Did the Slut walk work?

Come home before it gets dark, dress appropriately, do not wear revealing clothes etc are just some of the few things that we Indian girls are told almost all our lives. It is embedded in us in a way that it becomes habitual that we actually begin thinking how much are we going to get stared at if we wore something. Be it from our family, friends or even husbands/boyfriends dress decently are the two words most of us girls hear very frequently. “It gives cause to inappropriate behavior from men” is the very justifiable reason for it.

 Slut walk dubbed as Besharmi Morcha in India managed to give out the right message, but did it actually manage to be impactful?  Slut walk that became a worldwide phenomenon after the snide remark made by a police officer in Toronto, Canada that women should not dress skimpily so as to avoid getting victimized. The slut walk that first took place in Bhopal was recently also held in Delhi. The Delhi slut walk had a larger gathering and also had a god amount of male supporters involved. However merely 50 people decide to show up to the slut walk that was held in Bhopal, in spite of the thousands of people that had registered for it. Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh is one of the places that witness the largest number of rapes every year. Fear of harassment might have been one of the reasons that very few supporters turned up.

The people that participated in the Delhi held Besharmi Morcha did not take to the streets in skimpy clothing like their counterparts did in Toronto and other places around the world. It hardly matters because irrespective of what is worn men will stare.

Be it a saree or a salwar kameez, men will still find a reason to stare. The sari is considered to be India’s traditional garb that when worn bears a considerable amount of skin. How that is then not considered to be vulgar? Are women who wear this traditional attire never raped? Infact most of the women are those who wear the saree or a salwar kameez. It is wrong to state that skimpy clothing only leads to such behavior in men.

But is conservative India ready for something like the slutwalk?  How many men will actually stop gaping? How many women will not be assaulted? In my opinion the numbers will still be the same. In a country where rape or even eve-teasing is still not given the appropriate punishment. Or where the perpetrators of rape are bailed out of jail after a few days, or that eve-teasing is still not considered sexual harassment but simple teasing, the slutwalk will not make much of a difference.

The views on the slutwalk are very strong and in your face. I am a through supporter of the slut walk, it is a great way for empowerment for a lot of women both young and old, who have for a long time not spoken openly about violence both physical and emotional. India on the other hand is a country that is still so heavily stuck in its culture system. Not many people are going to speak to the future generation of men about such issues. I think there is still a long way for India to get to a point where fingers will be raised at men for assault, violence, eve-teasing etc. There will be people who will say that the girl was at fault, and hence she got raped or sexually harassed. Using a parade to convey a message that so boldly states that “I am a woman, I have the right to wear what I want, do what I want” might not work or speak to a majority of India’s population

THIS IS NOLLYWOOD

“In the end, the film we made is about more than a fascinating and unheralded movie industry. It’s about people surmounting obstacles to achieve their dreams”­­-Franco Sacchi.

Franco Sacchi, Robert Caputo and Aimee Corrigan are the makers of the film This Is Nollywood, a story of the Nigerian film industry. They decide to tell this story by following the shooting for an action feature film Check Point by Bond Emeruwa. Director Bond decides to shoot the film in 9 days with about $ 20,000, 1 digital camera and 2 lights.

The film is shot in Badagry, a village on the outskirts of Lagos (population, 15 million), the hub of Nigerian film industry. It tells the story of two men who are robbed and shot by rogue cops and are eventually brought to justice. The film was made against the backdrop of a campaign to clean up the notoriously corrupt Nigerian police force. Director Bond says that film making in an economy like Nigeria should be restricted to what they call “edutainment” and not be purely commercial. “So, while we entertain people we should be able to educate them”.

Nollywood is considered the 3^rd largest film industry in the world after Hollywood and Bollywood. It is a $250 million film industry and releases about 2000 films every year. The key aim of these films is to make sure that African stories get to African audiences. “We still have people who live on less than 1$ per day and they are the people who really watch these films” says Peace Fiberesima, a producer and director in Nollywood.

The directors have to face a lot of issues everyday which are unforeseen, unexpected and untimely- prayers from the mosque loudspeakers interfering with the sound of a crucial scene making shooting impossible, electricity going off anytime, lead actor not showing up because of clash of timings with other films, sudden rains on a particular day of shooting hindering continuity, rented properties not available. But, director Bond says “In Nollywood we don’t count the walls. We have learnt ways to climb them.”

The producer and director remain surprisingly calm during all the costly and unforeseen delays. One of the actors, Kevin Books, says that many a time’s directors get harsh on the artists, trying to get out the best in them. But director Bond has his own approach. He takes the actor aside and makes him believe that “your life depends on it man.” The Producer, inspite of all the extra costs he has to incur is very positive and encouraging. One of the instances when the cameraman shows him scenes that they’d shot (till then not even half way through the film), he says with all his excitement “wow wow wow wow wow ...this is going to be the movie of the year”.

