VICTORIA’S SECRET - OUT IN THE OPEN

When the brother and sister in Ujjain were beaten up because the vigilantes mistook them for a couple, did you laugh - or did you cry? - Nisha Susan, founding member of the Loose, Forward and Pub-Going Women Group. It was in the Indian Express that I first read, with delight, of the Pink Chaddi Campaign, and it was my dear friend Kshitij Sharan who first told me of the Pub Bharo Aandolan. Although I have yet to send a pair of chaddis to Pramod Muthalik, and I was not to be found in any pub on Valentine’s Day, my heart was in complete agreement with the movement against the Moral Police.
For those of you who never read the papers, following the incident at a Mangalore pub earlier this month, in which members of the Ram Sene beat up and molested a group of girls; women – and men – all over India – and the rest of the world! – have come to gether in protest.
The Pink Chaddi Campaign kicked off on 5 February 2009 to oppose the Sri Ram Sene. The campaign is growing exponentially (44,324 members at this point in the life of our Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women) . The idea was to get people from all over India to send symbolic pink underwear to The Ram Sene leaders .
In response, the Ram Sene recently claimed it would send pink saris “with love” to each of the chaddi senders. The idea has been well received by the campaigners who appreciate the fact that Muthalik has finally decided to resort to non-violent methods to get his point across after the brutality of the attacks on lovers and women in Mangalore and other parts of Karnataka.
A lot of people don’t understand the point of the Pink Chaddi Campaign. They claim that although they are not fanatics, they don’t like Valentine’s Day and do not approve of pub culture. However, what is so special about this Campaign is that most members are not fans of conspicuous consumptions or pubs themselves! What they all have in common is that they dislike the ease with which right-wing groups have been infringing on our fundamental rights.
Personally, I consider myself neither Loose nor Forward and I would not be caught dead in a pub even if I weren’t underage. But all the same, I’ll defend the rights of all women to act the way they like in a country that boasts of being modern, and yet rooted in tradition. Is it not part of Indian culture to be infused with ideas of tolerance and respect for different ways of life?
Perhaps Nisha Susan’s quote, with which I have opened this article, sums up best what I’ve been trying to say in five hundred odd words. The Moral Policing that Indian women in Karnataka are victims of is not only brutal, perverted, irrelevant , it is also ridiculous, and the Pink Chaddi Campaign is thus – as a light hearted but resounding diss* - the best way of combating it.
* Originated in Jamaican Vernacular English, perhaps originally short for disrespect or disparage
Sara Chatterjee (XII)

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The Siege

The tiny boat,
Seated eight youngsters.
Each unaware of his destiny,
But with full knowledge,
Of what he had to do.
Sweet memories of before;
His far away village,
Flooded his mind.
But he knew that,
This wasn’t the time to be weak.
He looked,
At each of those young, unfamiliar faces,
Trying to find something,
That would comfort him.
But he found nothing,
Only hatred.
Their leader informed them,
That he could now,
See the huge building,
With its domes and old style architecture,
One of their most important targets.
He saw,
His hands trembled slightly,
As his fingers curled around the cold metal,
He tried to steady himself,
Knowing that now, it was only a matter of time...
Niyati Singh

Friendship

Life gives us both ups and downs,
Tears and laughter, smiles and frowns.
No matter where life takes us through it all,
We all need friends who can catch us when we fall.
Having friends can make your life,
Not having them can break it.
But if you ever find true friendship,
Nothing in this world can shake it.
Friendship is above all material things,
This line can be called the most clichéd.
But even if you don’t say it, you know that-
Friends guide you through every single day.
Friendship is the most precious jewel,
It’s what keeps our world together.
We all want to say to someone,
‘Best Friends Forever’.
Ramya Ahuja 10A

Let us create a Cleaner World 

Murder mayhem and useless road rage,
Against it, a war is what we should wage.
Women, a beautiful part of this world, Teased and harassed, but never say a word.
We must stand up for what is right,
And always help her to put up a fight. Let us create a cleaner world!
 
Politics is the name of a dirty game,
In the ‘house’, they fight and put us to shame.
Many a scam when corruption is rife,
Should this be a politician’s life?
We should elect ‘reps’ who are clean,
Who always say and do what they mean.
Let us create a cleaner world!
 
Bribery and corruption found in every deal,
Left and right, from the poor they steal.
Banks, they tumble and cause a loss,
Sending the stock market for a toss.
Thousands have lost their jobs and more,
Left them heartbroken and their finances soar.
Honesty is the policy we must follow,
To prevent our economy from getting hollow.
Let us create a cleaner world
Kimberley Ireland 7B