Topic Of The Day:-“Requirements of any work”
Unfortunately, however, the Censor Board’s actions represent an approach towards the freedom of expression that, despite its evident wrong-headedness, has been sanctioned by the Supreme Court on a number of recent occasions. This approach has two distinct aspects. First, that in order to qualify for constitutional protection, a work must have an objectively defined social value — that is, it must be good for something, whether it is spreading scientific or historical knowledge, inculcating patriotic values, or advocating good social habits. Second, if the work refers to or is about a certain segment of society, then that segment automatically acquires the power to decide whether or not it has been “offended” by it — a power that is exercised by the self-appointed gatekeepers of the community. As an example of the second, take the recent travails of Jolly LLB 2, a well known satirical film about the Indian legal system. Before the film could be released, there was an uproar because it was alleged to have “insulted” lawyers and the legal system (although there is no law – and probably with good reason – that prohibits people from insulting lawyers). A petition was filed in the Bombay High Court. Ignoring what the CBFC itself had to say about this, the Bombay High Court appointed a three-member panel of lawyers, to “review” the film. Where the High Court found the power to do so, and why lawyers were appointed to review a film that satirises lawyers are questions that have no answer. In any event, the panel suggested four deletions. In the meantime, the producers had rushed to the Supreme Court, which, however, declined to interfere. Faced with the delayed release of their film, and the possibility of an eventual defeat in the Supreme Court, the producers swallowed their pride, accepted the four cuts, and received clearance for the film in the nick of time. There is something uniquely grotesque about appointing lawyers to vet a film that makes fun of lawyers, just as it is uniquely grotesque to invite members of the royal family to vet a film that allegedly besmirches Rajput honour. The idea underlying the actions of both the court and the Censor Board is that every self-identified “community” – no matter how loosely- or ill-defined – has an automatic right of veto over any work of art, expressed through its self-proclaimed and most noisy gatekeepers. This, in turn, goes back to the pre-constitutional idea that India is not a nation of individual citizens, but an agglomeration of homogenous, clearly defined “communities”, and that it is these communities that come to be the measure of all values. The Constitution, however, clearly repudiated this view when it placed the individual – and individual rights – at its heart. Unfortunately, however, that lesson remains to be learnt, and especially by the Supreme Court which, in 2007, upheld a book ban on the ground that in a country as diverse as India, no community should feel offended or have its feelings hurt. The court didn’t see fit to say that in a country as diverse as India, everyone should learn spirit of tolerance; that apart, who can claim the right to project their personal hurt or offence onto their community as a whole is itself a difficult and complex question, which the court has so far failed to answer.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Exhibited
Meaning: Manifest clearly (a quality or a type of behaviour).
Example: “he could exhibit a saintlike submissiveness”
Synonyms: Show, Reveal
Antonyms: Conceal, Hide
2) Bemusement
Meaning: The fact or condition of being bemused; puzzlement.
Example: “we turned to each other in utter bemusement”
Synonyms: Confusion, Puzzlement
3) Amusement
Meaning: The state or experience of finding something funny.
Example: “we looked with amusement at our horoscopes”
Synonyms: Mirth, Delight
Antonyms: Boredom, Depression
4) Seemingly
Meaning: So as to give the impression of having a certain quality; apparently.
Example: “a seemingly competent and well-organized person”
Synonyms: Apparently, Evidently
Antonyms: Genuinely
5) Scrutiny
Meaning: Critical observation or examination.
Example: “every aspect of local government was placed under scrutiny”
Synonyms: Inspection, Survey
Antonyms: Glance
6) Constitutional
Meaning: In accordance with a constitution.
Example: “a constitutional monarchy”
Synonyms: Legal, Legitimate
Antonyms: Unconstitutional
7) Wrong-headed
Meaning: Having or showing bad judgement; misguided.
Example: “this approach is both wrong-headed and naive”
8) Distinct
Meaning: Recognizably different in nature from something else of a similar type.
Example: “the patterns of spoken language are distinct from those of writing”
Synonyms: Clear, Definite
Antonyms: Indistinct, Indefinite
9) Patriotic
Meaning: Having or expressing devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country.
Example: “today’s game will be played before a fiercely patriotic crowd”
Synonyms: Nationalist, Loyal
Antonyms: Traitorous
10) Advocating
Meaning: Publicly recommend or support.
Example: “voters supported candidates who advocated an Assembly”
Synonyms: Recommend, Prescribe
Antonyms: Reject
11) Travails
Meaning: Engage in painful or laborious effort.
Example: “creation may travail in pain but it cannot escape its destiny”
12) Satirizes
Meaning: Deride and criticize by means of satire.
Example: “the movie satirized the notion of national superiority”
Synonyms: Mock, Ridicule
13) Declined
Meaning: Diminish in strength or quality; deteriorate.
Example: “her health began to decline”
Synonyms: Deteriorate, Decay
Antonyms: Flourish
14) Eventual
Meaning: Occurring or existing at the end of or as a result of a process or period of time.
Example: “it’s impossible to predict the eventual outcome of the competition”
Synonyms: Final, Ultimate
15) Grotesque
Meaning: Comically or repulsively ugly or distorted.
Example: “a figure wearing a grotesque mask”
Synonyms: Malformed, Deformed
Antonyms: Ordinary, Normal
16) Besmirches
Meaning: Damage (someone’s reputation).
Example: “he had besmirched the good name of his family”
Synonyms: Sully, Tarnish
Antonyms: Honour, Enhance
17) Agglomeration
Meaning: A mass or collection of things; an assemblage.
Example: “the arts centre is an agglomeration of theatres, galleries, shops, restaurants and bars”
Synonyms: Clump, Stack
18) Repudiated
Meaning: Refuse to accept; reject.
Example: “she has repudiated policies associated with previous party leaders”
Synonyms: Reject, Renounce
Antonyms: Embrace
