Is this obscene?

Obscenity quotient

Sir — The information and broadcasting ministry has demonstrated its lack of maturity by banning the television channel, AXN (“Ad show axe on AXN”, Jan 18). One wonders whether the I&B minister, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, has seen some of the films produced by Bollywood and the South Indian film industry, whose contents are far more sexy, suggestive and revealing than “The world’s sexiest advertisements” could ever dare to be. And what about the redoubtable Mallika Sherawat and her dresses and dances? Where are Das Munshi’s moral policemen during her dance shows? Trying to regulate what Indians watch is ultimately futile, because viewers will get what they want in the end. Why doesn’t Das Munshi try instead to improve the quality of Doordarshan programmes?

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta,
Calcutta

Sir — If the government can consider banning AXN for telecasting indecent programmes, it should also have reacted in the same fashion to Mallika Sherawat’s New-Year-eve dance show, which was telecast by all the news-channels. If the idea is to regulate television, then the soaps and serials, with implausible storylines and objectionable ideas, should not be spared either. In fact, single-story serials should not be allowed more than 100 episodes, and must not extend beyond 11 pm.

Yours faithfully,
Madhu Agrawal,
Dariba, Delhi

Sir — The banning of AXN is a ridiculous decision. Any kind of censorship, either for print or electronic media, is not desirable. Instead, some sort of self-regulation may be suggested. Why can’t people simply switch off their TV sets when they find a programme objectionable? In the same way, anyone is free to stop reading, even tear apart his copy of a newspaper, if he doesn’t like a piece of news. The Supreme Court has ruled that it is alright to telecast or print adult material within permissible limits. In these changing times, banning AXN or any adult programme on TV is a silly idea.

Yours faithfully,
Mahesh Kumar,
New Delhi

Sir — We, the guardians/parents of children, try to look after the moral and physical character of our wards with sets of do’s and don’ts for them. But who is to look after us? The Central government takes up the responsibility from time to time. The latest example is the ban on AXN for beaming scenes which, in the opinion of the I&B minister, were obscene, even in the dead of night. After all, Indian adults have not been trained to protect themselves in the face of visual erotic onslaughts, especially of the foreign kind. One just wishes there were a few clear guidelines to help us distinguish what is obscene from what is not so. Much of what the censor board leaves behind in Bollywood films would put AXN to shame. Then there are calendars with nude models and much more erotic stuff which are freely traded in the open market. What does the I&B ministry plan to do about such forms of corruption?

Yours faithfully,
Pijush Banerjee,
Calcutta

Gun-ho

Sir — The failure of an Air India employee to detect a pistol and 30 bullets in the baggage of the chairman of Bombay Dyeing, Nusli Wadia, points to the prejudice at work at the airports in India (“Wadia’s gun fools security”, Jan 20). The security lapse at Mumbai airport’s baggage-clearing section must have resulted from the practice of officials to loosen the regulations for VIP passengers. This being the case, it would not be enough for Air India to suspend a particular employee for dereliction of duty. Officials at all levels forget the rules when they attend to rich and powerful passengers.

As a frequent traveller, Wadia should have known that he is personally responsible for all that he carries in his hand. His explanation that the pistol was inadvertently packed in his bag by a domestic help is not acceptable. Thanks to his position, Wadia got himself cleared after only 45 minutes of questioning at the Dubai airport, where customs officials discovered his licensed weapons. One shudders to think of the plight of an ordinary passenger in similar circumstances.

Yours faithfully,
K. Venkataraman,
Mumbai

Sir — The case of Nusli Wadia points to the poor security system in Indian airports. Lapses like this have made India a haven for terrorists, who enter the country without facing much resistance from the securitymen. Authorities at the Dubai airport have proved that they are far more efficient than their Indian counterparts.

Yours faithfully,
Mehnaaz Manawar,
Cuttack

Sir — Officials at our airports have repeatedly proved themselves inadequate for their task. But the high-tech security gadgets installed at the cost of tax-payers’ money seem to be no better. A few months ago, an overzealous mother could get into a plane without a ticket to see off her son. And now Nusli Wadia has managed to fly till Dubai, carrying licensed but undeclared ammunition. Airport officials always try to pass off such security slips as abberations, but it is lapses like these which can lead to events as devastating as the Mumbai blasts.

Yours faithfully,
Surajit Das,
Calcutta