In Nollywood they do not have stunt men. They improvise the scenes and all of them act out the stunts themselves. Actress Toyin Alausa, loves acting as it gives her a chance of being someone extremely different from her real self. She can be asked to play a prostitute or a doctor, can pull stunts, carry guns, jump the fence, and climb the trees. She confidently says “In Nollywood the woman virtually can do anything as far as she can do it well.”

A lot of people question the quality of the films, so an actress says “Nobody is perfect and Rome wasn’t built in one day”. Nollywood is still evolving and the people have to be patient.

Director Bond says that there was a time when it was all about trying to talk like an American and behave like an American. But now the people are finding new heros, who are closer to their home. There is a sense of pride in being a Nigerian now. “I cannot tell the white man’s story. He tells me his own story in his movies. But we are telling it our own way, the Nigerian way, the African way.”

For more details log on to http://www.thisisnollywood.com/ J

The Dumbeldore Cabbie

People...they're all around you. Souls passing you by...staying...leaving…straying. Some, filling those empty pieces of your lives puzzle…some breaking them apart as though they were never yours…and some arriving...just for a bliss set of moments...but changing the moments after. Today I found such a soul. A soul whose aura seemed so pure, that it made me calm even in the most distressing moment. Drenched…legs filled with mud... blinding headlights...and no way home. Wet, hassled people scrambling for a taxi...as I watched on..in vain. 10mins...15...25...nothing. Angels come with no warning to those in need...and there he was...my 'Dumbeldore Cabbie' as I now fondly call him. A long white beard, shiny bald head, soft doe eyes, and wrinkled long fingers...my Dumbeldore Cabbie took me home. The ride home wasn't anything close to eventful for me to regard him as my angel. We did not exchange any words...but as they say…silence speaks the loudest. He drove in silence while I noticed...noticed how his old age showed in his eyes a tough life, building a story in my inner mind...about his past...his present...about how at that age he drove around strangers making them reach their desired destination...about why he was still driving them around...was it obligation? Or just plain simple will? Oh how I prayed for the latter. The whole situation seemed so very ironic, as I never miss an opportunity to fight with a taxi driver! And here I was...sitting in that taxi...the window reflecting light through water droplets...and my mind putting this aged man on a pedestal related with the spiritual world. No explanation for this feeling...no answer as to why...just his aura…and his eyes in the rear view mirror. They spoke. Spoke a story that made me feel so emotional...that my own insanity confused me. Home was near...but the feeling was far from gone. As he stopped on my request...I pulled out my wallet and couldn't get myself to ask him the usual 'kitna hua'...instead...saw the price on the digital meter..gave him the amount...and said thank you…weighing all my thoughts into those 2 words...his solemn welcome and nod left me warm...the cold rain that had me shivering was overpowered by the warmth of my Dumbeldore Cabbie. I questioned myself all that way home...questioned myself as I removed my wallet....question myself now...about my very own Dumbeldore. How do souls make an impact on you without knowledge of their past or present? ...how do souls leave behind a part of them within you? ...how do souls deserve so much space in your thoughts? Is it the walls they break down for you to enter...or is it your own walls...that falter when overpowered by serenity....

Gaia,The bomb and I

I stood there, the road was deserted,

the streets were wet with tears the skies had cried,

Faint lights glistened against the surface of the uneven, worn-down road;

the only brightness in the gloomy grey.

i stared as the world pulled me close, the streets magnetic force pulling me into the depths of darkness.

I sat down and ran my fingers against the uneven surface of the wet floor.

I closed my eyes, feeling each bump, each rift, each crack against my skin.

I could almost feel the blood that had seeped into the cracks so many times.

I was wet i didn't care.

I was drenched in tears that the world had cried.

I was drenched in my own.

together our tears had united.

at this moment, when we were both at our lowest, we became one.

she had been damaged by civilization,

I had been damaged by humans.

she had lost love,

so had I.

she was exhausted,

I was tired.

but she still held my hand,

she still kissed my soul,

she gave me love and asked for nothing in return.

I cried that night with her,

we wept together.

she held me close,

I told her my secrets.

I told her about how human beings had let me down,

she told me, how her babies, her children had let her down.

I told her how my heart was trampled on,

she told me how her heart was burning black, turning to ashes.

I told her how i didn't think i could trust again,

she told me to trust in her.

she held me close that night,

I let myself go.

I gave her all of me,

she held me tight,

and as she held my soul

I held hers back and promised,

promised, to be the bright lights on the road.

promised, to be the sun after the storm.

promised, to love, give love, combat hate with love and not expect any in return.

love given is love got.

she told me she would always hold me close,

I promised to never forget,

she told me to believe,

I promised to never lose faith,

she dusted her knees, wiped my tears,

I smiled and took my first step,

finally i felt alive and i knew what i needed to do.

life is all about the connections

I have to let myself connect

and love always.