Why Do Men Like Patakhaas - Fire Crackers And Hot Chics??!!!

November 4, 2010
I was thinking to name this post as "Why do you like the noise of Patakhaas (fire crackers)?"  But, I am made to change my mind..... no, I don't want it to make it so generic.  Gender generic, I would say.  While, I was writing down my points for the post in my writing pad (yes, mostly I write on a piece of paper with a collected mind, before typing it out!), I came to some strange ... ehm.... well... conclusions!  Men like Patakhas - both the fire crackers and the hot chics!


OK, to start with, Have you ever seen girls or women bursting crackers ?... those loud sounding explosive stuff, I mean? I am sure, No.  Just in my last post, a co-blogger Nethra commented how she dislikes crackers part of Diwali.  Even I was always very scared of fire crackers as a kid, and later on began to dislike that loud, deafening sound of such high decibels, that you instantaneously cover your ears with hands, close your eyes tight and run to a corner.  I began to find it disgusting gradually, as I would see groups of young boys taking pride in the aftermath of thick smoke, scattered pieces of paper all over the roads and many pairs of angry eyes and a few smirking faces around them.  Yes, they would be jubilant after burning them, especially after burning a series of crackers tied together. It was a macho act for them. 

I used to wonder, what makes them so happy and proud? Do they not know that Diwali crackers makes the life of elderly people, small children, infants and pets so so miserable?  Elderly can not take rest. Small children are to be protected by the parents all the time from going any closer to such places, as their reflexes are not so quick to run away.  Infants, oh dear, you have to see how a newly born to six months old baby reacts to the blast, even at a far away place, with such a scared rather shocked way, even when he is asleep.  Therefore, mothers are advised to put a little cotton wool in the ears of babies to minimise the exposure to the noise. And, those who have pets know it, And that how pet dogs have to be kept in some closed kind of a room to save them from the human celebration effect.  Also, people suffering from breathing trouble experience great difficulty during this time, due to smoke.

Are these reasons not enough to decide for a person to avoid fire crackers? I wonder.

Coming back to the gender connection to bursting crackers. Does only the social conditioning and upbringing make males so aggressive or is it the physiology and genes too?


I was discussing with somebody as to what could be the reason that mostly boys do it.... the answer was, to seek attention!  Men, I won't say have to keep on trying to get attention, but surely have competition more than women have.  Blame it on the demography of a developing country or the genetic make up that makes the male of the homo sapiens are always eager to pass on  the genetic material with zeal. (Survival for the fittest?) 

By the time, I was writing this article, news about two such scientific researches/studies have come up, which suggest that aggressiveness promiscuousness has been more in the males right from the time they were cavemen, rather more at that time than to this stage of evolution. 

The researches, I would say Science, is beginning to shed light on the genetic or hormonal reasons behind the desire of men for mating more and more women. (On the lighter side, I feel the researcher must be a man!)

Another finding which connects the sexual aggressiveness of cavemen with the size of their finger brings the same point home again. High levels of the testosterone hormones increase the length of the ring finger in comparison to the index finger, resulting in a low index- to ring-finger ratio. A study of fossilised remains suggests that our ancient ancestors had far higher levels of the male sex hormone testosterone than people living today, thereby making them more aggressive and promiscuous.

Well, whatever is the outcome of these studies, one thing can be said with utmost conviction that men really like Patakhas - the fire crackers as well as the hot chics alike!

So guys, stay from the fire variety this Diwali and every Diwali!

On a serious note, within last few years, the initiative taken by Delhi Govt and Delhi schools, children have been made aware of the harm caused by the fire crackers and "Say No To Crackers" slogan has begun to show results as kids are spreading this message around and avoiding crackers to a great extent.  This is a wonderful change.  Let's all of us do our bit to avoid noise and air pollution.  Also, think about those many little hands which are forced to work in factories which make these crackers.  You are not giving them employment, you are giving them a curse to continue being an illeterate worker, who will one day burn their hands for you.

Have a beautiful Diwali dear reader!



RESTLESS :)


images: courtesy google images


PS: Changed post title later

29 comments:

Harish P I said...

So now if i want to light crackers the whole night, i have backing from scientific research... thats great news.. off to sivakasi..

Blasphemous Aesthete said...

Well, I like it the silent way... until there is some company having fun.
And I wont completely believe that Girls don't like bursting crackers, coz I've seen them doing it, many places. Well they are girls, not ladies though.
Regarding the patakha point,
everybody has his/her own perceptions of someone being a patakha.
take for example, the pic you've posted above, I find something wrong with the expression on her face. For me, she ain't a patakha, not from this pic. :P
So how do you decide the level of 'patakhaness'?

