While the debate on whether or not to ban the BBC documentary, India’s Daughter , rages, one cannot help but wonder why it most often needs a foreigner or a foreign organisation to show the nation what it must be debating in the first place ( >Editorial, March 5 ). Our media houses are becoming so insensitive that they are no longer interested in sustaining any sort of campaign that they start. We have stopped making, or rather have never ventured to produce, world-class documentaries that focus attention on the Indian way of life, or for that matter on what ails the resurgent India. It took a Michael Wood to show us “The Story of India” or a Wendy Doniger to show us a different view of Hinduism which we consciously avoid seeing. The gravity of the current debate aside, it is through discussion, criticism and counterargument that a dominant view or stand emerges and a society gains clarity about its understanding of itself. When we happily avoid such exercises, we can satisfactorily conclude that we are heading in the wrong direction.
Anil Vishnu G.K.,
Bengaluru
Some people have viewed the documentary on the Internet on sites that provide live feed of western TV channels (“ >Govt. firm on documentary ban; BBC advances telecast ,” March 5). It was unfair to prejudge it before actually seeing it. It was said to be chilling, and exposed the brutal reality of our male-dominated society where women are victims of rape, domestic violence, dowry deaths, female infanticide and acid attacks. It showed the regressive mindset of the accused and his defence lawyers who blame the victim. It has been said that nothing has happened to many others who have committed similar heinous crimes but a big issue has been made out of this. This has exposed our failure to punish those including several from the political class who have gotten away with heinous crimes like rape.
Reya Amrawat,
Jodhpur
In this day and age where people are obsessed with “selfies” and with how many “likes” they get for their pictures on social media, I doubt whether the controversial documentary will serve the purpose of enlightening people about the mindsets of criminals. Such documentaries should be made available to only academics and researchers in criminal psychology and related fields.
Herinder Kaur Brar,
Noida
One does not need Solomon’s wisdom to understand the male psyche not only in India but also throughout the world when it concerns women. The documentary would have shed some light on legitimate questions such as what made the gang inflict such trauma on an unknown woman. Do they not hail from families where there are women? What is the role of boys in a changing India?
Victor Frank A.,
Chennai
What is the Home Minister so furious about? Why doesn’t he reserve such fury to counter fundamentalism and make this republic safer for everyone? The film-makers acquired the relevant permissions and it is surprising that he now wants an investigation. It is irrational and absurd to take the views of a sick, unlettered convict as mirroring Indian society as a whole.
Amar Jagrath,
Lucknow
Decades might have passed since Mother India was penned by Katherine Mayo, who was highly critical of the many weaknesses of Indian society. Even Mahatma Gandhi characterised the book as a “drain inspector’s report”. All that has not stopped the BBC or its journalists from embarking on a new chapter, in multimedia format in keeping with the times we live in. One would have expected the Indian media and Parliament, which has a glorious record in upholding values in a society as old and diverse as ours, to research the track record, motivation and timing of a western-sponsored documentary on a rape incident which set in motion far-reaching changes by Indian standards. Instead, we now witness a sorry spectacle of knee-jerk reactions, for and against the documentary.
N.K. Raveendran,
Bengaluru
The impact of films on society is undeniable, as seen in the case of Jayaprakash of Tamil Nadu who committed nine murders inspired by a Tamil film, Nooravathu Naal (100th Day). At the same time, Dirty Picture , a representation of an actor’s life, met with great success. India’s Daughter would have enabled us to probe the motive and opinions of the criminals. Films only help bring to the limelight the perverse thoughts of abhorrent convicts and create awareness.
Meenakshi Pattabiraman,
Madurai
The documentary would have exposed the inborn criminality in the perpetrators, vindicating Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso’s theory of criminal atavism, which states that some individuals are innately criminal and that no amount of punishment or treatment can change them. Nirbhaya’s rapists fall in this category — incorrigible criminals without an iota of repentance.
Sumit Paul,
Pune
Mukesh Singh’s views reflect the mindset of much of India — that a girl should be subordinate to a boy. Most people in India still believe in an Indian-ness which confines mother, sister and wife to the household. Those who support absolute freedom for women are those from the elite and liberal-thinking sections. Screening the documentary would have given an opportunity for our democracy to uncover its flaws and get citizens to discuss, debate and reform.
I. Mohan Krishna Reddy,
Chennur, Andhra Pradesh
