BBC Ban and Barbed Barriers..!

Many, many decades ago, when I was around twelve, a cousin of mine, a medical student from the prestigious medical college in Vellore, presented me with, “An Area of Darkness” by Naipaul! I read it and a little later found that the book had been banned by the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

My twelve-year old mind wondered, “What’s in the ban?”

Today, I’m no more that twelve-year old, but as the BBC documentary goes back to that same old practice, “I ask myself the same question, “Why the ban?”

A ban by my government tells me I am not mature enough to make up my mind whether what I read or see is the truth or not!

It’s telling the people that though they have had more than eighty years of freedom, that still in those eighty years they have not received the kind of education in which they are educated!

“Whoa! Whoa! That’s harsh!” you say.

“Yes, you may have a Ph.d, may have scored 100% in your high school, and college, but you are not educated!”

“No, you are not! You are not! You are not!”

And that’s what is being shouted to thirteen billion who’ve been banned from viewing a film.

Not just the film!

It started with laws telling you, you are not wise enough to choose your religion. Laws that say, you ‘educated’ women need to be safe guarded against love warriors, and more and more rules telling us, “You are not mature to make decisions!”

“Well, then if you feel we are not mature, Sir Government Man, then make us mature!”

The one and only way to stop a person from drowning is to teach him or her swimming, and the only way you can learn swimming is in a swimming pool or sea. Which means to learn, I need to jump in the water.

But it makes no sense to prevent drowning, by putting barbed wire around beaches, lakes and swimming pools, or does it? Because ‘banning’ is the ‘barbed barrier’ being used.

Students in TISS and elsewhere are not clandestinely viewing the BBC documentary, because they have any dislike for the PM, but in protest about being treated like uneducated little children!

“We are not children!” shouts the nation, “Let us see the documentary, and with educated minds assess if the BBC has been harsh, biased or has a colonial mind-set!”

Maybe there will be millions who will shout, “Leave our PM alone!” whereas now they look at the sea and lakes with barbed barriers round it, and are filled with longing to just jump in, whether they know swimming or not!

Teach them to swim; take off the barriers, lift such bans..!

————————————————-

Would love to hear from you in the COMMENTS section below…and IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE BOB’S BANTER EVERYDAY, PLEASE SEND YOUR NAME AND WHATSAPP PHONE NO TO [email protected]
————————————————–

ENROLL FOR THE WRITER’s COURSE…
…Get trained to write powerfully by the author, whose article you just read! Don’t wait! Send a thumbs up for details to 9892572883 and let Robert Clements train you in his easy and comfortable way Let the power of WORDS spoken and written effectively and forcefully, change your life! Join the Writer’s and Speaker’s Course, February Batch TODAY! Send a thumbsup to 9892572883 now! –

12 thoughts on “BBC Ban and Barbed Barriers..!”

  1. I too agree with you Bobby. ‘Satanic Verses’ had to be withdrawn from shops as shopkeepers were warned by Muslim men of a back lash from them and banned by the govt. Jesus Christ Superstar wasn’t despite offensive lies propogated about Christ’s character. A sickening book and movie by Dan Brown wasn’t either

  2. TRUE…Let people decide what they should see or not… I remember in 1972 or so, “Jesus Christ Superstar” film was banned in India. However, every Good Friday, after the Church service, I still watch the banned film… and enjoy doing so, introducing the film to some younger folks. To hell with the ban…

  3. The Kashmir Files was permitted to be screened but not a documentary that casts our Government in poor light!

    Misjudging our maturity and blatant misuse of power to act with Hitler-like despotism are frustrating to the core.

  4. Well it seems that we r not educated enough n mature to watch d film. So educate d masses n make them mature Mr. Government.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *