Saturday, January 31, 2009

Pub Culture

The good thing about technology and working in technology is that you get a set a specifications on how a particular technology can be used or implemented, and what is in scope and out of scope. Not only that we also have versions of these specifications , so that we can say that this is out-dated and that this is in.

Unfortunately , there is no such thing for culture. And, I guess that is the problem that our "Senas" are facing. There are no specifications on what our culture is , and what is our culture as far as women are concerned. As an example lets say there was a specification for Indian Culture numbered CSR ( Culture Specification Request ) 2000-02 wherein there was a chapter 11 named Indian Women and there was section which said the following :

11.1.2 : The women MUST not drink in a public place and any such instance of women found to be drinking shall be followed by the throwing of punches ( see Chapter 9 on Raising Exceptions and Errors )

How simple would that be ... We would have no debates on what is Indian Culture and who should protect it. Jokes apart, I am amazed at the response of some of the people in executive positions on this incident.

Sample this :

There was an incident in Kerala , wherein policewoman got drunk in a party and puked !! BTW, this happened not far from Mangalore. Was she not a woman or not an Indian or maybe she is outside of the purview of culture.

In every second or third hooch tragedy there would be an instance of a woman also dying.

Wonder , why that is OK ? Is it that these women do not wear jeans , T-shirts ( markedly western or urban wear ) and speak in English ( again markedly urban ?? ). Is it really about culture or is it about an excuse to "teach those city people a lesson" ? I think its the latter, and the irony is that the perpetrators would love to be one of the city folks and are probably doing everything to get there !!