The Great Indian Middle Finger

May 1, 2009
By

India went to the polls in phase three of the Great Indian Elections of 2009 this week.

Here’s a few pictures of proud voters happy to have contributed their bit towards upholding the esteemed traditions of the founding fathers of the country.

First up, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chawan with Mrs Chief Minister. Hail the proud deliverance of democracy.

(Image Courtesy - Amit Verma)

The Bachchan family was there. All of them - Mom, Dad, Son and Daughter in law. Look at the excitement, the joy, the proud expression of freedom.

Even handsome people voted.

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(Image courtesy: TOI)

Nice work India!

Now we just need to figure out how to interpret the middle finger gesture. Was it the Indian populace saying ‘Up Yours!’ to the politicians, or the other way around? Maybe it  just was famous people’s way of making fun of everybody else? Who exactly is the joke on?

Like a wise man once said, It happens only in India.

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23 Responses to “ The Great Indian Middle Finger ”

  1. Remya on May 1, 2009 at 5:31 pm

    lol… they made an event out of it… look at the publicity :)

  2. Roshni on May 1, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    amazing!! Didn’t they even realize.. or maybe they enjoyed doing that!!

  3. Shivya on May 2, 2009 at 1:02 am

    Haha, it’s hilarious! 2 of these were on the front page of TOI yesterday and I couldn’t help but wonder too who the joke was on! It’s true, in India, you never cease to be surprised!

  4. Shivya on May 2, 2009 at 1:04 am

    By the way, you should nominate your blog for the Indi-Blogger of the month award! Here’s the link: http://www.indiblogger.in/indiblogger_of_the_month/ Good luck!

  5. Indyeah on May 2, 2009 at 2:02 am

    :lol:
    I prefer to think of us the janta saying it to them

  6. Kavi on May 2, 2009 at 2:17 am

    You know it wasnt the middle finger across the country. In some parts, it indeed was the index finger.

    One wonders why the middle finger was chosen for this part of the country. Perhaps they do so by what it means !

    Hmm !

    :)

  7. amreekandesi on May 2, 2009 at 3:40 am

    @Remya - Yes, it does seem like a publicity stunt for some people!

    @Roshni - I am sure some of these people realize what the gesture means…probably just amused at having found an excuse for giving us the finger.

    @Shivya - Hilarious for sure!

    You made my day with the Indiblogger comment…i am going to assume that i am getting at least one vote if i get nominated!

    @Indyeah - Sure. Wishful thinking never hurt anyone ;)

    @Kavi - You are right on. This happened only in some parts of Maharashtra, apparently because the index fingers had already been covered during a previous election. They still could have picked another finger though. Maybe nobody thought of the celebrities going to use the election as photo ops!

  8. amit on May 2, 2009 at 3:52 am

    Whoever came up with this idea is the most brilliant man alive.

  9. amreekandesi on May 2, 2009 at 3:55 am

    @Amit - :)

  10. Nita on May 4, 2009 at 8:19 am

    You didn’t post my middle finger!! :( :) :)

  11. Mysoul on May 4, 2009 at 11:38 am

    *laughing* I read the news saw the pictures but somehow didnt connect the dots until I read this… Yes, Only in India :).

  12. […] turned out to be quite a spectacle, with celebrity after ignorant celebrity raising their middle finger to the eager cameras, after some logistical issues led the election agencies to mark their middle […]

  13. amreekandesi on May 5, 2009 at 1:27 am

    @Nita - There was no face to go with your finger in the pic on your blog! :(

    @Mysoul - :)

    Actually the real story is that there were some assembly elections sometime earlier in Mumbai, so the index fingers were ‘taken’. They had to come up with a new finger, and i suppose they overlooked the significance of the middle one.

    The celebs got their excuse to get some extra footage in the news, and promptly hit a six off the loose ball!

  14. R.D.B. on May 15, 2009 at 8:47 am

    he he he… wonder how i din’t notice earlier… :)
    n i second Shivya .. go for Indiblogger ……

  15. amreekandesi on May 16, 2009 at 12:52 am

    @RDB - :)

    amreekandesi.com was nominated for the IndiBlogger of the month, and finished 7th out of 130 nominees.

  16. R.D.B on May 16, 2009 at 6:17 am

    wow..Congratulations :)

  17. R.D.B on May 16, 2009 at 6:17 am

    wow..Congratulations

  18. Indian Homemaker on May 17, 2009 at 7:58 am

    Do you realise this is even more relevant after the election results!! :lol:

  19. mantyb on May 17, 2009 at 8:43 am

    ha ha aaa.. :) nice said IHM…
    gud post amreekandesi

  20. amreekandesi on May 19, 2009 at 1:29 am

    @RDB - Thanks!

    @IHM - There can be many interpretations on that! Did you mean the Congress showed us all a giant middle finger? ;)

    @mantyb - Welcome to Amreekandesi! Thanks!

  21. Indian Homemaker on May 19, 2009 at 5:09 am

    LOL :) Or the Indian voter telling them all who the real King Maker is !

  22. Sara on March 30, 2010 at 9:54 pm

    In America the middle finger has an obscene meaning. It means the F word.

  23. penuis jmall dhillion on March 14, 2011 at 5:51 pm

    hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa you guys sticking the middle fingerr up in indian is that the real fnger in india

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All content on this site is the personal opinion of the writer. It is in no way related to their employer or their official policies. Most of what is written here is in a satirical tone. If it hurts your sensibilities, I sincerely apologize.
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