Debate must be on pubs, not gender equality

B D Narayankar

Pubs in India are not the same as those in the West, where social drinking is a culture. In India it is a medium for wheeling and dealing over a drink. Girls who enter bars or pubs are those who do not give importance to Indian social or family values. They use pubs as rendevouz for dealing with boys to sell themselves. That is why even men of good family standing too fear going to the pub and rather drink in clubs or home.

Pubs are becoming more of a den of those ambitious girls on the lookout for lucrative opportunity to make easy but big money by soliciting wealthy clients or corporate executives for a one night stand. There are girls who accompany their corporate bosses with the hope to give company and climb the corporate ladder without having to prove themselves in the field such as prospective fashion models, hotel female executives, call centres etc. Unfortunately, the media is not bringing the truth of what is happening in these pubs.

Dancing in pub and acting vulgarly is a sign of degrading morality of the society. Actually it is the duty of the police to stop such social menace and take action against those responsible for that. But the police and the government ignore such things purposely. Their lackadaisical attitude is destroying the decency of the society. In this scenario, people are taking umbrage in outfits like Bajrang Dal and Sri Ram Sene.

Moreover, the focus of the debate has shifted altogether. Instead of deliberating on pubs, people are talking about pub culture along with right and freedom of people, especially girls.

Freedom is a double-edged sword. The onus is on us to use it wisely and make life happier, not by going to pubs, gulping liqour and ruining our lives. Shame on those who support addiction to drinks, smoke and drugs in name of fredom. Every one has the right to live his own life, but that does not mean you go into public and influence others. Freedom with responsibilty is good. No harm in man-woman relationship if it is matured and good enough as per socially acceptable norms - be a friend or married couples.

The question here is not related to girls or boys. It's related to youth. Youth is spending its valuable time at this crucial stage of life to get addicted to drugs, alchohol and smoking, instead of building their strong and ethical characters. The world, including US President Barack Obama is looking towards Gandhiji's and Vedic principles for spiritual guidance. But sadly the Indian youth is vouching for pubs.

For all those sceptical of 'orthodoxical' or 'medieval' thinking, just consider the plight of Goa. Goa had actively cultivated a cultutre of rave parties, a congregation of activities free from social and cultural checks and concern. These loud all-night alcohol and drugs induced merrymaking has now reduced Goa to a near state of lawlessness where an individual is not able to control his primitive instincts and dosen't give a damn for social strictures and prohibitions. Maharashtra has already booted out the bar dancers, so the next logical thing would be to exert some checks and controls on the pub culture.

More often than not, when an incident such as Mangalore pub attack takes place in BJP-ruled states, much hue and cry raised by the people who find fault with Hindus at everything thing they do. There was hardly any protest when communist-backed DYFI thrashed boys and girls participating in the rain dance in Thiruvananthapuram.

After the rain dance incident no DYFI leaders were arrested, except few ordinary workers. Whereas in Karnataka, Sri Ram Sene chief Pramod Muthalik were arrested under Goonda Act and jailed. But still the media and people don't stop spitting at chief minister Yedyyurappa's face.

The participation of Congress into this whole debate is politically motivated. It dosen't want to lose an opportunity to elicit political mileage out of the pub attack even as Lok Sabha elections were fast approaching.

The Congress, instead of pursuing aginst the Jihadi bomb blasts, are targetting minor incidents involving majority community to garner votes.

Now that the BJP is popular in Karnataka, Congress wants to split the votes of Hindus by telling that organisations like Ram Sene, RSS and VHP are terror-minded. However, it forgets the Jihadi network and their terrorist activities just to seek votes.
People, however, are becoming increasingly skeptical and intelligent. The Congress tried to do dirty tricks in Gujarat and Karnataka just before the assembly elections and failed.