Arthshastri ka ardhsatya

…you really don’t have to spend too much time with a person to know that this twice elected MP has not contributed for what he was elected for. A parliamentarian has to be actively involved in daily proceedings of the House, and need to contribute. His presence and interventions in the Parliament has been nothing short of abysmal, even in cases of important discussions. His argument seems to be ‘working for the party’ and grassroot level involvement, now if that is the case why did he waste the money of the exchequer by becoming an MP? How irresponsible indeed. Why should people elect this person again? We would like to know how is he “maybe an excellent alternative”?

Everything said and done I have high regards for Mr. Sen, in particular, his views on population growth and fertility rate… so on. Little magazines and big talks flows through the genes!! Courtesy cannot be bought from the market.

Mrinal Pande will have to step down

Mrinal Pande is a respected journalist and hindi writer, who also happens to be the head of Prasar Bharati –the apex body of official Indian Broadcast Media. I was surfing through the Net I came across an article on “Rambogiri”. An article written in bad taste must add with extreme political undertone. It almost read like an anti-BJP pamphlet. 

She writes “The fanatical defenders of any carnage finally come to exist in a different dimension, a twilight zone of half-truths and lies, while those of us who try to defend the people’s right to know the whole painful truth must continue mucking about in the dimension of facts”

I am not aware of “inner details” of happenings in Gujarat, including the riots, nor do I have the clairvoyance that some journalist seems to be having. We go by the Facts, and that is: What does the Judiciary has to say on matters of disputes, including riots. What are the evidences and verdicts of the Court. If Mr. Modi is guilty he should have been punished, so even after a decade if there is no prosecution, it means, for us common people who may not have divya shakti, that he is not guilty. Media is nobody to pass judgment and has no business to act prosecutor. Media’s role is to investigate and report the case, they may pass opinion and comments. Politicians can work overtime to create perception through market media but a professional journalist is not expected to stoop.   

If anyone is to be blamed then it is the Judiciary as also the Executive for the tardy attitude towards the judicial reforms, politicized investigating agency and sloppy methods. The reason why facts are always reduced to the realm of subjective as it gives the powerful people space to manipulate and play their game of creating perception, for which market media is a conduit. Everything is reduced to speculation and conjecture, and tussle of obnoxious politicians. It is here in this mucky world of thoo thoo meh meh, journalists are recruited by the politicians to create an intellectual fervor to the ‘debate’, the art of twisting the arguments into palatable ideas to serve the influential upper class, as also the international audience. It is the game of perception that has absolutely nothing to do with troubles of common people. These journalists (sometimes even the whole media group)/intellectuals are extremely adept in these matters, surely there are many who are on the payrole of the political parties. It is also not a coincidence that “defenders of truth” generally dwell in the lobbies of power, if not are seen hobnobbing with powerful people in the big cities of Delhi, Mumbai…. It is also not a coincidence that these very “defenders of truth” write columns in newspapers that carry casteist matrimonial column as means of earning! As also gives views on serious matters in the TV channels interrupted by amazingly puerile ads (many a times asserting feudal norms)!! The whole framework stinks and lacks sincerity. Its foul and lacks trust or empathy. It is a joke. 

Ms Pande, meanwhile anchors a program in Prasar Bharati channel, I am not going into the merit of these programs but would like to know whether rules were followed in selecting her to anchor or is it a case of conflict of interest and nepotism? She may find problem with the way the word media is pronounced (“midiah” as Mr. Modi does according to her). Most people  in this country have accent when they speak english, to point it out in a serious discussion is travesty and smacks of classist arrogance which is not very unknown where she is located. 

It also brings us to a very important question on what motivates a senior journalist to take the government bait? Is it the power and perk? Exaggerated presence? I guess it is a personal choice, but once you are heading an organization you are expected to follow some norms. Clearly Ms Pande has crossed it. She should quit.