UB said...

Hahaha...Nice post title..Yeah at times it can get very irritating. I believe bursting a few crackers should make everyone happy but there are people who just go on for the whole night. Something must be done about them. Atleast we humans can still complain ..it's really sad to see the animals who can't speak..My dogs actually refuse to go out for a walk whenever Diwali is around the corner. Too bad :(

Anu said...

Hey RS...nice post! But I completely disagree with your gender and cracker correlation! Arre, y tying knots with wrong variables??

I love crackers and bombs, although the decibel of them are higher! I always fancy tying all 5000 walas or 10 redfort together and have fun! And I even try to throw them with my hand!

I completely understand that it does disturb people of all ages, but how often do we burst them dear? Just for those few days in the whole year. May be, the government can bring up some health and safety rules, and can ban public places to be used for these crackers. Like Bursting crackers in a park or somewhere away from residential area! I would be glad for such an initiative :)

It does dishearten me to see the amount of pollution it creates, creating chocking, traffic chaos etc. And I in fact was on a cracker Vrathm once or twice! Which I do intend to do, just for the poor children who struggle and die at the cracker factories in Sivakasi!!

Wishing a happy and prosperous Diwali to you and your family dear !!

Macedonio said...

I like it. Especially.... "You are not giving them employment, you are giving them a curse to continue being an illeterate worker, who will one day burn their hands for you."

and hey but i do like Patakhas, if u know wat i mean ;)

Happy Diwali!

Vee said...

i like those pics :P and definitely there are exceptions - i don't enjoy the crackers part of Diwali. and that connection u tried to bring up between pathakas and testosterone levels is the highlight :D

Jack said...

Restless,

A meaningful post though with touch of wit. It is certain that it is mostly boys who burst crackers but surely there are some girls too, though in small number. I agree with you that it causes noice as well as air pollution apart from encourging child labour. We need to spread awareness of these factors in more effective ways. May be there is a need for law to clamp down on units producing crackers which have more than certain decible level. If we wish to enjoy Diwali why not little sparklers only?

Take care

PS : Do you check your mail?

Swetha S said...

Hey,
Crackers can sure be a nuisance, at times. I like bursting crackers..so do many (girls) in my city. I wish they make eco-friendly fire crackers in the future(!)
Well researched post (and also a nice pic of Salma Hayek)
Keep in touch
bye,
Swe

Anonymous said...

Well, i must say this article was a bit off.track. So what makes a patakha.? Is it the way a woman dress? Or is it her stance and body language. Well both the photos on this article doesn't suggest otherwise? So if that be the case; why does a women do it? Obviously to attract men! Increased estrogen levels to attract higher testertrone levels!

Deepika Vasudeva said...

hmm... i kinda agree with this.
but yet again there are types of ppl everywhere... i know some gals who like crackers and some boys who DON'T like crakers...

some men who like ogling at ahem ahem.. crakers..
and some who are not interested in ogling...

five fingers of our hands aren't same.... so is the ppl in world

Niket said...

Hey Restless, I know it has been a long time and due to time constraints, a very short comment would follow!
HOTTTT pic! :) This may be due to low index-to-ring finger ratio :P hehe...
And as I mentioned in my last post, if you find anyone bursting crackers, quickly pour a bucket of water on those crackers and run away! :P

Unknown said...

Boys will be boys. But men will be boys. They never grow up

Anonymous said...

SH, back after some preoccupation. Though i have been reading the blog as well as the comments. Thought this post to be a bit unbalanced. The amount of write up space occupied by men who love crackers is significantly more than the men who wander towards women. I personally feel there is no general relation between the two. If that be the case; then one can think of more such analogies like men who drive fast and aggressive or men who eat chillies for instance claim to have higher hormonal levels. That apart i read this post as a lighter one not going into the depths and i would say you wrote splendid. Another Thumbs Up for this. Keep it going.

DISGRUNTLED GENIUS said...

Thats bad / biased generalising. In the same vein, why do girls apply makeup when they know nearly all products are animal-tested. Or why do they use their sexuality more than the talent during job interviews? Isnt that attention seeking? Its not about "males". Its about crackers. Yes, they are disgusting and should be avoided. But the moot point is flawed.

As a counter argument, both sexes indulge in sinful pleasures to seek attention - in different ways. So, no-one is a saint.. neither the devil.

Neothehacker said...

Mayank, Mmm. Some hard comments, the latter it seems. But you too are generalising when you said about interviews. You are wrong too. There may be some cases but don't generalise. Women too are talented enough and don't need the glamour to land jobs. Your comment is not in a good taste or so i thought.

