Press Release

All India Men’s Welfare Association (AIMWA) is an organization formed to protect the Constitutional and Human Rights of men and boys. We fight against gender discrimination, legal terrorism and every other form of abuse suffered by men and boys.

AIMWA is organizing a Nationwide Boycott of the Family Courts on 18 June 2010 – the Friday before Fathers’ Day – as a sign of protest against the Family Court system which blatantly discriminates against fathers, heartlessly separates them from and prevents their access to their own biological children.

We concur with the recent observation of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India that “the Hindu Marriage Act is breaking more families than uniting”. We would like to add that the worst sufferers of the Indian Family Court system are fathers and children.

Indian Family Courts have declared a war against fathers and are adopting every possible means to create a “Fatherless Society”. The modus operandi of the Family Courts includes:

• Depriving fathers of the right to love and care for their biological children.
• Forcing fathers to pay huge sums of money to support children they are not allowed to see.
• Encouraging false allegations of abuse to paint fathers as unfit parents.
• Permitting multiple legal battles by mothers to eliminate biological fathers from their children’s lives.
• Passing ex-parte orders based solely on the allegations made by a child’s mother.
• Allowing mothers to brazenly disobey visitation orders without legal repercussions to her.
• Allowing biological fathers to be labelled “kidnappers” for trying to make contact with their own children.
• Prolonging custody/visitation matters for years, thereby driving fathers into financial and emotional bankruptcy and forcing them to give up the desire to see their children.

It is time everyone recognizes that:

• denying access to one’s own biological children is abuse of human rights.
• depriving children of the love and care of their biological father is abuse of children’s rights.

AIMWA hereby registers its vehement protest against the separation of fathers from their biological children, and the concomitant violation of Human Rights perpetrated by the Family Court system against fathers and children.

AIMWA shall continue to agitate against the Family Court system until the following demands are met:

1. Special fast-track courts should be set up at the earliest to deal with custody issues.
2. Exclusive, fully functioning Divisional Bench should be set up in all High Courts and Supreme Court to hear appeals in matters of child custody.
3. When a person or couple approaches court for divorce, counseling of the parents by professional counselors should be given first priority.
4. Except in extreme cases of violence or unhealthy behavior by either partner, children should be given equal and meaningful access to both parents and grandparents on both sides.
5. Both parents should be given financial responsibility of the child proportionate to their earnings and not based on demands made by either partner.
6. If a partner prevents a child from having equal and meaningful contact with the other partner, they should be counseled first to understand the importance of equal parenting and the best interest of a child.
7. If either partner repeatedly disobeys orders of equal access and meaningful contact with children, then the children should be placed in the full custody of the partner who will allow equal access to the other parent.

Boycott Family Courts!

AIMWA hereby calls upon all fathers to:

• Join our Nationwide Boycott of Family Courts on 18 June 2010 as a symbol of protest against the creation of a fatherless society!
• Sign our Petition listing out the changes we demand from the Family Court system in child custody matters!
• Refuse to pay maintenance and child support unless the aforementioned demands are met!
• Settle for nothing less than free and fair access to their children and an equal opportunity to build a meaningful relationship with their children!

Sub: AIMWA files complaint with ASCI against Gillette’s W.A.L.S. campaign

All India Men’s Welfare Association (AIMWA) is the first ever organization formed to protect the rights and interests of men and to fight against all kinds of discrimination against men and boys in all arenas – social, legal, economic, etc.

AIMWA has launched a massive online protest against the “Women against Lazy Stubble (W.A.L.S.)” campaign started by the Gillette brand of Procter and Gamble India Ltd. (P&G) wherein P&G openly declared the campaign as “Women on the warpath” and has called men, who sport stubble or prefer to remain unshaven, as lazy in order to boost their sales of products of the shaving range.

The demands made by AIMWA are as follows

1. Procter and Gamble should stop the “Women against Lazy Stubble” campaign immediately.
2. They should publish a 10 cm. X 12 cm. apology for insulting men, in all leading national dailies, on either the front page or back page.
3. Actresses Minisha Lamba, Neha Dhupia and Mugdha Godse should tender apologies to all men for calling them lazy and urging women to detest unshaven men.
4. Procter and Gamble should also tender an apology for making a Gender Hate Speech, and
5. They should give an undertaking that they will never design sexist anti-male ad campaigns in future under any circumstances.

