Indian women: Pink Chaddi Campaign wants your underwear to defeat thugs who beat up women

Rishab sez,

To counter a disturbing trend of right-wing Hindu thugs beating up women going to pubs or wearing clothes they don't approve of, Bangalore-based Alternative Law Forum (ALF) has launched a satirical campaign to support India's "Pubgoing Loose and Forward Women".
The Pink Chaddi Campaign asks women to send pink chaddis (underwear) to the ALF to forward to one of the bullying organisations, the Shri Ram Sene, which has threatened to attack couples found celebrating Valentine's Day.

Consortium of Pubgoing, Loose and Forward Women (Thanks, Rishab!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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Anonymous

The So Called Sre Ram Sene ! You guys are pathetic ! First learn to respect your Motherland , you guys are famous now for your crimes.Bullying Women in groups does not prove that you are daring. If you have the guts come and approach Women Colleges in groups and see what Women Power is. Your Mothers, sisters and Wifes should be ashamed of you. You are the guys who have let India down . Please stop this before you are cursed by every women on this earth.Sri Rama and Sita would surely put an stop to your crimes.
zuzu

Is there a serious campaign to support “Pubgoing Loose and Forward Women” worldwide?
Takuan

I welcome the insight provided here. It fleshes out the international reporting.
gulo gulo

rad!
rexdude

@14 :
These guys crawled out of the woodwork recently- no one has ever heard of this group before.
Political parties are silent on the issue because they fear that defending urban pub going women(a miniscule minority) would alienate their largely rural and illiterate voter base.
Every political decision or inaction in this country is determined by how it affects the ruling party’s vote bank.
Urban educated Indians are a minority compared to the overall population- plus we are largely apathetic towards politics. Voter turnout is very low- so naturally there aren’t any ‘people like us’ in Parliament to speak up for our rights.

Currently the only politician condemning the Ram Sene is Renuka Chowdhury, State minister for women and child development.
See http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pub_bharo_to_beat_moral_police_Renuka_Choudhary/articleshow/4083214.cms
dculberson

Dude, that’s an organization I can fully support.
dculberson

Err… not that I have pink panties to give to them or anything. Oh, crap.
Stefan Jones

In exchange for their pink panties, I’d give the donors a can of Mace, or maybe a derringer.

Kneecap the bastards.
Anonymous

This is the best thing that the mass can do to the stupid politian or reather rowdies who actually hav eno value for females or who think they can do anything they want. I would rather also go along with these type of groups who oppose these gundas. Also if possible people should take AK 47 & shoot all these guys
Anonymous

Hi,
dont want to do this anonymously, the names is Shailesh, attagirl nisha susan, u hell of a lot more ballsier than these neutered gents who took their crappy-do in the pub!!!
Just wanted to add a line that Mr Mutt-a-lick is a neutered gent who I feel cant “stand-up” when alone with a woman…(any woman and NO PUNS INTENDED!!!)and so’s his brigade of neutered tom cats…(PS Neutered in this context can be freely interchanged for castrated\bobbittized\dysfunctional erectile syndrome etc etc…)so these P*****s go to pubs to show their group balls and fervently pray to their version of Ram that atleast one of them ‘PERFORMS”!!!
pl tell this grimacing prick to blow up used rubbers to get his kicks!!!
Anonymous

The Pink Chaddi Movement is not about the drinking or the dancing, it’s about protesting against the policing of people’s free will and the violation of basic human rights. I don’t see women taking to the streets and beating up their men that come home drunk… If a man can go to the Pub, so can a woman. Women are much more than baby making machines… Like men, they too have the right to live and enjoy life as they see fit. I don’t care much for drinking or Pubs, but if I did, I would want to enjoy it as freely as men do. And when did we start blaming the victims? “Women should not provoke men”? Does that statement mean that men are like dogs or wild animals that cannot control their sexual urges? I think that statement insults men more than it does women… Get it?
Anonymous

HATS OFF TO THE PINK CHADHI BRIGADE.

