Actress Kajol, who has lately been in the thick of things with a post in Prasar Bharati and her husband bagging a Padma Shri, landed in a controversy on Monday, although, unwittingly. The video of a beef dish cooked by her friend that she was clearly eager to devour went viral, sparking off a chain-reaction. First, some Left-wing troll pages picked up the video and posted it, inviting the wrath of many — not because she was eating beef, something considered to be hurtful to Hindus, but because she lives in an India where eating habits are a part of political agendas and systematic marginalisation of people. People were peeved at the grave difference in consequences that privileged people like Kajol and the likes of Akhlaq and Pehlu Khan face. No one wanted her to face the repercussions of eating beef. But they wanted her to at least acknowledge the madness that gau rakshaks have unleashed in the name of cow vigilantism.
But how did Kajol respond to this controversy? First, by pulling down the video. And then by issuing a clarification which reads:
By all standards, it’s shameful that Kajol would have to issue this clarification. That as a rich, famous and influential person she was scared of the mob mentality that rules our social media and thanks to cow vigilantism — also our streets. It’s shameful that our religious sentiments are so fragile that a celebrity uploading what she ate for lunch can break it into a thousand pieces.
But truth be told, how many of us, and particularly if we had a certain surname and didn’t have the good fortune of being famous and rich – will be healthy enough to issue this clarification, if we were caught in a similar situation? Dadri’s Akhlaq couldn’t live to prove whether the meat in his fridge was mutton or beef. There are different versions, the 2015 reports said that it wasn’t beef while a 2016 report claimed it was indeed beef. Similarly, Pehlu Khan from Haryana didn’t live to tell his attackers that he was a dairy farmer, and not a slaughterer.
Apart from privilege, Kajol’s post reeks of meek submission and an acceptance, even if a remote one, of the trend of cow vigilantism. Remember how Rishi Kapoor took a no-bullshit stand on beef. Commenting on the beef ban he had said: “I am angry. Why do you equate food with religion?? I am a beef eating Hindu. Does that mean I am less God fearing then a non-eater? Think!!” Later though following protests by Hindu groups outside his house, he gave a milder version of this statement saying, “I eat beef, but not in India”. But at least, he tried to make his stand clear on the issue. That he is against any kind of censure on food habits. Also, we know that he eats beef. But we are not sure, what Kajol’s views on beef ban are?
Okay, she was eating buffalo meat. But does she eat beef? Does she feel people should stop eating beef? What is her view on cow vigilantism and the lynching of people in the name of cow protection? Does she condemn these attacks? Maybe these are too controversial issues for a celebrity to delve into. She might have taken lessons from what happened to Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan when they commented on increasing intolerance in the country last year. Or the way Kareena Kapoor was trolled for naming her son Taimur Khan.
Moreover, it’s not like Kajol is someone who is completely aloof towards her social responsibilities. Kajol proudly flaunts her association with the United Nations. Her Twitter handle is @KajolAtUN. She was part of the General Assembly in 2015 and is invested in the cause of cleanliness and hygiene. But did she bother to check the Universal Human Rights Declaration adopted by the United Nations and it’s relevant articles? Here are a few selective clauses from the declaration which are being violated in India by cow vigilantes every single day:
Article 3: Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.
Article 5: No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Kajol’s knack for becoming ‘a woman of substance’, notwithstanding, these are indeed dangerous times for anyone to express their genuine views. It would be unfair for us to expect any support when it comes to discrimination against the marginalised, least of all from the privileged. The least the privileged can do today is stay away from becoming apologists of current trends, which by every means, are a violation of rights accorded to human beings.
