Stamped Impressions
Star-struck youth
Reeta Sharma

THE youth today are facing contradictions at every step of their life. If on the one hand they come across as a focused and I-know-what-I-want lot, on the other hand they show utter disregard for social responsibility. To substantiate what I have said I would like to quote and analyse the following case.

Let us have a look at the case of taped conversation between Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan. All TV channels played the tapes over and over again. The reporters were busy interviewing the youth for their comments on the conversation. I was amazed to hear the questions as well as the answers. Many girls as well as boys gave answers like, "I am a big fan of Salman Khan and I don’t think he can ever talk like this", "Salman is so handsome, such a good dancer, I love him, I refuse to believe that he abused and threatened Ash", "I am crazy about Salman", "He talked like this when he was totally drunk, it should not be taken seriously".

Except for one girl who said that she was a fan of Salman but disapproved of his`A0 "attitude" in the tape, all others were defending Salman without any sense of responsibility towards the law or any thought towards the national security. Incidentally, Shatrughan Sinha, a so-called responsible politician, also matched the logic of youngsters: "Nothing much should be read into this tape. It was just a drunken lover’s brawl with his beloved." Yet another reaction was that the tapes were four years old and since the police had not taken any action for so long, why should the issue be raked up now? Now, since when has police inaction become a plea for the law to close its doors against justice?

During the conversation, Salman Khan keeps asking Aishwarya in a threatening tone, "Are you doing Abu Salem’s show or not?" The questions that should naturally stem are what was Salman’s interest in Salem’s show? Why was he so interested in Aishwarya doing the show? Why was he pestering her to do the show in a threatening tone?

Abu Salem has been declared "most wanted" by the police. In such a situation why would a man in a drunken state pester and threaten the country’s No1 actress to do his show? And, does the law forgive a drunken person if he or she commits a murder? Going by that logic, why should the plea of being in a drunken state hold good for Salman?

The youth of India by and large reacted like kids who would be swayed more by emotions rather than logic. The youth did not spare a thought to the fact that the hero they loved so much had scant regard for the law of the land. Indian laws state anyone who has threatened the security of the country and its people should not be supported in any way. Those who gave shelter to Jagtar Singh Hawara, the terrorist who escaped form Burail Jail, have been arrested and are being tried under the law. Similarly, why was Salman networking for Salem’s show? He was even boasting about his connections with the underworld dons. He even stated that he looked after their work in Mumbai.

Whether Salman gets pinned down by the law remains to be seen but our youth should be clear about what is lawful and what goes against it. Our youth are so smitten by the reel life image of Salman (suave, soft spoken, morally correct, sacrificing, punishing the villains in a judicious manner) that they have failed to assess his real-life doings in an unbiased manner. Salman has been accused of brash behaviour, consuming excessive alcohol, killing protected wildlife, threatening, browbeating and even hitting his girlfriends, including Aishwarya. He had also been charged with killing people sleeping on the side of the road while driving in an inebriated condition.

Apparently, the majority of our youth do not have a broad perception of nationalism and patriotism. They think patriotism is required only when a war breaks out between India and any enemy country. So when the Kargil War broke out, all Indians rose as patriots. But in day-to-day life, they seem to have little love for the nation and its security. Our youth going ga ga over Salman’s reel image and willing to forgive all his unlawful acts, should make us sit up. In which direction are the youth heading? Where are the teachers and the parents who used to inculcate values in the child?