Daring Demonstrations?

On another occasion, two boys stripped at the main Janpath crossroads in Delhi and performed improvised synchronised dance movements to a musical number. Why did they dare8217; do this? Because, they thought they had great bodies and there was no harm in showing them off, they replied. That8217;s not all: in one sequence, a boy was shown piercing his eyebrows, lips, belly button and nipples, while a policeman looked on with growing fascination. What on earth is going on here?

V Dares You claims to make people do 8220;things that they have never done before8221; and 8220;leave viewers talking about it8221;. Well, we8217;re certainly talking about it, but remember, talk is cheap. What exactly is the idea behind the show: is it to shock you, is it pure exhibitionism, or is it really entertainment?

Rohit Vaid, supervising producer and head of Channel V in Delhi, claims that though the show is little on the edge, it is not supposed to hurt the sentiments of the people. 8220;This kind of stuff actually happens in our society, it8217;s the harbinger of total corruption of our society and we are just trying to be real,8221; he asserts, adding that 8220;our sole idea is to entertain the youth as the channel targets them.8221;

Challenging Vaid8217;s defense of the show, Sapna Khurana, who is an ardent Channel V viewer, asks how many times has he Vaid seen executives taking a bath at a public place or someone stripping in a discotheque?. 8220;This kind of thing is not acceptable and does not gel with Indian morality, culture or sensibility,8221; she adds, somewhat sanctimoniously. Similarly, another viewer, Chetna, feels that 8220;they are taking matters too far. You can8217;t forget that you are living in India.8221;

Well, forget about Indians: hee8217;s what one foreign lady present at Mirage while the stripping sequence took place, had to say: 8220;These things are OK in the West. I have seen something like this for the first time in India which is very shocking and disgusting.8221; Shocking yes, but disgusting?

And what do the police have to say? Referring to Section 292 and 294, S.K. Jain, Additional Commissioner of Police Crime, says: 8220;Our hands are tied. We can take action only after someone complains that his/her sentiments are being hurt. Moreover, what is obscenity? It8217;s upto the society to decide. What we may feel is obscene, today8217;s generation find quite normal.8221;

There have been positive reactions to the show: 8220;Man, that8217;s cool8221;, said a college kid, who really enjoyed the stunts. 8220;They have good bodies, they were looking really dashing and we find it very cute8221;, felt a girl after seeing the two boys striptease at Janpath.

Vaid denies that the show is along the lines of AXN8217;s Who Dares Wins, 8220;When the channel was planning the revamp, we thought of inculcating the real element and dare people to do things. And ChanneZl V Dares You was born.8221;

Asked if the show is likely to influence the youth, Vaid replies: 8220;Nowadays, the youth is too mature to be affected so easily.8221; Wonder what the older generation thinks about that 8212; and the show.

AXN8217;s Who dares Wins is quite famous or notorious in the West. It remains to be seen whether Channel V deserves to be hailed for its innovative8217; ideas or lambasted for its poor taste.