Real woman role model (aka having the cake and eating it too...)

Just as I relaxed from blogging due to several constraints, an urgent issue came up that forced me to spend some time and get it out of my chest. It is Sania Mirza’s wedding and the media circus around it. Just to give you some context, Sania is getting married to disgraced Pakistani Cricketer Shoaib Malik – who has been expelled by the PCB !! She is following a long line of role models (Shabana Azmi, Hema Malini, Jaya Prada, Sri Devi) into entering into a marriage or engagement while the first wife was still contracted, starting out their lives by destroying that of another woman.

If you had followed Indian media it had showered heaps of (undeserved) praise on Sania Mirza on how she is the next best thing to happen to India (after Maatha Sonia of course) and how women all over the world have to emulate her for the up lifting of the society -- blah blah etc. How after her retirement Indian Tennis will go to the dumps etc… Yes, Indian tennis is really in the dumps – if the search of another player who is capable of getting knocked out in the first round of major tournaments is this difficult.

My problem with this episode stems from the fact, that folks who make their living out of public adulation and being in the public eye, complaining that they need their “Privacy”. It is not that the media wanted a video of what happened in their bedrooms, but just wanted a shot of their Marriage and in the case of Sania a shot of Nikaah-naama. All are public documents, BTW. The Lot of jobless anchors is debating as to what the limits should be for the media etc. I am perplexed as to why aren’t they getting a simple question right -- that of asking Sanias of the world to decide whether they want to “have” the cake or “eat” it. You can’t have it both ways…

The “adding salt to injury” happened in this whole episode when the marriage contract between Sania and Shoaib was shown, with Rs. 61 lakhs as “Mehr” and every (pseudo) secular anchor waxing eloquent about it on the air. For those of you who don’t know, Mehr == dowry. Yes, it is a stiff crime to give and receive it in India. The law doesn’t distinguish between the giver and the taker and doesn’t distinguish between religions as well. Please don’t hold your breath waiting for the government to prosecute either the bride or the groom here…

This woman is supposed to be a role model – Give me a break…. I would any day pick a maid who works in our household, ensuring that her siblings go to school, pitching in for her family’s house construction and yes – saving for her marriage (and yes the dowry) too… Who is the real role model for women ?

PS: having a very good laugh at Paki media having blast, projecting as to “Sania is the next best thing to Benazir Bhutto” or “How it is going to have a monumental effect on Paki tennis etc…”. All I can say is Good Riddance !