idle and not doing anything worthwhile on the internet. It's a shame how some people are hating the parents, Saif and Kareena, and the innocent baby that came into this world. I mean, how ridiculous can it get with folks who got nothing to do with the child, resort to name calling and questioning the patriotism of the parents. Nowadays, everyone decides for the other. What is the relationship between the name of a child and patriotism?
Minding one's own business is something that most of us don't get and we barge uninvited into the lives of others, claiming to be the biggest patriots of all. Those social media bigots had a field day, questioning the parents and it's shameful to see the name calling, slut shaming, and verbal abuse. It makes one wonder whether isn't it high time to send the abusers to jail for spreading such hatred. There are so many national issues, such as demonetisation, corruption and how to make India better as a country rather than poking one's nose into other people's personal matters.
We have become such fearless bastards wearing a veil and hiding behind social media to type 140 odd words as if it's our sole claim to fame. Such trollers go on a rampage, thinking it's their birthright to save the world and we are the new soldiers to guard the country against names. At least, do something better with your life. Spewing such abuse rather than spreading love reflects on our herd and stone age mentality! It shows what kind of upbringing such haters have got and how desperate they can get. It's such a sick mentality.
Perhaps, it's a psychological thing for such spineless 'bastards' to show their chauvinism and aggression on the internet. It shows one thing: How suppressed emotions we have and we get a sadistic pleasure in venting out on people that never harmed us in the first place. I wonder on this form of defense mechanism to justify on our own shortcomings as human beings. We are the first one to be racist. It's just a name people. You have a name. No one hates you for that. Your name doesn't make you a patriot or a good human being but it's your deeds.
One can only hope that we will be more compassionate and spread love rather than hatred as we usher in a brand new year. It's the very least we can do in our personal life, relationships and on social media. Make a vow not to be spineless to attack an innocent baby. It's not cool to mock someone or spread hatred, questioning their patriotism.
My Amitabh Bachchan digital autographs sent on my Twiter handle on Big B birthday on October 11
Respected Superstar,
Dearest Amit-ji,
It dates back to two decades that as a teenager that I was sending you hand written mails in the hope that you shall reply to me. It's been my hero worship during the days when I looked up in anticipation at the postman, secretly hoping that I'll get a letter from Pratiksha Bungalow, Juhu 10th Road. I was a star struck teenager, secretly calling you 'Bhaiya' in my cute little heart.
Being a 90s kid, I longed for my next Amitabh Bachchan flick throughout the later part of the decade. Sadly, you broke the heart with your five year hiatus to shy away from the camera. I was wondering how someone like you can stay away from the shutterbug! It was crazy, I know for a fact that the Hindi film industry cannot exist without the mention of your name. Finally! You came back with Mrityudaata-I pushed myself to see sense in this one-and Lal Badshah followed-yeah, I enjoyed this one. Little did I realize that as fans we would face the tribulations you've gone through. It was painful to see our most loved superstar going through the worst phase in his career. I was silently praying that like the Phoenix, my superstar would rise from the ashes to make the world bow to his feet. After all, Heroes cannot face failure and not conquer it through sheer magnetic power. After all, you are Amitabh Bachchan. Finally, like in your movies, you won hearts with KBC, gave a new meaning to TV and experimented with a variety of roles. We found back our superstar who motivated us with snippet of wisdom on Kaun Banega Crorepati.
Amitji, you are such a motivating factor in my life. How you inspired me to wake up from my slumber in life? Often, when I am down, I think what you must have gone through to cope up with stress and beat the blues in life. It gives me such courage when I read your favorite line, 'Mann ka ho toh achcha .... na ho toh zyaada achcha !! kyun ki phir wo iswar ke man ka hota hai, aur iswar aap ka hamesha achcha chahega !!!'
It gives me the courage to get up in life and face tribulations as well as upsets thrown at me by life. When the mood is down, I watch your rendering of your father Shri Harishvansrai Bachchan favorite poem, Madhushala' which is soothing to the ears, heart and soul.
Did I tell you that as a teenager I would repeat your dialogues in front of the mirror?! Yes, I was repeating, 'Rishtey Mein Hum Tumhare Baap Lagte Hai Naam Hai Shahenshah, Vijay Dinanath Chauhan from Agneepath and Aaj Khush to Bahot hue from Deewar and got them recorded in the 'vintage' audio cassette. When Mom and Dad discovered my closely guarded secret, I didn't know where to bury my face.
