An angry BIP-LASH!

From claiming the Internet existed since Mahabharat, to saying that Diana Hayden is unworthy of the Miss World Title, Tripura chief minister has touched new heights of crassness.

Call it regressive, outrageous or plain ignorant; Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb’s comments need to be ‘BIPPED’ out of our universe for their ‘epic’ preposterousness. Unfounded, it is fast becoming untenable to stay quiet at the gibberish netas spurt without thought, in this case, dissing Diana Hayden’s Miss World title, while calling Aishwarya beautiful, and even talking about epics like Mahabharata like a man of NON-science (nonsense)! Given how easy it is to be on a public forum today, such negative, misogynist and contemptible views are aired time and again without much reflection. Isn’t it high time such views are thrown into a galaxy far far away… and instead, leaders and those in the public fray utter words with responsibility? Social media is raging with comments, asking the ‘honourable’ chief minister to do something for Tripura that is ailing from many social ills, instead of commenting on Diana, and almost everyone is uploading clips of the Mahabharata in the times of yore, with cameras, etc! Young United Nation Leader Trisha Shetty even tweeted, “Dear @BjpBiplab, surely you have other pressing issues in Tripura that warrant your attention, over dissecting a woman’s looks.” Well, it is apparent, he does not!

Columnist and writer Shobhaa De, is aghast at the comments and in her renowned caustic humour quips, “The only response from me is to publicly mock such men, by reversing roles and turning the tables. Let’s do a feature-by-feature deconstruction of the chief minister himself and see how he scores. We can rate his biceps, waist line, hips, chest, facial features, hair and eyes, the works!”

Former Miss Earth, 2010 Nicole Faria agrees with De, and lashes out at this misnomer of ideal beauty, “It is false to claim that Indian beauty should conform to an ideal standard. Indians comprise nearly 20 percent of the world’s population — that’s 590 million Indian women today and to communicate a message that tells girls they must look a certain way to be considered a beautiful Indian, is an insult to the wonderful diversity that makes this country great. Indian beauty is not a physical standard, rather, it is a spirit that is embodied in the hearts and minds of our girls.”

And the fact that politicians are regularly putting their foot in their mouth with the sheer absurdity of their comments has created uproar on social media. Beauty pageants, according to the chief minister are fixed, and fashion guru Prasad Bidapa is infuriated, “Purely atrocious and (it) reveals his mindset. His statement has given the public an insight into Biplab Deb’s small mindset. He has absolutely no business to comment on something that’s not pertinent to the issues the state is facing. He should be court martialled for being so irrelevant and atrocious while addressing the public,” adding, “Is he (Biplab) a beautician? Who gives him the authority to comment about an industry he has no connect or an insider’s perspective on? I suggest he steps down from the position of the CM and starts a modelling agency right away.”

In a country that has the rich heritage of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and the Upanishads and the Vedas, such comments are not just communal but sexist and mindless. Advaita Kala, author and scriptwriter wonders when the right issues will come to the fore with such inane harangues, “He made a frivolous comment. Though it can’t be denied that pageants set unrealistic beauty standards for women, but that is a feminist response. If one wants to speak on issues, address anorexia, bulimia, etc, which kids in urban cities are getting into. Every politician and actor should speak up on issues that need our attention, and not on a woman’s beauty. He should stay away from making such comments. He should be concentrating on his state that has come out of communal rule, and address the areas lacking there.”

In an era where the angst in society is palpable and the rhetoric needs to answer and address relevant issues, this latest rant is just an example of the kind of mindsets we are dealing with. Advaita adds, “Comparing Aishwarya Rai and Diana Hayden is so irrelevant. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Be it a politician or a common man, one shouldn’t make comments on a woman’s physical attributes. This is unacceptable.”