Yes, she did win...but..

This I wrote 2 days before Shilpa Shetty won the “Celebrity Big brother”. I had no idea, she would win, then!!! I am happy that she won, like any other Indian expatriate in UK/Ireland. But....

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Today was Friday. It’s usually a welcoming day for me, mainly because I can sleep till 10:30 am the next day, which happens only in 2 days a week. But since the “celebrity big brother” started on channel4 with shilpa shetty, this day has one more specialty. Its when the inmates get evicted through public votes, at 8:30 pm.

Now a little history here. I never used to watch this show, till shilpa came into the scene. Mainly because I didn’t know UK celebrities much, to get myself hooked. Instead I watched "friends", "ghost whisperer","desperate housewives" or "scrubs".

First, anxious to know, how an Indian is going to survive in a foreign atmosphere, among foreigners, like every other expatriate, I started watching it. Later, it induced in me a sense of nationalism.

I saw and read news/blogs about the controversy related to shilpa, during that show. So, I will never mention it here. Let the sleeping dogs lie.

But today, I am writing because, I feel hurt, in a kind of way. Would any Indian, have been hurt like me? I don’t know. Today being India’s Republic day, I don’t know why ironically, I was destined to hear it, may be like all the Indians who were watching the show.

Ok, coming to the point, today also shilpa was saved from eviction, by public votes, in spite of her being nominated repeatedly for it, by the inmates. So after Cleo and Jo got evicted, the inmates were chatting, and suddenly shilpa put forward a question. She asked “Is there a lot of Indians in England?” Yea, may be she might have been wondering if not for the Indians’ votes, who were those guardian angels who were constantly saving her from eviction , every week.

And as answer Dirk Benedict (btw he is American) told her “yes, millions, millions, millions…there are millions of them. And they have an average of 3 kids in a family, while the Brits have only one. “ . And he didn’t stop there.

He went a little further and predicted: “ Soon, the Indians population in England would soon increase to such a level that finally a Nehru or a Gandhi will become UK’s prime minister!!!”. He said that with such negative attitude and a bad smirk, in his face , that I felt really bad!

Now, is that my problem, that I felt bad?. I am sure that shilpa must have felt bad too, because it was written all over her face, on hearing that. I felt insulted. But there is another side. I could have laughed at the irony of a comment about “a Nehru or a Gandhi” becoming Britain’s PM, when East India Company/British monarchy, ruled India for more than 200 yrs!!! And that too just 60 yrs back. WOW! Within 60 yrs, if the tables could be turned, to this extent, shouldn’t I be beaming at his prediction!!!

God! And that too, I was destined to hear it on January 26!!!! And Dirk doesn’t seem to have a single clue about what Gandhi/Nehru is to India.

Another fact is that I have never learned to make fun of another nation’s Father. Be it Cuba, US, UK or Pakistan. I was never taught to. Just like I was never taught to make fun of another person‘s father, and that too, in front of him. Mocking a “father of a nation”, to that national, how does it feel???? I feel bad…

I was just wondering “If some one told you, this, about YOUR nation’s Father, what would you feel? How would you react?”

And if this was told to me, I would have taken my time and energy to make the other person realize, the value and importance of Gandhi/Nehru to each Indian, so that he wouldn’t repeat it to any other person, be it Indian or non-Indian.

Note: this has got nothing about the show. This is just an outlet of my emotions. May be I am just over-reacting or may be I am not.