Hello,
This is regarding a status uploaded by the music band Delhi Sultanate on 21 Jan 2014 at 12:30pm.
What must have started off as an innocent expression of frustration, took an ugly turn later in the day when the status update went viral, and a few of us were blocked for having made sense on that page (me included)
A few of us are approaching the District Sessions court regarding this(a legal notice should get the message across) If I cannot do anything about it, I am sure I could a little help from the Army too. Being a public figure, one must think before making such statements. In their defense, they can quote "Freedom of Speech" without really understanding the deeper meaning behind it. They need to take extra care of what they say. Maybe this was a cheap publicity stunt, maybe they might say their account was "hacked" Convenient, yes, but I would really want to bring to light the kind of youth we are looking up to these days.
It's not really easy to form a band and come up with good music, I agree, but it's much easier than staying awake all night in -40 C, patrolling the borders. And all that they could say about the Army jawans was- they rape innocent women. No one, and I mean NO ONE, has the right to demean someone this way. At the end of the day, they can go back to their loved ones and crib about a bad day at work; the jawans sometimes don't have a single living being to talk to for days on end. Just because they have a strong will power does not mean they have stone cold hearts. I am glad they don't have access to any internet most of the times, they would be heart broken to see this kind of stuff being said about them by the "cool guys". They gave up a life of comfort and luxury to serve our country, and THIS is no way to repay them.
A gentleman by the name of Ashwini Mishra also went ahead to make a few anti-Army statements. I managed to get my point across to him too. I have attached screenshots of that conversation as well.
I understand it might not be worthy of front page ground breaking news, but a few of us are enough to spread the word. Just want to bring to light the kind of youth we are idolizing these days.
You can follow the conversation here-
https://www.facebook.com/delhi
And here is Mr. Ashwini's profile link-
https://www.facebook.com/
Why isn't anyone standing up for this? "Army brats" only when you need cheap alcohol or when it's Army day or 26 Jan/15 Aug? Wow. *slow clap*
But fine, to each his own. If you don't want to be a part of this, it's absolutely fine. But instead of laughing at those who want to make a difference, I suggest you be oblivious to everything that is going on here.
I have got a whole lot of "you are insane" messages and have taken them as compliments too, I'm optimistic that way. Don't tell me I am being stupid. A small step, but at least I am doing something.
Delhi Sultanate defamed themselves yesterday. They being public figures had the audacity to bad mouth the Armed forces for Republic Day practice just because they couldn't carry out their rehearsals peacefully. This has been plain stupidity on their part. It doesn't make them any cooler by calling those who care about the fate of the nation pseudo patriots. After that, they blocked people who stood up against their irresponsible behavior. Wondering if a band like theirs should be allowed to perform any where in this country after the kind of stuff they have posted.
They will pay heavily for this blasphemy of the Armed Forces.
ReplyDeletethe Indian army is not sacred, and most definitely not beyond reproach. What a stupid thing of you to say.
DeleteThe Indian Army would not be scared and is certainly beyond reproach from chimps like Delhi Sultanate and you..! What a stupid thing of you to even imagine!! You need some definite psychiatric help. All is well no..?
Deletewhat a smart answer matilda. perhaps if you read properly you will see that I said 'not sacred' and not 'scared', since you used the term blasphemy to describe the action of making any critique of any army practice. You know the meaning of the word blasphemy? Feeling stupid? You ought to be.
DeleteWhat the defense forces are doing for our country...it is sacred you dimwit!
DeletePerhaps you have never had to put your life at stake or stayed away from your near and dear ones for a cause as noble as- the security of one's own country..!
Deletesacred |ˈseɪkrɪd|
Deleteadjective
connected with God or a god or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.
..so by your token, each Indian army officer is worthy of exaltation being as they are on a holy mission, from god presumably. Is the Indian army any more or less holy than say the Chinese Army or Pakistan Amy. Or any country's army for that matter. Or are all armies as sacred as each other?
Since you would appear to be of the belief that any person who dare critique any act perpetrated by the Indian Army, or even dare to complain about the public nuisance of low flying aircraft (that would have had no reason to be there other than to gloat over the extravagance of the defense ministry) will 'pay heavily'. I wonder if you could enlighten us and state precisely how these infidels who dare question the SANCTITY of army officers will have 'to pay heavily' for their blasphemy?
