Dear Yesudas: You may be a great singer, but your mentality stinks

 

Please make your thoughts like your songs – pleasant to the ears.

 

 

Veteran singer KJ Yesudas’s songs are mesmerising, the tonal quality is absolutely enjoyable. Sadly, his thoughts and opinions don’t sound melodious enough.

 

Previously he had some opinion on women and how they should not wear jeans (we’ll come to that later). However, he is still bothered about the things women do. In his latest dos and don’t list, the ‘selfie trend’ is downright bad. Why? Because, men and women standing in close proximity, in physical contact with each other, while clicking those selfies is something that bothers him. The singer is said to have expressed this opinion in an interview to Mathrubhumi.

 

I wonder why some religious moral police did not get hold of this idea earlier.

 

The 77-year-old singer is described in glowing terms for his contribution to Indian classical music and if you find your father sometimes humming Gori Tera Gaon Bada Pyaara to your mother, this is where he learnt it from. Actually, the maestro should listen to his songs, where he sings of progressive love and brotherhood and preaches equality of all religions.

 

Born and brought up in Kerala, the singer has enjoyed immense patronage and one must have observed how singers in the state have always been held in high regard. If you have watched some of the old Malayalam movies based on the lives of singers then you will see how classical singers were treated like demi-gods almost. People used to fawn and fall before them. The public used to stand at a respectful distance even when attending a concert and attaining an audience with the talented maestro used to be a thing of pride.

 

Seems like Yesudas is still living the age-old dream as he quoted in a video by One India Malayalam, “Women never used to come up and ask for getting their pictures clicked before the 1980s, and that showed their dignity and etiquette. He said that even when somebody introduced women as their wife or daughter, they maintained a respectable distance and silence from the men.”

 

Is your sense of ‘respect and etiquette’ defined only by women standing in servility, away from men?

 

Respected sir, now also people adore and listen to you but the thing is, times have changed. The date is 2017 and a looooot has happened between 1980s and 2017. You’ve missed quite a bit. I will hand it to you that selfie is an annoying addiction but saying women are overstepping their boundaries by clicking a selfie with men is outright ridiculous!

 

And sir, it is due to technological constraints that two people are forced to stand together while clicking a picture via a smartphone. The screen is only so big and not all people walk with a personal photographer to get a proper picture clicked.

 

But sir, do you have the same problem with men rubbing shoulders and clicking selfies with you? Their proximity does not bother you? Or is your sense of ‘respect and etiquette’ defined only by women standing in servility, away from men? Clicking photographs with you is a way a fan is trying to show his/her admiration for you. In case you dislike it, please make it known – No selfies. I believe your problem will be solved. Please do not blame the women for this as well.

 

This is not the 1980s and women ‘stand shoulder to shoulder to men’. This means that women are equal in all terms when it comes to being heard, seen or respected. No, we are not some servile creature whom you expect to stand with bowed head at a distance of 2 feet every time you or for that matter any man walks by. And now the jeans story. Sir, you don’t learn from your mistakes do you?

 

Last time you said, “What should be covered must be covered. Our culture involves the beauty which should be covered. Women should not trouble others by wearing jeans. When they put on jeans, men are tempted to look beyond that (jeans). Women’s beauty lies in their modesty. They should not try to become like men. They should not force others to do unnecessary things by wearing jeans, which would give them magnetism.”

 

Dear Yesudas, it is time you woke up and smell the coffee. We women are not going to be stopped from living our lives, wearing what we want, clicking selfies with men, going to public places, getting an education, learning to find our own feet and pursuing our dreams.

 

While we have utmost respect for your talent, it is your thoughts which desperately need an upgrade. Please make your thoughts like your songs – pleasant to the ears. You are icon for many and such regressive and chauvinistic thoughts certainly don’t suit you. Just my opinion.