However, as there has been no official response from P&G on this issue of withdrawing the ad campaign or complying with the above demands, AIMWA is constrained to make an official complaint in this matter with the Advertizing Standards Council of India (ASCI) for designing a sexist anti-male ad-campaign offending the sentiments of men’s rights organization by calling all men lazy just to boost their sales and in turn also creating an environment that promotes Domestic Violence against Men.

As such AIMWA has launched an official complaint with the Council so that it can take necessary action against Gillette and P&G as per its policies.

Additionally, Katherine Albrecht’s “Talk Radio with Freedom” from the United States interviewed Mr. Parthasarthy, member of All India Men’s Welfare Association on AIMWA’s protest against the W.A.L.S. campaign of Gillette.

Details about “Talk Radio with Freedom” can be found at,

http://www.katherinealbrecht.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=20&Itemid=129

Details about the radio program can be found at,

http://aimwa.in/gillettes-mischievous-lazy-stub-ad-falls-flat

AIMWA will continue the protest against P&G and Gillette till all the demands are met. AIMWA further urges the people to boycott all brands under the Procter and Gamble India Ltd. Company like, Braun coffeemaker, Duracell, Old Spice, Pantene, Vicks, Oral-B, Head and Shoulders, Gillette, Tide, Pampers, Pringle potato chips, Ariel detergent, etc. and use alternate brands for the same products.

Date: 04 Jan 2010                          Thanks and Regards

Place: Bangalore                                                 Virag
President
All India Men’s Welfare Association

Press Release issued on January 2, 2010

NRI father’s legal battle for 30 months fails to secure his son Aditya (US Citizen) despite landmark Supreme Court judgment.  Gets life threatening calls.  Prays for justice. Seeks Public and Media support to trace his 7 years old son (AGAIN!) and safely take him back to USA.

Hyderabad, January 02… Justice delivered but enforcement flouted. The legal battle for custody of his seven years old son Aditya continues for Dr. V. Ravi Chandran for the past 30 months.  A NRI father residing now in Hyderabad is an internationally reputed scientist has been waging a legal battle (www.rescueaditya.org) to rescue his son Master Aditya from his ex wife Vijayasree Voora.  Supreme Court of India (SC) ordered 5 different state polices (TN, AP, UP, KA and Chandigarh) to trace Aditya and his mother Vijayasree Voora. When police failed, the apex court ordered CBI in August 2009 to trace and produce Aditya in the court. On Oct 24, Aditya was ultimately traced in Chennai near his grandparent’s house by the CBI and produced in Honorable Supreme Court of India. After hearing both side, the SC on November 17, 2009 SC ordered Aditya’s mother Vijayasree Voora to take Aditya back to USA within 15 days.

Chronology of events staring November 17, 2009 since Supreme Court Order:

Supreme Court of India (SC) ordered vide WPCRL No. 112/2007 on November 17, 2009 that Vijayasree Voora must take Aditya back to USA on her own within 15 days. On or about December 1, 2009, Vijayasree requested additional time, and the time to take Aditya back to USA on her own was extended by additional 15 days.

As per the above SC order, petitioner had to comply with certain requirements. These requirements were fully complied by the Petitioner, Dr. V. Ravi Chandran. He purchased flight tickets, accommodation temporarily in a hotel in Albany NY, request by his US attorney to vacate arrest warrant pending in NY police, admission letter from Martha Hunt Elementary School for Aditya , A check for the amount of USD 2000 payable to Vijayasree Voora for her immediate expenses.

Furthermore, petitioner Dr. V. Ravi Chandran had also convinced Judge Maney of NY family court to drop charges and vacate the arrest warrant. A certified copy of the cancelled arrest warrant was also sent to Vijayasree Voora.

