Shock would be too mild a word to describe my (and Arnab's) feelings yesterday. We were YouTube surfing to find something to watch last evening when Arnab came across some Bengali movie song, the name of which he couldn't comprehend at once. We played the song to see what it is about and that is when we got this shock. It is horrifying to watch that. I'd any day prefer a third class alien movie over it. The guy is Jeet, and I don't know the girl, but they were dancing to this song which had totally disgusting lyrics and the vulgar clothes and dance moves actually would hurt the eye. We probably have seen similar things in Bollywood songs a lot, but it makes me sad to see these getting reflected in Bengali culture, a culture which we so dearly love and are proud to show case in the world.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I am bragging about it, but I would still say the brain drain that started in the late 1960s and is continuing till date has started to show its effects back home. Every year a batch of bright students are scooped up and barring a few exceptions, the not so brights are left behind. They may go abroad for higher studies or go to other parts of India for work. Whatever it is, Calcutta (and Bengal) have started to see a gradual decline in the quality of people.
I have left home six years now and every year I visit I see sub-standard people around in places like Victoria Memorial, Museum and those other ones which were frequented by students and young kids brought by their families. Instead the rush seems to be at South City Mall, where it seems just roaming around in the mall has become the latest trend. Talking about movies and tv shows, only a handful of movies like Bhooter Bhabishyot, Kahaani or Meghe Dhaka Taara are worth mentioning. The rest are of the lot I started this article with. They are reflections of the substandard Bollywood culture which Bengalis have always looked down upon. Last time in Calcutta I saw dance shows for kids on TV which I just couldn't stand. What do they plan to do? What do they plan to teach the young kids? To want to grow up as those dancers?
Where did Bournvita Quiz Contest go? Or the science quizzes for high school kids sponsored by Doordarshan ? Isn't there anything constructive like debates or proper classical song and dance competitions? Do they still have sit and draw competitions in school like the ones Fevicryl organized for us? I doubt. And these things are shocking me, horrifying me as well as saddening me.
A few recent Bengali movies I watched all had something or the other about extra marital relationships. They show drinking and smoking as a new fashion even among girls. I mean, come on, this generation has grown up knowing the effects of smoking, even after that how can they think it to be a fashion statement. And girls!! Do they not know the ill effects smoking has on the health of girls, especially when they want to have kids later? For those people who watch these movies and think this is what happens in the West, FYI, it doesn't. Smoking and drinking are considered extremely bad in the West as well as everywhere else. Other than a glass of wine or a mug of beer I haven't seen "parties" where the sole reason is to drink. Well, it is different among college kids, they do drink beer, but not among grown ups. Being drunk is a bad thing. As for smoking, there are major disincentives for that and smokers smoke on the sly, they don't show it off.
I read a few "interviews" of Bengali soap stars. They are so below the standard that the movies they say they like or the actors they love can't go beyond Bollywood movies. If someone says her favorite movie is "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" then I have got to worry about that person's intellect. Someone who is unintelligent in one way would most likely be unintelligent in every other way.
If this is what Bengali "culture" has down graded to, then I will be totally happy to not teach my kids anything about Bengal. It will be much better to NOT know Bengal at all than to know these disgusting down market stuff. I would have said the culture is going to the dogs, but I won't because yesterday when the horrid song was on, Bebe jumped up and barked in her most mad way and tried to bite us and make us stop that song. Bebe seems to have got much better taste than many of our fellow humans.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I am bragging about it, but I would still say the brain drain that started in the late 1960s and is continuing till date has started to show its effects back home. Every year a batch of bright students are scooped up and barring a few exceptions, the not so brights are left behind. They may go abroad for higher studies or go to other parts of India for work. Whatever it is, Calcutta (and Bengal) have started to see a gradual decline in the quality of people.
I have left home six years now and every year I visit I see sub-standard people around in places like Victoria Memorial, Museum and those other ones which were frequented by students and young kids brought by their families. Instead the rush seems to be at South City Mall, where it seems just roaming around in the mall has become the latest trend. Talking about movies and tv shows, only a handful of movies like Bhooter Bhabishyot, Kahaani or Meghe Dhaka Taara are worth mentioning. The rest are of the lot I started this article with. They are reflections of the substandard Bollywood culture which Bengalis have always looked down upon. Last time in Calcutta I saw dance shows for kids on TV which I just couldn't stand. What do they plan to do? What do they plan to teach the young kids? To want to grow up as those dancers?
Where did Bournvita Quiz Contest go? Or the science quizzes for high school kids sponsored by Doordarshan ? Isn't there anything constructive like debates or proper classical song and dance competitions? Do they still have sit and draw competitions in school like the ones Fevicryl organized for us? I doubt. And these things are shocking me, horrifying me as well as saddening me.
A few recent Bengali movies I watched all had something or the other about extra marital relationships. They show drinking and smoking as a new fashion even among girls. I mean, come on, this generation has grown up knowing the effects of smoking, even after that how can they think it to be a fashion statement. And girls!! Do they not know the ill effects smoking has on the health of girls, especially when they want to have kids later? For those people who watch these movies and think this is what happens in the West, FYI, it doesn't. Smoking and drinking are considered extremely bad in the West as well as everywhere else. Other than a glass of wine or a mug of beer I haven't seen "parties" where the sole reason is to drink. Well, it is different among college kids, they do drink beer, but not among grown ups. Being drunk is a bad thing. As for smoking, there are major disincentives for that and smokers smoke on the sly, they don't show it off.
I read a few "interviews" of Bengali soap stars. They are so below the standard that the movies they say they like or the actors they love can't go beyond Bollywood movies. If someone says her favorite movie is "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" then I have got to worry about that person's intellect. Someone who is unintelligent in one way would most likely be unintelligent in every other way.
If this is what Bengali "culture" has down graded to, then I will be totally happy to not teach my kids anything about Bengal. It will be much better to NOT know Bengal at all than to know these disgusting down market stuff. I would have said the culture is going to the dogs, but I won't because yesterday when the horrid song was on, Bebe jumped up and barked in her most mad way and tried to bite us and make us stop that song. Bebe seems to have got much better taste than many of our fellow humans.
2 comments:
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