Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Half- Baked Journalists on the Rampage!


Hello Folks,

It has been quite some time that i hadn't communicated with you all!

Well here I am and raring to correspond with you all.

Today i would like trow a topic in front of you which is an issue with the urban and so-called polished contemporary society.

The topic is a discourse on trends certain media persons show and also the bunch of wannabe journalists who emulate them!

The world of Globalization has brought along with a never-ending boom on dissemination of information and current affairs on Social-Political-Economic-Historical-Cultural and aspirational levels.

The responsibility of taking forward these messages lie on media which in some individuals perspective is the ultimate institution.

With lots of Private News channels vying in a cut-throat competition for "exclusives" and "sound-bytes" the urban citizen has nothing else to do but bear with them!

There are Journalists like Vir Sanghvi who had started out his journey in this business with the star network of the "Media-Baron" Rupert Murdoch, with self-glorifying shows as "Star-Talk" in the English version and "Vir Ke Teer" on the hindi channel of the corporation.

As a common man of the type shown in R.K. Laxman's iconic cartoons, I would like to ask that why is he so rigid and confused in his views. This was evident on his "views" on the Muslim-Community in his piece, "The Antulay Conspiracy!" appearing in Hindustan Times, Sunday issue.

There is also another piece i read in one of his disillusioned fan's blog and who according to him had the courage to stand out and condemn Narendra Modi's failure to stop the 2002 Gujarat-genocide.

In his writeup, he states that "he likes the references Modi gives to his Chest-size" and etc..etc..and somewhat tries to justify his views that he would accept all these but for one and that is these came from a ''mass-butcherer" like Modi!

His article has a Chauvinistic thread running through it. By stating his "foolish" statements of Gujarati Superiority over the pre-independent mindset or attitude over them by the then Maharashtrians itself smells of creating unhealthy cleavages in this nation once firmly held by our first powerful emperor, Asoka, followed by Chandra Gupta Maurya and the Mughal, Jalal-Uddin-Mohammad-Akbar.

In contemporary times, our scholar, visionary and statesman like, Primeminister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and his Iron-willed, "Tigress of a daughter" carried their mantle forward.

The great Scholar-Reformer Saint that India was blessed with to be a champion of its rich-heritage, Swami Vivekananda had deep reverence for these two empire-builders often cliched with inseparable "great" with their names i.e. Asoka and Akbar.

There some aspiring Journos who regard him as their idol and every word of theirs as a divine injunction!

I would like to question with no offence meant to their success-credentials that yes, you are a media-person associated with the industry for quite some time but who has given you the right to be judgemental on issues very delicate and with the potent force of taking this nation thousand and thousand years back!

The very package that Journos should give their views on issues and developments is a misnomer and a confused practice. Instead of their collums which are brand names for them they should be interviewed and then asked to comment. They should also be asked to hold conferences and seminars to disseminate the complex issues with their proper socio-historic-politic-economic context.

There are some persons who by fluke had landed upon this profession and waver away from the crux and trust of this discipline by following each and every word of the "Self-proclaimed" intelligent journalists.

No body is found out to be comprising of the vices and virtues, in totality which a certain race, institution, "Caste" is levelled with.

This brings to my mind a visionary statement of the only Monarchical resistance of 18th century India, Tipu Sultan.

When approached by one of his courtiers on the issue of treachery by his Prime Minister, Pandit Purnaiyaa (a Brahmin) with the added emotional statement "the whole of the Brahmin clan is not to be trusted", this gem of a ruler replied that "for the deeds of a single individual, the whole community should not be singled out for condemnation."

Media stands for correct representation of facts, including fairplay, balance, objectivity.All these devoid of arrogance, ignorance, biasness and irrational prejudice.

We are surely being untrue to icons of our history who have tried their level best to gel this society of diverse elements.Their far-sightedness makes us appear puny.

Media is the third eye of the society, the third estate of a Democracy should be embedded in the minds of communicators . This is the very essence of this institution, its very existence.

Keep thinking,

Be responsible,

Read a lot, Knowledge is never ending.

Peace,

Keep blogging and God Bless.

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