The economist of little worth in me has often pondered about “how India can be an economic super power..?” and one of the ideas that sprung up in my not so brilliant mind (might not be original though) is that “Indians (especially the women) should dump their obsession with meters and meters of clothing they use to cover themselves and switch to millimeters of clothing that covers the bare essentials. The excess of clothing material that’s left behind can be used for export purposes, giving India the much-needed foreign currency. But then this applies only to women from other families than mine, as far as women who are my family are concerned the conservative me rules not the economist!!!
I have a beautiful mind… Err I mean a schizophrenic mind. (Russell Crowe I can be the next character you play on screen and if you did, not even Washington will stand between you and the Oscars). What I mean to say is that I have two parts in mind that speaks against each other. Some time very rarely the third part (the saner me surfaces to calm down these two contradicting parts…. Even more rarely does it succeed.) So when I thought about FTV the all too familiar ramblings began inside me. The following is the transcript of the verbal duel.
Characters
The Traditional (T)
The Liberal (L)
The Practical (P)
P: The global leader in the fashion niche since 1997 it is the first and only international TV channel dedicated to fashion - 24 hours a day which is broadcast on 31 satellites, thousands of cable systems and reaches over 300 million households on all five continents. According to the company it’s equally watched by men and women and its main viewer ship comes from middle and upper income viewers.
FTV features models, trends in the form of 3-minute clips and 10-minute full shows broadcasts several programs focusing on particular styles or regions in the fashion industry; focuses on haute couture shows in Paris; features Top Models as well as New Faces; focuses on new tendencies in fashion, as seen during latest shows - presenting them in the Trends program. It covers lingerie fashion; swimwear fashion; men’s fashion and male models; events in the fashion universe all over the world. (Courtesy: FTV.com)
L: I am fed up with this right wing political gimmickry that’s rotting our nation. Cultural policing, when there are so many pressing issues like education, security and freedom at question why on earth does the government even bother about regulating television channels. What is their problem what channel people watch?
T: hey come on, isn’t it the Governments responsibility to see that its people get the right kind of entertainment and education through its media. If Government of India doesn’t regulate social norms in India who will? The Government of Timbuktu? There are people out there, who judge a nation by what’s on its TV. Gimme a break, we don’t want to be branded a nation of bird watchers (Sorry birds for using you in the wrong context; couldn’t find a better term).
T: Now, now let’s not call Fashion viewing as anything else. If the government is not worried about the nation being branded by the number of rapes and acts of subversion of womanhood why should it be worried being branded as bird watchers..?
T: If we brand people who rape women or exploit them using various motivations as degenerates; What will we call people who parade women naked (Not really naked, there are hints of clothes on them in places not required) with the inducement of money and fame, for whetting the appetite of millions of lustful eyes in the name of fashion. They cannot be called anything else just because their surname has the words Versace or Pirelli..?
P: Hey be brief that’s the latest fashion….
L: you talking like nudity is something new to India…. Look at the temples of Khajuraho [Earthquakes in Orissa as the temples of Khajuraho squirm (why us all the time) in their pants…oops exaggeration, I forgot the fact, that the absence of pants in Khajuraho is the issue]. Our illustrious forefathers put nudity on temples, in palaces, on canvass; artistic representation of nudity can at the most be branded erotic not vulgar. Why have double standards?
T: Who is speaking of double standards…. When taking support from our ancient civilization lets also not forget that this same civilization also supported caste system, the sati system are we ready to legitimize those practices just because they were once a part of our culture…? Lets not go to history for no one knows how true they are… in fact as recently as the late 19th century women in Kerala (especially the ones belonging to the lower caste) did not cover their breast (werent allowed to: Thanx ranjran for correcting me), can we allow streaking in today’s world just because Adam and Eve were nude until they bit the cherry…oops the apple.
L: Makes a nice argument, but what I watch is my prerogative, no one needs to tell me what I can see and what I can’t. We are a democratic and independent sate for God’s sake. Those who want to watch it will, others can use their remote control, why else is that gadget there..?
T: Independence is not doing what ever you feel like doing, nor does democracy mean that the majority should always have their way. Just because we are independent can we allow heroin and LSD to be sold in supermarkets arguing that only those who want it will buy it, the others can skip those shelves?
L: Be practical yaar, there is an FTV.com, even if the channel is banned; it can be accessed through the net. Why then make a hue and cry about nothing at all.
T: Yes that’s precisely my point too, why put it on TV when it can be accessed through the net. Besides talking about practicality, how much of the fashion shown on FTV is practical. I sometimes wonder how those women get into costumes like those; 80% of the dresses (agreed that models are clothed only during 30% of the airtime) are not just impractical but downright crazy. How many of those dresses they show on the channel will you wear this summer or let the ladies in your family wear this fall…?
P: Stop the argument, enough is enough, let me think what my final opinion is, FTV may be a fashion channel but what’s fashion - someone once stated that’s its fashionable to defy fashion. In that case where do we put the limits for fashion…. Fashion is a work of art, who can define the thresholds for art.
There is more to fashion than men and women walking up and down the ramp. From an Indian point of view one gets a negligible % of exposure to Indian fashion, trends in India, designers or fabrics that suit India on FTV. Now people can argue that FTV is an international channel and cannot programme for just the Indians; But aren’t MTV, ESPN and Discovery international channels too, haven’t they programmed for India..?
I wont ask for a ban on FTV but at the same time I wont recommend it for viewing in India, not for its nudity ( which is the main reason for its popularity in my view) but for its unstructured programming and mainly for its irrelevance to India in general and Indians in particular.