Attack on culture through sex!

If I say that our culture is under attack through sex, it might sound strange to you. Some of you might even call it an exaggeration, but this is the reality. The kind of shameful remarks made by YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia on Samay Raina’s YouTube show ‘India’s Got Latent’ is just a glimpse of a larger issue. The truth is that in the name of freedom of expression, the Internet has become a dumping ground for vulgarity, abuse and mental filth. A well-orchestrated conspiracy is at play, cunningly designed to fill the minds of our youths with impurity.

Before understanding this conspiracy, let’s talk about the show ‘India’s Got Latent’. We are all familiar with the popular TV show ‘India’s Got Talent’. By replacing ‘Talent’ with ‘Latent’, Samay Raina cleverly created a YouTube channel. While ‘Talent’ is a commonly understood term, ‘Latent’ is not. ‘Latent’ means hidden, concealed or dormant which signifies something that exists but is not openly expressed. This word was likely chosen carefully to ensure that legal loopholes could be exploited while serving up sexual content. They can argue that the topics discussed may not be openly spoken about, but they do exist! This show includes everything from obscene abuses to explicit discussions about male and female body parts. While this is vulgarity for us, for people like Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina, it is a way to make money. YouTubers who use profanities on their podcasts earn millions because they have massive followings. Platforms like YouTube don’t care about the content being served. All that they are concerned about is the number of hits and subscribers. Whoever meets this criterion will fill their pockets!

This time the controversy has become even more serious. Moving beyond just vulgar language and obscene descriptions of body parts and relationships, Allahbadia asked a contestant a question so repulsive that I cannot write it here verbatim because our conscience is still alive. However, I must explain it in the most decent words possible. He asked the contestant whether they would rather watch their parents engage in sexual relationships for their entire life or participate once and end it forever. The contestant laughed, but as I watched and listened, my blood boiled! What kind of ‘latent’ discussion is this? Who doesn’t know that intimacy is a natural act essential for the continuation of life? Does that mean we should start expressing it publicly? Today, almost all Internet platforms have become hubs of obscenity. Abuses are used so frequently that they would make even the listener embarrassed. Even young girls casually use profanities related to women’s honour. Discussions about body parts happen as if people are talking about electronic gadgets. Stand-up comedians making sexual jokes attract audiences who pay thousands of rupees for tickets and those who cannot afford it get access to their videos on social media. These videos receive millions of likes, bringing in huge profits!

Are you aware that Indian youths spend an average of 2.5 hours daily surfing various social media platforms, with approximately 40 minutes dedicated to watching reels? While good quality reels do exist, sexually explicit content is also rampant. Naturally, young people are more attracted to such content. And here, I am not even talking about pornographic films or clips. Recently, I was reading a research paper on the Internet industry and I was shocked to learn that India ranks first in the world for watching porn, with the US coming in second. Now, some Indians have also started producing porn films. Some names from the film industry have already surfaced for creating and selling soft porn abroad. Some might argue that ‘Mastram’ stories were available in the market earlier, and now they have simply taken the form of videos. But I do not agree with this argument. Those erotic stories served as a private escape and were read in secrecy. But what is happening today is a direct attack on our culture. It’s hard to say who to blame.

A large section of people defends social sites by calling it ‘media’. Several prominent politicians have even appeared on Allahbadia’s shows, though those episodes did not contain profanities. But the question is why should such individuals be given legitimacy in the first place? There is an old saying: If you want to destroy a nation, destroy its culture. This is exactly what is happening today.

Recently, a report was published that I must mention. The American intelligence agency CIA has established an organisation called Internews Network, which has trained around 9,000 so-called journalists in 30 countries over the past four years under the guise of ‘keeping democracy alive’. Out of these, 7,500 journalists are from India! They have also been generously funded. Doesn’t this raise suspicion in your mind? And doesn’t it make you wonder as to who is funding those attacking Indian culture through sex? Our government should also reflect on this! It is possible that some countries are frustrated because their citizens are coming to attend Maha Kumbh Mela and embracing Hindu culture. But our immediate concern is what are we doing? We are blindly following Western trends and burning in the fire of cultural destruction.

The author is the chairman, Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha.