Should we not fight the current situation in Tamilnadu

[Guest guest]

For a period of time talks of the town in Tamilnadu was Shyamala Ashok or

Lakshmibai.

Today the trend has changed to a new talk in Tamilnadu and shaking the latter

with the existing situation of the impact of the recent rains.

Whether actress Kushboo and Suhaisni (Kamalahasan's niece) are right in their

arguments, which they pointed out that it was said with the concern for the

emerging trend of increase in HIIV/AIDS. So what did each say, lets take a quick

look at the same!!!:

1. Premarital sex is common.

2. Any educated man would not expect his wife to be a virgin before marriage.

3. Condoms should be used as a safety device.

So

Kushboo was eaten up by a few women's organizations and the political

parties to a large extent, and after a lapse of time after kushboo

was made to apoligize through the media such as the print media and

televiosn media, actress suhasini came to the picture and said that

" people of TN should be ashamed to treat Kushboo like that " . Her

statement was in anger, due to the fact that kushboo was asked to be

thrown out of TN and was forced to move to Mumbai from where she

hails.

Explicit statements like the above was un relished by the public

and is politicized in the current situation, so much so in favor of

the nearing elections in TN. Comments of the above also ahs been taken to so

religiously since kushboo is a muslim and caste oriented sicne suhasini is a

Brahmin.

Similarly young sania mizra was also dissuaded and questioned for supporting

kushboo, may be for not all her statements but for a few though.

I have attempted to analyse the above, in comparison to the current trend of

HIV/AIDS message dissemination, especially using the media of film personalities

and celebrities. We urge to situations to use celebrities especially the film

personalities but one could never imagine that controversies to such large

extent can take place only on messages towards sex and sexuality and HIV/AIDS.

It is indeed heart breaking to view a woman kushboo being made to bend down and

apoligize in the television media and being thrown at with slippers and broom

sticks for the simple reason that she spoke of sex and sexuality very openly.

While the entire TN thought that it was spoken against the culture and its

adherence, yesterday the television media brought out a group argument amidst

famous personalities from the films, advocates, doctors and politicians. There

were only two women

advocates one Sudha Ramalingam and another Advocate Ajitha who

actually supported Kushboo and Suhasini on her freedom of speech and explicit,

while all others politicized to an extent that it was un imaginable and as if

sex was outside the world.

Now my question is what are governments, NGOs and women's leaders and women's

groups doing? Don't you think we as women should look at the other side of what

she has said that children while in their teens are sexually explorative, which

is natural and as elders we should respect their feelings and safe guard them

from getting HIV/AIDS.

It is high time that after two decades of aiming at HIV/AIDS prevention and care

we are still at a stage where in we cant confront issues pertaining to the sex

and sexuality ……to bring

about a guilt free world to encompass safety and dignity for women.

Where is the freedom of speech for women and if so while we are at a

stage to bring about an equality of status, this incident is pushing

us back as women.

I request to urge this for a discussion and also to rise

up to the occasion.

Shymala ASHOK

E-mail: <aabinand@...>