If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

by Seva Lamberdar Thu May 02, 2019 12:51 pm

BHOPAL: Lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar today said he is not averse to enacting a law banning the burqa (veil worn by Muslim women) if it is accompanied with a similar action against the "ghunghat" (veil worn by Hindu women) system prevalent among women in Rajasthan.

Javed Akhtar's comment came in the wake of the Shiv Sena mouthpiece on Wednesday urging the Narendra Modi government to emulate Sri Lanka in banning the burqa on grounds of national security.

"If you want to bring a law banning burqa here (in India) and if it is someones view I have no objection. But before the last phase of election in Rajasthan, this government should announce a ban on the practice of 'ghunghat' (covering of the face by Hindu women) in that state," Mr Akhtar said.

"I feel that ghunghat should go and the burqa should go. I will be happy," he added.

The Bollywood veteran said: "I have little knowledge of the burqa as there were working women in my family and I haven't seen the practice at my home."

"Iraq is a very orthodox Muslim country but the women there do not cover their faces. The law in Sri Lanka (now), too, forbids face cover," he said.

As the editorial created a flutter and drew sharp reaction from various quarters, a senior Sena leader said the editorial was not the official stand of the party.

Sri Lanka's decision to ban burqa came in the wake of the Easter Sunday terror attacks that killed over 250 people.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/if-you-want-burqa-ban-prohibit-ghunghat-too-javed-akhtar-to-shiv-sena-2032129

by Seva Lamberdar Thu May 02, 2019 9:04 pm

Ghunghat is worn / used only intermittently, to hide face by the woman from someone older or a stranger. Moreover, if the woman decides to not use ghunghat any more, there is no big hue and cry about it. Above all, ghunghat is never considered a religious custom for Hindu women, but merely as a social (family) custom.

by southindian Fri May 03, 2019 8:51 am

Funny! Hindu women started covering their faces only after Muslims invaded from the West. Smile

Burqa should go and so should Hindu women veil.

by Guest Fri May 03, 2019 10:48 am

i see more faces covered on desi roads by people on two-wheelers than burqa or pardah combined, atleast where i visit. when are we fixing pollution problem there, seriously.

by confuzzled dude Fri May 03, 2019 10:49 pm

sulu wrote:i see more faces covered on desi roads by people on two-wheelers than burqa or pardah combined, atleast where i visit. when are we fixing pollution problem there, seriously.

LOL. In south, there is no concept of ghunghat or touching the feet of elders, in my entire life, I touched feet of my parents let alone elders just once (during my marriage). It doesn’t mean that i respect them less than a typical Norh Indian. To a typical South Indian, touching feet of parents is asalien as saying “love you honey”

by Guest Sat May 04, 2019 6:37 am

confuzzled dude wrote:
sulu wrote:i see more faces covered on desi roads by people on two-wheelers than burqa or pardah combined, atleast where i visit. when are we fixing pollution problem there, seriously.
LOL. In south, there is no concept of ghunghat or touching the feet of elders, in my entire life, I touched feet of my parents let alone elders just once (during my marriage). It doesn’t mean that i respect them less than a typical Norh Indian. To a typical South Indian, touching feet of parents is asalien as saying “love you honey”

not touching the feet of elders is a trait that SIs share with the muslims, and also no maang bharna or mangalstura (if i am right)... hehe

the section of NI that I am in, girls don't touch feet of people in her own family, only in-laws, so i grew up randomly touching feet of only dignified teachers; not even 'gurus', coz family wasn't that into them. You know all the reasons for it, but i will share what my mom said about it that makes me still follow the culture. that is, when you touch someone's feet, only blessings will come out of their mouth/soul, so WHY wouldn't you want blessings. Just recently, i took son to meet an aunt of mine who he had never met before (he was a baby when she last saw him)... we go at her door steps, i look back at him, and he reaches forward and touches her feet. Major ice breaker. She treated him the rest of the evening like she had known him forever, very affectionately. Not saying she wouldn't have done so otherwise, but i am very sure it helped. She knew he's not gonna be a teenager out there to block her out, and he didn't to do anything else to make her feel so.

by FluteHolder Sat May 04, 2019 8:39 am

I was puzzled when I was working in Mumbai that my colleague informed me that he will scold his younger bro if he doesnot touch his feet before any important tasks/starting, like going to write a competitive or school/college final exam? Is that the norm in NI? My friend is a Gujju from Mumbai.

