Gathering of youths near Patia, Bhubaneswar
Arindam Ganguly, OP
BHUBANESWAR: Times are changing, and mindsets are in for an overhaul too. So, what were kept aside as dirty thoughts in the past are the new reigning themes for at least small sections of the youths here and elsewhere. The “likes” are one too many for such indulgences, on the social media, as there are scenes of youths singing ‘dirty’ songs in the streets and uploading the visuals on the social media. The popularity of the recenthit rap song Bol Na Aunty Aau Kyasung by Omprakash Mishra was evident in Bhubaneswar when some 300 youths gathered near Patia the other day to sing the song, even as it was widely seen as derogatory and offensive to women. Uploaded on YouTube in the late 2015, ‘rap king’ Omprakash Mishra’s Bol Na Aunty Aau Kya is a cringe- worthy, sexist song about a boy who wants to have sex with an aunty, who refuses to ‘give in’. This has become the ‘millennial anthem of the year’.
The video, which had over 3,000,000 hits, 30,000 likes and 60,000 dislikes before it was taken down by YouTube because of copyright issues, was however ‘discovered’ by humour pages on Facebook only this year. The youths here only followed a trend elsewhere. Youths in Delhi and Mumbai had gathered in central Connaught Place and Marine Drive respectively, and given their own rendering of the song in full public view. Eyebrows were raised, but spectators could only grin and bear with it. In Hyderabad and Bangalore too, youths gathered to do the same. The fans of these songs had given publicity to what they planned to do, in advance on facebook, and urged youths to come forward in support, and in large numbers. Several youths and others in Bhubaneswar, who were approached by Orissa for their comment, were simply surprised that such things happened.
Pooja Mishra, a fashion model in the city, said it was shocking to see that several educated youths were participating in such demonstrations, showing women in a poor light. She noted that the first line of the song had vulgar connotations. On FB and other social media sites too, there were many who were sharply critical of what has happened in various cities.
Amit Kishore, student at Xavier Institute, felt, “We keep justifying such actions in the name of cringe-pop and entertainment. Obviously, we have a long way to go before we come back to our senses.”
Lalit Mundhra,a student of KIIT University, saw nothing wrong about such songs: “Many of us enjoyed listening to the
song of Yo Yo Honey Singh and Baadshah. You must understand that our films had also been using such words and comments. We helped in these songs and movies becoming Box Office hits, so how can you find fault with a few youngsters gathering for an event and shouting “Bol Na Aunty Aun Kya?” He however felt that those attending events like Bol Na Aunty Aun Kya and promoting Dhinchak Pooja should understand that it’s high time the youths of the country channeled their energy into something better. Biraj Rath felt that the song’s lyrics were obnoxious. “We must stop ‘liking’ this song. This would otherwise be a bad influence on the society.”
Amanadeep Singh, a poem writer said women, in general, are getting increasingly trolled online for wearing certain kind of clothes and speaking their mind. Recently, Mithali Raj was trolled for exposing her cleavage in a social media post. A Pakistani girl was killed in the name of family honour. Youths enjoyed a song like ‘Bol Na Aunty Aun Kya‘, and they must realize as to what type of abhorrent things they are doing. Recently, a media organisation lodged a complaint about online harassment, including rape and death threats, over the video that had been uploaded on the social media. A music video, it was alleged, had “misogyny and a celebratory tone for rape.” The media establishment stated in its complaint that it would be filing a case against Om Prakash Mishra, singer of the controversial YouTube title ‘Bol Na Aunty Aau Kya’, and his supporters for attacking The Quint journalists on social media, as well as on the organisation’s Facebook page. According to The Quint, Prakash and others have put up an ‘event invite’ on Facebook for September 22, asking their supporters to gather outside its office