It is unfortunate that these visceral reactions are not only leading to polarizing the society but also obfuscation of issues. It unnecessarily focus attention on a personality who may benefit from these, as people know that these are unfair and motivated, if he had done anything wrong then courts would have prosecuted him.  Everything said and done I find it astonishing that Mr. Modi find it difficult to express regret or own responsibility of the happenings of 2002. He is undoubtedly responsible for anything going wrong under his administration, including riots, as much as he is working overtime to claim credit –I gather many a times exaggerations, for things going right. Taking responsibility of riots as head of government machinery is definitely not same as being culpable or part of criminal conspiracy, otherwise the Court would have prosecuted. Nor is it any victory of ‘secularism’. I guess Mr. Modi problems begin here; he needs to take responsibility of failures. He is surely coming out, in the game of perception, as man prone to stake hyperbolic claims (reflecting deep rooted insincerity) and arrogant in an exclusionary way (which seems divisive).  Clearly with this attitude and ambitions Mr. Modi will find it difficult to elicit support from wider audience. Also India is too big and diverse a country to be comprehensively driven to a corner or a section, simplistic solutions may not have significant impact. It looks like he will be used and at the last moment we will see some somersaults, and everything tumbling down like a pack of cards. But one thing is clear things are getting nasty.    

         

To ponder: when so many incidents of children getting killed or becoming sick eating mid day meals at school what is amazing is nothing of this sort is reported from Jails where prisoners are fed three times a day. It is just amazing or is it that the system knows whom to take care!!  

So while Indian media is breaking over two hindi actors meeting “is chath ke neeche itihas racha”  reminisces a rather excited “journalist”, while BBC “journalist” assures that he will show “royal birth as it happens”.  Crude woman tweets “biriyani ka swad tadke se nahi murge se atha hai”. It’s all happening in planet earth. Over and out. 

Egypt slips into quagmire

It is very likely that it could get really bad from here. I am quite an admirer of people in Egypt who are vocal about their rights and representation.  Unfortunately though, the passion in the street is not met with subtleties of the systems in place. If the elected government blatantly introduces changes in Constitution, there were no checks in place. It must have been dealt at the Legislative level, if not the Judiciary should have intervened and preempted the slide. Indian experience on these matters could have been a valuable example that could have been emulated to keep the sanctity of the institutions.  In Egypt a serious transgression has happened and has set a very wrong precedence, it will be regretted for a long time to come. Religion, in a country where most people follow, should have a space, provided it doesn’t impede into others right, if ever it need to be handled politically as also within the framework of law. Institutions should be respected and necessarily reflect aspirations of people. Army cannot impose it’s will, even in the name of people, it’s a dangerous development. It’s a failure of judiciary to safeguard the constitution in Egypt, first by the President now by the Army.   

People protest in Tahrir square against the Mubarak regime had repercussions across the world and was surely a landmark event in the world history. It is a benchmark for ruthless regimes, a lesson for all. It should have been a foundation for a vibrant democracy and prosperity with people participation. 

Egypt unfortunately couldn’t keep up the promise, the higher echelons of society including the Army is pushing the country into precipice. The “coup” has put the country in serious crisis, it looks like something quite extra ordinary could save things from here. If the society at this point is multipolarised, very soon it will coalesce into deeply fractured extreme sections: the Army and the Fundamentalist, both section not known for virtues of discussion (indeed it is neither the mandate of the Army nor the way it is trained, the reason why it has to be under civilian authority for democracy to flourish) or application of peaceful means for negotiation, that can put strong foundation of democracy. Both sections are armed, organized and has the potential for massive destruction. This also needs to be put in context of opportunists across the border of the increasingly fragile region, including the arms dealers, Islamists, neo-colonial forces, western powers for strategic gains so on.  Most people will have to either move out or take sides, as things will get violent. People protests works in the framework of non violence.  It seems the country is reaching the fringe. This seem to be the narration of most societies in the region, as elite section refuse to relinquish power and perks, they are so used to, and end up pushing the country into violence and chaos, either they try to capitalize on dying or else are the first people to flee to safer havens and continue their ‘struggle’, mostly in the luxury of Europe as champions of democracy. People protesting and struggling on the street will soon be pushed into extreme misery. Nobody will like such an eventuality to befall on an important nation like Egypt, but it seems to be a distinct possibility. Time is running out in Cairo…   