I have seen in my family, taking blessing of grandma when we leave her home after our visits. May be of all elders only(couple) on religious ceremonies at home or wedding/reception if the person seeking blessings is getting married or other related ceremonies. And if all the elders are available at the same time all the younger ones/kids get individual or group prostration/saashtanga namaskaram (lay flat in front of them as a family/couple ) to each individual elder couple who are authorized to bless.

by Guest Sat May 04, 2019 12:34 pm

FluteHolder wrote:
I was puzzled when I was working in Mumbai that my colleague informed me that he will scold his younger bro if he doesnot touch his feet before any important tasks/starting, like going to write a competitive or school/college final exam? Is that the norm in NI? My friend is a Gujju from Mumbai.

never seen anyone demanding that people touch their own feet, unless it's done jokingly. the only time i have seen this being enforced is when a parent wants their kids to follow culture and touch other elders' feet, and the kid stubbornly refuses to. Like in my story above, if i had signaled son and he had not leaned forward, then it would be awkward and the aunt would have said - let it go, it's ok.

among siblings and all, this is only on important occasions, if at all. And then there are degrees to touching feet, sometimes you just do the gesture and touch the air near their knees or feet, and sometimes you actually make contact. Some people touch each foot one at a time. Each culture has their own nuances

FluteHolder wrote:I have seen in my family, taking blessing of grandma when we leave her home after our visits. May be of all elders only(couple) on religious ceremonies at home or wedding/reception if the person seeking blessings is getting married or other related ceremonies. And if all the elders are available at the same time all the younger ones/kids get individual or group prostration/saashtanga namaskaram (lay flat in front of them as a family/couple ) to each individual elder couple who are authorized to bless.

the latter part seems like a big production. i don't think i have seen this personally anywhere. Whenever SIs mocked me for this, i thought they NEVER touch feet, but looks like in weddings and all they do, or for grandparents. So maybe you have a leftover tradition now in the south, while in NI it's still very much a way of life.

by Kris Sat May 04, 2019 2:27 pm

confuzzled dude wrote:
sulu wrote:i see more faces covered on desi roads by people on two-wheelers than burqa or pardah combined, atleast where i visit. when are we fixing pollution problem there, seriously.
LOL. In south, there is no concept of ghunghat or touching the feet of elders, in my entire life, I touched feet of my parents let alone elders just once (during my marriage). It doesn’t mean that i respect them less than a typical Norh Indian. To a typical South Indian, touching feet of parents is asalien as saying “love you honey”

I didn’t know ghungat was that common, at least in the past two generations.
Maybe it is just in some rural areas??The touching feet from what I have seen is a half bend deal when the elder stops you. That’s more of a formality than what we do at weddings. I once worked for a Japanese org where the bosses had just come from Japan. The initial meetings were awkward for the rest of us since there is some protocol on the degree of the bow. After that, I (and others on the team) just shook hands to avoid the awkwardness. Ditto for using chopsticks. Even my kids give me a hard time with it, but if I don’t feel comfortable I would rather not do it just for the sake of protocol.

by Kris Sat May 04, 2019 2:42 pm

the latter part seems like a big production. i don't think i have seen this personally anywhere. Whenever SIs mocked me for this, i thought they NEVER touch feet, but looks like in weddings and all they do, or for grandparents. So maybe you have a leftover tradition now in the south, while in NI it's still very much a way of life.

.... it does exist but on a limited basis. I do it with my dad (and mother, when she was alive) before leaving for the airport while coming back. I also hug and my dad is very stoic when this happens because he knows I will cry, which invariably happens. My dad usually stays up even if it is late to wait for my call from the airport after I have checked in.

by garam-kuta Sun May 05, 2019 10:41 am

another major difference between the SI and NI is the nature of brahmins. SI brahmins are very soft in nature. Contrast that with the NI brahmins.

https://www.ndtv.com/people/apoorva-shukla-tiwari-arrested-for-killing-husband-rohit-shekhar-tiwari-nd-tiwaris-son-2028001

the dad ND TIWARI was a playboy with numerous affairs. he was kicked out of governor post in his old age when he turned the rajbhavan into a harem and conducted orgies with young women. the mom ujjwala SHARMA had an affair with ND tiwari and had an illegimate child, rohit. this rohit also had multiple affairs and had another ilegimate child with a family relative and continued the affair after marriage to apurva SHUKLA. this apurva from INDORE, murdered her husband and currently in jail. between the tiwaris-sharmas-shuklas, a whole lot of 'free-spirited' behavior on display.

by Sponsored content

If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena

Re: If You Want Burqa Ban, Prohibit Ghunghat Too: Javed Akhtar To Shiv Sena