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Sunday, July 23, 2006
Lady Chatterley's Lover
by D.H. Lawrence
Today, I happened to find an old Times Life newspaper from Times of India Sunday Magazine dated 14th May 2006, got from a grocery shop as a paper wrapper. Before throwing it away, my eyes rolled over the headlines "Leave the emotions at the door!", and sat reading till the last line of the paper-bit that I had.
It was an interesting mix of readings, talking about the new "sexual revolution" in India - specifically for the Indian woman, who are not scared or ashamed anymore of brief and emotionless sexual encounters.
According to the paper, even counterparts in the West (Britain was mentioned specifically) think that one night stands are immoral. Not so in India anymore. The Indian woman in her early-twenties, riding on her world's "globalness" and her own economic independence, is pretty *&^%ing happy, they say. Or so it seems.
The girls interviewed in the article seemed somehow smug about their sexual encounters, the more emotionless, the better. What a pity! Why do we have to lose our rigid past to a cold, calculating future? Both totally suck.
The worst part was reading that some of the girls were perfectly happy for mummy and daddy to choose their partners for life, after they had had their share of "fun". It was reminiscent of how Indian men used to talk a decade or so back.
But the ending punch lines were really great... The author of the article says...I don't want to judge anyone, however: if you want an emotionless fling, great, good for you. But lets not throw all emotion out of the window; I mean, relationships based on care can't all be lame. And if the new gen-x of women is going to think that its "uncool" to have meaninglful relationships, it's too bad!
Contrast this to Lady Chatterley, the miserable woman longing not for sex, but for sex and care, or love, whatever you want to call it. Trapped in a marriage with a cripple, she wanted both emotional and physical attention. She didn't seek it in all men, only some appealed to her. A mental connection.
That is what, it seems, Indian women do not want. And, ironically, the women in the West, who have already completed the cycle of breaking the chains, and finding the all chains don't need to be broken, are now resisting, waiting for something "meaningful". I guess a time will come when the Indian women too will be fed up. Right now, although they assert the contrary, sex is a big deal. Otherwise everyone wouldn't be talking about it, and it wouldn't be on the first page of the newspaper that young Indian women are "doing it".
Lady Chatterley's angst and disillusion is probably reflected in the late-twenties, early 30's Indian woman, aware of the past she is emerging from, and valuing the future she is stepping into.
For more reading on the novel "Lady Chatterley's Lover" click on the link.
Bye.
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