Later, during college, I repeated the dialogues in front of friends during our Saturday daaru party and they would insist that I ape you in the golden, baritone voice. I did a good a job of aping you like a monkey. I need to narrate how after our college festival where I was a volunteer, I repeated the Shahenshah dialogue in front of a couple of students who clapped. It sent shiver down the spine and days later, a girl congratulated me for that. I can do a good job imitating you, Sir. Once I was walking down Fergusson College Road and there was a van of 'Indian Idol' stationed. I was prodded to sing a song and since, I don't know how to sing, I repeated Aaj Khush to Bahut Hue' from Deewar. I got a cool Tee of Indian Idol as a gift. So much for the Bachchan influence.
A bundle of memories you've given to me, right from childhood to teenage days and adulthood. You made me dream about movies and is the reason that I breath cinema in my veins. I wanted to become an actor and a film director and you were the reason that made me dream about cinema. Somehow, the dreams couldn't be translated into reality but my love for movies and Bachchan has not subsided over time. You played an important part in my growing years where I would watch you dance, laugh with you and do dishum dishum as you beat the villains.
What do an ardent and crazy Bachchan admirer types in a blog post?! For sure, it's been decades when I'd pour ink on paper, thinking what to write on the flawless white sheet that one would fold into the envelope. Today, you are one of the most active celebrities on the social media that re-defined our relationship with stars. It was imaginable, decades ago, for me to tweet you since the biggest superstar in the world or any other star, for that matter, were deemed unreachable like stars in the sky. There was a certain mystery surrounding film stars and an enigma that they are not within our reach but slunk on their throne in the sky. When you tweet me a personalized digital autograph, it's my Bachchan moment.
As you turn 72, this letter may not reach your abode in Mumbai, Amit-ji but it's my way to tell how much I love, revere and adore you coz you made dreams come true. Yes! I have been a crazy Amitabh Bachchan fan, nurturing dreams that someday that I can pen a book on you. That would be my aha moment in life. You've been a great influenc,e Amit Sir and thank you for the dreams, entertainment and inspiration to better myself as a human being. The dedication for your art, passion and zeal that you approach every new project with the keenness of a child puts the lazy me to shame. Perhaps, some day, we can meet 'again' and sit to talk about cinema. I got so much to show you, my collection of your posters, audio cassettes, magazines and press cuttings.
Post-letter: Like millions of fans, I've met you among the crowd a couple of times. I remember during a special show for Hum, there were several kids who jump the metal barriers as you got up to perform. The cops lathi charged us and you stopped them, shaking hands with each and everyone of us. As I grew up, I met you during the shooting of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, I got your autograph and again during the screening of Hum Kisse Se Kum Nahin, I gave you a birthday greeting card way back in 2000. I was sporting a French cut modeled on my superstar and remember you smiling and stroking the beard. It was my Bachchan moment. I met my God of acting that day.
With Love, respect and admiration,
Mr Bachchan & hope someday you get to read the letter from a child who grew up watching your movies for two decades.
Former Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) ideologue, Govind Acharya move to ban Facebook for minors under 16 smacks of ludicrous understanding of social network and mirrors the image of conservative mindsets to curb freedom of expression. I nearly fell off the chair when I saw the idea of ban being vehemently supported by lawyer and social activist, Vivek Gupta on Headlines Today this week.
The internet nanny garb espoused by both Acharya and Gupta shows a one-way thinking spearheaded by not only a conservative mindset but an abject stubbornness which is absolutely ridiculous. There is no doubt that Gupta is eloquant and knows the law on the tip of his fingers. But, both man ignores reality and the silly attempt to ban both Facebook and Google + will only drive kids to the wall. There is no doubt that today's kids know more about the internet than our generation did. I have a two-year-old nephew who knows how to operate his I-pad and jumps on You Tube to watch kids videos. So does Amitabh Bachchan two-year-old grand-daughter, Aradhya.
Both Gupta and Acharya are basing themselves on the terms and conditions of FB that mentions that the social network platform should not be used by people below 16. First, how do we ensure that a 16-year old doesn't use Facebook? We are not opening a pandora box when we say that there are lakhs and lakhs of teenagers all over the globe surfing on social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus. Haan, it is another thing that parents' must use their discretion in order to ensure that children do not misuse internet platform, are not exposed to porn or fall easy prey to pervert individuals hunting kids for sex.
