So we can watch U & U/A, but not A, on our Television sets. Hurrah!!! The Ax(e) has fallen on the next quarters revenue targets for movie channels across the board. While everyone is mourning the loss of "Freedom of Expression" let me try and cry for the "freedom to do business". Imagine restricting the right of a business to earn money doing a legitimate buisness - providing legitimate entertainment to a TG that legitimatally demands it. I have grave reservations with the idea of the state as my parent or the parent of my (hypothetical) children. The state is not a nanny. And, the state being petitioned to act as one, takes away from the responsibility of being a parent. If parents took out the time to? instill ‘good’ values in their children, if schools & organised religion did the same -then we really wouldn’t be in a position where we ask the state to intervene. I had earlier blogged about the tyranny of the individual in a democratic state being worse than the tyranny of the state — i stand by that. A bunch of people who are unable to teach the next generation the differnce between right and wrong, expects the government to do the same. To ensure that they are absolved of the responsibility of ‘good parenting’ - and i use the word parenting in a very broad sense - we all get our freedoms restricted. This is not about freedom of expression, it is about freedom. All freedoms. And, special interest and minority groups (nor necessarily religious but across the board) that can scream, shout and threaten to do damage — are restricting not just our freedom to express but all our basic freedoms. Amit Varma pointed out yesterday that we need something like the American Constitution’s first ammendment to guarantee our freedom of expression. To be very honest for me it is not so much a difference between the spirit of the 1st ammendment and the Fundamental Rights accorded to us in the constitution, as much as a difference between the ACLU and the PUCL.The role of a body like ACLU in ensuring that the 1st ammendment went beyond words on paper and became something that challenged restrictions on freedom is phenomenal. What we need in India - beyond a strong Broadcasting Industry Body - is a civil liberties organisation with teeth - — and citizens who are apalled at the violation of their Fundamental Rights coming out to challenge the tyranny of a minority.

Tags: Censorship, India, Media, Society