Force the Sri Ram Sena membes to wear these pink chadhi and take a procession of all these moral police vagabonds.
Anonymous

its a perfect gift for Muthalik type im***…. they really don’t need to be called a MAN… one who hits women for such an idiotic thing must get these kinda gifts…
hobinrood

Read all about the Pink Undie campaign here –

The Pink Chaddi for the B***ards
Anonymous

valentines are call girls and jigolo s
they want to legitimtethemself
wingbatwu

Dirty undies? I’d send the whites
Anonymous

Dis is an awesum campaign. Da RAM SENA & SHIV SENA loosers shud get a life. Dey are nothin but a bunch of sad unemployed ppl who hav no better wrk den creatin rouble. Dis is a secular country whr evryone shud b free to do wat dey plz.
Anonymous

We can also send the chaddi snaps online at “ramsena@shriramsena.com”
:)
Hurry up before the inbox floods…
aninsomniac

Oh yes! Those interested, please join the facebook comm!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49641698651

-anin
Anonymous

What Mutalik’s men did to the girls in Pub was absolutely rubbish.But,what the “Campaign” people are doing is horrenduos.What is the logic behind sending panties.You can send flowers to him or even a Archies card.To the women who are sending this better keep it for yourself.Instead of celebrating Valentine’s day on Feb 14th just remember the day when you first met your love & have a bash on that day..Pink Chaddi Campaign is absolutely rubbish..media is highlighting it for their business
noen

That’s an awful lot to expect from underwear. More seriously, I think it has a good chance to work. Shame and ridicule are very effective means of social control.
Anonymous

i support this compaign
Anonymous

i heard that Sonia Gandhi and Renuka Choudhary will inaugurate this function in Brigade road by giving their pink Chaddi to Pramod Mutalik abd other Sri ram Sena members
Talia

I’m pleased to see this getting some press. HOpefully this will catch on.

Hate to see the closeminded holding everyone down.
Anonymous

purani chadhi se kam chala lenge muthalik , paise kue barbad karna hai , aise samaj ke dushamno se
Takuan

who, exactly, is the Sri Ram Sena?
Takuan

an outlaw extremist group? Terrorists?
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20090082746&ch=2/6/2009%209:14:00%20PM

Is the Sri Ram Sena on the blacklist of groups to be sanctioned and prevented travel? Should they be?
Takuan

who ARE these people?

http://www.shriramsena.com/
Takuan

http://www.rediff.com/news/2009/jan/27inter-shri-ram-sena-is-confused-organisation.htm
Takuan

Pranesh? Aninsomninac? Anyone who actually knows something wish to enlighten us?
eustace

This is a bit too Brer Rabbit for me – for ” whatever you do, don’t throw me in that briar patch!” substitute “don’t mail me your panties – especially the pink ones!”
Anonymous

There is a saying that, its fun to see if someone else’s mother go mad in public.. Its the same scene here.. People who talk against the Sri ram sena wud act differntly if his or her own mother or daughter or sister go to the pub and wear indecent clothes in public.. I am not giving a single appreciation for the way the Sri ram sena members handled the women at the pub..But the drive should be aimed in more respectful way… Hatred for the members of the Sri Ram Sena who is going berserk taking the name of Ram along with them, Love for those mother’s and sisters who continue to live the way indian woman used to live.. My black chaddi for those woman who are trying to act the same way Sri Ram sena workers did demostrating another indecent way to react.
bassemb

This is all kinds of funny and awesome, but perhaps the resources invested .nllhis project can be redirected toward a more effective way of preventing violence and discrimination.