The move that the likes of Gupta and Acharya asked the court in India to implement law to prevent usage of Facebook is an attempt in India to not only curtail freedom of expression but turn us into a Taliban-type of state control. We are not idiots and internet is a medium that ignites the spark within the human mind. It is an added bonus to children so that they are able to question the status quo at the tip of their fingers and news update has never been made so smooth fluid with the advent of social media. We are living in a globalized world and for fuck sake, India is a democracy and social network websites targets young turks. It is the segment that constitute the proliferation of net. One need to log on to Twitter and Facebook to see that the millions of followers commanded by the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Tharoor, Karan Johar and Narendra Modi are mostly young people.
What do they want the law to achieve? In this age of information highway, we cannot treat bright and young minds in front of the law as criminals in the same vein as rapists, terorists and push them towards becoming anti-social beings. It is simply not done and the move by Acharya and Gupta reeks of a ludicrous stand and an abject attempt to cull on freedom and right of expression.
My main contention on the issue is how can the banning of new media help in curbing crimes against children. Firstly, by banning something, it will only acerbate the problem where children will try every trick in the book to gain access to the tool. We are dealing with young and inquisitive minds who will resort to any possible means, albeit, illegal ones to gain access. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google + are spread out and it is an almost impossible to curb its usage among the youth. Information cannot be restricted and both gentlemen seem to live in a fancy world that does not exist. In fact, it is a very dangerous thing to do since we shunting our children from the world. True, we live in our own country but there is an external world outside our country or geographical region and by advocating the banning of social network, we are pushing young minds towards a ghetto.
As far as the law is concerned in India or any other country in the world which speaks of banning Facebook or Google Plus or for that matter, restrict access to those under 16, it is an archaic law that is in dire need of being re-visited. We need to move ahead with times and certainly, we cannot follow the route adopted by countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan or the Panchayat India whose vision is blurred by extreme religious and deep-rooted beliefs. Such obsolete laws need to be changed and it is not out of place to draw a parallel with a judgement of the Supreme Court in India that called for same rights for live-in couples.
Lawyer Gupta went on record to tell TV anchor, Rahul Kanwal on Headlines Today and the guests present on the show, 'Centre-stage' that he trust his kids so much that they don't access social networking sites such as Facebook. One can only laugh at such sheer stupidity of a father whose vision is blurred. It's like saying that my son or daughter doesn't watch porn or smoke or for that matter get laid coz he told me so!!! Hell, in which world does this lawyer-father lives in?! I mean, will the child tell his or her parents that such things are part of their lives. Is Gupta surveying all the moves undertaken by his children? How much do we know about our own children?
As far as children being prey to pervert minds, it is not banning Facebook or Google+ that the problem will be curbed. Banning FB or Twitter to under 16 is not a solution and it has no relation to child trafficking, sex with minors or forced sex. Let's not pass the buck to the new media that has a power to spread awareness on social issues and all respected newspapers. magazines or even news agency targeting young minds regularly post updates on FB and Twitter. We are not willing to attack the roots of the problem of rape against gullible minds when we speak of banning something. It is not the solution and what is need is strong laws to prevent such crimes. Perhaps, a certain control is needed for kids surfing the net and it is the parents' responsibility to educate their young sons and daughters on the internet threat.
The same goes when some people, hungry for publicity, goes on national TV to cry hoarse that porn should be banned. Let's see the reality in front of us: Porn do not necessarily lead to rape and what is needed is proper legislation to deter rape and other crimes against women, young adults and toddlers. As it is, it is up to a person whether he or she wants to watch porn movies and somebody who is not willing cannot impose its views on others. The same goes to young adults and kids whose parents want to give them the best of both worlds by opening a Gmail or FB account and some moron cannot decide what is the best way of internet parenting. Certainly, a single person cannot impose its views on others in a democratic and secular society.
Today, what India or other global nations need is not some internet nanny who will decide what is good or bad and morally right or wrong. We are not living in the stone age and depriving a generation that has the 'windows to the world' at the tip of its fingers is an indecent attempt to deter the flourishing of information and killing a generation hungry for knowledge and learning tools for personal growth. We aim to become a super economic power and it is a tragedy that every time, a crime takes place we shamelessly uses it to push for our stone age ideals and hypocrite mentality.
