[Reader-list]: the Act of leisure

Tue Nov 30 21:08:28 IST 2004

Dear Iram,
If Pandu& Co. really intend to process the footage as part of some citizen 
profiling project,then we'll be well within our rights to sue the morons and 
create a media issue out of it.However such an Orwellian possibility is not 
very likely to occur.My guess is that he shot the footage as part of 'normal 
procedure' since as  you mentioned, a suspected terrorist was seen in the 
vicinity , and the cops were trying to keep an eye on anything 
suspicious.There really seems to be not much cause for alarm yet.

Regarding your question about what constitutes leisure,I think that if we 
regard leisure as a private or individual act then it differs literally from 
person to person,and being a private matter is outside the realm of public 
debate.And, if leisure is as I suggested societal/contextual,then at best we 
can compare forms of leisure but  not find any underlying thread to 
formulate a theory.So, its an open ended question which begs an 
answer.Leisure can be generic or individual (or both), is my guess.An 
economist will obviously look at leisure from a purchasing power/lifestyle 
perspective( how often can I afford going to PVR?).A psychologist will view 
leisure as a highly subjective phenomenon based on personality traits, while 
a sociologist will probably relate leisure to culture and 
socialization.However all these viewpoints would require enormous research 
and fieldwork,which I am in no position to make.

Finally when I wrote about dubiousness of means my only intention was to 
point out that many of us have adopted the methods that Pandu had employed, 
and that there's nothing wrong in it per se.Our ends were of course nobler!

Aniruddha.

>From: iram at sarai.net
>To: reader-list at sarai.net
>CC: "Aniruddha Basu" <abose25 at hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: [Reader-list]: the Act of leisure
>Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:06:19 +0100 (CET)
>
>
>Dear aniruddha,
>
>The core issue is not that pandu hawaldar was shooting
>something akin to a shadi video of Taha, Bikas and
>Gaurav in New Friends Colony community centre without
>their permission. The point to ponder is exactly WHAT
>he intends to do with the footage?  Will it be part of
>a citizen profile library that anyone can access?
>
>However you are absolutely right in believing that we
>have equated the concept of leisure with freedom to
>move around! In fact, I feel that freedom to move
>around is far more important than any concept of
>leisure. So, what is leisure? Is it a generic term? Is it individual? and
>is it different for economists/ sociologists/
>psychologists and historians etc etc.?
>
>Cheers,
>Iram
>
>PS: `dubiousness of means while shooting documentaries
>or EFP’s”- It is an important issue  but is it central to
>this discussion?
>
> >
> > Dear Iram,
> >
> > I was aware of the incident at CC but had not given it a serious thought
> > until i read your posting. Let me explain why.
> >
> >
> > Apparently your main accusation against the cop is not that he asked our
> > friends to leave but that he was photographing them against their
> > knowledge.If so, let me venture to say that ,that is something we are 
>all
> > guilty of.I think it is far more revealing to photograph people in
> > informal
> > settings, when they are unaware of it. Our celebrated media revels in
> > it.How
> > many times have we seen a Outlook or India Today capturing perfectly law
> > abiding citizens in slightly uncomfortable and uncompromising 
>situations?
> >
> >
> > Starlets kissing, teenagers holding hands in Lodhi gardens..and so
> > on.Havent
> > we all resorted to a certain dubiousness of means while shooting
> > documentaries or EFP’s?At least the cops usually will not (dare not),
> > publicize their material.We can sue them if they try.That is not to say
> > that
> > I am defending the Delhi Police.Surely not! Our policemen are often
> > uncooperative and sometimes a downright nuisance. However it is unfair 
>to
> > paint them entirely in black based on one incident.
> >
> > What I do not understand is what the aforementioned incident has to do
> > with
> > leisure. If that dumb cops’s point was to prevent people from hanging
> > around
> > after midnight then maybe there is some justification to it.Delhi is 
>after
> > all notorious for its late night crimes and coupled with the security
> > threat
> > is enough to make our callous authorities paranoid and even overreact
> > perhaps. I think you are equating the concept of leisure with the 
>freedom
> > to
> > move around.
> >
> > The point is that society at large ( my family included )
> > will simply not be able to comprehend what we gained by strolling around
> > late nights at CC, doing nothing in particular.There’s nothing wrong 
>with
> > that per se, its just that it does not fit in with societies concept of
> > leisure. Of course if you are shooting late at night at CC , then the 
>cops
> > don’t bother, it’s a hard nights work after all!(I speak from personal
> > experience).
> >
> > Leisure to my mind is entirely contextual..Leisure in the private sector
> > is
> > often a part of official policy. They are recreations formulated by the 
>HR
> > in an organization to help the employees de-stress and unwind , so that
> > they
> > can perform better and increase productivity. My friend who is working 
>in
> > American Express was asked to go to a resort in Rajasthan for a few 
>days,
> > as
> > a ‘change of scene’.Any refusal to go would be met with frowns and
> > disapproval.Another friend in TOI has a compulsory yoga session in the
> > mornings on weekdays, due to which he has to reach office one hour
> > earlier.Ad agencies are hosting an interoffice cricket tournament, with
> > match practice on weekends,most schools have their own Extra Curricular
> > Activities after school hours..the list is endless.
> >
> > Psychologists argue that such activities are necessary to broaden an
> > employee’s horizon and keep him/her alert. Undoubtedly there are many 
>who
> > will consider this too as an invasion of privacy and examples of 
>needless
> > regulation.Thus its pretty clear that it is not the state alone which
> > decides what leisure should consist of; rather every group, community or
> > even society have their own conception of leisure which those outside 
>the
> > group may not approve of. One cannot have uninhibited freedom in a 
>society
> > bound by rules.
> >
> > And what about our immediate families? We may( and do) consider boozing
> > late
> > nights at CC as leisure, but both cops and our families will be in
> > complete
> > agreement, that it is an unwanted, destructive habit. Thus don’t our 
>loved
> > ones contribute to stereotypical notions of leisure as well? The
> > authorities
> > do what they do because they know that they have both legal and
> > sociological
> > sanction behind it.The solution is simple.You cannot change the state if
> > you
> > don’t change the mindset...
> >
> > aniruddha b
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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