Obama Condoms

At the Times Square in New York I experienced something that was truly democratic. At a crossing, there was a guy selling Obama Condoms. Some people held lively discussions with him, some picked up a keepsake condom and others like yours truly smiled and crossed the traffic light.
Later it set me thinking what the Obama Condom truly signified. Freedom of Speech and Expression that is the Fundamental Right in any true democracy. The Obama Condom, whatever the intention of the seller , did not lessen the awe in which most of the world citizens hold Obama . An intelligent , Ivy League College Black guy who has become the most powerful man in the world. An orator par excellence who makes you believe you can!
And can you imagine the same happening in India? Pawar contraceptives,Thackeray condoms or Gandhi birth control pills? And can they be sold at the traffic signal? Chances are some decent citizens will be outraged and will blast you. Else, the n number of political parties looking for issues other than roti, kapda aur makaan will wallop the daylights out of you. The police will arrest you and your family and your building and neighbourhood too! And many obscenity laws will be invoked to keep you among hardened criminals in jail!
We let go of our Freedom of Speech so easily in India. We want to say nothing about politicians or any other person who we consider powerful.A movie like Rajneeti is whetted by the Congress to make sure that there are no similarities with the Gandhi family. The government treads lightly when Canada refuses visas calling our Security outfits terrorists, but issues strong warnings to the author on Sonia’s biography. No Maratha politician bears even the remotest likeness to the Great Shivaji and yet they want to ban a book on him!Why only politicians, even vocal people like Harsha Bhogle and Ravi Shastri kept mum when Sachin Tendulkar cheated in the IPL match this year.And no film reporter worth his salt will report the dalliances and drug abuse of our most popular film stars. We don’t even have the courage to tell people to not spit on the road or wear a clean pair of shoes to the gym!
This makes me mad and upset. Our freedom has come after tremendous struggle and we have been given Rights that should not be frittered away because of inertia or fear.
I should be able to buy Singh condoms at Pali Naka!