An oft-quoted adage from Roman philosopher Titus Lucretius Carus is, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” Likes and dislikes change with each individual. A humorous comment for some could be viewed by some others as an insult. Social cohesion requires that all in the public sphere are mindful of their words and deeds. But, freedom of speech is important too. This thought arises in the context of the summons being issued by the police against hugely popular YouTuber and podcaster Ranveer Alahbadia and his team over their roast show, India’s Got Latent.
In fact, hell has been let loose over a “vulgar” comment about parental sex. Sex, the very essence of life, is itself taboo for the hypocrites here; and an open discussion referencing parental sex is anathema. In the forefront of the aggressive campaign against Alahabadia, in this context, are three predictable segments of the society –politicians, the media and social activists. They are baying for his blood. They are not satisfied with his open apology. It’s only natural that a BJP government — of Assam — used its police to issue the first summons against the performer. Consider the fact that this 31-year-old has a cult status among the youths not just in India but abroad too. He has nearly five million followers on Instagram and over a crore of them among YouTube subscribers. He has been regaling his audience since the time of Covid-19 through his witticisms and more.What Maharashtra’s chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has stressed – that one man’s freedom cannot be stretched to encroach upon another man’s freedom – is noted. Yet, attempts at curtailing the freedom of a performer or jester on the basis of one’s concepts about morality carries with it the danger of curbing free speech. It scares all performers. Creativity and Freedom are inseparable. We can guide a person to make a product. Creating something new requires the inbuilt talents of a genius. All in the creative, artistic, entertainment field cherish their freedom. Talented heroes need no spoon-feeding. They act on their own and put life into characters. India’s problem today is it is devoid of a sense of humour. Even creativity is in short supply. Education is fashioned in ways that produce stereotypes. The result is, we do not even have good doctors in most hospitals.
Our politicians are largely an incompetent, ill-informed, ageing lot; deadwood. They fail to fathom the social changes or mind the aspirations of the new generation. They are hypocrites. They speak in one manner and act in the opposite. They speak up for the poor and sup with the rich. They quote scriptures and act like devils. Most social activists are publicity seekers. The media no more mirrors life in its totality; it mirrors the faces of politicians and other vested interests. If the political character changes, societies too will change; and vice versa. Right now we are caught in a rut.
