Back to bothering



It's been quite a while since I did anything here. I don't think many missed me. Fact is, I had been incredibly busy and even missing quite a few lunches and breakfasts. Now that there is a proverbial light at the end of the much cliched tunnel, I'm back. Not in the signature Arnold style.

This time, I would like to take up something that has been worrying and agitating me constantly. This has been happening for quite a while but I seem to notice these more often now than before. The Ban Culture.

Our Netas and Politicos don't know what they are doing. In this respect, they are much just like the rest of us. The only difference is unlike the rest of us, they are supposed to do something and boy, they certainly do.

If something bothers them, or if they don't know how to handle something, they simply ban it. It could be bar dancers, or smoking ads or even pesticides in carbonated drinks. What would be the implication of these bans and how does it affect the society at large economically, culturally or socially, is least of importance to them.

One of the silliest of such bans I witnessed recently was Mr. Anbumani's ban on smoking scenes in the movies. The health minister didn't just stop with that. He went to great length at ensuring that every citizen is aware that smoking is injurious. He declared that for all the movies made thus far, there should be disclaimer whenever a smoking scene comes up. I had laughed at some of the ban announcements before but for this I couldn't even laugh. I was too shocked to even wonder at the stupidity of the rulers or the audacity of nonchalance in using the power at hand.

Another such thing that happened recently is the extent of noise made at the pesticide residues in soft drinks. Using the term soft drinks would be diverting the issue. The issue is focused only on Pepsi and Coke. I wonder: Why do our Netas hate cola drinks so much? Why do they jump at the first ever opportunity to cause harm to them?

I have other questions too: What is the authenticity of the report published by the research centre concerned? What about the pesticide residues in the food products manufactured, marketed and sold by government institutions? For instnace, what's the pesticide residue count in Aavin, Vijaya or Nandini, the dairy companies owned by the state governments? About who owns up for the stones, dirt, weed reminders and of course pesticides in the products sold through our ration shops?

Long back I read in one of the Health Capsules that, worldwide, apple contains the largest amount of pesticide residue and, these days, eating apple a day, indeed keeps the doctor very close to you. Where is the ban on selling apples? If I'm not wrong, tea leaves comes second in the list. Will India stop drinking tea?

The problem is not about pesticide residues. That's the bane of modernity and the society must be taught to manage this problem. Just like how we can't avoid pollution, neither can this go. But it must be managed. If Pepsi or Coke contains unacceptable levels of such residues, they must be penalised and strict auditory regimens must be worked out. The residue limits must be nationally drawn for all the food products, including the government owned food products, and monitored constantly.

The trouble is, our politicos think that banning will somehow stop something from happening. I wonder why the government has not thought of announcing a 'ban' on terrorism.

That ban, perhaps, would help.