"Those who served, and those who continue to serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard took an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, and we can never forget the importance of their commitment to our Nation."
Delete-Robin Hayes
"The army is the true nobility of our country."
-Napoleon Bonaparte
All armies who are trying to defend their own country..their actions are worthy of exaltation. Its pointless trying to explain something so simple and basic to people like them and you because you guys place adjectives like "ungrateful", "selfish", "self-obsessed", over nouns like, "sacrifice", "compassion", "rationality".
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Deletewe know Matilda that it is not always the case that the army are 'defending our country'. The enemy is in the eye of the beholder. To many decent folk INI is the enemy, in particularly when they are not defending the country but defending corporations who make donations to governments. I am sure you are well aware of this. The INA as an institution is far from perfect. Now tell me Matilda; How will I pay heavily for this 'blasphemy'?
DeleteOne day..maybe.. (and I will pray for that to happen, pinky swear!) you will wake up from this eons-old slumber and you will pay with your guilt.. That should be enough! You may laugh now, but one day you will feel sorry because finally, you will know. Amen.
DeleteGet well soon Matilda.
DeleteAll is well at your end no?? Worrying for strangers who don't seem to agree to your distorted version of the world, on the other hand, bullshitting your country's own defense services!! Not quite like, the usual you.. you know, selfish, self-obsessed, being ungrateful et cetera! Take care dear, I really will pray for your sanity.
Deletea legal notice and a public humiliation of the band will equally serve the purpose and show them what freedom of peech means...
ReplyDeletethat's interesting Alok, how would you propose showing Mr Sultanate what freedom of speech means? Like you understand and he doesn't? Mr Sultanate was aggravated by the nuisance sound of military aircraft whilst recording. I would be a bit pissed off too and may have voiced my irritation. What is it with the extreme overreaction from nationalist minded imbeciles each time someone dare say something less than favourable about a far from perfect institution?
DeleteLook at the irony Protima,on one side he tries to be a smartass on his facebook and on the other side his music talks about freedom,riots,judgement day and the riot police.
ReplyDeletehttps://soundcloud.com/delhi-sultanate/king-zumbi-riot-police?in=delhi-sultanate%2Fsets%2Fdelhi-sultanate-vs-stylo-g
Court notice would be a bit too much.. Northeast fb groups are full of similar remarks... You can't focus on only one.. I think he's had his share of PR.
ReplyDeleteThis did come across as offensive. Am glad for the awareness. Helps considerably, am sure, the next time a soldier looks for reasons to put his life on the line knowing the odds against him/her, and God forbid, chooses not to. The freedom of expression is guarded, protected and fostered by the ever flowing blood of the nations soldier. I could go on about the extent of personal sacrifices endured by the proud yet humble families if these soldiers but that is not a soldiers way.
ReplyDeleteHey guys, thank you so much for the support.
ReplyDeleteMatilda- I will try my best to make that happen, yes.
Alok- If the legal notice doesn't come through, at least we are aware of things these so called cool bands do. Boycotting their shows would be a start.
Arfunnnnnnnnn- THEY TALK ABOUT FREEDOM? Woah. I really really want to meet them now.
Robin- I understand what you mean, I honestly didn't expect this to get viral. I just wanted people to know what kind of stuff these "popular" bands are up to. Chalo, if legal notice doesn't come through, I at least know I tried to get my message across. I assure you I won't let them have a peaceful gig in Pune. Also, do let me know if there are other public figures talking this way. We need to stop idolizing these idiots who don't have their morals in the right place.
Broadsword- Exactly, thank you, I know what you mean. Do share the news, spread the awareness, and if possible, boycott their shows. I hope they realize soon enough that "all publicity is good publicity" is not applicable to everyone.
I came across this a few hours ago on facebook. It's just sad that people call Republic Day a fuckery. I'm an Army Brat and I respect your opinion against these two morons. But what you just wrote above in that one line about Army Brats that we just show up when we want cheap alcohol, is on the same lines of what Delhi Sultanate wrote about republic day. I hope you will reflect on that. And as far as Ashwini is concerned, I really don't care about what he has to about our respected forces because he really hasn't done anything in life that should make me pour even the slightest bit of attention on him or on his bigoted thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHey Mandeep,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your feedback. Well, most of the brats I know HATE the Army, and only appreciate it during times of need (read cheap alcohol) It's a sad sad thing. I have always given them a piece of my mind, and there will come a day when they realize how much we owe our existence to the fauj. Plus I had a few of them making fun of me for going out of my way to fight with people who abuse the Army. It was a jibe at them, that's all.
