Savitabhabhi and some well known secrets

You can either hate or love her, but you definitely cannot ignore her.

Some say she is the (sex) symbol of free speech. Some dismiss her as just another cartoon porn star ( as if we had loads of them). Some see her as their secret personal goddess while some has already christened her the devil incarnation.

But no matter whom you ask, chances are high that eight out of ten at least have heard of her and visited the website at least once. Yes, girls included (including me).

So who is this suddenly 'in'famous Bhabhi? She is an ordinary (surprisingly ordinary) curvy cartoon character who has managed to do the impossible. Defeat the moral brigade of our country. Never before was such a concerted effort from the sexually repressed population of this subcontinent so evident.Some time back in June, Indian government banned the site and Indian media was flooded with articles about poor Bhabhi and how she represents the fundamental right of Indian Constitution. (Oh, Yeah. We are not so keen on keeping tab of the other fundamental rights).

I had serious suspicions whether Obama learnt his PR tricks from Savitabhabhi's creators. And it wont be so surprising if she features in the ivy league management case studies. Apparently, the sultry bhabhi manages to get 60 million unique visitors, setting an example of how pornography has a mainstream market.

So as a woman, what do I say- Well, good for her and her fans!. Next question. Why?

Yes.Pornography subjugates women. But there are also pornographic material circulated for women featuring men as juicy subjects. Wont that be wrong? Yes.Absolutely. All pornographic material should be banned in an ideal world and polygamy/andry should be legalised. Fortunately or unfortunately we dont live in a perfect world. And in the hierarchy of pornography, maybe Bhabhi is the safest of them all.

She is a cartoon, representing no risk of human trafficking or sexually transmitted disease. She asserts her desires, namely to be an equal with her partners. She is certainly more innocuous than other atrocities against women the Indian government manages to ignore, from companies asking female workers for their father's or husband's name on every other form to the euphemistic "eve-teasing" on city buses.

It will be foolish and stupid of me to think that a simple ban or aggressive protest is going to make her vanish. It wont!. And to be honest, she is quite gripping with her over active imagination. I keep wondering whether there is a woman in the team to advise them on female sexual fantasies. (They are so way out of line).

And the cartoonist apparently based out of US says,

"One of the reasons for creating SB was to also portray that Indian women have sexual desires too. India is a country which is still sexually repressed and I feel that for it to break the shackles, it is the women of India who are going to have to come out first. We are already seeing that in a way, and hopefully SB will do her bit to help in this revolution.”

Wow! Who knew there was some strong moral ground there. Im already beginning to think he is going to get the next Nobel. Or is he a she?

By the way, they need script writers and cartoonists. And they have more titillating stories. Also, the website is not free anymore. (Yeah, I checked ). Lets see whether Bhabhi will survive once her services are charged.

Meanwhile, warn parents against naming their daughter Savita...and not even Savitri. (Both are close.)

The Red scarf girl Project

Well, its quite some days since I started this blog and it had been left to just sit and rot here all alone. And I have decided to pour some love.Not for the sake of the blog. But for me.

I just want to stop being lazy!.

So here is my plan. I am going to write about one topic every week for the next two months. I know its going to be tough
And maybe this is going to be another proverbial straw on the camels back.
But I am going to do it-To prove to myself that I can work under pressure and a time schedule and produce something nice. I also need to get myself more updated on current affairs and general know how of things which i seem to take for granted these days. And since Im going anonymous here, I can write whatever I want.Whoo,Aint I smelling freedom in the air?

So here starts the Red scarf girl Project

-A topic a week or as often as I can write

-It would be personal reflections over the issue or topic at hand

-Collect as many relevant and recent facts on the topic

-Referencing it not necessarily in an academic sort of way,but maybe linking it appropriately

-And most importantly, get to know more bloggers who blog in similar lines and read more blogs

So get set go....Wishing me good luck

An Idiots take on 3 idiots

With all that hooplah and hullaballoo going on around the movie and the book, what better way to start (or rather what an idiotic way) my Red scarf girl project. As much as I liked the movie, its not life changing for me and even have laid a bet with a friend to flaw-analyze the movie. So this is the answer to those who think 3 idiots is the next best thing which could have happened to Bollywood cinema. But dont be mistaken- there's magic and the film does work. (so much so that reviewers needed to change their review overnight to go along with the public feel) But its not going to change the world, it was just what it was meant to be- a clean Hirani entertainer with a message.

And here's an idiots flaw guide to 3 idiots movie

1. For a movie so innocuously based on IIT's, it fails to understand the basic fulcrum which holds the IIT/IIM brand together (You see IIT delhi was earlier called Imperial College of engineering). You probably can get into an IIT through rote learning (though I hardly can see how), you definitely cannot survive there through it. So essentially, a good percentage of IITians are actually like Rancho and the Chathurs of the world dont really get ahead in the race of logical precision. And for the sake of arguing, lets say the movie is all about the slice of life from a regular engineering college. Even then, the Ranchos of the real world cant get ahead there by topping the grades, because its all about Chathur style learning which works for grades. That brings me to the second and in my mind, most important flaw.