Peepli live in Uttarakhand

There is a talk on how incompetent and irresponsible politicians are, there is definitely much truth to it. Instead of being sensitive to the problems, the Chief Minister was found stressing on GDP, and making amazingly irresponsible statements. One cannot really blame him we have a GDP Prime Minister. How long this nonsense?.

Everybody surely loves a tragedy, except ofcourse the victim. Victims are part of karma, so let’s not bother much about them. Market media, politicians, NGO’s with high ambitions -environmentalists with a keen eye on perks, role playing saviors, social climbers of all varieties relish these opportunities. If politicians were doing aerial surveys or making statements/counter statements to capitalize on the tragedy, the media was not far behind. They paratrooped in horde, many were giving reports from the helicopters carrying victims, incidentally in cramped conditions. O we love to see media hovering on victims inside hovering helicopter, such TRP busting sight, it even rhymes. How much did media handicap the rescue operations will never be clear. I am not denying that some in media did tremendous and genuine job, but that is just some and essentially those who are from the region, who understands and empathize. Why is that channels doesn’t have correspondents in these places, people who understand the place and people. The reporter must be from the region or has spent years understanding the place or else recruit from local channels on an immediate ad hoc basis during moments of crisis. What you have is attention seekers masquerading as journalist crash landing, it’s amazing that people living all their life in north India cannot even speak proper hindi, and they are journalists!! Any english speaking good looking victims here, please raise your goddamn hand? We want some byte. The audacity to impose oneself on people, who are undergoing serious tribulations and unimaginable personal loss, the insensitivity of it. It speaks of lack of competence and concern, it smacks of arrogance.  One journalist even found the time to answer how she was able to undertake these arduous activities. She was humbleness personified and said coyly “it is that extra hour spent in the gym”.  As Crude Woman says “every opportunity has to be sucked”, ZK Bazz nods and add “Brandz buildingz  nahi tho life meh kuch bhi nahi hai he mere bhai”.

This report in BBC that you are unlikely to read  or see in free Indian media, its called self regulation!!Its a metaphor turned into reality...

 India floods: Scandal video reporter sacked

An Indian television journalist who reported on deadly floods while sitting on the shoulders of a survivor has been sacked, says the channel he worked for.

The reporter had been widely criticised after the video appeared online.

A News Express statement called his behaviour "inhuman". The channel says it did not broadcast the footage and does not know who uploaded it.

More than 800 people have died in floods and landslides which swept parts of northern India 10 days ago.

Video of Narayan Pargaien reporting fromUttarakhand state, which has borne the brunt of the disaster, has been viewed thousands of times online. In it he perches on the shoulders of a man who is standing in flood waters, while the reporter delivers a piece to camera.

News Express said Mr Pargaien was guilty of "grave misconduct". What he had done was "not just inhuman but was also against the culture" of the channel, it said in a statement.

"You cannot ride on someone's back for a story. We terminated him on Tuesday," Nishant Chaturvedi, the head of the channel, told AFP news agency.

'We were helping' Mr Pargaien had earlier sought to explain his actions, telling Indian media website newslaundry.com that the villager had asked him to report on the damage the floods had caused to his home.

"We helped him with some food and some money and he was grateful to us and wanted to show me some respect, as it was the first time someone of my level had visited his house," the reporter said.

"People are talking about us being inhuman and wrong - but we were actually helping some of the victims there."

Mr Pargaien accepted what he had done had been wrong - but seemed keener to pin the blame on his cameraman.

"The report was supposed to be telecast only with footage of me chest-up. This was entirely the cameraman's fault."

That prompted some to suggest he still had more to learn about journalistic ethics and where to draw the line.