As I said, no one is perfect, even the Army has it's good, bad and ugly side. But in the end, if you can't respect it, either stay shut, or be oblivious. Hope you get my point :)
I'm totally with you on that. And as far as I can figure it out, you're an Army brat as well, if I'm not wrong. If that's the case, you have the write to go on about the other brats. :D
ReplyDeleteExactly, nobody's perfect. But you need to see the good side first before you can comment on the bad side. And this is what these people don't get.
And even I love cheap alcohol. :P Have had my good days in Pune and RSI and all and can really appreciate their prices at army clubs after spending 5 years in Delhi. :D
Jokes apart, I hope you're successful in your endeavour against these two creatures. I wish you all the luck.
right*
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DeleteHonestly, I did not know what the fuck 'Delhi Sultanate' was (I thought it was some not-so-subtle reference to the Congress party? Election-mania, sorry!) until a friend shared this post.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, no one cares what a bunch of morons thinks about the INA. But what I do feel is that making a big deal about this issue will definitely give them free publicity which they most certainly do NOT deserve.
I know you are riled up by the sheer ignorance and selfcentered-ness of this band but trust me, it is not worth it. I have known quite a few people (a number certainly more than that of the band's) who do not hold the INA in a positive light and have spoken out against them during random discussions we would have during my college time. So, the trick is to ignore the ignorant!
I just have one thing to say to you 'Delhi sultanate' . If you can't feel pride for your nation, get the fuck out of it. You talk about travelling to fucking small places, Well the defense does that too, plus protects your asses so that the enemies doesn't trouble THE DAMN POPULATION and you ungrateful pieces of crap. Why don't you do something as noble as the air warriors do. Oops sorry, your music does that for you, right! I feel sorry for you! And your music because it stands for shit. Shit you make up, and shit you don't believe in yourself.
ReplyDeleteI doubt 'Sunshine' that you have taken the trouble to listen to or understand any of Delhi Sultanate's music. One can feel pride for one's culture and people, some may not hold the state government or certain tactics/practices of security forces in such high esteem, and often with good reason. In a democracy we can question/expose malpractice in the hope that we can contribute toward a nation that we can feel truly proud of. Your reasoning is a little crass to say the least.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteI would choose not to stay in a region with a temperature of -40 yes. But if I had to, I probably would last longer than a day since I would go adequately prepared. I suppose your hare brained logic would excuse those thugs who rape and kill with impunity on the basis that conditions they are forced to live in are less than agreeable. It is quite depressing just how many lame-brained jingoists are out there.
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DeleteReading you post it is quite evident whose brain is fucked up. Deal with your anger problems, get a life.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Deletethere can be little doubt that more Maoists and people sympathetic to the Maoist cause have been murdered by the army than army personnel murdered by Maoists. As we know the people who are labelled as Maoists are in most cases village folk desperately protecting their land and their livelihoods from money grubbing corporates who are in the pocket of the state government. I am not doubting that the army do not do some useful work but there is a rogue element that makes life miserable for many people and there is no reason why this should not be made public. It is a waste of time having any such debate with you since your jingoistic and chauvinistic national pride clouds any judgement that you may be capable of having. You will just resort to childish insults and threats. Quite pathetic it is.
Deletesooo judgmental!!
DeleteMaoists are in it voluntarily, not the army.. they're just sent to conflicted places to clean up the mess haywire governance has made.
and its not 'jingoistic or chauvinistic national pride' . its just a little pride in being indian, and a little optimism that imperfect institutions will get better. tell me, did u stop celebrating/ become opposed to the idea of fathers' day after the Austrian case of a father locking up his daughters for incestuous intentions came up??
It is easier said than done! Our parents 've faced bullets for your safety. If you have no pride and talk about having your own opinion and freedom why don't you show yourself and go out in public because we are and we know we our right. We are proud of our culture, lifestyle and how much our family puts in to this noble job. So, if it bothers you so much, you are free to shut up & leave. Because eventually, you 'll 've to!
