Comment: A controversial cultural rant – Gulf Digital News

Comment: A controversial cultural rant – Gulf Digital News

Sometimes in this space, I ponder aloud on topics that unfortunately some people think are either unwarranted or, inexplicably, unseemly. As we near the end of 12 days of amazing cultural treats put together by the Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam, I find myself doing just that.

But before I plunge into controversy, let me tell you a peculiarly related story. When I was staying at a luxury Sri Lankan hotel once, set amidst emerald plantations, I found an exotic, eight-legged bug in my suite. When I called Housekeeping to get rid of it, they sent a cheery young man with a small broom and dustpan.

“Aren’t you going to use insect spray?” I asked.

“Oh no, they too are creatures of God and need to live,” said the man, carefully scooping up the insect and depositing it (rather pointlessly, I thought) on the lawn outside my room.

Now, far be it from me to suggest that we should devise some sort of kid-repellent formula for public spaces – but exactly how do parents at concerts and public events justify letting their children run riot when a performance is going on?

There is a strong feeling in Asian circles that children should not be kept away from