Underpants in the news- fighting against “custodians of Indian Culture." extreme right-wing group

[underpants]

http://d.yimg.com/img.news.yahoo.com/util/anysize/345,http%3A%2F%2Fd.yimg.com%2Fa%2Fp%2Fnm%2F20090212%2F2009_02_12t095332_300x450_us_knickers_odd.jpg
NEW YORK — Women throughout the world — 13,000 at latest count — will be sending Pramod Mutalik a pair of pink panties for Valentine's Day. But these undies won't make his heart go pitty-pat.

Mutalik is the leader of Sri Ram Sena (Lord Ram’s Army) — an extreme right-wing organization in India that purports to be the “custodians of Indian Culture.”

Members of Mutalik's group are suspected of being behind a widely publicized incident last month in which a group of men brutally attacked women in a bar in the southern city of Mangalore — beating them, and kicking them when they fell to the ground. Mutalik was arrested in the attack, but he was released on bail.

Just last week he was quoted as saying, “Valentine’s Day is definitely not Indian Culture and we will not allow celebration of that day in any form.”

India's Minister for Women, Renuka Chowdhury, has called the Mangalore attack and other actions by the Sri Ram Sena a symptom of the "Talibanization" of India. The Sri Ram Sena, like the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, often takes justice into its own hands and prosecutes people according to its own cultural and religious beliefs.

“It is regressive and patriarchal like nothing else we’ve seen in a long time,” says Isha Manchanda, one of four young Indian women who have banded together to fight back — with pink panties.

They've founded a Facebook group called the ‘Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women,’ and a blog called The Pink Chaddi Campaign, and they are asking women all over the world to send pink chaddi’s — panties — to Mutalik. The group has over 13,000 supporters so far.

Upadhyay said she feels secure when she goes out because “It is very safe for women to go to pubs in the larger cities. It is not uncommon to see groups of women in pubs in Mumbai or Delhi.

"But in smaller towns and cities, parties like the Sri Ram Sena, Shiv Sena, or Bajrang Dal clamp down on activities that they think are against the ‘Indian Culture.’ Which is pure B.S.”

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,490690,00.html

[KharmaTrain]

1. Religious Nuts Come In All Shapes And Sizes...

In the 70's, I worked with a group of Hindu-Pak folks...and boy was it a culture shock. Despite moving thousands of miles...and getting away from the poverty and repression of the home country, they brought the caste system with them. There were some people who were prohibited from talking to others...if they needed something, like a drink of water, they had to ask some kind of interloper who would then ask a person of the higher caste (the director). It was a real strange for me, cause I never quite knew who was up and who wasn't.

As a kid I had a teacher who always talked about nationalism and religion and how both work with and against each other. When the power of state gets too strong, religion makes a comeback and visa versa.

Cheers...

[dipsydoodle]

2. Question is

will they be new or worn pink panties. :rofl:

[SpiralHawk]

3. I thought this thread was going to be about Diaper Dave Vitter (R)

The custodian of Republicon Diaper Sex Family Values.

But then, as Forest Gump said (more or less) life is like a box of Huggies. You never know what you'll find in your underpants.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

4. "But why do they have to sexualize their cause?"

"...and using pink is giving in to gender stereotypes!!!" :sarcasm:

[Stevenmarc]

5. Mutalik needs to chill and have a refreshing glass of fizzzy cow piss

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8505931

[LeftishBrit]

6. Blimey!

It is sad and interesting that most countries, cultures and religions have their far-right 'culture-preserving' nutters who want to take us back to the stone age.

As they are almost always intensely xenophobic, those from different nations or religions tend to hate each other's guts. But they ALL seen to agree on wanting to crush women. Very sad, really.

[underpants]

7. AND they don't want anyone to tell YOU how to live YOUR life

I think that's how it goes