enter the detective bahu!!

Ludhiana, November 2: WOMEN empowerment has become the mantra of the day whether it is a discussion in Parliament or a women's forum or a lecture in the college auditorium. Many methods are advocated but our idiot box seems to be empowering their heroines in their own way by turning them into detectives and slick sleuths even though they might be donning costly sarees with all the shimmering accessories. Earlier, we all have been going along with the troubles and tribulations of the various family sagas in the wishy washy soaps. Starting from pure family dramas with Hum Log, it recently became all heroine-oriented with all and sundry shedding copious tears and the all suffering bahu had to behave the silent suffering martyr who would grin and bear it all. To top it all, she would still dangle her mangal sutra proudly, treating her beloved family to delicious dishes along with endless cups of tea served at all odd hours. The audience absorbed it all till the popularity of serials like Jassi showed up a different type of audience who did not want their dreamgirls to keep on shedding those precious pearly tears. The scriptwriters hence took the hint and now we can perceive a new bahu emerging. The clever shades of Romola Sikand of Kahin Kissi Roz were incorporated. Now the bahu has become the detective and business DIL who solves such complicated cases on her own —- see how our dynamic Tulsi played by the inimitable Smriti Irani now from the portals of the house solves kidnapping cases and conducts business deals, filling tenders and quoting rates that get the contract for her family and she becomes the all powerful heroine. Now they are initiating the new young bahu Ganga into the business and soon we will see her showing her business acumen. The ever-suffering Bhabhi, Saroj alias Pushpa, dons her multi-coloured bangles and reaches the family business premises in a jiffy to set everybody right. Mallika, the sweet villain of Jassi, also plans a murder trap by planting evidence in the heroine's house. Even our ever-suffering Parvati has been sorting out the problems of the family right from the beginning; who can forget the rape case being solved by the three bahus in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. Pallavi then was my favourite and now Mohini of KSBBT with her slick conniving ways has become my ideal modern women, says a young housewife Sapna Arora. Ladies are even finding Kasauti more interesting since their dear heroine Prerna played the detective recently.

With these new DILs becoming detectives and sorting out the business problems, the heroes seem to just look on with awe at this new-emerging woman who was just good enough earlier only to suffer silently for no fault of hers. So do sit up and look out for this new avtar of the weepy female yonder days.