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Delhi-based freelance journalist, Mahima, makes an ardent appeal to stop cracking jokes and shaming the National Bird. Why give so much space to such petty and insignificant incident (read news), when burning issues are being swept under the carpet? A Different Truths exclusive.
CBSE board results are out and many memes are doing the rounds, around the tagline “Sharma ji ka ladka…”
Well, I can very well relate to it. Coincidently a Sharma and an all-time topper in my class, I was a horror to my classmates at the time of declaration of final exam results. “Sharma ji ki ladki ko dekho….” I had only a few friends as a child, due to this label. Nevertheless, the joy and pride were much above the cold shoulder by classmates.
But today, when one ‘Sharma ji Ka ladka’, incidentally, a reputed judge in Rajasthan brought embarrassment to the entire community by demeaning science, my head hung in shame.
Justice MC Sharma declared the National Bird ‘Celibate’! And its progeny, a result of peacock-tears pecked-in by the peahen!
Sharma ji, what the hell have you done?
Do you realise you gave fodder for the remaining week to main media governed by social media?
Do you realise you gave ‘tears’ to journalists like us, who crave to do exclusives and some of whom were sent to take people’s reactions on your ‘esteemed knowledge gained through certain Puranas exclusively written for you’?
Do you realise there is something called poverty in the country, which needs much more intention than your own science of mating?
‘Sharma ji ka ladka…’ – the words were simply echoing in my ears alternating with ‘Brahmchari peacock’.
Switching channels, flipping websites didn’t work. Eyes were aching, ears were hurting and my heart was in deep pain. No, I wasn’t getting a heart attack, but surely an anger attack!
Anger against all those who diverted Google search of Peacock from ‘The National Bird’, ‘A Majestic Bird’ to jokes on the same. And also to our esteemed Sharma ji and his knowledge of bird-mating.
Facebook, Twitter, and all other social media opened floodgates to jokes and memes on the poor National Bird. The peacock that is supposed to welcome the soon-to-arrive pre-monsoon showers, if could read the sheer crap, would have gone into hibernation by now!
In 1963, the peacock was declared the national bird of India. More than five decades later, after one man failed to apologise for his ridiculous, unscientific remark, not only the fools of the first-order (my personal opinion) but even the intellectual Indians could be seen cracking and sharing insane writing, bringing shame to the nation. A ‘different truth’ about our so called democracy where in the name of the Freedom of Speech few citizens at a time bring such ill repute to the country, that it is inexplicable in words.
And the credit goes to none other than the Social Media. Another ‘different truth’ of the modern times, which converts “no news into big breaking news”.
In short, the poor majestic bird was humiliated in the name of fun. So much so that even videos of peacock-peahen mating were released to prove Sharma ji a point.
Floodgates of insanity opened and waters of shameless thinking took away with it the grace of the National Bird.
I choose to give no ‘sic space’ to any such insanity in this piece of mine.
Why? Well, just because one man from the judiciary shares his eccentric thoughts erupting out of mythology (whose very own literal origin derives from the word ‘myth’). Does it give us the legal right to shame or demean the National Bird for fun?
Are any lawyers reading this? Do we have a law against such fun? To stop mockery of the National Bird? Can we stop such an act and save nation’s honour in future? If yes, how can it be exercised? Let’s join hands to take a stand.
Meanwhile, hello people, use your brains for doing better stuff than following someone blindly in action or words.
A shout-out to all those intellectuals who are in my social media lists and still sharing bizarre text on the poor bird. Please take it down. You are born to lead, not tread a stupid trend. Ahem! Unless of course you too need TRPs.
It’s your country, your National Bird, your pride! Save some grace.
©Mahima Sharma
Photos from the internet.
#StopJokesOnPeacock #StopShamingThePeacock #Peacock #NationalBird #SymbolOfPride #ExerciseSanity #DifferentTruths
