the fall and fall of indian television

i had gone home recently to kerala and so got to catch up with all that passes off as entertainment on television these days. I was shocked to see a programme called splitsville on MTV. While I know MTV does not really have a reputation for showing sensible programmes, this one really takes the cake. what we have here is a group of girls fighting it out in various ways and the winner gets a boyfriend(she gets to choose one of two men sponsored by MTV). The girls are judged for certain qualities (supposedly) by the boys. it's sickening to see the way the girls drooled and bitched to get the attention of the boys. don't these women have any self respect? i'd have understood if the boys were worth it at least. they aren't by a long shot: one is not good looking (i am being diplomatic here) and the other one is DUMB. and you should see the way they strut around. their behaviour towards the girls is condescending to say the least! how can such shows be allowed on television? cant these girls find partners on their own instead of fighting it out on television? and most of them need to get some dressing sense. i think such sexist, chauvinist programmes which depict women as these helpless creatures who need a man at any cost need to be banned. would welcome any comments on this.

the IPL hungama and the Gandhis

the IPL specatcle is upon us. I am not going to dissect it. Just a couple of thoughts about 2 issues that caught my interest:
1. The 'slapping' incident'
IMO, Sressanth and Harbhajan should be banned for a few matches. These two have escaped time and again thanks to the jongoistic Indian media. I have always believed that the Australian team's complaint of racial abuse against Harbhajan was not without grounds. the way the Indian media went to town about the 'rude' Austraians and 'meek' Indians was sickening, to say the least. it only shows that we, as a people, are not sensitive to racial discrimintaion and abuse. More on this later.
2. The 'first family' at Eden Gardens
What were the Vadras and Rahul Gandhi doing cheering for Kolkata(at least that is what news reports said)? Don't these very people boast about their loyalty and the 'sacrifices' they have made for India? How come they had no qualms about supporting Kolkata against Hyderabad? Are Bengali votes more valuable than Telegu votes? Wasn't their support for Kolkata inherently a divisive gesture because millions of Indians trust and look up to the 'family' so much! ??