A furious debate ensues in the studio of a regional news channel. A passing glance is enough for one to realize that in terms of intensity, the discussion can easily relegate the juiciest episode of any TRP rich daily soap to a position Rafael Nadal often has to reconcile himself with when clay court season is all but over. Wagging fingers, creased foreheads and vehement disagreement of a panel of experts convey that the issue at hand is of paramount importance, and just like any other such issue, needs to be stretched out as long as possible. All Assamese Prime Time television slots on the day of Basant Panchami broadcast this exact picture, and it has quite a few takers too. So what, pray, is this topic of extensive public interest?
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It had all started off with its heart in the right place. To honour the Goddess of learning and music, the women of our state would dress up in their traditional finery. Many would borrow their mother's favourite mekhela or jewellery and go off to the pandals to offer their obeisance. The little ones always looked the best, of course. Can you even handle the one in the picture? Anyway, a couple of years ago, the Assamese media swooped in, for it was absolutely crucial that they waste no time in making an industry out of yet another festival. Bihu had been milked dry, after all, and telecasting actual news had never been a feasible option. Thus began the overt sexualization of teens and grad students. Media Vans would stand in wait in every educational institute, and girls would be judged in a Beauty Pageant they never participated in. celebrity pageant wears
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This morning, I tuned into one of these channels, and my stomach could barely take it. Reporters were going around from girl to girl, asking inane questions and as they did, the camera would do it's vouyeristic best to make every viewer uncomfortable (hint: head to toe, head to toe)
To put it mildly, it was disgusting, and the surprising aspect of it was that none of the girls had any issues with this unwarranted objectification. Some even mentioned that they had been preparing for that moment since the past few months. I am at a loss how year after year, this disgraceful and cheap extravaganza goes on unhindered, and I definitely do not want to imagine a day when this precious kid is forced to cough up an appropriate answer to, "But how many hours did you spend in the parlour?"