by Javed Jamil
Namkaran (naming of the new born) and Grah Pravesh (inauguration of the new house), ceremonies and festivals like Diwali, Holi, Rakshbandhan, Dussehra, Baisakhi and Lohri among Hindus, and Aqueea (head shaving), Khatna (circumcision), the two ids, Shab-e-barat and the Prophet’s birthday among Muslims, Many other days are being now introduced and promoted by the cards industry. In the olden days, people used to congratulate one another on specific occasions through personal meetings or ordinary letters. Now, the propriety of occasion demands a costly, glossy greeting card. Cards are available for every possible occasion and purpose: for felicitations, congratulations, best wishes, and also condolences. Besides the new year, there is now a wide ranging variety of cards for Diwali, Holi, Rakshabandhan, Dussehra, Baisakhi, Idulfir, Idul Zuha, May Day, Valentine's Day, Women’s day etc; there are Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Children’s Day in some parts of the world.
The biggest cultural revolution in the social life of people, obviously the direct outcome of their craze for entertainment, came in the field of music and drama. This began with the theatrical display and, with the ongoing advancement in audio and video technology developed to take the shape of films, videos and audios. The film industry and the electronic industry joined the top ranking industries of the world. Initially the films and dramas used to be sober and carried moral lessons for society. But with the march of time that witnessed the craziest commercialization of human desires, glamour out-marshalled the morals. Dancing, singing and love-making became the most sought-after activities. The cinemas started drawing full-houses; the sales of records and cassettes touched newer height every year. With the advent and rapid popularity of videocassette recorders, the videos have flooded the market. Earlier, only the film music had big following; now the non-film music has proved to be equally saleable. Actors, dancers, musicians and singers draw huge crowds wherever they go, vastly greater than the politicians, social activists and thinkers. People, from adolescents to octogenarians, swoon over a single glimpse of film personalities and dancing stars. They have occupied the position of role-models for teenagers who imitate their dresses, hair styles, and their manners of walking and speaking. Their knowledge about their lives is infinitely more than about the great personalities of history. To find what a paramount part the music and films are playing in the lives of young men and women, one needs to pass a few hours in a university hostel. The atmosphere there is invariably abuzz with echoes of the latest musical albums; the walls of the rooms are plastered with life-size photographs of actors, actresses and fashion models, canteens and campuses would be witnessing acrimonious discussions about the relative merits of the established and upcoming stars; and as soon as the first opportunity arrives, students throng cinema halls. The choicest gifts that are exchanged among the students, which even parents are persuaded to present on the occasion of festivals and important dates, would often be some items related to their craze for films and music — a tape-recorder, a stereo-deck, a cassette, a VCR a or dress similar to that donned by a favourite star in a recent appearance.
The bosses of economic fundamentalism had reckoned quite early in their march towards glory that the sales of consumer items would receive a shot in arm if the natural attraction between men and women was exploited up to the hilt. The early realisation of this fact signalled the dawn of a new era where everything formerly considered private would turn public, and everything that formerly had public importance would be enchained forever. Throughout the ages, almost all over the globe, there had been curbs on free meeting of adult men and women because of the attendant risks in such unions. The activities of young men as well as women were always under close scrutiny. The elders would take serious notice of even the slightest violations of the code of conduct, written or unwritten, which was in force in society. The restrictions on women were somewhat more strictly enforced as it was they who faced the biological consequences of any breach of sexual barriers. The man would go scot-free unless of course the evidence of his involvement was proved beyond doubt. The woman whose involvement did not require any proof had to face the brunt of the law. If she had no evidence to prove who the child’s father was and the father did not come forward to hold her hands, she could face death, lashes or ostracisation from society. The greater restraints on women were therefore understandable. The parents wanted to avoid at all costs such a sorry situation. They would therefore marry their children, especially daughters as soon as, sometimes even before, the first signs of their puberty surfaced. Early marriages were the rule than an exception throughout the world. This guaranteed chastity in social life as well as a strong and smooth family system.
But such a system was inimical to the interests of manufacturers and merchants. For a steady boom in the consumer market, these restraints had to be slackened. However, to strike at the established norms was an onerous task. Whatever the hidden motive, the declared intention must look humanistic. This led to the beginning of the great ideological war for the “emancipation” of women. The age-old “atrocities” being perpetrated on women were reproduced in grotesque details. The fact that woman too, in her own indomitable style, using her own strengths, often exploited man’s weaknesses, dominated and oppressed him, was entirely ignored. The relationship between the two sexes was converted into a lifelong tussle and was reduced to a husband-wife battle for dominance. The whole society was declared 'male chauvinist'. The truth that women’s rights were trampled upon in many parts of the world and the clergy often misinterpreted the scriptures to deny them their rightful share facilitated the matters for the economic fundamentalists who found their game-plan to be proceeding with great velocity towards its ultimate victory. Feminism assumed enormous significance. It became one of the most talked about, the most debated and the most widespread movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The movement fed by the big business engendered a new socio-cultural milieu, which produced two distinct kinds of feminists: genuine and sham. The genuine feminists had real concern for the upheaval of the fair sex. But they could not properly comprehend the machinations of the market forces in their overwhelming support for their feminist struggle. Unfortunately, their thoughts were constructed on the basis of the market-sponsored magazines, books and journals, and they adopted the language of these publications. This resulted in an error of judgment on their part. Much greater in number were the sham or pseudo feminists who thrived and gained tremendous fame and earned huge wealth for their pro-market views on men-women relationship. Little they felt for the uplift of women. Their aim on the contrary was to redefine their status that will make it easy for the economic fundamentalists to use them for the benefit of their gargantuan appetite for money. With the women continuing to be safely entrenched for most of the time within the environs of their houses, the mutual charm between the two sexes, which had great commercial potential, could not blossom. Once the women start coming out of their houses and the prospects of mixing of men and women brighten, in order to attract one another with their physical treasures, they would be more than willing to spend their hard-earned money for purchasing a variety of decorative items. Many a new area of commercialisation would also open with the passage of time.
The feminists began to give horrendous accounts of how the "second sex" had always been slighted by the "first" as well as by Nature. She is created "inferior" by God; at her birth, she is an unwelcome entry into the family, which often is grief-stricken; her desires are overlooked by her parents in comparison to her brother's; is not allowed free movement in social circles; is married mostly against her wishes; has to live her married life as her husband's "slave";, has to bear the discomfort of keeping her children in her belly for a long period; has to experience severe pangs of delivery; has to make innumerable sacrifices to bring comfort to her husband; and children and is severely punished by society for her silliest mistakes. Some of these charges may be having substance. But it is also true that woman as mother has always been extolled all over the world; as daughter,
she receives undiluted love of her parents whose faces turn gloomy at the very thought of their daughter being separated from them; is not generally physically hit which is a routine treatment meted out to her brother; her future welfare is always kept in mind while choosing her spouse; would be bidden a tearful farewell on her marriage; would generally be given a tumultuous welcome by her parents and brothers whenever she comes to meet them; would be gifted in many parts of the world, in order to ensure a comfortable life for her, a dowry often out of proportion to the financial status of the parents who would even take loan to marry her off; her husband would shower choicest of romantic phrases on her; would take every possible precaution for her health and welfare when she becomes pregnant, would consult her in most of the family affairs; would even hand over to her the charge of all his finances; and when her children grow up, she would become a proud mother whose obedience and love will pamper her till she leaves the world. If