Friday, July 30, 2010

A Growing Menace...Reality TV Shows...

So whats capturing the headlines at all the news channels and papers in India today...a certain Reality TV Marriage is breaking apart.  Its not the first time the rich and spoilt brat of a Late Politician has been accused of domestic violence. His first marriage (which did not take place on Reality TV) also broke apart after his wife divorced him on the grounds of domestic violence. What remains questionable is that on what basis then was this monster who gets his kick by hitting women was brought to a Reality TV Show with a lot of fanfare and promotions in his quest for a new wife??...The moronic title of the TV Show was "Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jaayega"...I never watched the show so I really dont know on what basis the girls were selected and further on what basis he selected his "bride", what I do know is that after garnering lot of TRPs and advertisement money, the brat finally selected a wannabe actress/model from Kolkata who is accusing him of domestic violence barely into 4 months of their marriage and who is now showing off her abuse marks on news channels, I have no real sympathy for this girl because afterall on what basis did she decide to marry this guy? Didnt she inquire into his past, tried to know him better? If her only objective was Money and Fame, she got all this and some more that she had not bargained for. I think the next title of the show the brat will star in will be "Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jaayega...aur fir uski Pitaayi Karega"...

Theres a flood of reality TV shows these days and apparently this brat is much in demand in these shows because he also starred in another moronic "Reality " show "Big Boss"...I have still not comprehended what this show is about...They gather some wannabes from all walks of life (mainly those who have been involved in some kind of scandal...more scandalous,the better) and keep them in the house and monitor their "activities" and based upon "Viewer Voting" they are all chucked out of the house one by one and in the end one wins a huge sum of money...How..Why..On What Basis....Dont ask...thats the beauty of these reality TV Shows.

The list is endless...for high TRPs, thwarting Competition and in the quest of  presenting themselves as 'Different'...TV Channels are leaving no stones unturned and since "Reality TV Shows" are the hottest "in" thing these days they are belching out a variety "Reality Dance...Singing...U name it and its conceptualised in the "reality" format. One such mindless reality show was "Emotional Atyachaar" wherein couple conducted "Loyalty Tests" on one another and this TV show helped by "planting" a sexy ruse (male/female dependent upon on which partner the test was being conducted) and then this ruse would chase and shower attention on mostly plain and slightly over weight "targets" who more often than not fell victim to their attractions and then got busted...they then helped the other partner who was conducting the test to catch their cheating partners "red handed" in the act and actively recorded and broadcasted the emotional showdown that used to follow...Forget about whether its real or scripted, can you imagine something more idiotic and stupid than this??...A popular TV show like "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa" has also fallen prey to TRPs...a show that has given some of the most talented singers to the country is now dependent upon viewer voting where Judges are no more than Puppets and real winners are chosen by public through voting,where people vote for their favorite singers not for their talent (because seriously how would they know who sings better,not everyone is a musician) but vote the contestants if they belong to their state, caste, religion etc.

News Channels are also not acting responsibly...Under Pressure to keep viewer's attention, these 24/7 news channels sensationalize and hype small and irrelevant issues to such an extent that they seem like national calamity. For example, the marriage of this brat (entire ceremony was broadcasted 'Live' ofcourse) was reported with the same enthusiasm with which they are now reporting the allegations of his second wife and her bruise marks. As the "Idiot Box" is graduating into "Moronic Box" we can do nothing but choose to either watch or not watch.

Reality TV was touted as the great new hope for the digital era. A new genre featuring real people in real situations,laughing real laughs and shedding real tears. But it has fallen prey to the easy temptation of pre-packaged programming, degenerating into a scripted charade controlled by off-screen handlers in which contestants shed fake tears and throw sham tantrums to wring a few drops of interest from blase viewers. And why blame the viewers? All entertainment today is prefabricated . Even war. No wonder death has also lost its capacity to move us.

Friday, July 23, 2010

My Tattoo Story....

I had been mulling over this idea for a long time. Back in India there were many obstacles...my parents would never have allowed it, they were appalled even now when they heard I had it done but there wasnt much they could do as I am married now, living a bit away and considerably mature (they seriously doubt the last one though!).. Also, back home I didnt really have any specific tattoo design on my mind...I didnt want to go through all that pain to have some flower or some other random design engraved on my skin.

So after falling in love...getting married and coming to Europe and having the advantage of a lot of free time on my hands (Plz dont misinterpret the'free time' concept..its just that Assignments,PPTs,Exams,Job Interviews, Hostel life and Chatting with Gursher whole night kept me lot busier in India...its another issue that now that we are married and are together all the time, we dont talk whole night ever...I wonder what married life does to u :P), I gave this idea some serious thought and considered a specific tattoo design. Internet was my best source of information and found a lot of stuff about Tattoos....these things arent the latest trend...Tattoo designs have a long history, they have been found on mummified bodies dating back to 3300 BC and have been part of many cultures including our Indian culture.

I also learned that its a very painful procedure and there are many precautionary details involved and therefore decided that if I have to get it done the design better be worth the pain...and after much contemplation, I decided to get my sweetheart's name engraved on my skin forever. I chose the Gurumukhi script because his name looked best in that. When I inquired about Tattoo Parlors, I found one next to my home and got an appointment 2 months later because of the waiting!!...  convincing Gursher wasnt easy as he feared it might hurt a lot or cause me some permanent damage in terms of infection etc.....

Finally,got through all these hurdles and  got tattooed on June 12,2010. The name 'Gursher' is inscribed on the lower inner side of my arm in magenta color signifying Love and Femininity :).... To say that this procedure was infinitely painful wouldnt do justice to what I really felt...that searing and blinding pain can only be described and understood by those who have gotten inked themselves and my darling husband didnt help the matters much when while holding my hand and standing by my side, asked me how painful is it when he was supposed to distract me from that very topic!!.. :P.....



If you ask me if it was all worth it...I would say it was worth every Goddamn second of it! Its not just a tattoo...its a tribute to the love I have for Gursher.  I dont approve of people drugging themselves in anyway and then getting tattooed. Alcohol isnt permitted because it thins your blood and you will tend to bleed more...Anaesthesia isnt a safe option and involves plenty of Health risks and anyway it isnt used anywhere here.

Getting a Tattoo done is like a rite of passage and pain is an integral part of that rite..Don't Cheat.. if you dont have the guts to bear that pain, may as well dont get it. Getting scarred for life is no mean feat so show some COURAGE... ;)