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Sambhar Mafia - Cooked To Kill!

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Shiv Sena influence in Chennai?

Vernacular Media and restraint don’t go hand in hand and this fact got further reinforced after seeing the latest developments in Chennai. A fashion show / private party was held in a Star hotel in Chennai and the vernacular media splashed smooching pics in their respective newspapers. The police sprung into action and have arrested some of the hotel staff for running a bar without proper license. In what can be termed as an intrusion of privacy, the pictures of lot of the partygoer’s have been published without their consent. This moral policing has taken a new direction with the police launching a hunt to catch the partygoers. The police should be doing some other crackdowns to make it to the headlines.

Dinamalar had an article about this and Chenthil provides a translation for people who can’t read Tamil. Today’s Tamizh Murasu had this on the cover page (the pics have been removed)



Uma pretty much sums up the feelings of most of us:

Firstly can someone tell me, are people not entitled to their privacy when on a night out in Chennai? Whether its night out with family to a cinema, or with friends to a disco, people are entitled to their privacy. I have never been out clubbing in India and I don't think I ever will either. These people are grown adults right? So what, if they are drinking/dancing in the confines of the hotel bar/club. They are not being drunk, disorderly and causing trouble on the streets, are they?


After the Anna University dress code this is the second disgusting incident to happen in Chennai. Let some sense prevail!

posted by Kaps at 9:19 PM

28 Comments:

  • that is pretty disgusting!especially the tamil dailies...i have seen some of the headlinesthey come up with and that makes me puke at that instant!

    but i guess we shuld start being immune to such guys coz it is going to grow tougher for us chennaites or for that fact Indians with the way these paparazzis started expressing themselves now!

    By Blogger IBH, at 9:43 PM  

  • The Tamil vernacular dailies are effectively soft porn. What the hell are they taking about the morals of society.

    By Blogger nmk, at 10:43 PM  

  • i saw the pics.....the pics were more about a bunch of drunk and wild party kids jumping up and down....the scene will be the same in any bars/clubs in chennai irrespective of the hotel....pretty sure that the kids have connections in high places to get out of this unwarranted task scot free....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:03 PM  

  • the crap that newsprint gets wasted on.

    By Blogger Abi, at 1:17 AM  

  • "After the Anna University dress code this is the second disgusting incident to happen in Chennai."

    I dont know what exactly Anna Univ's dress code is. But dress codes in schools and colleges sound ok to me. Afterall, it's an agreement between those who provide education and those who take it.

    But what these newspapers did (stealing into a private party, taking pictures and publishing them) - and police's reaction (even if its clothed in legalese) were atrocious, criminal.

    By Blogger Ramnath, at 1:19 AM  

  • They were arrested for serving liquor without license right?

    Dont worry these guys will be let off soon. Isnt the TN police famous for this? So many times they raided Prostitution rings arrested high profile actresses only to be let out with no charges or weak charges.

    The real reason why the arrests were made is coz, the hotel did not give mamool to them to run this party...From now, any hotel party mangers will ensure mamool is settled for the Police first. This was a warning to them.
    :-))

    mmm..i never seeen so much wild reaction in the Blog world to the pro-cultural-activism by tamil vernaculars and the filth being written by them.

    I guess the Blog world thought this kind of outrage was not needed in a more serious matter (when filth was written on heads of the kanchi mutt by the tamil dailies with the connivance of twisted and selective police leaks).

    By Blogger Surya, at 2:03 AM  

  • Kaps,
    me the also posting about this. me also linking to your post.

    By Blogger Sriram, at 2:44 AM  

  • A person does not go into a bar or party hoping to hear bhajans. They go to dance or drink. So how can people who go to a place knowing well there are gonna be drinks and dance, come out and cry wolf!

    kaps I've written about it - and am extremly irritated that there are ppl defending those sleazy reporters

    By Blogger Visithra, at 10:19 AM  

  • Its really ..really disgusting ..

    By Blogger Jagan, at 10:58 AM  

  • Kaps,

    The only reason Police swung into action was b'cos it was published in Tamil Murasu...an Evening tabloid promoted by DMK sympathisers....

    There is more Politics involved in it than any Cultural Policing...

    If ppl can recollect when the Current govt. came to the power a Disc( Pub) by the name 'HFO' promoted by a certain member of DMK family was forced to shut down citing the same reason.

    Nowthat similar kinna pubs and discs. are functioning without such problems they ( DMK) wants to stir this issue again.....and with a Vernacular media in the hand and soon elections approaching they have to kick start some debate.....

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:01 PM  

  • Surya,
    What is serious and what is not, does not get measured according to your preferences. The latest action by police in Chennai mainly affects people between 18-35, who form the bulk of the bloggers. Therefore the interest.

    We don't give a shit if Jayendra Saraswati is off Kanchi, but I sure as hell do care if am not able to enjoy freedom. Does that answer your question on relativ seriousness?

    By Blogger Nilu, at 1:20 PM  

  • seriously, the trashy headlines are the worst - "baaril dance aadiya" etc - what, they danced naked on table tops in a public bar?! chennai only seems to be going to bad to worse... so glad to be out of it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:00 PM  

  • This is really disgusting! How can they get into the privacy of the people??! They did a sleazy job of publishing those pics and acting like moral policing! Very bad.