However, it turned out the two Chennai addresses given by Vijayasree Voora to CBI were bogus, and Vijayasree was never found there. Two registered mail sent to both address were returned by the post office for addressed party not found. It seems, that Vijayasree had absolutely no intention of complying with any court order, let alone Supreme court order.

It is also to be noted that Aditya’s behaviour pattern towards his father Dr V Ravi Chandran was very positive in the absence of his mother, and was excited in the prospect of coming to USA. He enquired about his old friends (Simon and Ashley) and  about his favourite horse George.  However, it was clear he was very afraid of his mother. In spite of his mother’s poisoning of his tender mind, he was very affectionate towards the father.  When father showed him pictures of his grandmother he was very happy and recognized her immediately.

Vijayasree must have been disappointed that her false allegations of child abuse against Aditya’s father were dismissed by the Supreme Court of India after thorough scrutiny of documents submitted by Vijayasree, and deemed false.

As per the Supreme Court of India (SC) order, the time limit for Vijayasree Voora to take Aditya back to USA ended on December 17, 2009. When the petitioner Dr. V. Ravi Chandran reached Chennai to pick up Aditya, he found nobody there, and Vijayasree had once again abducted Aditya , and I was told that Aditya is separated from his mother and kept in isolation. Tragic story of Aditya continues, with no respect for his life and liberty.

Furthermore, in Pondy Bazar police station in Chennai to file FIR for re-abduction of Aditya, on Dec 21^st, Mr. Sriman Narayana Voora, father of Vijayasree threatened me in front of Assistant commission of police, with dire consequences if I continue to pursue the custody of Aditya.

Brief Background of the Case

The couple Dr. V. Ravi Chandran and Vijayasree Voora got separated in 2005 and since then waging legal battle for the shared custody of his son as per original consent order from NY family court.

Dr. V. Ravi Chandran is Ph.D. & M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, and University of Florida. He has got the world patents for several important medicines… Liquid formulations of metformin, US patents 6890957, 6559187, Novel compounds with High Therapeutic Index, US & worldwide patents pending in USA, Canada etc., and various others, to name a few. He is also the recipient of 2004 distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Florida in May 2004 for his lifetime contribution to Pharmaceutical Sciences. He has also performed as a consultant to Medical staff at Harvard Medical School. He has sacrificed his flourishing career to rescue Aditya from several years of abuse by his own mother.

His ex-wife Vijayasree Voora had meticulously planned for illegal kidnapping of Aditya. She moved Aditya from place to place to avoid tracing after bringing him to India for a vacation. Past 30 months she subjected to Aditya to live in substandard seedy motels which she changed often. She did not admit him to any school for a period of more than 2 years preventing him from having any social contacts, schooling, or any stability in his life and deprived him of father’s love and affection. Currently all her efforts are directed to poison the mind of Aditya against his father. All Aditya knows is cruelty from his mother. Aditya was treated to mediocre schooling or no schooling, despicable apartment life, nomadic existence, and being moved all over India with his fugitive mother. Vijayasree Voora, with her reckless behavior due to severe mental illness is endangering the welfare of a child, with total contempt of even SC orders, continues to abuse Aditya by holding him hostage. This behavior is highly condemnable as the child’s rights are far superior to that of parental rights.

This high profile case has over a period of time generated lot of media and public attention as it raised many issues such as Legal Terrorism, how one can easily flout even the apex orders, equal rights for child custody and access for both parents, shared parenting, domestic violence, international child abduction and gender bias laws etc many others all concerning society at large.

Addressing a press conference jointly by Kumar V. Jahgirdar, President of Children’s Rights Initiatives for Shared Parenting (CRISP) and Dr. V. Ravi Chandran, Father and Natural Guardian of Aditya both expressed shock how Vijayasree Voora, a resident of Chennai Police is flouting Supreme Court orders.  Now how can one get justice, they questioned. Children like Aditya are ultimate sufferers if the parent turns to criminal behavior.

Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP) is a first of its kind all India body (NGO) dealing with parents claim for children’s custody disputes ongoing/over divorce battle today urged Government of India and all the concerned state governments to amend/make fresh laws to grant equal access to both parents. Further they appealed to make shared parenting mandatory in India.  Requested Law Ministry to set up special courts to deal with Child Custody cases in order to speedily dispose pending cases. In any eventuality, the matters must be deposed within three months of filing the custody/visitation petition. The members of CRISP observed. They also demanded to punish persons who misuse IPC 498A and Domestic Violence Law and remove parents from guardianship rights if such accusations are false or if they disobey court orders. Non-compliance of court orders, even if committed by the mother, should be dealt seriously, and in a non-gender biased fashion.

CRISP has over 2000 active members across India and abroad. It has chapters all over India.  Addressing a press conference, Mr. Kumar V. Jahgirdar, Founder and President of CRISP who himself is fighting a legal battle for equal access to his daughter from his wife Chetana (currently married to Indian leg spinner and former captain of Indian Cricket team, Anil Kumble) along with some members said misuse of anti-dowry laws and other woman-protection laws has now become a well recognized problem in India. Increasing number of aged parents, sisters and children in the husband’s family are falsely accused and arrested under these inhumane laws, and find them defenseless against the harassment unleashed thereafter and multiple litigations for the same offence/allegations with violations of Article 20 and 21 of Indian constitution.

Dr. V. Ravi Chandran demands Government, Home Ministry, Chief Justice of India to act on granting equal rights to both the parents who have been fighting for the custody of their children. In many cases despite of the court orders, Fathers are not allowed to see children. Children should have equal access to both the parents in order to help the child lead a normal life. We must make shared parenting mandatory.  Approximately Five Lakh parents, vast majority of them being fathers, are suffering with this kind of abuse where they don’t even have access to their own children.  The mothers, in order to take revenge on the husband and his family members, don’t allow fathers to access the child. They have been violating many court orders routinely as is the case with Vijayasree Voora by taking undue advantage of the gender biased laws and the mindset of the society favouring mothers. The poor fathers can’t do anything. They have been suffering in silence, and in some cases even committing suicide (Syed Maktoom case in point).  Now the time has come. Government must understand the pain of the father. It is not that just mothers alone who have love and affection for the child. The fathers too love their children and have equal feelings towards their offspring.  It is unfortunate that the laws are gender biased more towards women.   According the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “All are equal before the law, and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law as per Indian Constitution”. Hence, men should also be accorded protection from physical, verbal, emotional, sexual and financial abuse by women as the cases of this nature are increasing.

Gender Biased LAW should immediately be made crime based instead of any assumption that all women never lie and all the men are born as Criminals. “MEN/WOMEN” word to be replaced by word “PERSON” and word “wife/husband” to be replaced with the word “SPOUSE” in the domestic violence act, so that husband can also file complaints with the police under this act..

Dr. Ravi Chandran who has wide exposure to child custody laws in various parts of the world, believes in the concept of shared parenting as practiced in developed countries. The child should have access to both its natural parents, the father and the mother in the best interest of the child when both the parents are otherwise not disqualified. We take pride in the fact that National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), a Government of India undertaking recently has appreciated our initiative on child welfare and significance of love and care of both the parents in a child’s life.

In our society unfortunately many marriages are ending up in divorce and more so in the Metros and the educated classes of the society, especially the upper middle class and affluent class. CRISP receives various complaints in matters related to parental alienation including that of NRI’s pertaining to parental abduction of children. We are presenting to our media friends a typical case of an unfortunate father Dr. V. Ravi Chandran, a world renowned scientist who is deprived of the care and custody of his son Master Aditya aged about 6 years, from more than 910 days. Please also refer www.rescueaditya.org for further details.

The press conference was addressed by many members of the CRISP .  To put pressure on the government for child rights, CRISP is planning to have roadshow across India, to mobilize public opinion on the same. It also urged media to highlight Dr Ravi Chandran’s plight and also  rightful requests of its members.  While 40% of the population comprised of children, they voices are silent without any representation.

We appeal to media and public to help trace and restore safe custody of  Master Aditya to his father and his natural guardian Dr. V. Ravi Chandran on his mobile: 9704362000.

