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Of India And Hypocrisy
The Indians want to arrest Richard Gere. Recently, during an Aids Awareness meeting in New Delhi, India, Gere passionately kissed Indian actress Shilpa Shetty on the cheek. After the photographs were splashed all over the media, three attorneys filed formal complaints deeming the act “Obscene,” and Dinesh Gupta a judge from Jaipur, India issued arrest warrants for Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty. The warrant for Gere is a non bailable arrest warrant “for indulging in an obscene act.” After viewing the video the court prima facie found him guilty. The Judge stated that the kisses on the cheek “transgressed all limits of vulgarity and were highly sexually erotic.” Mobs consisting of religious fundamentalist and Hindu nationalists in various Indian cities torched effigies of Gere demanding that the actor return to India to face punishment in the form of a trial and serve possible jail time if found guilty of “Obscenity and Vulgarity”. Under Indian law, a person convicted of public obscenity faces upto 3 months in prison, a fine or both. The conservative media in India have gone wild demanding Gere’s head on a moral platter. Gere’s action they say is an affront to Indian culture. Unfortunately, this cacophony has drowned out the Aids Awareness message that Gere had gone there to deliver. India has 5.7 million people living with the Aids Virus according to the United Nations.
Maybe this judge, Dinesh Gupta has not seen a Bollywood film in the last 35 years. The sexual innuendoes and crass vulgarity of many of the song and dance sequences of Indian heroines as they are called, have to be seen to be believed. From Bollywood in Mumbai to the films produced in the South of India, sex is sold through suggestive gestures, gyrating hip movements and lyrics laced with vulgar double meanings.
In real life, Sati or bride burning is still practiced in some villages in India. Sati is a tradition where if the husband dies, the wife must throw herself on his flaming pyre and be burnt alive. If a woman refuses to do so, she becomes an outcast, or sulphuric acid is splashed on her face so she is horribly disfigured for life. In many instances, the woman is murdered. This has been documented repeatedly. The judge should look into crimes like these instead of being obsessed with kisses. That is where the soul of Indian morality is being incinerated. Untouchability is still widely practiced in many villages in India. These are just a few of the problems that this Judge can turn his legal eye to, or he can rent a Bollywood blockbuster, put on his morality blinkers and watch female Indian film stars gyrate. What he will see is much, much more than passionate kisses on a cheek. This Judge should emerge from his chambers and take a long hard look at the real India that surrounds him. There are issues that are more important. Maybe this Judge does not consider bride burning, child marriage, slumlords, rampant corruption, sexually suggestive Bollywood movies, prostitution, child labor, a draconian dowry system and untouchability an affront to Indian morality and culture!
Comment by Geeta Mehta
Posted on May 3, 2007 at 9:30 am
I am an Indian and it is unfair for you to say that Indians want to arrest Mr. Gere. There is a small political faction in India that are doing these things. The whole of India is not responsible. If in America the Ku Klux Klan does something bad does that mean that all Americans are responsible. No, no, that of course is not correct.
Of course it is unfortunate that something like this happened, but it happens all the time. Nothing will come out of this. The courts will drop the matter.
We know that Mr. Gere has done a lot for India. He is a good Buddhist and he is also a strict vegetarian. He visits India often and it is unfortunate that this arrest warrant is out for him.
In India we do not show much affection in public, hugging and kissing in public is not done. Some in the big cities like Mumbai and Delhi do it but you have to remember that seventy five percent of India is villages and there they are very, very traditional. So if many of those people seen Mr. Gere holding Miss Shetty very tight and kissing her on the cheek they must have got very upset. I can understand that. Of course, the politicians sought this as an opportunity to get some publicity and to show how sacred our Indian culture is. But believe you me, nothing will come out of all this. Nobody will get arrested and nobody will go to jail. It is just all publicity.
Yes, we have our problems here in India like the ones that you mentioned but don’t you in America have social problems too? It is everywhere. All over the world.There is no difference. But when Westerners come to India they have to be aware a little bit of our customs and traditions. And that goes for anyone visiting any country. Mr. Gere loves India and I am sure that he will come back as soon as this is all over. I have heard that he has apologized and that is a good thing. We have nothing against Mr. Gere.
In India, we have a very big Aids problem and it was not good when the message that Mr Gere came to deliver was overshadowed by the hugs and kisses scandal. So there you are. I hope that I have made myself clear.
Comment by John P. Thomas
Posted on May 3, 2007 at 8:15 pm
While all these people were burning Gere’s effigy on the streets of India I wonder how many voices were raised against the burnings? What is with these people. Don’t they have more urgent problems to look after? I know that a small faction of people did this and I am referring to them. I am sure that Richard Gere will be looking over his shoulder when he goes to India next. It is sad this happened because the Aids message got lost in the shouting, and that is what those people in India should think about. I suspect that religion played a part in this, also politics and ignorance. It is the same all over the world. The righteous and indignant, what a bunch of vipers. And after all this is over the Aids patients will have lost. I hope that those Indians shouting and screaming about some silly kiss and hug come to understand that their actions really hurt people who are sick and in need of help. But as usual, a mob follows a herd mentality. I wonder who were the politicians behind this nonsense. Behind every dastardly act such as this, there is a politician. I know I am right. Somebody prove me wrong.
Comment by Jasmin Noorani
Posted on May 16, 2007 at 9:48 am
You are right Mr. Thomas. The politicians behind this belong to radical Hindu parties. And, yes, there were many voices raised against this, but the media prefers to run with the negative and so all you hear and see are the people screaming for the head of Richard Gere. Unfortunately, all this has given India a bad name.
We are a very tolerant society. Yes, we do have the occassional communal clashes but all in all the Indians live well together. We are conservative and we are liberal and we are middle of the road. We have over a billion people living in India. Now that is some melting pot, and occassionally the pot boils over.
The impression after this incident is that India is a very very conservative country. The answer is , yes, and no. In our cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, you do see young people hugging and kissing each other on the cheek quite openly, but it is not our traditional custom to hug and kiss. I do hope that this is all forgotten soon, at least the bad press that India recieved throughout the world. Even as I write this, the incident has disappeared from both print and TV. Let us hope that it stays that way.