I've criticised the media rather harshly in the past, even referring to the word as profane.
I've called some of them biased, some of them over the top & some sometimes slightly opinionated, I've questioned Pune Mirror, and decided that some of them (I mean the TOI here) had indeed sold their souls. And all of rightly so I believe.
Recently I was thinking about the awakening that we've witnessed in the masses recently. My uncle in far off Calcutta is doing his bit, awakened by the 26/11 attack on Bombay. Friends from Pune to Paris are doing something. Practically everyone is trying to say or do something to change the situation or the attitude to the sitation.
There's a campaign afoot to dress pramod muthalik up in lacy pink lingerie. They better wax his black ass before they do that, if they want it look anything like Beyonce's! The campaign has touched an instant chord with the masses & netizens alike. People are sending pink chaddis, suggesting wearing them on the steering wheels of their Mercedeses, others are blogging about it in a newer, fresher, more welcome vein! Scroll right down to the last widget on the right side this blog for more details.
People in India are doing something about the things that bother them. It's not enough yet, but it is a start. And we only need more people to keep joining in to bring about that change!
I believe that it is our Media whom we malign (often with just cause) that we have to thank for this awakening.
So we can criticize the excessive coverage of 26/11, the horror stories, the strong opinions being voiced.
We can accuse the media of being sensationalist (& we won't be wrong); but one thing we will have to give them, however much we don't like it, & that is the fact that their sensational, excessive, opinionated coverage has been able to awaken us out of our lethargy!
My dear friend TB seems to be missing this positive aspect of the Pink Chaddi Campaign & the media in general. (Edit: Oops! As usual, that comment has mysteriously disappeared! Trailblazer, any clue of what happened to the comment?)
Are you forgetting my dear friend that there was a karni sena who had indulged in nonsense sometime last year over the release of Jodha-Akbar. What happened to them? Is that karni a hero? He appeared on NDTV & everything. Does anyone remember him?? And what do you expect people (media are people too) to do when faced with these idiots? Keep quiet? Haven't we done that for far too long? It's much better than retaliatory violence, or long drawn PIL's or having to watch his goons pillage pub after pub. The people are standing up to a goon, without taking the law in their hands. It's a saluteworthy move! It's not enough, but it's a start!
And in case you missed it, this initiative too comes from someone who is associated with your favourite magazine Tehelka! :-) (do visit it & read through their "Vendors of Anarchy" piece to change your opinion.) Nisha Susan, more power to you!
You may also want to see what VS Naipaul has to say about Tarun Tejpal's latest novel.
So time to say it, however grudgingly... Indian Media, take a bow!
_________________________________________________
Trailblazer,
Continuing from our earlier discussions on war & capital punishment, I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts that appeared in an article in Verve:
Acharya Suryoday Surishwarji & Acharya Rajratna Surishwarji Maharaj of the Amichand Pannalal Adeshwar Jain Temple, Walkeshwar, Bombay, say that:
"Religion ordains that we should make our enemies our friends. A hundred guilty people can go free, but one innocent person must not die.
Politics or Governance demands that we finish off all our enemies. A hundred innocent people can die, but one guilty person shouldn't go free."
Hopefully you get the difference between governing human beings & living as human beings.
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And lastly... WHY DOES NO ONE ACKNOWLEDGE SHEKHAR SUMAN AS THE MOST TALENTED THING TO HAPPEN TO THE TELLY??? THE MOST VERSATILE, THE AMITABH BACHCHAN OF THE SMALL SCREEN???
Thursday, February 12, 2009
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Agree totally on Shekhar Suman, and so you read that Tehelka piece too- I loved it!
ReplyDelete1con,
ReplyDeleteThe comment is as it is. Is it deleted? It's there, I think. Or do you need a link/screenshot? The fact that you edited your post to add that it is not there, makes me hopeful that you will edit your post again to add that it is actually still there. As it is.
Or I suggest you believe that it's a conspiracy by me to send the audience of my blog into paroxysms of curiosity and make people consider the option that I'm in bed with the BJP/Right wing.
My point is that conservatives could be up in arms against the Pink Chaddi campaign, hence leading to a line drawn between them and liberals yet again. When what is needed is them coming together on the issue.
My desire -> to see Muthalik beaten up(and brought to justice) the way his gang beat up those girls.
The Pink Chaddi campaign is a good idea, and essentially as a people's movement it will embarass the coward out of Muthalik. The problem is it gives him just that much publicity.
Conservatives could think Muthalik is a hero. For liberals, he is already a villain(which he is).
It's creating divisions -> my only concern. Please go ahead with the Pink Chaddi campaign. I have no problems, despite personally not endorsing it. People's movements are a trademark of independent India.
The more the noise, the more dissenting voices that we have. Like the one you read from where you quoted my comment. Note that I am neither discouraging nor encouraging the campaign. Oh, but of course for your TB-Right-leaning prism through which you view every statement I make.
Regarding the views you present on war, I fail to fully subscribe to them. Because in our society, the guilty are walking free(what religion won't mind) AND innocents are still dieing(what governance wont mind). Our tolerance is reaching unwarranted levels. You might want to make a friend out of Modi or tainted UPA ministers after they are brought to justice. Not me.
No religion is above the state and the constitution. At the same time, the constitution is supposed to treat all religions equally. And certain people whose loyalties lie with their religions, and not the state, have done enough damage to the national psyche.
This is not to say that I'm a war-monger who does not seek peace. I seek peace. I love peace. I only want to see peace around me. But there are people who seem to have specific hate-driven agendas against our peace. And I don’t want peace with them.
@lankr1ta,
ReplyDeleteGood! So we agree on both counts? Shekhar & Tarun (& their teams) are Superb? God Bless them all!
TB,
Young friend... Just 3 points to your essayesque comment:
1. I (or anyone else for that matter) doesn't think that you're in bed with the bjp.
2. You are free not to agree with the campaign or me or with what spirituality tries to teach.
3. That comment wasn't there when I checked. It seems to have come back strangely.
I'm very disappointed at vinod sharma's continued insistence that muthalik & his ilk will "graphically visualise" when they see pieces of clothing (whether pub-slut t-shirts or pink lace unnderwear). Does it take one sick mind to know other sick minds work?? Is it people like this that justify rape as depicted in "The Accused"? A woman isn't "asking for it" if she dresses up in a certain way! This is typical of the "connected with the masses" type of thinking!
I suggest sending pink chaddhis to him also!
I agree with 1conoclast's comment. Cheap ppl like Muthalik need to have this kind of campaign against them. They have that kind of mentality any way
ReplyDeleteOn Monika's request, the link to the Tehelka article. At the bottom of the main article are the "Vendors of Anarchy".
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=Ne140209coverstory.asp