The parents suffering with similar problems may reach CRISP (Flat No. 3, Natasha Penta, Infantry Road Cross, Bangalore – 560001. Tel: 080 – 25593848, Fax: 080-41238847 www.crisp-india.org) to fight for the common cause to save our children to lead normal life.

###

Issued for and on behalf of CRISP India by: D. Ramchandram, Solus Media, 98480-42020.

Further clarification, please contact Kumar Jahgirdhar (0 98452 64488) or Dr. V. Ravi Chandran (97043 62000)

Visit www.rescueaditya.org

Visit www.crisp-india.org

Thank you and God bless Aditya!

Male Disposability is a psychological behavioral and attitudinal syndrome that considers Men as “Disposable and Expendable” and invests very low emotional resources with males which ultimately leads to an environment insensitive to the problems of the male world or one that automatically eliminates weak men (or men finished off with their utility) viewing them as liability.

Since time immemorial, be it the life-endangering activity of hunting or saving the country-land or guarding the parameters of geographical boundary or maintaining law and order situation in the society – the latter two correlate to hunting human life – this role has always been attributed to men who have donned the same willingly boosted by their testosterone and chivalry. In a nutshell men have been hunters primarily and that is a defunct role in today’s era of pacification and intellectual progress.

However, the traits of history are hard to remove and the hunter’s traits have continued into today’s men as well who are actually a misfit in the society with their hunting background and their genetic and evolutionary affiliation to a hunting tribe. No wonders problems of men have skyrocketed and courtesy the Male Disposability Syndrome, no one is bothered about it.

Before talking more on Male Disposability, I would talk a bit on its genesis, taking cue from the article, Paradigm Shift in Male Identity: Freedom from Being a Hunter. During the hunting days, when men used to go on long hunting expeditions, any hunter talking of a minor leg pain or a slight backache was detrimental to the morale of the hunters and was silenced, trivializing his pain.

Even today the society has been pretty much the same for men. Earlier it was hunting, in today’s world its taking huge risks – financial, intellectual, emotional, physical, political – to name a few, that men are expected of and in such a situation, talking of small problems like an emotional turmoil in a relationship or facing lack of freedom of choices will bring down the morale of other risk-taking hunters and thus men are discouraged from expressing their pain.

This leads to a lot of psycho-emotional suffocation within men which has a direct bearing on their lifestyle, life-expectancy, health and suicide rate as visible from the following data collected from various sources of the Government.

Interestingly, in this so called MALE DOMINATED WORLD, the DOMINATED MALES never get a voice as corroborated by the following figures.

Life Expectancy Data:

Plotted as a Graph looks something like,

The data about suicides is also not very welcoming but a true and sad reality to which currently the society is insensitive and cold.

Plotted as a Graph, looks something like

The above data clearly points to the stress in men’s lives due to which they not only commit suicide in large numbers (approaching double that of women) but who survive the turmoil, live shorter. That being the reality, there is also another grim reality and that is

NO SOCIAL / LEGAL / PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT STRUCTURE AVAILABLE FOR MEN.

Quintessentially the problems of the male world are oblivious to the society and as long as men are discharging their duties no one really needs to bother about them and can readily dispose them off, after all even Mother Nature produces them in abundance; what with the normal gender birth ratio being 950 females : 1000 males.

Choice is left with readers to decide whether Male Disposability is a Myth or a Reality?

This peremptory conclusion of Yahoo! has turned Gillette’s (P & G) campaign of “Women against Lazy Stubble into a fiasco!

Poor Gillette! it’s ill-conceived ad promotion campaign is money down the drain!

If Gillette chooses to term all Indians who grow beards as “lazy”, then their campaign denigrates the Indian Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh who sports beard as per the custom of his religion, the Sikhism, as “lazy”. Is it not an affront to the honour of the whole nation?

Gillette owes a public apology for denigrating the high office of the Prime Minister of India.

