A socialite evening..
I'm reproducing (hehe) my interview with Shobha De here. though many of her arguments i found logically flawed and populist, her appeal with the masses is something you just cant deny. She knows how to connect with the common man/woman...n still manages to remain the aspirational star they cant reach. i think that's where the charisma lies..
" Empowerment has no meaning if you have no income of your own. Every girl today should be financially independent, that's a must." Shobhaa De shoots from the lip. She's speaking on the eve of first anniversary of women's magazine Tanishka and every next line from her registers as a quotable quote with the audience. They nod their heads, heartily applaud or simply listen-
awestruck by the glamour and thrilled by the easy immediacy of the high-profile celebrity. And she never lets them down, even if she has to rush back to Mumbai, even if she has important personal priorities lined up before her, even when she's being thronged by people young and old for autographs and compliments.
She's the popular diva and she duly gives it back to them, making each one of them feel attended, warmly obliging with a smile and a word. Immediately, you begin to unravel the phenomenon of stardom and what exactly she means by 'knowing the pulse of the public'. " If I can speak to people from all the three generations, it's because I'm
genuinely interested in human beings," she says, also attributing her 'solid middle-class upbringing' to her appeal among the great Indian middle class. "If I can speak middle-class, that's because I am middle-class," says she, triggering another round of applause from the gallery. Waving off the contradiction of being a middle-class woman and a page 3 celebrity as
'stereotypes created by the celebrity-culture', she says, " I don't want to defend the tag and I don't want to play in to the expectations of the stereotype. I want my work to speak for me."
Work and financial independence is something she rates supremely, obvious in her initial remark. We turn the argument on its head. Does financial independence necessarily mean empowerment? " No, not at all," she's quick to explain. " There's no point in being financially independent if you think of yourself as victims. Women have to first begin by feeling empowered. The 21 st century belongs to women. The society has to realize that it's not a
woman vs. man world anymore. Even men have to realize that women and men have to work together hereafter. Women today are in a position to affect change," she believes.
That the gender divide should be done away with, in every sense, is a conviction she holds dear. " That's why I do not favour reservations. I should be where I am, because of my merit. Why should I be given concessions on account of my gender," she retorts. Talk to her of a woman president waving the flag of women's empowerment and she rolls her eyes. The gesture speaks louder than her words and there's no ambiguity in what she thinks of 'empowerment' or the myth of a 'superwoman', happily bearing the double burden.
How does she react to the glorified tag? " It's ridiculous. This has been imposed from somewhere above, making women aspire for goals that are unattainable. If there are no 'supermen', why should there be 'superwomen'?" she wonders.
These tags she despises. Be it the abovementioned one or the much vilified 'just a housewife' label, she disapproves and vehemently so. " When a man refers to his wife as 'just a housewife' he should be corrected. It's time society acknowledges her work. In fact, the dichotomy between working women and housewives shouldn't exist. All women are born working women," she
asserts.
That tells us why she's equally comfortable looking after her children and donning the hat of a career woman, for in her mind there are no watertight compartments. "My dining table is very important to me. I write on it, I communicate with my children around it," she says fondly. So will her next book be titled 'dining table', we joke. " You know, a lot of people who are
close to me have actually written poems about it," she shares.
Self-confessedly superstitious, she doesn't talk about her next book. But once again, plays to the gallery and signs off with a ' I will launch thebook in Pune' promise. The audience is happy and hopeful.
" Empowerment has no meaning if you have no income of your own. Every girl today should be financially independent, that's a must." Shobhaa De shoots from the lip. She's speaking on the eve of first anniversary of women's magazine Tanishka and every next line from her registers as a quotable quote with the audience. They nod their heads, heartily applaud or simply listen-
awestruck by the glamour and thrilled by the easy immediacy of the high-profile celebrity. And she never lets them down, even if she has to rush back to Mumbai, even if she has important personal priorities lined up before her, even when she's being thronged by people young and old for autographs and compliments.
She's the popular diva and she duly gives it back to them, making each one of them feel attended, warmly obliging with a smile and a word. Immediately, you begin to unravel the phenomenon of stardom and what exactly she means by 'knowing the pulse of the public'. " If I can speak to people from all the three generations, it's because I'm
genuinely interested in human beings," she says, also attributing her 'solid middle-class upbringing' to her appeal among the great Indian middle class. "If I can speak middle-class, that's because I am middle-class," says she, triggering another round of applause from the gallery. Waving off the contradiction of being a middle-class woman and a page 3 celebrity as
'stereotypes created by the celebrity-culture', she says, " I don't want to defend the tag and I don't want to play in to the expectations of the stereotype. I want my work to speak for me."
Work and financial independence is something she rates supremely, obvious in her initial remark. We turn the argument on its head. Does financial independence necessarily mean empowerment? " No, not at all," she's quick to explain. " There's no point in being financially independent if you think of yourself as victims. Women have to first begin by feeling empowered. The 21 st century belongs to women. The society has to realize that it's not a
woman vs. man world anymore. Even men have to realize that women and men have to work together hereafter. Women today are in a position to affect change," she believes.
That the gender divide should be done away with, in every sense, is a conviction she holds dear. " That's why I do not favour reservations. I should be where I am, because of my merit. Why should I be given concessions on account of my gender," she retorts. Talk to her of a woman president waving the flag of women's empowerment and she rolls her eyes. The gesture speaks louder than her words and there's no ambiguity in what she thinks of 'empowerment' or the myth of a 'superwoman', happily bearing the double burden.
How does she react to the glorified tag? " It's ridiculous. This has been imposed from somewhere above, making women aspire for goals that are unattainable. If there are no 'supermen', why should there be 'superwomen'?" she wonders.
These tags she despises. Be it the abovementioned one or the much vilified 'just a housewife' label, she disapproves and vehemently so. " When a man refers to his wife as 'just a housewife' he should be corrected. It's time society acknowledges her work. In fact, the dichotomy between working women and housewives shouldn't exist. All women are born working women," she
asserts.
That tells us why she's equally comfortable looking after her children and donning the hat of a career woman, for in her mind there are no watertight compartments. "My dining table is very important to me. I write on it, I communicate with my children around it," she says fondly. So will her next book be titled 'dining table', we joke. " You know, a lot of people who are
close to me have actually written poems about it," she shares.
Self-confessedly superstitious, she doesn't talk about her next book. But once again, plays to the gallery and signs off with a ' I will launch thebook in Pune' promise. The audience is happy and hopeful.
posted by renu at 10:59 PM
4 comments
