India & Richard Gere: Reputation Unwarranted

I was flipping channels the other night, when I saw the opening images of an episode of E! I like watching the show every once in a while to know what’s happening on the celeb scene and all that…

Of course, I always take what I see and hear with a pinch of salt… (er, make that a handful of salt) but what I saw that night really hit hard on two counts:

1. That most shows like this are more about gossip and paparazzi hype rather than reality or substance.
2. The more important thing is, it once again showed that what we do in any corner of the world, gets amplified, often out of context, to the rest of the world. And depending upon the perspective, and often purely due to the amount of airtime given to the piece, the whole/real story never comes out. And of course, reputations are enhanced or trashed basis this reality.

In the opening overview of things to come in the episode, there were two stories that caught my attention -

• That Richard Gere could get arrested in India for kissing a lady on stage during a function.
• Liz Hurley is upset with her new father-in-law who’s threatening to file a case against her for ‘insulting some indian customs’

‘Gosh! this makes India sound like some medieval fundamentalist country!’ I thought and continued to watch in horror, because while there was truth to both the stories, they certainly do not reflect what India is all about!

Worse, E! wasn’t the only one. Global media picked up the story, and naturally India got unwarranted and unfair attention! See CNN video clip above (via C1M5K0)

So to let you know what really happened, here’s both sides of the stories: The perception, and the reality!

The Richard Gere Kiss(a)

• Perception created by report:
• Kissing someone in public, can get you arrested in India.
• Reality:
• India is not a fundamentalist narrow minded country.
• The issue was instigated by a ‘serial complainer and raiser of inconsequential issues’ and the arrest warrant was issued by some over zealous magistrate pribably looking for his 15 minutes of fame (and perhaps the opportunity to meet the superstar and the sexy lady in question!)
• Note to the Magistrate: Dear Sir, congratulations, you have just damaged the reputation of the country/society you claim you represent and whose interests you supposedly want to protect. And not just within your own little turf, but in front of a global community. I hope you can sleep well at night now.
• The nation rose in protest with intellectuals, media and the common man expressing their indignation at such a ridiculous order being passed.
• Higher courts almost instantly quashed the arrest order, and the magistrate was subsequently removed from his post.

The Liz Hurly Blurry

• Perception created by the report:
• Liz Hurley in the course of her marriage to Indian millionaire (!?) Arun Nair did something that went against Indian customs and could arrested for it.
• India is an intolerant country, with Hindu fundamentalists ruling the roost.
• Reality:
• Senior Mr. Nair simply felt ‘left out’ during the wedding ceremonies of his son and celeb daughter-in-law, so the cribs and threats.
• Yes, using ‘insulting our religion and culture’ is a common threat and form of harassment in India.
• While this law exists to protect the tolerant, democratic and secular fabric of our country, it is often mis-used by some (read frustrated and attention seeking) people who are affronted by someone else (namely a celebrity or someone richer than them) directly or indirectly (mostly indirectly).
• Again, it gets them their 15 minutes of fame and nothing else.
• These cases usually get thrown out of courts, though some carry on for years when politically motivated.
• But this is not the norm in India – we are a generally a tolerant and well meaning country, with all kinds of religions and cultures thriving together since centuries.

The point I’m trying to make is this:

A single stupid incident, can completely trash your reputation thanks to this age of global communication and information sharing.

People who claim to represent and mindlessly fight for a cause/religion/whatever, often ending up hurting their own cause more than the claimed offense against it.

That is the reality. E!k…

PS. Anyone want to protest about me writing this post? Comments welcome below. Show the world how intolerant you are!