Here is an excerpt from the report of DNA:

“In the Gillette campaign, men who do not shave or those who wear stubble are shown to be lazy, so their women have every right to detest and demean them,” said Mumbai-based PR Gokul of the All India Men’s Welfare Association (AIMWA). “Gillette also tags this campaign as women on the warpath. We feel it portrays men negatively and tries to curb their choices” said Mumbai-based PR Gokul of the All India Men’s Welfare Association.
Proctor and Gamble (P&G) claimed that the campaign was based on research findings. “Serving men since 1895, their well-being is at the heart of every decision that Gillette takes. In that spirit we respect all ideologies, communities and opinions that men have. WALS is a creative expression of research findings by AC Nielsen which state that a majority of women prefer their with a men clean shaven look. Our campaign is not an imposition of such views on men who feel differently or wish to grow facial hair out of choice. Our endeavour is to provide superior quality shaving products to men who wish to shave,” said P&G spokesperson.

“By calling men with stubble lazy, P&G have made a communal statement,” said Myth Kumar from Bangalore. Terming the campaign in bad taste, the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid said, “Sikhs and Muslims wear beards due to religious reasons. But their wives do not complain. Companies should be careful of religious sentiments before running campaigns,” said Bukhari.

An ad campaign that prods men to shave has made members of a men-only NGO pull at their hair

‘Mooch nahi to kuch nahi’. Indian men, traditionally, grow up believing moustache is the most potent symbol of masculinity. In fact, shaving off the moustache is considered inauspicious even by Hindus, especially in north India.

However, a new campaign by a multi-national brand of safety razors has launched a tirade against facial hair that “communicates a heroic image of the independent, willing and able to do manly things”.

Gillette, a brand owned by Procter and Gamble, launched a Women Against Lazy Stubble (WALS) advertisement featuring Bollywood hotties (really?!) Mugdha Godse, Neha Dhupia and Minissha Lamba urging women to encourage their men to get rid of facial hair. Men grow stubble just out of their laziness, the campaign said.

Not everybody is amused. “The advertisement is derogatory and tantamount to domestic violence against men,” said Swarup Sarkar, coordinator of the NGO Save Family Foundation (SFF), who is spearheading the movement against Gillette’s promotional feature.

Another NGO affiliated to SFF, All India Men’s Welfare Association (AIMWA), celebrated December 7 as the National Stubble Day and has sought a public apology from the company. “We want Gillette to withdraw the advertisement and furnish an apology in all national dailies. The advertisement is sexist in nature and calls men lazy for not shaving everyday,” said Virag Dhulia, founding member of AIMWA from Bangalore.

AIMWA has also sought an apology from the brand ambassadors of the advertisement campaign, Bollywood stars Mugdha Godse, Minnisha Lamba and Neha Dhupia, for endorsing it. “A company has decided to humiliate men for not shaving everyday. Tomorrow it will be for some other reason. Such campaigns basically target individual choice and freedom. We need to uproot this menace,” said Dhulia.

According to the data provided by SFF and AIMWA, more than 3000 men from all over the country have joined the protest campaign and followed the National Stubble Day. “The number is increasing by the day and we are informing our members across the world to lend their support to the protest,” said Sarkar. “Corporates, by resorting to such stupid advertisements, are promoting disharmony in family life. They portray all men in a derogatory manner. Shaving should be a natural choice for men and it has nothing to do with them being lazy,” he added.

Take your pick: The primitive man did not shave and what if Gillette brand ambassadors would have kept the stubble

Dhulia added the protest will continue till the advertisements are discontinued and the NGO might take legal recourse, if the company fails to address their demands. “The Gillette website promotes the campaign by using a tagline called Women on War Path. What kind of language is this? They are using words and phrases to pull down men,” he said.

Take your pick: The primitive man did not shave and what if Gillette brand ambassadors would have kept the stubble

The message that Women Against Lazy Stubble intends to spread among men are:

• Till men don’t shave, they won’t co-operate.
• Now that the comfort of Gillette Mach 3 is affordable, there are no more excuses to not be shaving.
  If men don’t shave, they shouldn’t expect women to groom themselves either.

