Kapil Da Jawaab Nahi...

This appears in the Sunday Times today...

Kapil Da Jawaab Nahi…

Truly, Kapil da jawaab nahi!Someone forgot to tell our Ministerji that all things ‘Dirty’ are totally ‘in’ these days. Ask Vidya ( Ooh-la-la Balan), who has successfully challenged a hypocritical, prudish nation’s antiquated norms on what constitutes ‘dirty’. Vidya ne dhula diya! Does Kapil Sibal not get it? Look at his lousy timing.It is too late to lecture us on what he thinks is morally unacceptable to modern India. The answer is : anything and everything goes these days.When a Minister takes it upon himself to chastise social networking sites that have been going about their business with spectacular success for so long, he is asking for trouble. In a country of a 100 million internet users (the number is likely to jump to 300 million in the next 2 years according to experts), any form of government interference will be energetically and strenuously rejected. What took Kapil Sibal so long to wake up and smell the whiskey? Why was nobody concerned about ‘incendiary’ material or the abuse and misuse of social networking sites before September 5th, which was when Sibal spoke to international internet giants and offered them a crash course in decoding desi sensibilities? There is something pretty disingenuous about the Minister’s concerns. Not only is his timing for the dramatic announcement pretty suspect, it is clearly an over-enthusiastic attempt to please the Head Mistress.Kapil should stop acting like a school boy, a teacher’s pet, a class monitor who’s out to earn extra brownie points.
Nothing but nothing is a ‘secret’ these days. It’s all out there. From a person’s sex life to bank account details. And it is the people who decide what is or is not acceptable. That is how it works. What is the government scared of? Who does Kapil Sibal want to shield? Is it even possible to do that anymore? Social networking sites are independent states unto themselves. People refer to Facebook as one of the world’s most powerful ‘countries’. It has been successfully proven (Arab Spring) that a 140- character tweet can trigger a revolution. Is this what Kapil fears? When an individual or government has nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of, any form of public scrutiny should be welcomed. Politicians constantly talk about transparency and accountability in public life. But it is the same people who panic at the first hint of an expose. Now that pretty much every memo, note, sms,bbm,file and phone conversation is in the public domain and within easy access of an interested party, it is a bit silly to try and ‘protect’ a VVIP, that too, by imposing restrictions on others. Kapil is allergic to the word ‘censorship’. Perhaps he has a better substitute? Unfortunately for the Minister, he completely misread the mood of the people when he broke the bad news about playing Net Nanny. There was widespread outrage across the board and some of it was from unexpected quarters. 94% of people polled on the subject are saying, “Hands off!” Kapil , poor chap, had talked himself into a corner for issuing what is being referred to as the ‘Facebook Fatwa’. He is still there, trying to crawl out.
There have always been regulatory mechanisms in place on the said sites, along with enough checks and balances to filter threats and other material that could cause widespread panic.But these are as good or as bad as people want them to be. Yes, there is abuse on some sites, and there are enough cowards hiding behind a veil of anonymity, who get away with it.I have been at the receiving end of ugly comments and hate mail myself.Despite that,I would still defend the rights of people to use these platforms freely. For every misguided bigot, there are millions of others for whom the freedom of expression is an all-inclusive, priceless gift that is worth fighting for, regardless of the consequences. This freedom is absolute and non-negotiable. It cannot be defined or qualified by politicians, no matter how noble their stated intentions are. In as young a country as ours, it is short sighted to underestimate or talk down to people who are sharp, smart and very savvy.Whether it is Facebook, Twitter or a micro blogging site, just leave it to users to determine what’s kosher and what isn’t. Kapil Sibal needs to listen more, and talk less. Listen to the voices of tomorrow. The same ones applauding the suggestive gyrations of a talented heroine portraying the life of a semi-porn star in ‘Dirty Picture’, this season’s big hit .Nobody has demanded a ban on the film, nor pelted stones on the screen. Kapil ji, India has grown up when nobody was looking!
‘Dirty’ is a state of mind. So is ‘Dangerous’. India can handle both. Dhanyavad!