The English media in india caters to about
2% of indian population, and that is a very generous estimate. In the last
decade or so handful of English TV channels have taken control over mainstream
narration, and indeed are having unsettling influence on policy makers as it
caters to powerful elite with unsymmetrical access and unethical base. This was
particularly true when nepotism was the norm while sycophancy and patronage was
touchstone of any dealing. Democratic institutions become an end in itself as
they are eaten and cleaned out from inside as blatant corruption, incompetence
and characteristic apathy take root while the structures are diligently kept spruced
and polished so as to give the semblance of normality, as they say ‘working’
democracy. Casteist feudal primitives know all the tricks in the book. As long as this section is happily fed the world is a beautiful place and India is no doubt
incredible.
But in the last few years things have
changed, the sequestered world assigning themselves as saviour has been
severely undermined. The liberal masquerading Castetva forces have been
replaced by nationalist masquerading Hindutva forces. This blogger doesn’t have
any problem whatsoever if castetva icons like mahatmas and pundits are replaced
by hindutva icons, indeed they should. It doesn’t change anything in common
people’s life trapped as they are in feudal primitive putrefying world. Many in
English media, and the exaggerated species that dwells herein, see the threat to their monopoly in narration. The business of awe striking the world is being
sullied is their argument. So far the NDA government has shown best of intentions and
has indeed created positive impression among most people. As the world gets
automated, as also with impacts of climate change, and people in the increasing
grip of insular ways and threats things are going to get difficult. The
government despite sufficient problems has shown a relative sense of purpose
and resolve. Unless they go arrogant and start buffoonish market driven
‘shining india’ (I recall I even wrote some prose/poem critical and sarcastic
on these exaggerations while these were being tried in 2003!!) nonsense this
blogger doesn’t see any reason why the popular leaders like the PM Modi isn’t
at the helm even after 2020. The lutyen’s Delhi coterie, that spreads to
pretentious casteist feudal in all major cities across the country, who have
arrogated themselves the destiny of billion people is none too happy as deceit slacken
their grip on reality. Immune as they were to tragedies of social conflicts and
desperations, they never factored in outsiders usurping their narrations of
wonderful world. They kept the moral high ground so high they sometime get lost
in the subtleties. It is amazing that in one of the most primitive and exploitation
driven social context they created a purified narration. So there are
indication and intents of ever soaring ethical and humanist ways while drivelling
in the most inhuman ways and home truths. They talk of higher and higher planes
of human rights, even going to the extent of claiming futility of punishment
(take for instance the fellow involved in heinous rape case was let out free
because it seems he was few months young hence juvenile). Such compassion and extravagant
promises is in context of purifying to higher plains of moral bearing that not
only has contempt for common people but are insular to their lives and tragedies.
It is as if we are being taught the higher levels of conscience by the bunch who
are themselves dwelling in inhuman contexts, and that too by a judiciary that is known for
incompetence, lackadaisical ways and an apathy for plight of common people.
Lutyen’s denizens, who have amassed
unaccountable influence over the decades have also encroached into western influence
as well, and have in many cases placed their litters and caretakers in critical
position to work out narrations of benignity. The region with bleakest social
context, as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh dangerously spiral into violence
and extremism, while Srilanka, Myanmar, Nepal too are trapped in varying degree of
miseries india it seems is being projected as an oasis. This narration of
spiritual heaven of wonderful people is being drivelled into since independence
as regressive castetva forces consolidated their control. As people live in
absolute misery while institutions tardy and incompetent, and as mediocrity and
apathy grip the system there are narrations created by coterie of diversity and
tolerance, of entitled role as benign guardian. Common people are kept in cages
for display, as they get fatalistic and are trapped in their drudgery the
clever coterie take up the entitled role of
custodian, caretaker and spokespersons of india’s greatness on their own
right and leisure. The soothsayers of soul’s role in fantastic universe and infinite
truth of sanctum pit is how these hilarious ideas of self took root.