Unless this would be more effective due to some contextual issue I’m not aware of.
Takuan

please clarify cultural referents: “Ram”,”black chaddi”
Takuan

Hindus are “oppressed”? (read comments)
http://www.rediff.com/news/2009/jan/26bjp-talibanising-karnataka-deve-gowda.htm
Antinous / Moderator

I’m content for Indian women to take the lead in deciding how to deal with the issue. On the other hand, I’m not that content with those granny knickers in the image. Are they accepting thongs?
Anonymous

I made a presentaion on this topic here:

http://www.slideshare.net/avalok/the-pinkchaddi-campaign
Steevan

This is really a good concept ,, All gals should fight for their Justice,, if We boys can go to Bar and drink or Dance , why not Gals do it,,, Why do we have Western Companies, why do we have Western Cahnnels,,, why do we speak English,, this is not Our Culture Our Culture is Only Hindu ,, but remember In India There are Christians and Muslims also ,, so Mr Muthalic Kepp ur Fight within Ur self,, are not Married and U dont no any thing Abt Love ,, This Pink chaddi will help u and do remove ur Saffron Lungi,,,,
Anonymous

hi, i dont want to waste money n buy new pink chadi’s for ram sene. so i want to send him some of my old chadhi’s. so pls tell me to which adress i have to send.iam frm bangalore..
aninsomniac

I don’t know anything about the Sri Rama Sena, or at least I didn’t before the Mangalore pub attack. In India, there are these AWFUL political parties called the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) & VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) which are extremist Hindu and believes that only Hindus must live in India, Muslims should get out, etc.

I think the SriRamaSena is probably funded/supported by those parties as they also believe that women should act according to the “traditional values” of Hinduism (WRONG! They actually mean the Victorian morals that were pushed into the subcontinent during the British Raj. Women in India used to wear only skirts and no tops before the Brits came!)

@Takuan: Rama is a Hindu god or a historical figure depending on which Hindu sect you believe in. He is supposed to be the bastian of virtue and everything else. He was a prince who were banished for 14 years out of the country due to the mechanizations of his stepmother (supposedly). His wife Sita accompanied him and then some huge epic story followed (read Ramayana). What is interesting is that after Rama and Sita came back, the common people started casting aspersions of Sita’s character because while banished, sita was kidnapped by Ravan, the King of Ceylon. To prove her virtue, she had to walk through fire, which she did unscathed. Then she left her untrusting husband and took off.

Chaddi is the Hindi word for panties.

-anin
Anonymous

I knew my comment wont be accepted by moderator–taking 2nd chance.

Sourabh:

You are telling this to wrong audiance.

Actually this is Kali yug you know.

We all are greedy.

We see modenization in Pub goers and not in Prativa Patil, Sania Mirza, Kalpana Chawla, Inspector Bedi or Saina Nehwal.

We want free culture where today we can kiss in closed doors but still want others to see us.

We want bottles of Rum and Whiskey to show we are modern.

We need drugs.

We need the right to post nude pictures of girls on web sites.

We need the right to post porn of indian innosent girls who once believed us.

We need to do any thing that west did.

We can wear cross as fashion but not OM sigh.

AND we are modern so if any one protests against us–We cry foul.

WE are modern youths of India and sania mirza or Kalpana Chawla are just old turts.

We the youth of India with all the above quality will make India a true America tomorrow.

The day is not far when like western countries in India there will be a film industry for porn and GOVT will give national awards.

The days are not far when teenagers of India will sit in front of porn cams live chat.LOL.

And what did you say?? Radha-Krishna??
Are you serious? Do you think we have time to think about them??LOL.

We are modern people of India. The might of GOD is too small in front of the might of Modern pub goers.

The days are not far when to defete Muthalic, Pub goers will wear underwears with pictures of Indian gods on them.

We are modern youths of India.

Forget Rabindranath,Swami Vive kananda or Netaji.

We are modern youths of India sending pink chaddis to Muthalik and tomorrow we want to run naked on street–and who dares to stop us.

We the people of India will bring ARMAGADON together.
Anonymous

who r these people to tell us what to do & what not.Wid criminal backgrounds these people will tell what our culture is……… who gave them right to hit any women of this country………pink chaddi suits them
Anonymous

I am a 23 year old girl who has never even been to a disco forget drinking (m serious)!!! but I totally support this campaign. This country will never progress unless the women of this country have the right to choose. thumbs up!!!!!!!
error404

to quote from Goodness Gracious Me,

Kiss My Chaddis!

