Deepa Mehta's _Fire_

[Partha Banerjee]

A little poetry on this thread might not be irrelevant after all.

Partha
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Poet: Cheryl Kanekar
Published in AWAKENING, Mumbai, December 1998.

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Burning issues


Members of the Shiv Sena (who call themselves sainiks or soldiers)
recently went on rampage in Mumbai and Delhi
theatres where the film Fire, directed by Deepa Mehta, was being screened.
They objected to the portrayal of a lesbian relationship in the film,
saying that it was indecent and against Indian culture. The BJP-led
central government promptly sent the film back for review to the censor
board which had cleared it earlier. Thanks to all this, Fire is now at the
centre of a media storm.


Indian culture is in a sad state
It's threatened every day
By a book, a painting, a ghazal singer,
Or a cricket team plotting to play.

Just when we were wondering where
The onions went from our plates,
The Sena turned our heads and showed
The real enemy at the gates.

A film, a film that dares insult
Our ancient glorious land,
Yes, the Sena always focuses on
The important matters at hand.

So Sainiks stormed the theatres,
Brought screenings to a halt,
The police beamed indulgently
And watched their brave assault.

The government congratulated
Its sainiks on their deed.
They were expressing, said Joshisaheb,
A deep-felt public need.

When others gathered at theatres
To protest the Sena's feat,
The police swung into action
And dragged them off the street.

They arrested them, one and all,
It's a democratic country, you know,
If people want to disrupt a film,
It's their democratic right to do so.

Our freedom of expression has been taken away,
So many of our intellectuals say,
But maybe the Sena has on its mind
Freedom of expression of another kind.

That only time in many years
When the masses express their views,
Is coming up—election time
Will soon be making the news.
Time therefore to rake up
Such crucial, burning issues.

And so the controversy rages on
About that film called Fire,
Not the fire in our bellies,
Not prices rising higher.

We wonder where these sainiks are
When traders are hoarding food,
While people for rotten onions
At ration shops have queued.
Why no raids on godowns then
When many a fattened vulture
Is living on people's starvation...?
Arre yaar, this hardly threatens our culture!

Such a morally upright party...
But how is it, one remembers,
The Jalgaon sex racket
Was run by some of its members?
One is now an MLA
And state housing minister.
But we're quite sure the reason
Is not all sinister.
Rape and pornography, so the Sena finds,
Do not at all harm Indian minds.

We wonder many many things
But we hesitate to tell.
What if our wonderings violate
Indian culture as well?

So put such un-Bharatiya thoughts
At once out of your head,
And if you can’t have onions,
Have some Indian culture instead!
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By Cheryl Kanekar

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(Published in AWAKENING, December 1998.
Postal Address: Awakening, P.O. Box  No. 9753, Mumbai 400 098, India.)