Thursday, May 26, 2011

Bhaag DK Bose – The tyranny of inconsistent regulation

Everytime I hear the ‘DK Bose’ song, the only thought that I get is “How did the censor board let that pass!!” Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not among those who are in favor of heavy control on the content in the media (India TV does make me want to re-consider though). In fact, I would believe that it would be best if we could live in a world without bans and regulations.
My point, however, is that if there is regulation, it must be consistent across time and for different people. As an example, let’s go back to the DKB song. It definitely is a very catchy song and the idea of using the name DK Bose is indeed smart. But, it’s not something new. DK Bose has been used in this kind of humor about ten years ago in a Bollywood comedy. But, I guess the reason why nobody could even conceive of putting it in a song was that it was not expected to pass the filters applied by the Censor. Extending the logic, it is possible that the person who thought of this could not make most money out of it because he was not able to capitalize it completely by putting it in the prime song of his/ her movie. On the other hand, somebody who copied this idea would end up making lots of money.
Definitely not a healthy and competitive environment to do business in, is it? This is exactly why I believe that regulation should be kept at a minimum as it would always tend to get discretionary.
Among other stuff, Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that Mrs. G is sad about Miss Kani’s arrest because she being a woman is in jail. Oh yes, she is the first female to go to Jail it seems!!! I wonder how much good can all the money siphoned off by the Rajas and Kalmadis do to Indian women if put to proper use. Not a word from the super PM on that, as usual.
Petrol prices have risen again!!! Really, yet again! WTF! Although a Rs. 5 increase in the fuel price does not really turn my budget upside down, the press coverage makes me react this way every time the prices of petrol or onions rise. Like most other middle class Indians, I am OK with a rise in prices of other commodities, but not these 2. And we don’t even need India TV for this kind of hype. The inflation (including food inflation) has been super-high for almost a year now, yet the only time people seem to be affected is when these 2 commodities get costlier.
Well, I have somehow ended up talking about politics, prices and media. The title of the post has lost its relevance probably. Perhaps, it’s just that I have been thinking about lots of stuff but haven’t blogged for like 2 years. In fact, the last I blogged was in an upbeat mood after UPA-II had a thumping majority. Guess the title is just my way of telling them and the media – Bhaag Bhaag DK Bose DK Bose DK Bose, Bhaag Bhaag DK Bose DK Bhaag!