World Heart Day is an occasion for India as a nation to try and find its heart again. As a society, we are becoming increasingly heartless. So many things have contributed to this. Social media is coarsening our moral fabric. Our politicians are encouraging us to be mean. What saddens me most is the fundamental lack of kindness.
There was a time when good looking women in this country were given a modicum of consideration. This was only natural, because most of us as young men were unable to find girlfriends, or even get close to one. We were not lacking in motivation, but societal norms were conspiring against us.
Did we allow this frustration to boil over into anger? No, we were not like that. We were deprived but gentle. We cherished our beauties. Parveen Babi used to smoke and drink, and even, horrifyingly, live with bachelor men. But we never condemned or attacked her. It seemed completely unfair after Namak Halaal . There were many people who were disturbed by Zeenat Aman’s lifestyle. Was she really the ideal Indian woman, in the tradition of Asha Parekh or Mala Sinha? There was room for doubt on this score. But after everything she gave us in ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ and Qurbani , none of us had the heart to criticise her.
It was not just us, even our politicians had warmer hearts than those of today. Rajiv Gandhi had many faults, not the least of which was his mother. If you want to criticise him, many points can be brought up, and we often do so on a daily basis. Not to mention Nehru, whose malign influence reaches far beyond the grave. From spreading COVID-19 to encouraging China to destroying the economy, there seems to be no end to the evil he inflicts on us. But can you imagine Nehru ordering the arrest of Vyjayanthimala? Would Rajiv Gandhi have ever sent the CBI after Hema Malini? Just because they wanted to win an election? And if they did, do you think the youth of India would have remained silent? There would have been uprisings from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. For once, both JNU and BHU would have been motivated by a common goal. Buses and trams would have been burnt in Bengal, and effigies would have been incinerated in Jantar Mantar. Our MPs too would not have remained silent, and both chambers would have echoed with chants of “Jawaharlal Nehru murdabad !” and “Hema Malini amar rahey!”
The situation is sadly different now. We have become completely heartless. Here we have all these attractive women being hounded by dark forces, and not only are we not protesting, we are cheering them on. How much further will our society deteriorate? Are we completely devoid of any sense of gratitude? After everything they have done for us, especially Deepika Padukone, is this any way to repay them? It’s time for us to wake up and introspect, and to try and become better people. This has to be taken seriously. The crisis we are facing is existential. Because a nation without gratitude is a nation without a soul.
No attractive women were unnecessarily harassed in Shovon Chowdhury’s most recent novel, Murder With Bengali Characteristics .