Yay Ladies, go to the pub and wear what you like
jamuna

muthalik, how is my pink chaddi…., taste it..
Anonymous

Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women’s Support group
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=9330&uid=50694268510#/group.php?gid=50694268510

The main group was cracked and the Facebook Admin Team deleted the group along with 58,000 members. It seems they preferred the easiest solution?

Our founder, Nisha Susan, MSN-India’s International Womenâ€™s Day Idol, had her account suspended.

Our boards, links, and wall were removed, our admin system was replaced with random people, and our news section and name repeatedly defaced and vandalised.

If a Human Rights group with over 58,000 members cannot get any clear or decisive action from the Facebook team, who can?

Our requests to the Facebook Admin team about this matter received no more attention than a form letter telling us to read the help files.

If it was Hilary Clintonâ€™s Facebook Group, something may have been done.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/will-bower/glitch-plagued-clinton-fa_b_101000.html

We attempted to get it back, but since this is a Womenâ€™s Rights group in India, no one took notice. This is a travesty and we will carry on.

Peace to you all.
Anonymous

thanks to the moderator for creating such a facebook cummunity. this is direct slap to idiot muthalic.keep it up we r u you.
Anonymous

hey thats great i heard bout it in the news but its
not just the muthalik but other groups or individual must be too in this list
may be another way to protest is that womens should
not marry this kind of guys
Anonymous

Dude, that’s an organization I can fully support.
Subhasish from Kolkata
Anonymous

Sourabh:

You are telling this to wrong audiance.

Actually this is Kali yug you know.

We all are greedy.

We see modenization in Pub goers and not in Prativa Patil, Sania Mirza, Kalpana Chawla, Inspector Bedi or Saina Nehwal.

We want free culture where today we can kiss in closed doors but still want others to see us.

We want bottles of Rum and Whiskey to show we are modern.

We need drugs.

We need the right to post nude pictures of girls on web sites.

We need the right to post porn of indian innosent girls who once believed us.

We need to do any thing that west did.

We can wear cross as fashion but not OM sigh.

AND we are modern so if any one protests against us–We cry foul.

WE are modern youths of India and sania mirza or Kalpana Chawla are just old turts.

We the youth of India with all the above quality will make India a true America tomorrow.

The day is not far when like western countries in India there will be a film industry for porn and GOVT will give national awards.

The days are not far when teenagers of India will sit in front of porn cams live chat.LOL.

And what did you say?? Radha-Krishna??
Are you serious? Do you think we have time to think about them??LOL.

We are modern people of India. The might of GOD is too small in front of the might of Modern pub goers.

The days are not far when to defete Muthalic, Pub goers will wear underwears with pictures of Indian gods on them.

We are modern youths of India.

Forget Rabindranath,Swami Vive kananda or Netaji.

We are modern youths of India sending pink chaddis to Muthalik and tomorrow we want to run naked on street–and who dares to stop us.

We the people of India will bring ARMAGADON together.
Teapunk

If men want to tell women what to wear, they can become fashion designers.
Now I’m off to the pub.
Anonymous

these guys are simply men widout character and brains…
are they get money for this yaar…and the limelight comes automatically ..so dats a bonus for them..fucking rascals…d people working wid sri ram sena..go and check if yur daughters are in d house or njoying in d pubs…shitt on u man….
d ideal place for u all is afganisthan…go glorify their culture …
Takuan

thank you Anin, always better to have an explanation rather than a mere look up in complex, cultural matters.

The video in #22 showing women being assaulted is like any other I have seem about social terrorists pursuing a political agenda. Why did not all the other men in the scene immediately kill these thugs?
pranesh

@Cory
I believe it is the Consortium of Pubgoing, Loose and Forward Women that has organized the Pink Chaddi Campaign. I’m not sure if ALF is actually the driving force behind the campaign. They are, however, supportive of it, and the ALF office is the Bangalore drop-point for those who can’t mail their underwear to Mr. Pramod Muttalik. (There are drop-points in other cities as well.)

