ELECTRONIC CAPITALISM IN INDIA : PROTESTS AND POLITICS
The emerging order of electronic capitalism in India became particularly clear in November 1996 . when the miss world competition was held for the first time in india , in the picturesque garden city of Banglore . like many other postcolonial nations,Indias fascination with beaut contests seems to be connected to transformation brought by the emerging culture of a transnational consumption . the expansion of satellite television services and the concerted goverment policy of economic liberalization since 1991 are often cited as the forces fueldling widespread changes in the national community . however , even in past decades , a large number of beauty competition were staged with considerable pomp and pageantry at exclusive clubs, women’s colleges, and even high schools throughout the country. At the national level, femina, Indias leading womens magazines organizes an annual miss India contest whose winners go on to participate in international competition like miss world and miss universe . these events have drawn sporadic and localized protests from political groups and womens activists . who find beauty contests “unhealthy and sexist “ and derogatory to women in general. At the same time , beauty contests on the globle stage have inspired significant outpouring of national pride , as when miss India, Susmita Sen won the miss universe title in Manila in 1994. national enthusiasm grew even more intense and when later that year, India ‘s Aishwariya Rai was crowned miss world in sun city of south Africa . consequently many have commented that the attractions of indias emerging consumer markets go hand in hand with the success of Indian women on the globle beauty stage . yet the connections between the trajectorie are obviously more subtle and complex in the transnational order of electronic capitalism. The beauty contests not only represent the power politics of electronic capitalism in India but also are markatable events for the nations new image in the transitional order . But when the miss world competition was held for the first time in Banglore, the policies of internationalism and translocalism literally collided in the streets of Banglore , it beame clear how many of the cultural tensions between the old and the new, tradition and modernity,left wing and right wing, patriarchal and feminist critique were turned topsy- turvy by the rapid spread of electronic capitalism in post-colonial India. On the face of it, many of the protests by womens groups are about the explore and exploitation of the female bodies for a masculine gaze protesters characterized the miss world contest as the subordination of women to the status of sex objects as the most prominent rationale for opposing the miss world pageant. The miss world controversy brings to attention some of the many problems faced by womens groups when they strategically align with Hindu nationalist parties like the BJP to ensure the momentum of their protest movement against the growing hegemony of electronic capitalism in India. Thus several political parties were blatently opportunistic, exploiting the miss world contest to gain leverage in Indias always contestuous electoral politics. Among the political formulations evolved in such a manoeuvre were the left wing communist parties in India. Although they were partners in the coalition government led by the Deve Gowda left wing parties like CPI and CPI(M) were vociferous in their criticism , despite the obvious embarrassment it caused for the Prime Minister in whose home state the pageant was being held. The power politics between the various idiological formations were once again prominently displayed on national , transnational, and translocal networks during the general elections of 1998 considered to be Indias first television elections.
The emerging order of electronic capitalism in India became particularly clear in November 1996 . when the miss world competition was held for the first time in india , in the picturesque garden city of Banglore . like many other postcolonial nations,Indias fascination with beaut contests seems to be connected to transformation brought by the emerging culture of a transnational consumption . the expansion of satellite television services and the concerted goverment policy of economic liberalization since 1991 are often cited as the forces fueldling widespread changes in the national community . however , even in past decades , a large number of beauty competition were staged with considerable pomp and pageantry at exclusive clubs, women’s colleges, and even high schools throughout the country. At the national level, femina, Indias leading womens magazines organizes an annual miss India contest whose winners go on to participate in international competition like miss world and miss universe . these events have drawn sporadic and localized protests from political groups and womens activists . who find beauty contests “unhealthy and sexist “ and derogatory to women in general. At the same time , beauty contests on the globle stage have inspired significant outpouring of national pride , as when miss India, Susmita Sen won the miss universe title in Manila in 1994. national enthusiasm grew even more intense and when later that year, India ‘s Aishwariya Rai was crowned miss world in sun city of south Africa . consequently many have commented that the attractions of indias emerging consumer markets go hand in hand with the success of Indian women on the globle beauty stage . yet the connections between the trajectorie are obviously more subtle and complex in the transnational order of electronic capitalism. The beauty contests not only represent the power politics of electronic capitalism in India but also are markatable events for the nations new image in the transitional order . But when the miss world competition was held for the first time in Banglore, the policies of internationalism and translocalism literally collided in the streets of Banglore , it beame clear how many of the cultural tensions between the old and the new, tradition and modernity,left wing and right wing, patriarchal and feminist critique were turned topsy- turvy by the rapid spread of electronic capitalism in post-colonial India. On the face of it, many of the protests by womens groups are about the explore and exploitation of the female bodies for a masculine gaze protesters characterized the miss world contest as the subordination of women to the status of sex objects as the most prominent rationale for opposing the miss world pageant. The miss world controversy brings to attention some of the many problems faced by womens groups when they strategically align with Hindu nationalist parties like the BJP to ensure the momentum of their protest movement against the growing hegemony of electronic capitalism in India. Thus several political parties were blatently opportunistic, exploiting the miss world contest to gain leverage in Indias always contestuous electoral politics. Among the political formulations evolved in such a manoeuvre were the left wing communist parties in India. Although they were partners in the coalition government led by the Deve Gowda left wing parties like CPI and CPI(M) were vociferous in their criticism , despite the obvious embarrassment it caused for the Prime Minister in whose home state the pageant was being held. The power politics between the various idiological formations were once again prominently displayed on national , transnational, and translocal networks during the general elections of 1998 considered to be Indias first television elections.
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