December 08, 2025 06:44 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Centre imposes temporary fare caps as ticket prices defy gravity amid IndiGo meltdown | 'Action is coming': Aviation Minister blames IndiGo for countrywide air travel chaos | In front of Putin, PM Modi makes bold statement on Russia-Ukraine war: ‘India is not neutral, we side with peace!’ | Rupee weakens following RBI repo rate cut | RBI slashes repo rate by 25 basis points — big relief coming for borrowers! | 'Mamata fooled Muslims': Humayun Kabir explodes after TMC suspends him over 'Babri Masjid-style mosque' demand; announces new party | Mosque in the middle of Kolkata airport? Centre confirms flight risks, BJP fires at Mamata | Sam Altman is betting big on India! OpenAI in advanced talks with Tata to build AI infrastructure | Government removes mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi App. Know all details | Calcutta HC overturns controversial Bengal job annulment — 32,000 teachers rejoice!

Of Item numbers and Male Chauvinism

| | Apr 01, 2014, at 05:56 am
The inherent chauvinism, be it in the average Indian male, politician et al pops up in expected and sometimes unexpected, ways. Sometimes it sounds so absurd that is almost hilarious. Take for example, the comments by Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray comparing Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader and now CM of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, as the ‘item girl’ of politics and that item number prima donna Rakhi Sawant would do a better of it in Delhi. In retaliation, AAP’s Maharashtra convener Anjali Damania suggested that Shiv Sena then should choose Sawant their CM candidate.

Not that yours truly is fond of item numbers; in fact I belong to the minority (majority?) of the audience who think they are quite tasteless with the inherent body language of titillation. But that’s not the point. It’s the way the woman- or because she is a woman, who has chosen to use her skill as a dancer of a certain manner to go up the ladder in Bollywood be treated as a political football to be kicked around ? Who is the biggest audience of these ‘bidi jalai le or purdah ke piche kya hai kind of numbers? Your guess is as good as mine. And then to catch attention in the politically surged atmosphere in the Election year a Rakhi Sawant is put up as a signpost of degradation!


Why? The answer is in the air. In this air of darkness- rape-infested, over-zealous ‘society cleansing’ marauder- dominated, khap-approved ‘teaching the woman a lesson’ gleefulness across the country. She has dared to step out on her own, so she be punished or ridiculed. Even in the political language. 

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.