    By Blogger Jo, at 3:39 PM  

  • Nilu,
    Its the same police that arrested the Kanchi head, which you all relished..now its the same Police...so please enjoy the Fun.
    Dont talk about Freedom..its available plenty out there than in US. This kind of scene is not going to happen again..
    The reactions are all amusing...The blogW did not have anything exciting for a while. I am having fun...
    Well..thank god atleast now you realized what TN police is made up of.

    By Blogger Surya, at 8:35 PM  

  • The fun is that the chief police officer's son was having a blast on that day till 3 AM in a star hotel, it was there in the Decan Chronicle with the Boy's photo..stopping a dance party will change the culture??

    By Blogger Srinivas, at 8:40 PM  

  • Surya,
    I did not have fun when Jayendra was arrested. I just did not give a shit. I think there is a difference.

    And more importantly, Jayendra was arrested on charges of murder(whether true or otherwise, it does not make a difference in this context), not partying. Murder is not an expression of freedom, whereas partying is.

    By Blogger Nilu, at 11:07 PM  

  • I beg to differ

    The Hotel where about 200 people (where every one does not know the other 190 except for perhaps 10) gather is NOT a place for "private" party

    You can do whatever you like inside your home or office or hotel room. Or in a party if you know every one (say family party of office party). This is NOT a private party

    Police do have a right to interfere when things are not suited for the culture (and era) of the place and such things happen in public.

    By Blogger Doctor Bruno, at 11:50 PM  

  • surya,
    why is the sankaracharyar's arrest more important than this??.And why should everyone react to the news on him?.I might be a christian/muslim or a atheist, who doesn't have anything to do with him.It does not matter to me whether he goes missing from the mutt to be with his lover or he does kumbabishekham of a new temple.

    By Blogger jack, at 12:43 AM  

  • Nilu,
    Whether it was Muder or Partying - TN police are pot bellied blokes, TN vernaculars are loaded with filth,this you realized and i am glad.
    Sen - I am not forcing anyone to write anti-arrest or pro-party, just amusing myself at the reactions. Because this is what the police and tamil vernaculars were and some guys realized it when it got to them :-)

    By Blogger Surya, at 1:02 AM  

  • Surya,
    It does not take an Einstein to realize that people are bothered only when something concerns them.

    Whats your point - that the police in TN are goons? ....sadly most of the blogosphere's point is not that. We are just annoyed that the society has such scant regard for personal liberty in India/Chennai.

    As long as I enjoy a free society, I really do not care if Jayendra Saraswati is charged with murder or rape or incest or happensto be happily shagging in Kanchi.

    By Blogger Nilu, at 4:48 AM  

  • more than making your point, badmouthing seems your intent...very amusing just like your post on this issue :-))

    By Blogger Surya, at 4:55 AM  

  • lol Surya - when did I bad mouth you?

    By Blogger Nilu, at 7:00 AM  

  • come on, this is chennai. They have their own rules and u got to live with it.... I am sure it is not private party.. it is a loophole they are giving as an excuse. Come on youngsters.. learn how to behave.. thats the message

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:12 PM  

  • What the hell are these cops and media talking about ..its such double standards..the same channel owned by the paper that published pics has a show called midnight masala ..where some grosse stuff happens on tv ...man the cops are equally jobless ..they wont go and look into rape happening at some kuppam or some minor getting molested ...they just wanna be in some hotel where they see people who have worked all day who come to meet other ppl and improve their lifestyle...it sucks even more because of the amount of forigen investments coming to tamilnadu ..everytime i meet a person from another country ..he wants to know where he can unwind after work and if he can get a drink and meet other ppl without being harrssed by the cops ..what obscenity are they talking about when half the men in this state walk around in lungis showing the organs ...bullshit !!!!!!!!!!!!!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:18 PM  

  • so what if it is chennai ...u wanna live like a saint u can do that no one is stopping anybody from doing anything ...just mind your own business ..thats all it takes to live in peace ...why go and ruffle someone else is feathers ..just coz u have ur underpants on ur head ..and that jebbraj guy who filed the case is supposed to be a born again christian ...man he gives the whole community a bad name ...must be some frustrated guy who didnt get a table at the park coz he looks like he smeared shit on his face just to look better.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:23 PM  

  • I think what's happening in Chennai is a confused reaction of certain sections of the middle/lower middle classes born out of insecurity to the rapid changes in the economic and cultural landscape. I think this will pass and I hope this ridiculous unconstitutional misuse of State power ignites a debate and counter reaction among progressive and thoughtful people especially the youth and actually brings about even faster changes, that will be the just and fitting reply to these medieval prudish fascists.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:57 AM  

  • the tamil nadu conservatives are just as gay and retarded as the Taliban..this is no surprise...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:32 AM  

  • Aren’t we missing the fact that we in Chennai are being told what we must think and be? Hello! Where goes democracy? Where goes free speech?

    Pray, would someone tell me who in this culturally rich Chennai has been offended by the late-night partying and the likes? Would they stand up to be counted?

    And while you stand, I’d like to ask you: mister or miss or ms moral police, what has caused you to loose sleep over the partying or whatever it is you find aggrieving?

    Who are you to tell me what I should do? Would you listen to what I have to say? Who are you to draw my borders and decide my wardrobe or the authors I read or what I do with my time and money as long as I have in no way infringed on your reasonable liberty? Who are you pray?

    And who's given you the right to rule my private space? Is intrusion your culture? Is intolerance your culture? Is hypocrisy your culture? Because it sure isn't Chennai’s as you claim.

    By Blogger Rajesh Rajoo, at 8:36 PM  

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