** Indian women 'get wild' in US soap **Ashish Kumar Sen on a US web mini series which is creating ripples among Indianexpatriates.< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/7465261.stm >
Well my first reaction after reading this article on BBC news website was”What’s the big deal!”
India has always been proud of its history of varying cultures and traditions that speaks about its people as god fearing and principled; with Indian women being portrayed as figures of purity and motherhood. But whom are we kidding!
I agree to the fact that Indian women have always been known for being more principled and determined than the rest of the female clan and have always stood by their culture and beliefs. But we should not be blind folded. India is changing fast and so are its people; with Indian women being no exception. They have become quite independent and have started living the much loved free life, on their own principles and their own rules. Yes, many still abide by our cultural and tradition (again there is a question of what’s right according to the culture and what’s not, which is a never ending topic!), but not all!
We have a good amount of women in India (mostly in the urban India) who are enjoying the western lifestyle that they have adopted comfortably to satisfy their needs and comforts. Again, saying something is wrong and something is right is all up to people’s perspectives.
But the point is, why all the fuss about some Hollywood soap where some Indian actresses are playing some ultra modern roles and are rather being pictured as vamps. And do we have voice? What about the Indian media? Does it always go by the so called rules!??
A right activist quotes about the Hollywood series “By presenting working Indian women as deceitful vamps, [the series] has reinforced the harmful stereotypes of empowered Indian women" Hmm so what?? Is it totally wrong?? Of course, it doesn’t represent the whole lot of Indian women. But then have to agree to the fact that they are much closer to reality than the Indian soaps were the Indian women are always projected as sathi savithris!!