I will have to point out few people here,
those who have been living on unbridled extravagance and exaggerated
self-worth. News channels have not only
degraded the institution through nepotism and casteist feudal norms but also the news itself by reducing it as entertainment, about celebrities, of promoting movies and
cricket and con artists herein who later multiply their money through selling
products. It’s a nice setup. Though they play the mahatma pundit narration of feudal
charm and morals but scratch it and you see desperate power hungry people eking
out their cleverness. The recent instance of TVnews anchor asking a Party
spokesperson to get out is clear indication of not only incompetence but
arrogance. They have been used to dealing with union ministers spokesperson
therefore is a small fry. There are many indications of media using their clout
to get close to power putting the media independence into question. Indeed, I
came to know that another TV anchor (not coincidently of the same channel) is actually married to Congress ex-union
minister!! (now whether she benefited from him or vice versa is open to
scrutiny). And she is the one who takes high moral grounds of whispering and
not shouting, it is more of purring I say. There is a clear case of clash of
interest, and it is her duty (and channels too) to have disclosed this to the
audience. This is cheating, there is a clear bias that benefits her. As for anchor,
who asked the party spokesperson to get out, she is being extremely
unprofessional as also clear sign of incompetency. When push comes to shove,
that is when reality strikes, it is habitual to pose their entitlement (“this
is my show”, no it isn’t). A competent journalist would have allowed the
discussion but would have meanwhile clarified his/her, or for that matter that
TV channel’s position, for audience to decide. Indeed, a spokesperson of any
party has every right to accuse TV channel of ‘agenda’ or whatever.
Atleast in the putrefying pits of Indian TV
channels, where there is no hope or redemption, as everyone outdo each on
degradation, the worst being the regional (some TV news channels in Andhra are
even available to telecast marriages), there are some journalists one can
respect but these are getting rare. I must add here that some of the discussions
in Malayalam news channel are much nuanced but unfortunately these too have gone
down in standard as many a times the topic, as also quality of panel, is
restricted by market parameters. There is an overwhelming degradation with
market consolidation in the last few decades or so. Of the 2% viewers of
English news channel majority watch Goswami, people prefer him because he
positions as vociferous voice of people against apathy and deviousness. Not
allowing panel to speak and shouting them down is undoubtedly a winning usp,
terrific marketing strategy, since that is precisely people too want instead of
purring and cosing upto self-serving people and dubious market decided panel
members with limited understanding. When there are competing views without
insight or understanding then these entitled mediocre figures can pack their
views and keep it at home. What to discuss, who should be in the panel,
what insight is expected from them, their competence, what to ask, how to
respond and probe…all these are basics in any nuanced responsible discussion. These
are basics of visual media ethics. Entitled nepotistic elite with gift for gab
and with some basics cannot be competent however earnestly they may try. It’s a
replication of overwhelming nature of mediocrity thriving insular society. Either
you be truthful and honest, bring out the fact with clarity with expert panel
and take the news and viewers seriously, show respect to the viewers and their
tribulations (take the case where I was channel surfing the other day and
witnessed anchor angel going into orgasm while having discussion on serious
issue, now I thought there must be someone under table and me being me was
looking forward to the seedy video!! She clarified that “india has reached
final”. Not into wastefulness of cricket it took me some time to get the
context. What kind of credibility these people have if they cannot be
responsible and take everything as extension of some ongoing entertainment?). Be
authentic or be competent on market parameters, or just get out of here. Don’t
try to play games and expect respect. English TV channels points to what is
wrong with media, indeed to larger extend they are marker of patronising effete
elite, their unexamined assumptions of ground reality and very clear characteristic
contempt for common people. If you understand what news is, the utterly skewed
nature of this society, emerging problems and vulnerabilities then you will not
even have time to sit, forget entertainment garbage as news. If you take
responsibility then be responsible. There is no joke going on, nor are people in
some weekend get together. Media cannot claim to be special without being competent,
responsible and understanding. They are not sacrosanct and will have to follow
the rule of law. We very well know it is
a shift from sanctum pit to media high end bypassing any rigour or awareness, it’s
a tradition of defecating words.
There is no sudden deterioration in India as
is being posited by nefarious coterie, it is also being cleverly and
relentlessly arrogated as result of UPA coming to power by the entrenched who
enjoyed the benefits, not only through nepotism, but also through feudal
casteist structure, in the last many decades. They rarely raised any critical
voice nor nurtured any marginalised (except some market attuned) in their
narration or amongst them. To start with the degradation has not started now or
in last few years, the society is degraded from its foundation and this is being
consolidated with power structure since independence, and for which the clever
elite is very much complicit. I find no difference between castetva forces and
hindutva forces. Who put cow protection in fundamental duties? Surely not Ambedkar.