DISGRUNTLED GENIUS said...

@Neo

Read my comment again:

"Thats bad / biased generalising. In the same vein... " .

Ofcourse I generalised. As a response to what was written in post. Also, read the last line of my cmnt... No-one is a saint.. neither the devil.

I wont argue about "taste" as this is internet and no-one wins during flaming. The thing is that I cant be 'politically correct' . I like to say things the way they happen in real world. Watever i wrote (intrvw part) is based on the experiences i had durin my mba n engg. placement interviews. As for make-up part, we all know that.

Infact ur comment is in bad taste. "Women too are talented" ? Why using the word "too" ? I know they are talented but there are black sheep among them.. just like as in males.

Read & understand first... then say. Cheers.

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Harish - :D

BA - LOL! We have a new term coined "Patakhaaness"!!! yup, different ppl have different perception of a woman being attractive...mmm... this pic of course is subtel on that account.

UB - atleast u got it! It was supposed to be a fun post, no serious analysis here! yup, I have seen pets getting scared :(

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Vaish - yup dear, point taken... I said na, it was serious really. And cracker vratham is a great idea! Hope u had a great Diwali!

Macedonio - Welcome! of course I know what u mean :)

Vee - u liked the pic?! hmm, she has subtle sensuality, right? and am glad that at least one guy likes the patakha and hormones connection :D But it was for pure fun!

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

@ Jack - Btw, this year Diwali pollution was lesser than last years, thanks for the awareness given to kids in schools.

checked and replied!

@ Swetha - glad u liked the pic and the post :) eco friendly crackers - nice idea! stay in touch!

@ Anonymous - I smell something burning apart from the patakhaas!

Attractiveness is a combination of looks, body language and attitude differs for every one (tells why u don't like the pics above).

women, not necessarily, HAVE to try to be attractive. generally, men's threshold of attraction is low and lies in the physical attributes of the woman. did u get the answer?

RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Deepika - yes sure!

Niket - hahaha! sure, that's a great idea!

Neo - welcome back!

U r right, I felt that later, it seemed little incomplete to me later. Anyways, it was supposed to be read in a light way... psst... but seems i didn't put enough humour in it and readers are taking it seriously!

Thanks a ton!


RESTLESS

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Mayank - Although, it was just a light hearted post, not really a serious one, but your comment on girls using their sexuality is just not done.

Being attracted towards opposite sex is fine but then using one's sexuality for a material gain is not fine. so don't make these comparisons.

DISGRUNTLED GENIUS said...

@Restless

As I said earlier, i have observed it firsthand. I dont wish to demean anyone.. just stating the facts. Thats why i clearly mentioned that 'black sheeps' exist among both sexes. In same vein, some men go overboard in their boorishness (as suggested in the post).

And i am afraid, i dont know how to be 'politically correct' regarding uncomfortable facts (regarding both the sexes)

Anonymous said...

Mayank, this article was not about who's a saint or who is not. What i thought was this article was about men's infatuation towards doing daring things and to the author one of it included exploding crackers as also the fascination for attractive women. Your comments may seem to be generic to you but not to other readers. It is out of place and unwarranted and i repeat it is out of place. I too prefer not to be politically correct but that doesn't mean you are free to bash anyone let alone bracket a whole set of people out of one experience. I knew you were speaking your own experience but that doesn't justify you taking your frustration out. Probably comment form is a wrong place for that.

DISGRUNTLED GENIUS said...

Sigh . Neo, my comment was out of place..out of context etc etc . I admit. And also you havent understood till now that it was DELIBERATE. And I repeat deliberate ( dunno whether what real value 'repeat' has in blogosphere ). It was an attempt at bad generalisation..the same way author does in her post (refer to the 1st para again).

Yes,i get the humorous and sarcastic part in article. Yes, it was good too. But look, you perceived the article your way; i did my way. Period. And yes, i do vent out my frustrations at my blog. What i said here, however was something else.

End of flaming.

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Neo - loved ur comment, becoz u understood ( like most of other readers) what I wanted to say.

mayank - it happens sometimes, that we vent out our anger at the wrong place and for the wrong reasons. My writing style suggests, it was only a fun read. Anyways, lets finish it here.

Reema said...

boys will be boys..they never grow up..they just like all loud things :D loud music, loud crackers etc etc.

A Restless Mind With A Sensitive Heart! said...

Right Reema :D

Yash Bhatia said...

Honestly, the only thing that lured me to this post was the title! Very innovative and informative post! :)


Featured post, please read & promote- goo.gl/02h5y

RESTLESS said...

Thanks Yash!

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