Oh, My God! 2, OMG 2 (Hindi; 2023)
Written and Directed by Amit Rai.
In 1893, Chicago decided to celebrate Columbus' 400th anniversary of landing in the New World with a six-month-long fair. One highlight was an inter-faith dialogue, 'World's Parliament of Religions'. Swami Vivekananda addressed the crowd there with greetings' Sisters and brothers of America!' to a roaring standing ovation. That must have piqued the interest of the American public in the mysticism of Hinduism and other Eastern philosophies. Even before that, Emerson and Mark Twain were already fascinated with Hinduism.
Vivekananda's lecture impressed the audience that Hinduism was a knowledge-seeking way of life. He further opened the path for other Hindu spiritual masters to make inroads into America.
MK Gandhi, however, painted a somewhat different picture of how Sanarthana Dharma was. He portrayed Hinduism as a pacifist way of life, bearing injuries and insults without flinching, turning the other cheek with non-violence being the lynchpin. It gave a perfect opportunity for the colonial master to rule over them over and forever.
In 1921, under the wing of the Khilafat movement, Moplah Muslims went on a killing frenzy, slaughtering Hindus under the pretext of fighting the British to establish a Dar-ul-Islam with the Turkic Caliphate as the head. Gandhi paradoxically told the Hindus not to fight back but blamed them for not understanding their brethren.
That, continuing with the British handpicked post-independence leaders, who continued with Gandhi's pacifist stance, gave the impression that they were all-accommodating yeomen and pushovers. In keeping with ahimsa ideology, India felt, at least Nehru did, that they did not need an army at one stage after Independence.
Of late, the image of a Hindu being a meek, all-agreeing, head-wobbling individual is slowly evolving. In their own way, this is what this movie is trying to hint at Indians, how, over the generations, they have allowed and accommodated other cultures and teachings into their fold that their own highly-placed values had taken a toss. Starting with Macaulay and his educational reforms, Indians began glorifying foreign cultures and frowning upon their own ancient-old wisdom. And now, they have arisen from their slumber, realising that their old-aged understanding of things around them.
The story revolves around a teenage schoolboy who, through peer pressure, is forced and filmed pleasuring himself in the school toilet. The footage is viralled, and the boy is expelled from a private English school.
A recurrent theme that seems to be cropping up is 'Kamasutra', the 2nd century Sanskriti text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfilment. The puzzling thing is how a society which was so open to what happens behind the bedroom doors suddenly became so bashful about sexual desires.
P.S. I remember reading about Tagore's family being denied entry to a club for dressing indecently. Using Victorian dressing sense as the gold standard, high-collared necks and long-sleeved blouses replaced bare-breasted ladies draping the modesty with the loose end of their saree. In temples, even the heads need to be covered to show chastity. This, however, came about as an aftermath of the Islamic invasion. Women, wanting to hide their identity to escape the rape and torture by the marauding invaders, covered their heads as Muslim women did to blend in. Over time, that became a tradition in Muslim-ruled regions.
Written and Directed by Amit Rai.
Vivekananda's lecture impressed the audience that Hinduism was a knowledge-seeking way of life. He further opened the path for other Hindu spiritual masters to make inroads into America.
MK Gandhi, however, painted a somewhat different picture of how Sanarthana Dharma was. He portrayed Hinduism as a pacifist way of life, bearing injuries and insults without flinching, turning the other cheek with non-violence being the lynchpin. It gave a perfect opportunity for the colonial master to rule over them over and forever.
In 1921, under the wing of the Khilafat movement, Moplah Muslims went on a killing frenzy, slaughtering Hindus under the pretext of fighting the British to establish a Dar-ul-Islam with the Turkic Caliphate as the head. Gandhi paradoxically told the Hindus not to fight back but blamed them for not understanding their brethren.
That, continuing with the British handpicked post-independence leaders, who continued with Gandhi's pacifist stance, gave the impression that they were all-accommodating yeomen and pushovers. In keeping with ahimsa ideology, India felt, at least Nehru did, that they did not need an army at one stage after Independence.
Of late, the image of a Hindu being a meek, all-agreeing, head-wobbling individual is slowly evolving. In their own way, this is what this movie is trying to hint at Indians, how, over the generations, they have allowed and accommodated other cultures and teachings into their fold that their own highly-placed values had taken a toss. Starting with Macaulay and his educational reforms, Indians began glorifying foreign cultures and frowning upon their own ancient-old wisdom. And now, they have arisen from their slumber, realising that their old-aged understanding of things around them.
The story revolves around a teenage schoolboy who, through peer pressure, is forced and filmed pleasuring himself in the school toilet. The footage is viralled, and the boy is expelled from a private English school.
His father, Kanti, a shopkeeper and a devout Shiva devotee, pleads for his son to be reinstated to no avail. The principal, the school board and even the head priest of the temple. Kanti, who works as hard as he prays to uplift the family status, is caught in a betwixt and between. A simpleton, a non-English person, but to take the establishment to court, demanding reinstatement, a meagre donation to the temple and a public apology to his son. He acts as his own lawyer, much to the amusement of the townfolks, the defence lawyer and the judge. Unbeknownst to everyone, Lord Siva himself has sent his representative to give Kanti a little prodding and moral support.
Kanti's central defence is that sex and masturbation are natural behaviours sanctioned by India's age-old gurukal system. It remains the school's duty to provide sex education and prepare the young to deal with the biological changes of their body, not to treat sex as a dirty and taboo subject.
The irony of the trial is that the majority of the town, primarily conservative Hindus, whose economic activities revolve around a Shiva Temple, are pro-sex education. In contrast, the educated, English-speaking individuals are against open discussion on sex. Of course, God's side wins in the end.
The most stirring moment in the movie is when a sex worker goes on the stand. She indulges herself in the sex trade solely to finance her son's education in a private school. Despite the stigmata associated with the profession, she is left with Hobson's choice -all to give her offspring a better life.
The irony of the trial is that the majority of the town, primarily conservative Hindus, whose economic activities revolve around a Shiva Temple, are pro-sex education. In contrast, the educated, English-speaking individuals are against open discussion on sex. Of course, God's side wins in the end.
The most stirring moment in the movie is when a sex worker goes on the stand. She indulges herself in the sex trade solely to finance her son's education in a private school. Despite the stigmata associated with the profession, she is left with Hobson's choice -all to give her offspring a better life.
A recurrent theme that seems to be cropping up is 'Kamasutra', the 2nd century Sanskriti text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfilment. The puzzling thing is how a society which was so open to what happens behind the bedroom doors suddenly became so bashful about sexual desires.
P.S. I remember reading about Tagore's family being denied entry to a club for dressing indecently. Using Victorian dressing sense as the gold standard, high-collared necks and long-sleeved blouses replaced bare-breasted ladies draping the modesty with the loose end of their saree. In temples, even the heads need to be covered to show chastity. This, however, came about as an aftermath of the Islamic invasion. Women, wanting to hide their identity to escape the rape and torture by the marauding invaders, covered their heads as Muslim women did to blend in. Over time, that became a tradition in Muslim-ruled regions.
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