Who brought religion into politics, and consolidated funny views on cow? Well then you will
have to protect it. Further, the effete elite positioning in higher echelons of
media as saviours can easily chose and neglect news as they desire. Though positioning
as flag bearers of freedom of expression they actively censor news, not only in
its negation but in its content and the way it presented. There is an adherence
to casteist feudal narration with a clear agenda to normalise primitive ways. If
there is no deterioration of situation in India it is because situation in India
was always deteriorated. They kept miseries of common people under the rug with
characteristic ease, as also with distractions and inanities. So laws where
kept colonial (a case of amazing contempt for common people) only when heinous
rape happens right in Delhi they think of changing archaic laws after seven
decades of so called independence. Previously there was an attempted narration
on attacks on Christians, and many more such attempts, clearly some are working
overtime to payback their dues. Now lynching seems to be defining more than
billion people. Unfortunate though it is the reporting is mischievous with clear agenda. For the reason
that lynching is quite common here, issues differ, even this blogger was witness to
brutal beating up of a fellow in UP almost two decades back, the fellow was
drunk or maybe mad or something, he started hitting the cow quite badly hence
people reacted, and rather viciously for the degree of crime I thought (I
recall including this incidence in one my early short story, about a mentally
deranged fellow getting caught in communal riot…between not many know that I do
write short stories. Difficult to even convince myself that I am a writer,
atleast a small time one! I guess you should write when there is something to
write). People die of lynching all the time, it is nothing new. If you want to
prove rape is increasing (as was the case in the aftermath of delhi crime) then
keep reporting about rape, if you want to prove deaths by doctor’s negligence then keep
reporting that, if you want to report that children are dying of malnutrition
then keep reporting it, road accident, disease, crime….whatever you want to
prove you can prove because in india these things keep happening all the time. It’s
about what you want to highlight. It becomes the story when effete elite find
some reason, or most likely advantageous, to report and channelize it
accordingly for an agenda or market needs, otherwise these are footnotes. Let
me point to some reality, and try understand the context of angst of lutyen’s coterie
and their high moral ground…
According to National Human Rights (NHRC) report on
Prevention on atrocities on Scheduled Caste, a crime is reported on ‘Dalit’
every 18 minutes, every day on an average, 3 ‘dalit’ women are raped, 2
‘dalits’ are murdered, and 2 ‘dalit’ home burnt. 37% of ‘dalits’ live below
poverty line, 2 in 10 child die before 5years of age and those who survive 54%
are undernourished, while 45% remain illiterate. And those who manage to go to
school 39% of ‘dalit’ children are made to sit separately while eating food,
and that is millions of government schools all over India. And if eating food
is the parameter just think what all other ways of discriminations are
happening, and these are schools –educational institutions, and these are
children, and these data are only tip of iceberg. If every day 2 ‘dalits’ are being
killed and 3 ‘dalit’ women are raped then factor in that these are most marginalised
and traumatised section facing a notorious law and order machinery, so there is
a huge under reporting. You could easily multiply it by factor of ten to get
somewhere near the reality. That is like 20 ‘dalits’ killed every day across
the country, its scandalous. You will not see these published in western media
nor you will find anyone questioning liberal masquerading unethical elite
section posturing as kindred souls ready to speak for Indians. Also add that killing
cannot be only data. What about serious debilitating injuries, as also psychological
as also social tolls of these discriminations? No wonder ethical depravity is
so deep of this putrid pit of a society. Also consider that discriminations
have actually gone down over the years because of relative level of political empowerment
and technology driven transparency, so you can very well imagine what this
godforsaken society was decades back when mahatmas and pandits roam the earth
and awestruck the world. Finally, as of today 48% of villages in India deny
access to water source to ‘dalits’. There are millions and millions of villages
in india that makes it more than a billion people. What kind of cesspool is
this? Even water the basic necessity is being denied, the idea is more than
denying it is establishing the degraded framework and showcase oneself as
blessed in whichever pecking order one is placed. Imagine, the kind of value
system that is percolating and getting hold over people’s mind.
