Arre Kya Baat Hai!

Some pictures from the picnic at Laghetti della Madonna di Castenaso near Bologna on Saturday 27 May 2006:

"So, are they going to live with you?" my colleague asked.

I nodded.

"Poor things", she said, "they must be feeling so bad! I know it is a difficult time for you as well but imagine starting your married life in someone else's house!"

Another old friend suggested that the newly weds should immediately apply for one of the municipality houses, that is given to people with economic difficulties and has a low rent.

It seems that everyone is worried about us. Not us. Are we "someone else" for Marco and Atam? I don't think that they feel like that! Certainly, we are not looking at this time as "difficult time".

It is true that many of my friends did move away to their own separate homes after their marriages. Some did it because of work, as they changed cities. Some others did it because their wives could not get along with their new families. But still, when a boy gets married, I don't know if today the couples start on the assumption that they are going to move to their own separate houses? I think that for most families in India when your son gets married, it is taken for granted that he will continue to live with you, unless there are specific problems. In fact many of my friends did continue to live with their families but perhaps even in India, times are changing?

So when Marco, my son decided that he wanted to get married, the idea that he will continue to stay with us was never a question. Yes, we know it would be much better for the couple to be indepedent, to be on their own and perhaps one day they will decide to do it, but I can't understand why people feel so negatively about it! Fortunately Nadia, my wife shares this feeling (perhaps because of watching all the Barjatya films)!

Anyway, yesterday Atam Prabha, our daughter in law arrived. We went to Milan to receive her. We hope that they will be happy together. They have our best wishes and all our support.

The headlines, "De Vinci code banned" depresed me. Even though there were some protests when "Sins" was released, in the end, the film was released without people burning down theatres or cars. Reading the news was slightly better. It does not say that the film is banned, it only says that a group of persons will watch the film and decide. I hope that they decide to show it.

We need sane persons in India. Very badly. It seems we are running out of them.

Every group of religious louts is just waiting to pounce on the slightest provocation.

Now Amir Khan is warned, how dare he speak about Narmada Bachao or against Modi? They will not let his Fanaa to be released in Gujarat, they say. Show him the Hindu might?

The Sikhs have done it too. Jo Bole so Nihaal is a caricature. The child in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is a caricature. How dare they?

The Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, everyone is ready with petrol cans. They define themselves as saviours of their religions. Dissent is equal to blasphemy they feel. Armed with hockey sticks or worse, they come out with their torches. And the soveriegn Government representing the people bows its head and presents its butt so that it can be kicked by any thug, ready for banning any thing so that "it does not disturb public order".

So we are going for a taliban rule in India. Only insecure louts will decide what we can read, see or think? I am not saying that we have to be agree with everyone but you can disagree on something and still be civil? Amartaya Sen talks about the ancient traditions of dissent and criticism inherent in Hinduism and in Indian culture in his book "The Argumentative Indian". Yet, those traditions are being corrupted everyday and we are prisoners of fire-wielding hardliners, who have decided that we Indians are not mature enough, we need censorship, they will decide for us.

If a country (Italy) that hosts the Vatican itself, can show De Vinci code, it seems strange that India has to worry about the feelings of Catholics.