The Young India

Kartikey Sehgal

The best-selling novel, that sexy ‘new-age’ film, those anti-corruption movements are the handicrafts of the fashion-makers. They make people feel like creators.

A standalone story. For connecting ideas, read Women and their Soul.

The business of the modern world is approximation and fulfilment of a woman’s pleasure. Modern men, bullied mostly as potential rapists, take pleasure from a woman’s approval. And women, brought up in weak families, who take societal consent as personal consent, also consider societal decisions as personal decisions.

This …

Kartikey Sehgal

(In coffee shops, restaurants and elsewhere, a selection from conversations on India and its ancient culture. The author has connected the various thoughts as a story. Written in conversational style and the author addresses the reader at some places.)

How old are we (the ‘youth for new culture’ variety) to demand that we do not want the India of the past because we cannot connect to it. And hence we start movements and labels groups as superstitious and backward because we don’t want …

Kartikey Sehgal

The author writes that, “‘Indian culture’ is a cover-up for religious enforcements. Most colleges that enforce codes to ‘protect’ culture are protecting the religion. If Indian culture was so dear to them, then the study of Indian philosophy would be an important, if not a compulsory part of the curriculum.”

A popular college in South Bombay (Mumbai) had, some years ago, and much to the dismay of the students, banned the prom night. Nobody called it a fascist (oppressive, dictatorial) move. …

Kartikey Sehgal

“These born-in-India-but-actually-alien intellectuals don’t want to be identified with Gods and snakes. Meaning they feel good that they belong to the culture, helps in party circles to tell stories about the exoticism of the nation and surprise women with unbelievable tales and how they have come out of that backwardness…”

Intellectualism does not seem to be an Indian concept although Indians are considered smart and intellectual. The trend is to move away from the Indian philosophy and adapt your thoughts to western ideas. …

Kartikey Sehgal

“I am talking about the poor people who are in touch with their country, their philosophy, Krishna and Ganapati; the people who told a model with half her chest exposed to cover it with a shawl so she could participate in the Ganapati festival freely. The ‘Slumdog’ variety wouldn’t do so; they would molest her”.

Are the men who celebrate Ganapati on the streets uncouth? Is there a system to civility? 

Rich people dance at discos and other city spots that attract money. …

Kartikey Sehgal

(The author attends Krishna Janmashtami Celebrations)

The hostess introduced the dancers and said that it is important to teach dance to young Indian girls. “Indian Classical Dance instills discipline into women. It is important for Indian culture.”

She also spoke about the Bollywood impact on children; implying that we need to move beyond recognising film dance as a substitute for traditional dance.
We saw a classical dance on a song from Lagaan, “Radha Kaise na Jale”; another one on “Kahe Chede Mohe…

Kartikey Sehgal

About the personal and cultural disintegration of a tribal village

There is a small tribal village in India. Malathi belongs to this village. The women here are happier than women in Delhi.

After puberty, Malathi was inducted into the village dormitory where she learnt weaving, knitting and other arts from the elder women and men. She also learnt the art of love-making through practice. By the time she was out of the dormitory, she was sexually and socially confident. Unlike the city girls, Malathi and her friends did not face ‘growing-up problems’ or ‘attitudinal disorders’ that lead you to the psychologist.

Kartikey Sehgal

An introduction to the story “The Lost Tribe” that talks about personal and cultural disintegration.

Celebrated and ‘you must read’ author Mahasweta Devi says through the newspaper ‘The Age Mumbai’ (The Asian Age):

“It’s time to bust the myth and sieve the fact from fancy. In my opinion, the adivasi women are more liberated in their lifestyles. Their (sic) might be a threat of promiscuity* but the fairer sex can willingly go for independent weddings, divorce, and even take recourse to remarriage after separation from their former spouse.
There’s no question of dowry system at all. I think, we have more barriers in mind
to frame the straight-jacketed canons of society.”

Kartikey Sehgal

[The author met actor Joy Sengupta who talked about his vision for Indian cinema.]

Joy Sengupta wants to develop films that cater to an international audience and the local Indian masses.

Movies should have fierce locality and a global vision. Movie watching should be an experience. It should make you grow from within.

That’s subject to movie-making…

That too should be an experience. Otherwise we’ll have masala films like *** and *** and ***. I am tired of Indian cinema that has been run over by Bollywood

Santa Singh

Some female acquaintances remarked that women have no reason to walk late at night and behave like **u** (the word) and attract attention.

I told them, “That’s because you want to get married and stay at home. You are working right now only to attract the highest earning man and make his home. All you are interested is in money and wealth.”

They didn’t respond and I continued casually.

“You can say that women can stay at home because you won’t mind doing so.
Of course, the home has to be wealthy and your friend circle influential.”

“You are a dog”

“You can’t get a girl yourself so you are…”

“You don’t know how to talk to girls”