THE GREAT sensual DEPRESSION : Bust goes Bust

Circa 1947 India is a poor temperate economy where many sweated and starved.No one had money and food was not an option anyways, it was scarce. Circa 2009 India is a fairly rich temperate economy (we are third world but our middle class has grown fat on increasing disposable incomes) & yet today we not just sweat, starve and generously pay for it too. This is happening either on treadmills in health clubs or fitness centres, In housing complex gymnasiums or on jogging tracks.

The New Number Game
While on economy & numbers one can see that Indian cinema & its performers too love their numbers ; Shahrukh Khan with his packs made the number 6 very popular and then came Aamir Khan who said number 8 is far superior. One lady though made the greatest contribution to this numerical game ( much like the ancient Indian mathematicians) is Kareena Kapoor who commoditized the zero and started a new fad . The key buzzword is now Size Zero.

The Zero Sum Game
This is a trend that is not easy on the eye and one may find it tougher to handle than the vagaries in the economy. The economy has not completely gone bust but with size zero, the bust has certainly gone bust. The sight of skinny women with absolutely no curves and even bones sticking out cavorting about with pride is disheartening to say the least. Why are people generally not satisfied with their bodies that they subject themselves to strain and starvation and in some cases cosmetic alterations?

Cinema & Curves
Kareena was never a pretty face but in Refugee she had some semblance of the Punjabi–Sindhi curves. Today she is all angles and has almost done away with one dimension. The Preeti’s, Priyanka’s, Aishwarya’s do absolutely nothing to the senses the way the belles from the era gone by did. Those from the South like Vyjayanti Mala, Kalpana, Padmini or till recently Sridevi were a far cry from size zero. Take the case of the Bengali women of yesteryears like Suchitra Sen , her daughter Moon –Moon or Yogeeta Bali. Not only was nature kind to them by making them better endowed but also when fully clad they oozed a sensuality that was mind blowing. On the other hand Rimi Sen's "next-to-nothing-garment-act" in Dhoom was a huge yawn. During the song one could actually see the audience walking out for a pee or a smoke. A sincere request follows “When you don’t have it please don’t flaunt it”. The last curvy woman who made an eighty plus painter halt in his tracks was Madhuri Dixit. Now Madhuri never wore absolutely skimpy clothes but she danced like a dream and when her dil went dhak dhak the nations heart missed a beat. I truly don’t see it happening with the Kareena’s of the world. Helen in Don sizzled while Kareena in Don...hmm eh gulp..yecchh.

Sushmita Sen conquered the Universe but she had it right when she decided to enter cinema. Her mosquito bites needed enhancing and like a power saving electric bulb advertisement said “ saare ghar ke badal dalunga” she enhanced them cosmetically. It took a Farha Khan then to put her in a sari under a waterfall in " Main Hoon Na" and the world was on fire again. Even in Hollywood today the extremes are stark you either have measured ones or small ones anything bigger or fuller then sadly your place under the sun is in the pornographic circuit. The last Diva of the bust was Dolly Parton and she is more famous for her impressive chest (and the jokes on them) as she is for crooning country ballads with Kenny Rogers. Looking at Kate Winslett one enjoys seeing her natural fullness. The Titanic sank because it stuck an ice floe & not due to the weight of Winslett above the waist. Europe gave the silver screen, wholesomely endowed divas in Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida. Gina even inspired a Hollywood filmmaker to comment with awe “There are two really great things that have come out of Italy and they are both on Gina” ...

A good bust as a definite sign of beauty on a woman. This is recorded even in ancient Indian temple art. The Chandela temples of Khajuraho and many other temples epitomised beauty in voluptuousness. Women in ancient India have been well endowed and they were not only comfortable but also carried a pride about it. A full figure toned and maintained well is a sight for sore eyes. Though you wouldnt get the idea when you see a woman like Rakhi Sawant. Her craving for the spotlight can even turn cosmetic surgery into a laugh. She enhanced her bust to sport a cleavage in cinema cosmetically and later altered it downwards again surgically to participate in a dance show because the bounce would come in the way. She epitomises the other extreme.

Stay Happy, Stay Fit
Eat healthy, get fit and toned and be happy with your bodies. Don’t starve and sweat with a size zero aspiration and become anorexic. The male homo-sapien in general, even the vegetarians appreciates more meat on bones. Size Zero or Only bones.your only fans are going to be of the canine variety. The world is passing through an economic depression for sure and now in this pursuit of the size zero we may be on the brink of a huge sensual depression too. So many depressions...How depressing!!!!