There is nothing more honest in this world than a camera. You click it and it shows exactly what it sees. It does not apologize and does not care. What it sees is what it shows. World has changed greatly since the invention of camera. One can now see how innocent people suffer during war or how a child, burning with hunger, works as a rag picker to survive. Words can evoke strong emotions, but a picture - will shoot you point blank.
A lot of Indians feel embarrassed when pictures of India's poverty are shown in western media. “Damn westerners! They just show the poor people.” A recent film, Slumdog Millionaire, is about a young man from the slums of Mumbai. It shows his life from his childhood - when he loses his family in communal riots, lives as a rag picker, escapes from mafia that deforms children and turns them into beggars – till he grows up doing odd jobs. This presentation of the uglier side of India has embarrassed many Indians. Amitabh Bachchan in a recent blog post said “If SM [Slumdog Millionaire] projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations.” I think he missed the point. The point is, the maximum number of murky under bellys in the world exist in India.
The poverty and misery in India saddens me very much. But I do not see that as a reason to be embarrassed. I believe every human has the right to hold her head high and live in dignity inspite of the poverty she is in. One who cannot respect that is of inferior mental and emotional capabilities. It is infact media's job to publish about poverty in order to bring it to the attention of more fortunate people. Anyone who cares for the poor should first be willing to face that harsh reality.
One would think India's rich, who get so embarrassed by those pictures, is compassionate and kind towards the less fortunate. But that is as far from the truth as you can get. If there was a list, ranking countries by the number of people who are totally insensitive to the poverty and misery around them, India would be on the top. It would beat all the other nations hands down. The same Mr. Amithab Bachan, who is India's most respected movie star, falsely registered himself with the government as a farmer to acquire farming land.
In US, I wouldn't consider myself as well built and strong bodied. But whenever I visit India, I feel I am much better built than most people around me. Some people there are so thin, so freaking thin. How is it possible for someone to be so thin? Or is it just me? I wonder if that person looks at me and thinks “Why the hell is this guy so fat. Wonder what he eats everyday.” I don't think most rich people even notice them.
The film industry is especially insensitive. More and more films are being shot outside India because India is too ugly. And most songs have foreign models because it looks more sexy and classy. They call it “escapist” cinema. They believe people do not want to watch the same problems they see in real life again on screen. There is nothing wrong with escapist cinema, but Indian film industry has failed in creating commercially viable realistic cinema. It did take a westerner to prove that it is possible.
In case you are interested, here is the link to Amithab Bachchan's post on Slumdog Millionaire: http://bigb.bigadda.com/2009/01/13/day-265/