It is inexplicable that Chennai seeks to position itself as a gateway city of the future but, at the same time, wants to clamp down on even a hint of cosmopolitanism.
AT FIRST it was so contemptible, it was not worthy of notice, this moral policing that has suddenly gripped Chennai. Now, it has gone beyond being merely annoying to a point where it threatens individual freedoms. From imposing dress codes on adult students to gate-crashing private parties to laying siege on a popular Tamil actress who was frank enough to express her views on prevailing sexual mores, this moral brigade is now in people's faces.
The double standards of this brigade take the breath away. Those spearheading the protests against a statement by the actress Khushboo that a man should not expect virginity in his bride, have never protested against the lewd and suggestive lyrics of Tamil film songs. Similarly, the newspaper that ran pictures of women drinking at a private party in a five-star hotel, suggesting that their behaviour was immoral, ran an ad campaign that had sexual innuendo screaming out of it.
It is quite clear that multiple motives are fuelling the controversy. A few weeks be
