When Twinkle Khanna aka Mrs Funnybones makes headlines, it is usually for her wit or because of some intelligent observation she made, wrote another book or because her marriage is still solid in an industry known for fragmenting relationships. This time she earned herself significant brickbats when she tweeted a picture of a man defecating in the open. There was something of a tempest in a teacup as a result. Here is what went down:
She tweeted a picture of a man defecating in the open on the sea shore and said this: ‘Good morning and I guess here is the first scene of Toilet Ek Prem Katha part 2 #WhenYourWalkGoesDownTheToilet”
Swiftly came the criticism for her mention of her husband’s recently released movie Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and the seeming attempt to garner a bit of publicity for the film that is already doing well. I don’t see why anyone should protest at some informal PR for a film; nevertheless many chose to express derision.
Many men felt that the picture was tantamount to ‘playing with the dignity of men’ and that if a similar picture of a woman were tweeted, the ‘dignity’ issue would be highlighted a lot more. Well, this would be fair if a vast majority of Indian men had no particular problem using any wall/tree/hedge/fence/building/corner as an open air urinal whenever and wherever the urge strikes. Whether they emerge from a swank car, or alight from a cycle rickshaw, they all do it, so crying foul on those grounds is exceedingly thin.
The problem is not that free publicity is sought; the ‘male dignity’ issue also doesn’t hold water. The real problem is how utterly tone deaf the tweet is, and how utterly it fails to recognise privilege. This is the typical nose-curled disgust and outrage that privileged Indians express when someone impinges upon that privilege; in this case a morning walk by the seaside being spoilt by the presence of a morning defecator in plain sight.
Following the uproar that greeted the original tweet, she retweeted the same image and said that if people could not see the sardonicism for what it was, she was OK with it. In her defence she said “He can afford to go ‘drinking with friends’ but can’t pay 2use a toilet or buy cup of tea in a place which has one? #GetUrHeadOutOfTheCrapper”, and added that there is a public toilet a 7 to 8 minute walk from the place.
Twinkle Khanna has probably never had to wonder where she was going to take her next tinkle (pun intended). Neither have I; I recognize this as a huge privilege in India. If she was being ironic about the area being declared Open Defecation free she should have addressed her tweet to the authorities not tried to shame an ordinary person.
As it was, her tweet opens her up to these questions: I would ask Twinkle if she had ever had to walk 8 minutes with a full bladder/about-to-burst bowel and then wait some more before a user vacated a squalid, stinking toilet to use it. Inscrutable but wise sounding sound-bites (such as the one in the picture) are neither here nor there.
I would like to ask her if she ever missed a bus/train/ work deadline because she didn’t have the time to factor a bowel movement into a morning. Also how did she know that this particular man had could afford to go “drinking with friends” but not a pay-per-use toilet or similar facility? So clearly, apart from all her other attributes, she is clairvoyant as well! Well good for her (I’m being sardonic here as well; in case that escaped the reader).
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