2. Why on earth it is so important that Rancho HAS to top the class? Aint that what the movie is all about- Let the education flow beyond grades and points. Are we afraid to say that if we fail/get bad grades in college, then we wont make it in life?. Agreed, this line of thought is explored vaguely in the case of Farhan and Raju who consistently get bad grades, but in the end does well in life. But even then, there are excuses of different passions and web of fears. When are going to say confidently that to be the best you need not have 99.9% marks? Im not saying, you flunk out. No- how exactly is a guy who stands 5 th so different from the one who is 1st? When you put your finger to it-not so much eh? I would have loved it even more if the movie had the guts to stay away from cliches of grades and toppers.

3. Apparently, they meet after 10 years of their college life.Everyone else has their own lives. ofcourse except the hero and heroine. The heroine is supposedly still not married and is getting married now after all this time on that precise day where they set out to find Rancho. It cant get filmier.:P. Do girls wait for 10 years like that and suddenly decide to tie the knot with the same jerk whom she dumped 10 years back? Duh!! And an intelligent, beautiful, sassy girl like Pia didnt find anyone else at all in this entire planet--?? But well, lets excuse that as the inevitable overbearing drama in Hindi movies. But aint a full life also mean a happy personal life?? ( And no offense to happy singles, Im guessing Rancho and Pia respectively have met the loves of their lives)Or when you have 100 patents down your belt and a school to run in Leh ( I love that.;)), you dont really need that to qualify as living your best life. Err, maybe!!

4. What was that whole imposter thing about? So are we saying every kid who cannot afford education should go as an imposter for a good for nothing rich kid?? And again stereotyping- Poor kids are good students and rich kids are not (which is totally not so). All of that is so wrong in so many levels. But again-creative freedom, so let it be.

5. The trio are the thickest of friends and even is close to families in a weird way. But nobody manages to wonder about Rancho's family in the 4 years they were together? Or wait! Rancho has so much of philosophy to dish out, he must have found one for that too.

6. And cant ignore this. A guy who played teacher at 43 is playing student at 44. Regression at its best. ( Ok, I need to admit he did heck of a good job).

7. And to be fair, I seriously dont understand the whole circus around 'five point someone' and '3 idiots'! Honestly, the movie was much better than the book despite all its lackings and Im guessing Chethan Bhagat is pulling a publicity stunt. Also arent we forgetting Abhijath Joshi who is also a writer?What about his feeling yaar? You take the money and now you're calling him a flicker. Not fair, Chethan ji..

8. And cant the engineering fraternity make a ruckus about flicking the heirloom jokes passed down through generations Aint it lame to borrow memes like the pen joke and the electric shock??

9. And a vaccum cleaner is enough for delivery, why are we spending so much on gynaecs??


Before I over do it, let me stop.
After all this, I will dare to say, if you havent watched it-do watch the movie. It might not change your life, but it is paisa wasool for every single minute of it.

Of Sarees and its surprising inclusiveness

Food is often used as a powerful 'cultural' metaphor in literary and non literary works alike. Though I totally agree with the powerful ways food can influence one's identity and even self worth for that matter, I am begotten with another thing altogether.

Sarees-No matter which part in the world, no matter where you are-every Indian woman will have atleast one saree in her wardrobe(preferably silk and if not, her worthiness to be an Indian stands sceptical)

A charming folktale explains the origin of the Sari

"The Sari, it is said, was born on the loom of a fanciful weaver. He dreamt of Woman. The shimmer of her tears. The drape of her tumbling hair. The colors of her many moods. The softness of her touch. All these he wove together. He couldn't stop. He wove for many yards. And when he was done, the story goes, he sat back and smiled and smiled and smiled."

According to wikipedia, Saree is a female garment in the Indian sub continent. I am sure the ladies of the Indian sub continent were the only ones aesthetically suited to carry off this sexual and sensual piece of wonder. I have often marvelled at how elegant and sexy a saree can look at the same time.Almost like time travel. Barring the tremendous effort it requires to be worn by novices, a saree is never out of place. If in tropics like India, it provides the right amount of 'ventilation', its not an uncommon sight to find women wearing sweaters over a well draped over saree with double protection. Its such an universal garment. And to top it, it looks good on anyone. Be it the firangs or the anemic supermodels- the next door 'amma' or the bhabhi in the train- Saree works its magic bringing out the poise and grace of a woman.Its almost as if saree is this magical gift cover which carefully enwraps everything good in a woman.

