Pregnant with ideas…

The following Editorial in HT of 31st July 2011 tickled me pink ! Read it herebelow :

Expectant posts
For many, social networking sites are like ‘digitally pieced’ autobiographies where nothing is sacred or private anymore. So it is hardly surprising that Facebook, which revolutionised the way we live our online (and offline) lives, has added a new option to user profiles that allows expectant mothers to add their unborn child to the already available family circle. And that’s not all: she can even add the chosen name or the due date of his or her arrival. Once the announcement is made, it can go viral. So in one click of the button, friends, relatives, acquaintances, colleagues and just about everyone will know the good news once considered private. The critics have panned the new drop-down button, saying it is an impersonal way of letting the world know about one’s personal life. The converts will obviously have a different view. ‘What is wrong with this?’ they say. It’s just a new way of life where we have less time and more friends and, therefore, the best way is to tell everyone at the same time. If we can post photographs of a just-born child from the hospital room, surely we can also announce her to-arrive status much before. After all, the warmth of congratulatory posts and advices are not exactly unwanted.In India, however, we don’t understand what the problem is all about. First, we don’t need a Facebook account (although many of us have an account) to let people know about our current status — be it about our family life, jobs or romantic condition because we have our very own mood trackers: curious chachis and mausis. They are way better than FB posts as they can ‘read’ your ‘status’ (many a times wrongly) by just looking at your face. And the greatest bit is that you don’t need to press a button to spread the news: it goes viral automatically. Instead of a button, it’s a mantra here: before divulging any secret, just prefix it with: “Don’t tell anyone but…”. The rest, as they say, will be public.

Here are my comments on above :

See how times change.With the controversy about pregnancy clause in Bollywood contracts after Aishwarya Rai’s pregnancy affecting Madhur Bhandarkar’s latest multi crore project “Heroine”,having been debated in several news papers and magazines filling pages and pages and column meters,now FB has come out with this ! Girls are now empowered to discuss and reveal the status of their unborn/to-be-born child on FB.Thats 21st Century Girl for you.Thats real Women’s Liberation isn’t it ? I am reminded of dialogues from old Hindi movies in 70s-80s.Mother says to her unwedded daughter on learning of her pregnancy:”Kal moonhi,kis key saath moonh kaala karr key aayi hai?” (With whom have you had this affair?) An elder in the family says:” Tu ney hammarey khaandaan ka naam kalankit kar diya!” (You have tranished our family name).In the movies the heroine would ponder for some reels before she uttered the words:”Main tumhaarey bachchey ki maan bananey waali hoon”(I am going to become the mother of your child.”) What next ?  Perhaps FB will permit  the boys/fiances/men to declare their status of being the father of so and so’s forthcoming child ! Equality  for both the sexes ! We seem to be heading for exciting times on the face of FB.

Your comments/responses please.The merrier ones more ! Keep smiling….