DeleteMaoism is a catch all term coined by media and politicians to denote anyone who is opposed to practices that threaten their livelihood and safety in certain regions in India. Since the public hear them referred to as Maoists or Naxalites then there is a belief among many that they deserve whatever punishment is meted out. In most cases those who are killed, tortured, raped, have their homes/businesses looted or burned to the ground are defenseless. The soldiers themselves will justify these actions since they are told that the victims are hindering progress. They may choose to protest but their circumstances have become so dire that they have no alternative but to take action in one form or another often retaliatory measures. The INA on the other hand do join voluntarily, contrary to what you claim.
Deletewhat makes you think we don't go out in public and voice what we feel is wrong with politics and society? You willfully misunderstand the intention here. We all wish to live in a society without strife and where people respect one an-others rights as equal citizens and not to fear victimization based on one's sexual orientation, gender, religion or political leaning.
DeleteYou have to admit there is much ork to do be done here, and the very people who will make the bigger difference for the better are those in the public eye. The same people you appear to think ought to have their rights to express their opinions taken away from them.
This band are in the public eye - here at a protest rally against the threat of nationalists running the country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKUD_Oti4MA
Would you wish to deny them the right to sing about what concerns them?
SOB i am no more (man)handling morons, its a fact they hv always been there, exist right nw and will come bk again n again to piss u off, they are just inevitable
ReplyDeleteSeen some amazing officers and jawans die for their country.. In lieu of their memory..hurt, very very hurt. Protima dear what these idiots said, in my heart, amounts to sedation..an unwarranted use of what we call "freedom of speech"..! As Arnab Goswami from The Newshour would have said, "Never ever ever ever ever again..!".
ReplyDeleteits amazing. we are a democracy. and it looks like we also house all the idiots of the world. literate, educated but stupid. to demean the armed forces is to demean the entire country as a whole. that too when sharing a border with the ever incursion savvy china. God bless those poor souls.
ReplyDeleteYou go ahead with that legal notice. You will get all the support you need.
Raj, thank you. Really, that means a lot.
ReplyDeleteOthers- thanks for this, thank you for supporting the cause.
StiffKittenInc- hey, to each his own, I know we have the freedom of speech here. And you are not the only one who hates the Indian Army, it's FINE. There are many who do, and as I said, to each his own. I won't say I agree to anything that you have to say, and I am sure the feelings are mutual, but we can live in peace here, right? The idea was not to create this "revolution", it was just to get a simple point across, that if you are a public figure and you make such statements and expect us "pseudo patriots" to sit quietly, I am sorry thou art mistaken. That's all. The kind of uproar this has created in our community is overwhelming, it's good to know the media is now involved, and honestly, I do not want this to be a debate. It's a sensitive topic hence it will raise a hell lot of questions, and I respect the fact that you stand up for YOUR opinion. So all that I request is for you to respect mine, that's all.
Also, I am sure Delhi Sultanate makes good music, and we respect their work. Heart breaking to know this is what they think of the Defense forces.
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ReplyDeleteMy comment didn't fit 4096 characters so I posted something on my blog. Check it out if you want.
ReplyDeletehttp://driftingthoughtscataloged.blogspot.in/
And I totally support you in what you have said. The only difference is I would totally want it to become a full fledged debate so that people know that there are limits they shouldn't cross.
no compromise wid dignity of army, rest can go to hell, btw what is this delhi sultanate crap, never heard off, who cares about crap...
ReplyDeleteWe celebrate 26th Jan for those brave souls & soldiers who either martyrdom or still defending the borders of our nation 24x7 irrespective of all odds. Its not the display of our chauvinism but the symbol of our pride. One should realize that for every breath we take in freedom we owe to these great warriors. Because of them only we can do everything, otherwise its not easy to maintain the freedom what we are enjoying today. Whatever you do please respect them,because they did not demand anything from civilians even respect,but this is the at least they deserve. They sacrifice not themselves but also their families for us. Its obligation of every civilian that they should have respectful feelings not only for brave souls,but for their families also. As far as allegation are concerned, yes its there,but they did not ran away with that. They strongly dealt with that,who were found accused were removed from service. This is called maintaining the high standard for what they are known. No body is perfect even we are not,so how can we assume that they will be perfect,but yes they did not go with a "chalta hai attitude". Whatever comments i have read on snapshot of FB,clearly shows that the some of the civilians,young generation are not aware of their sacrifices. There is lack of feeling of nationalism,pride and honour and also lack of historical knowledge. We are taking everything granted. Freedom does not come free,its comes at cost.
