STOP THE UNSOCIAL ACTIVITIES OF PAOLI DAMS AND THE COMMODIFICATION OF WOMEN Who is bolder − Paoli Dam and Anandabazaar Patrika being the two contestants in fray? Amazing it is, the way our governments, the state as well as the centre, have allowed the concerned reporter and editor of Anandabazaar Patrika to go scot-free after adorning its front page on 09.09.2011 with Paoli-blend obscenity, totally hoodwinking the law of land. And this imagine Anandabazaar did after crying hoarse in the upper half of the same front page over the security of the students getting threatened by the irresponsibility of DSO like organizations, as though the bounden duty of our students would be to shun politics or for that matter any social or cultural cause only to engulf themselves in sizzling stories of Paoli Dam, served in platter with hot sauce in this daily. There are other options for the students as well, like giving the school a slip not for a students’ rally, but for a visit to such movies partnered by Star Ananda, or boozing up in some nocturnal party arranged by this ‘bold’ and billionaire media house. Why Anandabazaar speaks for globalization is thus also becoming nude day by day. These people want to do away with any semblance of such law in our country that might be of the slightest hindrance to their flourishing into intellectual pimps, for it is now well known that this pornography business is the third or the fourth largest investment in globalised economy, the first two or three being arms dealing, petroleum and advertisement. So Anandabazaar is not content with one Anandaloke magazine or one Paoli in its front page. Why not launch a fully ‘porn’ channel tomorrow, their great partner Rupert Murdock being a ‘grey hair person’ in the field with vast experiences. A pity, that in ‘backward’ India, they are still unable to start this ‘progressive’ global business. No wonder, they are so caustic towards Indians and their ‘multi-party’ democracy for whom globalization can still not be implemented in full swing even after a two decade strive by the likes of Anandabazaar. Haven’t we seen their blue-eyed reporter boy Sri Suman Dey lamenting during the World cup football telecast from Germany that unlike in that country, there is no ‘porn’ channel to keep people awake in the late hours of night? The Rupert Murdocks are already there in the headline, caught in the act of tapping phones, which of course they felt they were ‘free’ to do. No wonder their able and ‘student friendly’ Indian disciple is so vehemently against all ‘self appointed bosses’ (the so called ‘jyathas’ in bengali) of the society like the students’ organizations. There is no prize in guessing the reason for this — Murdocks and Anandabazaars can imagine of none else but themselves as such ‘jyathas’. They alone wish to hold the cudgel to render this holy service of ‘jyathamo’ (self appointed bossism) every time their air-conditioned cars are halted for a while by a rally, or whenever a student joins in such a rally. This big boss will brand feudalistic each such act against imperialistic culture aimed at protecting the freedom of women against commercialization of obscenity. To make hay in such business, these cunning foxes wish to bring back those old days when the horizon of civilization was only half visible, when women were polarized into two distinct groups — the housewives (‘Grihabadhu’) and the public women (‘Barbadhu’); when kingly lust required women to bare themselves in the open; when for the ‘Binodini’ (the entertainer) to step outside the home the only option was to be a ’Noti’ (dancer); and when the rest of the women were forced to stay indoors completely segregated from the social production relation. This also makes clear that Anandabazaar’s slogan of industrialization is well and truly an anti-thesis of the ideology of real industrial revolution that saw hundreds and thousands of working men and women toil hard with the first machines, sooty and oily, and especially with the women breaking free the shackles of feudal bondage. The Anandabazaarian brand of industrialization on the other hand is dedicated for a particular class of society that earns lakhs a month, and can afford to go to bazaar with ananda (pleasure), the only target of industry thus being to propagate consumerism and bloom in luxury commodities. The obvious reason is that such a ‘heavy packet’ cannot be exhausted merely buying rice, sugar, milk, or even a car or two. It needs to be regularly squeezed out as in the days of his majesty over woman and wine. So the domain of definition of their industrialization today represent luxurious flats, lavish resorts and bungalows; cars, wine and women; hotels, jewelry and war related business. To return profit out of such primitive business, women of course need to be ‘pro-active’ and ‘bold’ enough, such boldness that will fetch some of them like Paoli the golden luck to be projected as headline news in some renowned daily. As for the majority of the rest, preparations are on for a Hindu fundamentalist or a Muslim Taliban regime. Bengal and Bharat are very much familiar with those brave hearts who sold the ornaments of their wives to carry forth the ongoing cultural battle. Such bravery that does not find favour with the honourable editor general of Anandabazar however makes us proud and respectful to these great souls. They clicked during the riots and have made film for Sharmila Irom, the bold lady of Manipur who is still fighting tooth and nail against the autocratic military law and regime of the central government. It is the same state in our so-called federal republic where mothers have shown the courage to completely bare themselves before media to stop the heinous rapes committed by Assam Rifles. But, this nudity is so powerful that Anandabazaar is afraid to put it into focus. Our powerful heritage and culture have been enriched by those great artists who had times and again given birth to theatres and films evading the clutches of police, risking their lives for democracy even in the face the cruelest form of autocracy. It is our greatest misfortune that we are now supposed to learn bravery and art from artists like Paoli Dam. Thankfully, Rupert Murdocks are still not able to completely capture our country. West Bengal is yet not the ‘zamindari’ of Ananadabazaar. Article 292A of our penal code is still there to protect the freedom of women, but conspirators are working day and night in the name of liberalization and globalization to put up all sorts of hindrances that would bar women from taking part in social production, that would curb all possibilities of equal opportunity for women, that would make the incidents of working women falling easy prey in the underneath dark and dirty lanes of corporate houses a natural phenomenon, that would allow the likes of Assam Rifles in Manipur or Kashmir merrily continue the episodes of rape and torture, and to treat the women of vanquished Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya as consumer commodities by the soldiers of USA and NATO. How about the so-called compulsory woman grievance cells (for dealing with sexual harassments in work places) in media houses like Ananadabazaar? Even if it is there by chance, the top-grade democratic values practiced by the owners of these media houses always ensure that such grievance cells bear no fruit. We shall therefore not allow this Aanandabazaarian conspiracy to dispatch the women back to their home-world, the conspiracy that tries to ensure that those who would have to work outside need to be ‘bold and ‘brave’ failing which the rest will be forced to remain indoors. Such a ploy of imperialism engulfed head and shoulders in recession and of its spokesmen like Anandabazaar to deal with the imposing unemployment problem needs to be wiped out at all costs. Their intention to restrict the women in unorganized sectors (hotels and ‘bold’ scenes) only has to be fought tooth and nail. We strongly demand that the Censor Board should in no way succumb to the pressure tactics of Anandabazaar in trying to push through this atrocious act of Paoli and unhesitatingly remove the obscene part of this film Chatraak including that in CD/DVD. We also urge upon the Administration to take necessary and stringent action against the concerned reporter Indranil Roy and all those who are related with the publication of this report in Anandabazaar Patrika. Let us send this petition with all our signatures to the Cabinet and State ministers of Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, to the honourable Chief Minister and Governor of West Bengal, to the Prime Minister and President of India, and to the National and State Women’s Commission — so that no stone is left unturned. Let us stretch our hands to hold those of the courageous mothers of Manipur ignoring the ’bold’ Paolis.