"There is ample evidence of the sari in the earliest examples of Indian art. Sculptures from the Gandhara, Mathura and Gupta schools (1st- 6th century AD), suggest that the sari in its earlier form was a briefer garment, with a veil, and usually no discernable bodice.

There are also several references to the fact that in South India the sari had been for a long time one piece of material that served as both skirt and veil, leaving the bosom bare. Even today in some rural areas it is quite common for a woman not to wear a choli."

How liberating, aint it?Wonder whether they had censor boards those times?

"In extant North Indian miniature paintings, (particularly Jain, Rajasthani and Pahari schools from the 13th to the 19th centuries) it seems to consist of the diaphanous skirt and an equally diaphanous veil draped over a tiny bodice. This style still survives as the more voluminous lehanga of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Gradually this skirt and veil were amalgamated into one garment, but when and how this happened is not precisely clear. One theory, not fully substantiated, is that the style was created by Noor Jahan (d. 1645) wife of the Mughal emperor Jehangir (reigned. 1605-27). Perhaps it would be more accurate to speculate that the confrontation between the two cultures, Islamic and Hindu, led the comparatively relaxed Hindus to develop a style that robed the person more discreetly and less precariously. "

I am sure if anyone tried it out, you could even develop a brach of psychology based on the analysis of draping of sarees understanding characters and traits of women. Now Im sure that would be a small step towards comprehending the phenomenon which is 'women'.

Some sources even say its the oldest of clothings existed (well, Im sure leaves would come first).Its apparently, 5000 years old according to certain records.Thats quite ancient and even in this century, if saree has its strong hold, there has to be something special about this garment.Some people think that Indian saree is influenced by Greek or Roman toga which we see on ancient statues. This is not correct. Saree is essentially Indian and designed to suit local conditions. Cotton was cultivated in India centuries before Alexander the Great landed on the borders of India and Indian cloth (chira or Saree) was a wonder to Greek eyes. In fact, Herodotus and other ancient western historians thought there were cloth-growing trees in India.

Another famous anecdote connected to saree is in connection to Raja Ravi Varma, the great painter of 19 th century.oured the entire sub-continent in search of theideal female wear. He wanted the best dress for the various goddesses he was asked and commissioned to paint. He selected the a nine yard saree which drapes the body beautifully at the same time exhibiting contours of female anatomy--bust, waist, hips. Most of the female deities he painted are in this style.Wikipedia calls it the 'Nivi' style of saree draping.

The origin of the blouse and the petticoat is still doubtful. As it was a tradition in India to use only one unstitched cloth to cover the body, it is believed that ancient women did not wear blouses and left the upper part of their bodies uncovered. Some other say that they did wear breastbands to cover thier upper body. It is still unknown how blouses and petticoat originated, although it is largely believed that it was only after the arrival of the British that Indian women started wearing blouse and petticoat.Also, stitched clothes were considered impure by Hindus. It was only after the arrival of Muslims that tailored clothes became popular in India.

And most surprisingly, Jhansi's Queen Laxmibai, Belawadi Mallamma and Kittur Chennamma fought enemy troops on horseback, wearing saree in a peculiar way. Who knew you could win battles let alone fight in a saree?

The bottomline is you can never fail in a saree! The saree never fails!

On that note, I am reminding myself I should watch Priyadarshan's Kancheevaram.

Moi and some more...

Jedi aka red scarf girl is just some randomly inspired moniker.Any resemblance to Star wars or Confessions of a Shopaholic is purely incidental. Neither has she read the classic. But she aims this blog to be a cornucopia of all these- Geek-ultimate girl-woman-rebel genius

The other me do have a moderately known (No,Im not any famous personality) web presence and her digital foot prints are strewn all over the place. Jedi blogs here for one and only one reason-Anonymity. Hence anyone who inadvertently recognizes her is requested to maintain a dignified silence.

Red scarf girl is

-opinionated,fair and free and likes to consider herself as intelligent and sophisticated though in reality is a total klutz and tries to make up for it through her words of wisdom

-+/-25,going through quarter life crisis and is seeking remedial care through her daily doses of blogs,books and people

-leads a fairly happy life and belongs to the generation of women who is independent and can fend for herself donning multiple job roles and gazillion areas of interest

-often seen browsing blogs,newspapers and countless documents for leisure and subconscious plagiarisation for her sad occupation as a social researcher and related chores

-she loves everything which a typical woman loves too-shoes,clothes,perfumes but oxymoronically she hates to shop

-is also crazy,impulsive,adamant and cute,bubbly,charming-like most of the women.She also PMSes and go wild over things which men find trivial

She deeply cares about people and events happening around her and strives to make the world a better place.
Here, The Girl In Red Scarf observes the world through her red tinted glasses of a charmingly intelligent, ferociously conscientious and utterly rebellious woman.
She hopes to be wise,witty,sassy and useful with her words of wisdom.

Welcome to the world of The Girl in Red Scarf