ReplyDelete-by Civilian (engineer by profession, not a army brat)
The conversation has been removed. It was just some youngsters saying random shit. And well.. Delhi Sultanate doesn;t need to be taken seriously. Even on FB, they have what like 130 followers.
ReplyDeleteChill out woman.
One individual saying anything about the armed forces will not change the awesomeness of the armed forces. :)
And I wish those posts weren't taken down. Would've had some serious fun reading them.
ReplyDeleteOne sided, a band who is pissed off with the jets disturbing their music practice and the birds(LOL... the birds). And on the other side .. some super serious, country-loving, wronged-by-the-abusive-words-of-one-guy-against-the-armed-forces patriots ... thrashing it out ... with verbal weaponry.
Ha Ha ... Both missed the point! But sounds like it would've been a slightly less-boring-than-usual conversation!
Missed it!
Thanks guys :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's been a team effort, so hey "army-fan club", high five!
Paramjeet, Woman was chilled out, as she has mentioned earlier, she had no clue it would be taken this seriously. So yes, she is proud to have taken the initiative. To prove what exactly you might ask?
To defend those who cannot speak up for themselves because well, they are too busy "doing their job", i.e., protecting our country. Might seem like a silly thing, but well, to each his own. I took the effort :)
I am happy to know that all of us have entertained you.
All this talk of heresy, sedition, blashphemy, retribution, legal notices etc because a tongue in cheek remark is made about war planes disturbing the local fauna.. nationalists are not beyond having a sense of humour now are they?
ReplyDeleteLet's just put things into perspective little and quite all the indignation.
Thank you and good night.
So here's some perpective-
ReplyDeleteA situation wherein a public figure, in any way, shows any disrespect to it's country or it's Defense Forces, will require intervention of the media/law. Just to teach such guys how getting away with a "tongue in cheek" remark is not exactly easy anymore since there are citizens in the country who look up to them.
That's the funny part about fame, you know. Your "freedom of speech" sometimes gets restricted. Sometimes. It's a small price that we gotta pay.
To each his own, once again :) Hoping the good night meant we won't be hearing more from you now.
Take care :)
so it's ok for the defense forces to show disrespect toward the country's people, of which we have seen much evidence. But they are not accountable I suppose and do not 'require intervention' as you delicately put it.
ReplyDeleteFreedom of speech most certainly does not get restricted and you and your ilk are definitely not ones to restrict anyone's freedom of speech no matter how hard you may try.
At least the owner of this blog has the courtesy and insight of not blocking people, who are commenting contrary to what this post stands for..[like you, for instance!!] Delhi Sultanate not only blocked those who were one of the 1st to question its objectionable post [which was later, very conveniently, deleted!], it also restricted comments from the general public. Out of fear of retribution or public outcry, I wonder..? :/ Perhaps you can enlighten us on that..you seem to be a member of that band only..!
DeleteYou do not seem to understand the way this works. Freedom of speech is definitely restricted. Personnel in the defense forces are asked to stay away from expressing their opinion (heard of social samosa? Google it, go on their Facebook page and you'd find an article that talks about this) Maybe then you'd not make statements like "freedom of speech most certainly does not get restricted" If not for me, do it cos it might increase your understanding of the situation.
ReplyDeleteAlso, who says intervention is not required when they disrespect something? In fact, most of the times it becomes national news immediately! If not, everyone has the right to bring it up, no one is stopping anyone here!
Anyway, I was kinda relieved to see the "thank you and good night". Let's keep it at that? It's getting a little tiring here, repeating time and again that "hey, to each his own, but if you are a famous public figure doing something like this, don't expect us to keep shut"
That's all.
Sunshine, what makes you think we don't go out in public and voice what we feel is wrong with politics and society? You willfully misunderstand the intention here. We all wish to live in a society without strife and where people respect one an-others rights as equal citizens and not to fear victimization based on one's sexual orientation, gender, religion or political leaning.
ReplyDeleteYou have to admit there is much ork to do be done here, and the very people who will make the bigger difference for the better are those in the public eye. The same people you appear to think ought to have their rights to express their opinions taken away from them.
This band are in the public eye - here at a protest rally against the threat of nationalists running the country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKUD_Oti4MA
Would you wish to deny them the right to sing about what concerns them?
read this http://yka.be/1iVYgBg
ReplyDeleteAnd this
ReplyDeletehttp://yka.be/1aLW2E0