Smita Sabharwal is a young IAS officer deputed to the CMO in Telengana. Known as the ‘People’s Officer’, Ms. Smita Sabharwal is one of the youngest to have cracked the UPSC exam with an All India rank of 4! She has won several awards and is known as a no-nonsense officer. However, her impressive credentials and performance doesn’t seem to have impressed our media. Instead, they are more interested in Ms. Sabharwal’s wardrobe and seem to think of her as ‘eye-candy’.
I am NOT kidding.
That self-professed last outpost of ‘liberalism’ and ‘feminism’ called Outlook once again displayed spectacular misogyny in writing about Ms. Sabharwal in its ‘gossip column’.
According to Outlook, Ms. Sabharwal is ‘No boring babu’.
They say that Smita Sabharwal is present at every meeting and seen in almost every official photograph sent out by the CMO. But what she does exactly is a puzzle. She makes a fashion statement with her lovely saris and serves as “eye candy” at meetings. The magazine also makes some sly innuendoes and sick insinuations. It goes on to say that. It’s this bureaucrat who calls up other officials in the CMO and asks them to come for meetings. She knows exactly what time the CM will arrive and leave the office.’ Not satisfied with the ‘gossip’ dished out so far, Outlook continues with its morbid fascination with Ms. Sabharwal’s wardrobe by commenting that
‘The lovely lady, known for her ethnic style, recently stunned all by appearing in a trendy trouser and frilly top at a fashion show. And for once, she wasn’t sitting in an official meeting.’
According to the editors of Outlook, ‘this appearance too made for a great photo op’. Note the obvious sexism, the sly innuendoes, the sick gossip and the odious insinuation present in each line of the sorry write-up! Heck, even a film magazine like Stardust is FAR less salacious in its gossip columns! The lady in question, Smita Sabharwal has rightly sent a legal notice to the magazine. More power to her! It is extremely interesting to see that not ONE member of the ‘Big Bindi Brigade’ aka self-styled leftist feminists has condemned this despicable write-up by Outlook!
I know I should be commenting about the apathy of the media towards new age babus and politicians but I have become sick of it, so for a change, I am choosing to comment on your write up – Excellent use of adjectives.
“Big Bindi Brigade”.. LOL that’s one hell of a phrase for so called activists…. didn’t expect outlook to refer her as “Eye candy”…. terrible media…they are all becoming same and insane….
“It is extremely interesting to see that not ONE member of the ‘Big Bindi Brigade’ aka self-styled leftist feminists has condemned this despicable write-up by Outlook!” – I didn’t notice that, though I did how woman-eats-woman. What I did I wrote it here – http://www.sakshinanda.com/2015/06/no-boring-babu-outlooks-irresponsible.html