Number of men reportedly against the Gillette campaign: 3000

The others who erred

SFF and AIMWA have earlier raised their voices too against corporate houses for presenting men in a derogatory way. “Earlier Kitply, ICICI Lombard and Hindustan Lever had used bad language against men while promoting their products. In an advertisement used by ICICI Lombard, a wife was shown calling her husband a fool for not buying a particular insurance policy. The company discontinued the ad after we protested,” said Swarup Sarkar of Save Family Foundation.

A similar complaint was registered against Hindustan Level for promoting Ponds cold cream where the advertisement suggested if a woman uses the cream it will not only help her get rid of facial spots but also domestic violence.

Evolution will do away with debate and stubble

Latest research has suggested that organs as well as physical features that humans don’t put to use daily may go away in coming generations due to evolutionary pressure. Big daddy of evolutionary sciences Charles Darwin had argued that humans carry some organs (like the tail bone, ear pinna etc) that are evidence of evolution and represent a function that was once necessary for survival, but over the time with the growth of a species these were rendered useless.

Taking forward his theory, scientists in the UK had said that hair that was once necessary to keep humans warm in the early stages of evolution, will go away eventually as the species has now found alternative ways for that function. So, practically they predicted that future humans would be born without body hair. The debate over the stubble would perhaps die a natural death.

Stubble is the way to win a woman’s heart, a study has shown. Researchers found that women are more attracted to men with stubbly chins than those with clean-shaven faces or full beards.

Women participating in the research rated men with stubble as tough, mature, aggressive, dominant and masculine – and as the best romantic partners, either for a fling or a long-term relationships.

The findings of the experiment, carried out on British women aged 18 to 44, could explain the appeal of actors such as George Clooney and Brad Pitt who cultivate their unshaven look.

The Deccan Chronicle eulogizes the “thin line of fuzz” and encourages you to “Step out in style with a sexy stubble” by this statement:

Forget all the jazz about being metrosexual and freshly scrubbed and clean shaven. It is the thin line of fuzz on the jaw line that separate the men from the boys. Facial hair has never been so hot. And Bollywood’s leading men are flaunting this look in all their bearded glory. From Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan at the IIFA awards to Neil Nitin Mukesh and Saif Ali Khan, everyone is sporting a sexy stubble.

Though this will boost the morale of stubbly hunks, it surely blunts the edges of the razor business! And Gillette is obviously worried. They have to do something to get the men reach for the razor and start scraping off their facial growth in the wee hours of the morning for their till to jingle nonstop!

But how? Catch the women! But should it not have a facade of a truthful campaign? Easy. Declare aloud that “a study has revealed that women have started liking men with clean shaven look”. What if it is travesty of truth! All is fair in war and business.

Now the big business is out with their bag of tricks. M/s. Procter & Gamble India Ltd, the owners of Gillette brand of razors, have ushered in a sexist campaign maligning men with stubble. The onslaught begins like this:

‘Women Against the Lazy Stubble’ (WALS) “No more Excuses for Men Not to Shave!”

The slogan is followed by an overt threat to the men of India:

The message that WALS intends to spread to men across the country is three fold:

1. Till men don’t shave, we will not co-operate with them.
2. Now that the comfort of Gillette Mach 3 is affordable, there are no more excuses to not be shaving.
3. If men don’t shave, they shouldn’t expect women to groom themselves either.

This offensive campaign is perceived by men of India as highly objectionable and are terribly upset over this.

Hence All India Men’s Association (AIMWA) demands immediate scrapping of the campaign and issue of an apology by P&G for badmouthing and insulting men of India as a whole through their press release.

Here is how men express their agitation and indignation against the ill-conceived campaign of P&G:-

• Stubble Rubble
• Dear Ladies, I love my stubble
• Boycott Gillette Razor for Promotion of Domestic Violence Against Men and Treat Men as Free ATM machine.
• Stubble is a Man’s Right
• Women Against Male-Bashing

More blurb on the glory of the Stubble:

• Behind every successful star there is STUBBLE!
• “Facial hair or beardedness is a powerful sociosexual signal, and an obvious biological marker of sexual maturity,” said lead researcher Nick Neave of Northumbria University.

This will keep things in perspective!