@Takuan
While Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram called the Sri Ram Sene a threat to the country, they are nothing of the sort. They are merely a bunch of thugs who deserve to be put behind bars.

To get a perspective on things, though, even within urban India, “pub culture” is minuscule (compared to the overall population of urban youth). (Please note, I am talking specifically about pubs, and not about drinking.) So, there is some truth in the idea (articulated by some politicians in Karnataka) that this attack (horrible as it may be) has received extraordinary press coverage. There is a greater immediacy in the attacks to those working in the press (especially the English press). I don’t believe that can be denied. But what the politicians don’t understand is that be that as it may, it still doesn’t legitimize the violence used, nor does it make the issue a solely elitist concern.

To add some more perspective, there have been women (in mailing lists) who wish to protest the Sri Ram Sene’s actions, but don’t wish to take part in the “Pubcrawl” on the 14th of February.
Anonymous

excellent work guys keep going all world women are with u!!!!!
Anonymous

Hello, I have a different take on the issue. I dont think insulting anyone, even Pramod will help transform the country.

If anything, I suggest this – let us make sure that Pramod Mutalik receives the most valentines cards in the country, albeit, in images that he associates with â€“ radha-shyam, Shankar-Parvati, Ram-Sita â€¦ and so oneJ. In my humble opinion, this will do more than anything. He cannot insult such cards. But the underlying emotion has to be one of love and not of hate or fear.

My reasons below:

Pramod Mutalik’s insecurity lies in the fact that the symbolism associated with Valentineâ€™s day is alien to him. The word ‘Valentines’ comes from the west. The imagery includes ‘red roses’, ‘heart shapes’ and the sweets include ‘chocolate’. None of which are familiar to him. If you actually take the other 80% of India into account, you will notice that this imagery is alien to them also. To them, this imagery is alien or â€˜westernâ€™.

Do take into account that India has been invaded for the last 5000 years. People like Pramod Mutalik (and all of us) have born the brunt of these invasions. These invasions were violent. And though India has become a free country, the images of past violence persist – even if we do not realize it.

On the other hand, Valentines day or lets call is a ‘celebration of love day’ is perfect for Indian Culture. If you count the number of synonyms an Indian language like Hindi has for ‘love’ – prem, preet, ishq, pyaar, mahobbat … etc etc … you will find more references than English at least. Honestly, I could not think of any synonym except ‘amore’ – but isn’t that French?

Now think about Indian imagery of love. Radha – Krisha, Shiv – Parvati, Ram – Sita and Jodha -Akbar. To me, it is much more real (graphic) than anything anyone will find in any western imagery. Letâ€™s go further, into our places of worship and observer the Shiv ling or the Temples of Konark and into books like the Kamasutra (written by a celibate btw). All of these clearly indicate that ancient Indian society was mature enough to look beyond the physical expression of love.

When these temples were discovered by western individuals, and I include anything west of Punjab, including England, they were not prepared for such imagery. They could not associate it with the divine because their own imagery was so starkly different. So they went shame-shame and belittled another culture – just because they did not understand it. Now since were the rulers, their view dominated and ‘we the people’ bought into that collective shame we still associate with Indian culture.

If you see Pramod Mutalik’s actions in this light, does it seem like he is still serving the cultural slavery that his colonial masters imposed on him? Does it appear that he has bought so deeply their idea of correctness that he has forgotten his own roots? So is he the perpetrator or the victim? Does he even realize that he is insulting Indian culture (especially that which he calls Hindu? with his actions? Does he even know where his thoughts come from?

But there is a larger question here â€“ the question of inclusion:

There are people among us who understand both the west and the east. We like to celebrate Valentineâ€™s Day, but also want to celebrate Holi and Diwali. So the question is – what choice are we going to make about the people who donâ€™t associate with the west? To sent them â€˜chaddisâ€™? Or through protest marches â€“ blaming people like Pramod Mutalik for something he clearly does not understand?

