Assembly Elections 2018: 5 reasons why celebrating victory with a naagin dance should be banned. Forever
In 1986, a time when many of today’s ‘nineties kids’ were born, Sridevi starred in a movie called Nagina. It was an eponymous character, as Sridevi was the shape-shifting ‘Nagina’ who could invoke her inner serpent as soon as she used to reach her hands above her head — the appropriate music being played in the background.
The movie had a sequel Nigahen, which released in 1989. This is a long story short of how the 'naagin dance' came into popularity.
We are not overlooking marvellous Debra Paget's snake dance in The Indian Tomb (1959) or Waheeda Rehman's naagin dance in Guide (1966).
But Sridevi is the reason why we have the Naagin serial today.
Both Sridevi and the naagin dance went on to become legends — but their trajectories were just the opposite.
And we are afraid that time of the year has come when we have to see a lot of intoxicated persons gyrating and taking pride (totally unjustified) in their dancing skills. We are not only talking about the wedding season here. We have actually seen some unpleasant videos of people jumping in joy in somewhat naagin form in front of their party headquarters today, as soon as the results started coming in.
We can understand that not everyone can dance, and truly, we don’t want to steal that moment of your spontaneous celebration. But then, please take a break and read these five reasons why naagin dance should be banned.
Absolutely.
1. You are not Sridevi
Admit it, you are not Sridevi. You don’t have the curves (this is not bodyshaming, just plain fact) — neither do you have that fire in your eyes. Also, Amrish Puri is not the snake charmer here either.
You are just pretending to be a shape-shifting creature — while your shape remains the same.
2. PETA is watching
Snake dance, in its classical form of Sridevi or Waheeda Rahman, involved no cruelty. But the local version of it is pure cruelty, not only to the sight.
So, here’s what actually happens: The most inebriated of the lot almost sits on the ground slithering, of course, with hands folded above the head as a 'snake hood'. The rest of the lot start circling him (it’s mostly him) in every kind of awkward move possible — but hands folded above.
No one remembers what happens after that, because everyone is drunk enough to forget the details.
But the person in the middle is at the receiving end, and any kind of cruelty in the name of animals won’t be taken lightly by PETA.
Mind you!
3. Bollywood and cricket do not need any more collaboration
Well, after Virat-Anushka's wedding, we don’t need any more collaboration between Bollywood and cricket.
But unless naagin dance is absolutely banned, we can’t see that happening, because whenever any cricketer gets a chance, he does a little naagin dance — be it mockery or just celebration. The trend is infectious. The Sri Lanka and Bangladesh teams have learnt and mastered the art too.
This is exactly the opposite of what we want.
We want to contain the spread of this art form, and then want it to perish.
Improvisation is strictly not allowed
Every art form is to be respected. If you are prone to break into some bhangra moves while you are at your naagin dance, then this should be taken as a serious signal that you should desist from those serpentine moves.
What is naagin dance with two steps of ‘balle balle’!
There is a perfect term for it — blasphemy.
So, don't do it.
It has done no good
Believe us when we say naagin dance has done no good to anyone.
In 2017, a bride in Shahjahanpur called off her wedding to a certain person on the wedding day, after she saw his naagin dance moves. The next day, she got married to someone else.
Now, we don’t know how that could be arranged in such short notice.
But clearly, all this happens when you believe in the magic of the naagin dance.
Just ban it!