FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Art, Literature & Entertainment media are the main sources of a society’s reflection. A person with an extra ordinary blend of talent, aptitude, attitude and coverage usually becomes a celebrity ‘Artist’ as a painter, writer or performer. When an artist makes a public display of his artistic talent or put forth a literary work as an expression of insight, it should be a creative venture for a productive proposition. Every creative person has a moral, social and legal responsibility towards his artistic work and its absorbers. But when artists step out of the fundamentally permissible limits to freedom of speech & expression, breaking the social barriers, even they are at the disposal of criticism, censorship and comments. In one’s own personal space and privacy, what-so-ever an artist narrates or depicts, it is his/her pleasure and freedom. But when it comes to exhibition of work to public, EVERY artist needs to be cautious about their expressions and exposures because consciousness of the society serves as the watch guard. From the light of controversies put forth by renowned artists, let us have a quick thought over the margin of the Freedom of Expression of celebrities in a multicultural society.

Mr. M.F. Hussain with the exhibition of his painting of naked “Bharath Mata” made himself courting controversy and censorship inquiry. Prior to that, paintings of “Hindu Goddesses”, as nude, vulnerably sensual & sexual had subjected him to the wrath of secularists, fundamentalists and general public. When the most respected concepts & symbolic representation for a Woman in India was depicted through objectionable paintings, it automatically led to diligent appraisal. But the point for review is that, an artist, whomsoever he/she might be, should have the sense of social responsibility not to provoke the religious sentiments or to disrupt the communal harmony through his artistic creations, exposed to public.

The controversies put forth by Taslima Nasreen with her objectionable writings & Salman Rushdie with irrelevant depictions in his work, disrupted social accord. When a writer, an amateur or a professional, either by means of words in writing or through visuals based on scripts, expresses a theme, he/she needs to have a check upon the concept, words, and offensive languages fed into it, before its publication/release. Because words carry power to influence, institutionalize and provide insight for young and old. There is a tolerable and adjustable limit to which any society can accept propensity toward insult & negativity. Right to Freedom of Speech & Expression has a margin beyond which it becomes a liability.

The cine celebrities and models are no exemptions from the category of artists. Many times we see that sadistic and masochistic pieces of sex & violence are flooded into movies and albums. These large chunks are infact offensive entertainments that make a mockery of Censorship Board. The exposure extents and gestures of many ‘Fashion Models’ and ‘Item Dancers’ are in clear terms falling within the category of pornographic, obscene and indecent public exposures. The influence and erosion is not only of ours, but also of our future generations. Predictably, we (un)knowingly enjoy/ ignore these exposures which are infact main reasons for increased incidence of 1) Rape 2) Premarital Pregnancy 3) Suicides 4) Sexual Abuses 5) Murders 6) Domestic Disharmony and various other heinous crimes. Remember, value becomes a vice, when repression of value is justified on the grounds of marginal utility.

We are the ones to choose our role models and cheerleaders. Our voice has the power to uphold social realizations; at the same time our silence can withhold it. If ANYBODY tries to breed contempt, humility and chaos in society through despicable publicity and for luring monetary benefits, let us not allow them to make mockery of values and culture that exist in a country. Anything that is offensive, insulting or hurting the religious, social or personal feelings & freedom of a person/society, shall not be flattered, displayed or distributed. Instead, when you come across such issues, dare to report it as “Abuse” to concerned authorities, atleast as an ‘Anonymous’ citizen, because this is our fundamental duty & responsibility as observant public.

FOOTNOTE: Beware of your steps, selection and susceptibility when it comes to clutches of Art & Entertainment. Neither you, nor your dear ones are far from the negative impacts of obnoxious & toxic artistic productions. “When we step on the sleazy road of questioning the expressiveness of holiness and moral values, the fall is faster”.

Courtesy: http://protestnudebharatmatha.blogspot.com/