29 May 2007

Sensuality for Sale.

Recently as I was strolling the potholes filled dreaded roads of Bangalore, my eyes caught attention of the one of the billboards that had been placed along the roadsides. Such a thin line separating obscenity and creativity this is what all I could figure out from staring and analysing the billboard.
The media barons will come heavily on my line of reasoning, thinking of me as fundamentalist who has no flexibility to appreciate creativity. But the point I would like to make, how much will we stretch our freedom of creativity into orbit of obscenity. Fair skin has great demand on screen, and no doubt that most of the companies try to sell their product anchoring them in their ads. Reality strikes hard when we compare so many of the ads coming on the idiot box, that even products related to electronic gadgets and vehicles rely heavily on skimpy dressed fair skin to sell them. It wouldn't be a great issue if sensuality could be used for products related to apparels, cosmetics or lingerie. After all it's here where sensuality in ads would make a huge difference in products sale. Classic example from Indian scenario would be the increase in Liril soaps after the famous ads involving karen lunel drenching in the waterfall splashing water singing 'la lala la'.
Off late as I was browsing through the kingfisher calendar website, which has literally borrowed its idea from the famous Italian company (unable to recollect the name) that uses the famous models for there desktop calendars. Wow nice product to be kept in your room even if you aren't interested in knowing whats the date and day today, still the calendar will probe you to have a look at it many a times daily.
Advertisement is a huge playground where every player want to excel with utmost creative design and concepts. And none hesitate to use the fair skin to outclass their opponents. Well I would like to end with famous quote from H.G.Wells "Advertisement is legalized lying".

15 May 2007

Attacking Artistic Freedom.

Once again the state run by a communal party comes up with issues, that sends the entire nation into strife. This time its the arrest and attack of student and the dean of department of fine arts of M.S university Baroda. The communal wing campaigners have taken to vandalism in many places on many occasion, citing that effect of foreign influences on Indian culture.
Off late moral policing by such right wing members have been taken in bad taste by the citizens of the country. Many feel moral policing and taking to vandalism is intrusion into individual's right to freedom of expression. Vandalism is an expression of the group's inability to convince upon their's idea and belief and create fear in the society of their existence. The group member claims that their moral policing is to ensure that foreign influences don't malign Indian culture. My personal opinion is, no act can degrade a culture, be it INDIAN or Foreign. It's only practise that upholds a culture. And by resorting to violence, these right wing members are no way upholding the Indian culture, to which they pledge their alliance.
The moral policing by such right wing members seems to be reaching a crescendo, and long before their presence amidst us will only ensure that our existence will lead us to backward in times. The way the presence of Taliban had on the effect on the people of Afghanistan. Instead of leading the countrymen to a bright future, the leaders lead them to dark ages. These calamity befalls only when fail to inculate human values and implement them in daily lives. Adopting modernization into daily lives doesn't degrade ones culture and society.
It's high time we make our voices be heard to such people that, we don't need their existence amidst to tell us that whats right or wrong. Else we will enslaves ourselves to someone's mindless whims and fancies.

07 May 2007

WARMING: watch out its a WARNING.

Off late every newspaper, research journals( Nature, Science), Websites are carrying news article about the growing concern of global warming. Never before the scientific community has shown greater concern on a issue that has/will matter human civilization. In fact the issue has been taken so seriously around the world that even UN Security council held a debate on global warming. As it considered the issue of global warming as a matter of global security concern {though it's against man's own mindless subjugation of nature}
Though I have already blogged on the subject of global warming in my earlier posts. But I couldn't resist writing on the article once again, as it caught the attention of even entire political society. Otherwise till yesteryear, global warming was just the consideration of environmental activist. Since global warming is going to cause a large scale devastation in terms of lives and economy. Politician are forced to reflect on the issue of global warming. Since last year already there has been 3 meets of Intergovernmental panel on climate change(IPCC), where majority of discussion and debate kick started on global warming and consensus have been reached on majority of news means and method of controlling the effect of global warming. It's a choice to be made by the developing countries to stick to large scale industrialization for it's growth or perish.
Industrialize AND Perish : Industrialize OR Perish seems to be the buzzword of every developing nation. In fact all nations seems to have caught up at the cross roads of effect of global warming. The developed nations though are the one responsible for the mankind standing on the brink of disaster. It will developing nations pursuit towards industrialization that might lead mankind to extinction tomorrow. Technology such a renewable energy seems to be promising future. But at an individual level entire human society has to look for changes in it consumption patterns.