Or are we going to build the bridge of understanding? It is simpler than it sounds J. Instead of holding protest marches, we just have to give Valentineâ€™s Day an Indian Flavor (Desi Tadka). I am sure St Valentines will not mind. This might mean we call it by another name or include images that are more culturally relevant in India. So we join the world in a celebration of love but we do it in an inclusive way.

If we succeed in building such a bridge, Pramod Mutalik will not exist. Moreover, we might become more accepting and understanding of Valentineâ€™s Day itself. The choice is indeed ours J

And if we want to take direct action, let us make sure that Pramod Mutalik receives the most valentines cards in the country, albeit, in images that he associates with â€“ radha-shyam, Shankar-Parvati, Ram-Sita â€¦ and so oneJ. In my humble opinion, this will do more than anything. He cannot insult such cards. But the underlying emotion has to be one of love and not of hate or fear.

Saurabh
Anonymous

Hi..I want to donate PINK Chaddi to Ms. Shobha Karandlaje. Can i get her address pls
Anonymous

Those who are sending chaddis, condoms and other material are also confused and belong to low class family. Can they tell their parent that they are supporting such a move.

Media is un necessarily supporting such peoples
Anonymous

The Sri Rama Sene guys are not worthy of your stinking Pink Chaddees,

By the way, are these chaddis new or used ones,?
New ones are a waste of time, old stinking ones will turn them into Pink Chaddi Stink Fetishes, so campaigners be careful…then u you will have them cathching women in public and foircibly removing thier chaddis.. another nuisance (new sense)

I would rather appreciate a No Chaddi Campaign.. sound nice.
Anonymous

Where were you noble guys, when some bloody rats started hitting the women face with acid who were not wearing BURKA in Kashmir.Where were you noble people when some CULTURED (sounds rediculous when you support presence of Indian women in pubs) indian WOMEN raped in pubs in Delhi, later tested positive with alcohol!!!! So Indian women includes your mothers as well,then why dont you noble WOMEN caretakers, send ur mothers tp pub and dance with tom and dick over there?
Stop this nonsense. Why you dont bother about the cultured women and loose women as you claim, trading there flesh in new Mumbai pubs? Please not give any chance to these bloody organisations who triggered these campaingnes, which nothing but looking forward and taking advantage of these situations for there commercial grow up and popularity. Yes I do really oppose those shameful activities by the SENE (beating women in public.But at the same time should we allow our ladies to drink and dance with others in pubs? Just I mean ,let no crap foreign culture influence our geneuis minds diverting. Does this whole thing not seems to be benefitting some one! the pub owners!!
mamatha91718

its a good campiagn against ram sena i support this campiagn.Mr.Muthalik, abusing women by saying that going to pub is not our culture.I think you need to know that harassing women is also not our culture.Instead, you can as well fight for some good cause likes female foeticide,try fighting for women who are being raped,fight for some good cause.You dont have any rights to say what a women of this generation need to do.Its a Democratic country and people have all the rights to do whatever they want.And women of today is intelligent enough to know what is good for her and herlimitations.so you better stay away.You should be pulled on to the road and beaten by women black and blue!
Anonymous

also i would like all the Sri rame Sene men wear ” nude clothes” and pink chaddis on valentines day!!!!!
Anonymous

Good work citizens of India. We should show RAM Sena, Bajrang Dal, BJP, Raj Thakare and other militant outfits so called moral brigades that they are mentally challenged sick and criminal minded organization/people.
I hate to call myself a Hindu where such filth is present. I want to register my protest thru this blog.
Just eliminate these bastards from the society.
Takuan

ah! It is so gratifying to read these comments!
Vigneshr

Firstly, Congratulations for the Pink Chadhi Brigade. I think its time to file a PIL and procecute these sene members, there is no second thought that theses members belong to the terrorist groups.

Have no Shame Mr. Mutalik??????