Fifty shades of De
The loud protests by Shiv Sena workers outside Shobhaa De’s home in tony Cuffe Parade in Mumbai are not the first time the party’s activists have gone after the author. As she has said herself, she is the Sena-BJP’s pet target, because they think she has let down Marathi culture, an odd allegation to make because she, in her words, a “proud Maharashtrian”.
This time the demonstration outside her residence is because of her tweets following the announcement by the Maharashtra government that multiplex cinemas in the state would compulsorily have to screen Marathi films in the six to nine slot. The move, endorsed by the Assembly, was widely criticised for being a diktat, without taking all the stakeholders into confidence. Just a day later, the government took note of this and called for a meeting of cinema owners and Marathi film producers to work out a good solution.
De tweeted that the government move was “dadagiri” and that audiences should be left to see them when they wanted to. She also linked this order to the ban on beef, calling the chief minister Devendra “Diktatwala” Fadnavis. The one that seemed to have riled the Sena most was a tweet about whether cinemas would now serve only vada pao and dahi misal, two quintessential Maharashtrian snacks — on Thursday, they gave her a packed gift of these items.
The privileged motion that followed her tweets was moved by the Sena. On Thursday morning, the Sena paper Saamna had an editorial on her, condemning her for her remarks. (Ironically, the Thackeray scion Aditya has been fighting for a more liberal entertainment regime in Mumbai, as a way to reach out to younger, more liberal citizens.) The BJP has distanced itself from any move to reprimand her or even object to what she tweeted.
What is it about Shobhaa De that makes her such an attractive target? Why go after her when so many people tweeted against the order? Why not people from Bollywood who objected to it?
Several interpretations are possible. The Sena never loses a chance to project its pro-Marathi manoos credentials and wants to ensure that no other party moves into that territory. De’s high profile immediately guarantees publicity and media coverage; that she is a Maharashtrian could allow the Sena to claim that it will not tolerate any “insult” even from a Maharashtrian. Second, while she may be a proud Maharashtrian, she is not seen as part of the community’s cultural milieu; she writes in English and is a member of the cosmopolitan elite. Most of all, Shobhaa De has always been a liberal and secular person who has on several occasions stood up against chauvinism and communal attitudes. And she does not hesitate to speak her mind and not just in private.
In print and on television, she will candidly speak out against narrow mindedness, especially in the context of Mumbai, whose ethos has undergone a change for the worse over the years. Her Mumbai and Marathi culture is one of mutual tolerance and communal harmony.
Over the years, she has metamorphosed from the editor of a film gossip magazine (the pioneer of its time) to celebrity watcher to society observer to novelist to speaker and to columnist. And of course she is a socialite. Left to herself, I suspect, she would want to be known as a journalist, as a communicator. She understands the importance of the printed word and most of all, of deadlines—she never misses one. Social media is one more platform for her, not for dilettantish enjoyment but to make a sharp point. In the middle of the protests, she tweeted a picture of the vadapao packets she was handed by the protestors, thanking them for it.
She deserves support because as citizens we must stand up for freedom of expression, more so in these times of increasing intolerance. At a time when many a writer and journalist conveniently trims his or her sails to the prevailing winds, we need not one but several Shobhaa De’s to say it like it is.