‘It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt’ and when they do, it could lead to a PIL, as is the case with Sikh lawyer Harvinder Chowdhury. Harvinder recently filed a PIL with the Supreme Court to ban all jokes on Sardars and the Sikh Community because she, according to reports had to “suffer humiliation” because of such jokes.
For decades now the Santa Banta jokes have been doing the rounds and though there were many protests around the country, this is the first time that a petition to ban all the jokes has actually been filed.
While many from the community are supporting this PIL, there are a few from the city who believe that these jokes should be treated like any other. Binit Kaur, a psychotherapist at Roshni Counselling Centre says, “People need to have a sense of humour as well as cultivate sensitivity to other communities. This is an in-built characteristic and not something that can be enforced from outside. Banning is not the solution. How many jokes against how many communities will you ban? Lighten up, people.”
But there are two sections of people, while one of them thinks people need to lighten up and take it as a joke, there are those who believe that it is high time that such a move took place. Businessman Balvinder Singh Juneja and his family say, “I do believe the jokes are often insensitive. No other community has been the target for these running jokes. Do we get offended? Yes.”
While Harvinder felt that it was high time such a move was made, there are several within the Sikh community who feel that as long as the jokes don’t hurt someone’s religious sentiments, everything is fine. “Most of these jokes are funny and I do laugh at them but that doesn’t mean that the Sikh community is stupid. In fact, look around and you will find that Sikhs are doing well in every field of life. Whether it is the armed forces personnel, doctors, engineers, economists, sports persons and even politicians. Jokes can’t diminish the work we do... but yes, I do think jokes should also stay within a limit and not hurt anyone’s religious sentiments,” says family physician Dr Khushwant Singh.
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