It was surprising to see the Indian government, media and the general public, join hands in a misplaced solidarity to console and bring justice to the ‘offended’- Shilpa Shetty, a contestant in the reality show- Big Brother, on UK’s Channel 4. The actress was in tears, falling to the ‘Indian’ and related ‘racial’ taunts made against her just because she presented a slightly undergone chicken curry to her ‘housemates’ in the show. The Indian actress was branded ‘Indian’, ‘Paki’, ‘dog’, ‘****’ and “*!@#$%^*”. It was said this was an open show of ‘racism’ and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

Following the incident, an unusual Indian drama ensued. First, the Indian media woke up to its duty- inform the Indian masses who have no access to this ‘foren’ channel, such ‘never-happenedbefore’ case of racism. Second, the government woke up to poke its nose into a private issue concerning an argument amongst contestants in a show run for the same purpose. Third, the usually aggressive but gullible Indian public woke up to protest the purported act of foreign racism bombarded by constant media images of a sobbing Shilpa on foreign shores.

Indian media- the initiator of this drama skipped news of national concern and beamed these fake pangs of a
celebrity to the unaware mass. Times of India, was first to grab the opportunity and began the rally. It devoted its frontpage to this story for three consecutive days and regular updates. Only these seemingly ‘patriotic’ reporters knew what they were devoting their time to- ‘racism’ or ‘beauty’. The media unnecessarily went into an overdrive to highlight the incident ignoring distasteful issues of racial prejudice within the country. To be noted, the Times of India in its editorial said –”Such issues belong to public realm and can be hashed out there itself without the governments involment, even though that may mean having to give up some power, control, and a sense of self-importance.” This was a clear case of ‘preach white and practice black’.

Anand Sharma, the Minister of State for External Affairs is quoted as having said- “We are seized of the matter. We are looking into all the aspects. We will take appropriate actions as an when required”.

The recent, two gruesome stories of murder of minorities- one in Nithari, Noida and Assam are still fresh in our minds. The sufferers were none other than the lower struggling class. What our government did, and can do, is known to all Indians. The government seldom reacts to the problems and difficulties of its people with such speed as in Shilpa’s case. Numerous cases of racism and inequality almost go unheard.

These politicians, often born in rural settings shift base to urban areas and then turn a blind eye to the
difficulties of communities in their places of birth. With power, they also perfect the art of acting that comes
handy before elections and during mishaps. In short, their support and concern is bestowed in abundance to those who are never in need. Then the Indian public, always ready to dance on the streets, and more
concerned with the lives of celebrities than their own sufferings. Celebrities, who apparently, do nothing
accept acting, become their God. The mass, could not look deep into the fact that, if a celebrities faces such problem on a live show, how do common Indians live in the foreign land? They also failed to get an insight into the truth that our media ignore us, our voices, our problems and are more worried about the celebrities. Our stories of death and disaster, goes unmentioned while their affairs and gossips makes bigger news. We live in India but think of America. Discrimination is as much a component of Indian air, as oxygen and nitrogen. The Indian civilization, at its very inception, was categorized into four working classes- the birth of discrimination. Since then, discrimination and its correlatesinjustice and exploitation, have never broken their promise to let the Indian community breathe equality and fraternity.