East or West: The Indian Media is the…

The celebs detest and dislike the Indian media. How do you know this? Well, when Amitabh Bachchan comes out to openly blog about his loathe for the media especially since it is them who cooks up stories about his daughter-in-law being preggers and so on, then you know the rest of the clan are all going to jump ship and agree with him. Conformers you see. But ironically, I believe that each of these stars wake up every morning and look for news about themselves. Let’s take a quick glance at someone who is perpetually in the media, the international Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. If for say, three weeks straight, there would be no news about the Bachchan bahu, you can almost be certain that she would be a slight bit worried. Her P.R. team would swiftly get on top of things and ensure she was in the press. Of course, then they complain of “incorrect invented news” and question “responsible journalism”. But you know what’s even stranger? Okay there are two things that are rather odd about this. Firstly, collectively the fraternity all have at some point in their lives said, “only two things sell in Bollywood: sex and Shah Rukh Khan.” So they understand this situation and yet when the media does them a favor by giving them the publicity they ideally would need, they create ruckus about it. And then, the likes of Ram Gopal Verma and Madhur Bandarkar go on to make films on the media ala Page 3 and Rann. Erm…so you like or you don’t like the stars? A bit confusing here, no?

More recently, we’ve seen Twitter become common ground for celebs to come out and challenge the media. Bratty star children can’t stand it when a renowned veteran writer/reviewer comes out to criticize their latest flick and within minutes humiliate her in a public domain. More lately, we’ve seen how the media has been unable to even share their thoughts without being attacked by stars. Ultimately, the problem is that the media has been kicked out or exiled from the fraternity and the only way to stay in, is to sing hymns of the stars. And there are many that do. In doing so, those media persons become “responsible journalists”. But Bollywood and the media share a love-hate relationship which will never really ever end.

The problem with the Indian media is its lack of interest in actually following through when it brings a serious issue to the forefront. In recent times, the Indian media proved that they are no less than the wretched paparazzi when they fought for coverage during the 26/11 Attacks. Every news channel was out to outdo the other with up to date reporting and exposure. In the bargain, they worked for the terrorists as external eyes as they depicted every minute detail of the encounter that was taking place. In providing news, they also aided these terrorists which is primarily one of the reasons why the entire incident lasted for nearly 60 hours. In that time frame, the reporting went on as did the attacks.

Even on a mundane level, the media will come out to expose a politician or a situation which for the most part the rest of the country will be oblivious to. It will create Breaking News and Headlines all over and within a few days, the excitement dies down and before you know it that very news is swept under the carpet. But besides breaking into a sweat, you really never hear of an outcome. To their advantage, they are absolutely fantastic about uncovering unknown information, kudos to them for that. Now if only they could fully follow though and actually make a difference. There is no point in having complete media freedom if they would much rather use it for T.R.P.’s and not for a hedonistic approach, i.e. to assist the greatest good for the greatest number.
Personally, I believe the Indian media has forgotten that they have a duty towards the country; hence they are the Indian media. Instead of reporting and improving the country, they have turned to sensationalism. If a story is boring, it is of no use. But really, that one so-called boring story could change the country. What is required by the Indian media is a revolution and all it would take is one channel, one publication. The media must now shed itself of its glossiness and if required head the khadi—honest simple Gandhian, way. Would it be fair to throw a censorship or moderate their every move? No. How would we, a democratic country, be any different from a communist one then?

Malcolm X once said, “The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power.” They have surely been bestowed with a power. The only problem is that any kind of power that is abused is sometimes not adhered to, most likely not taken seriously, and finally taken away. The Indian media provides a service to the country and if you read the mission statement for any service company, it will state that its main goal is to provide outstanding honest service to its customers. How has the Indian media done thus far? Not too well, I don’t think. But as a viewer, i.e. a customer, you have an innate right to complain. So instead of shaking your head the next time your news channel or publication has provided you with misleading news, take it upon yourself to call them out. They have been given a power yes, but you have a democratic right to take it away.

- by Roshni Mulchandani
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(This post is participating in BlogAdda's contest, in partnership with PringOO. Contest question: "Is Indian Media Misusing Its Freedom?")

12 Deadly Minutes

All the Sri Lankan cricket team wanted to do was go from their hotel in Lahore to the nearby stadium and play some cricket. What happened in between was nothing short of insanity on a terrifying level. Their convoy was attacked by a dozen terrorists who were well armed and ready to either take over the vans, holding the team hostage or blow up the vans in its entirety. It was 12 minutes of nonstop firing until the injured driver hit the accelerator and drove the convoy away from dangers. Luckily for the team, they managed to escape with a few scrapes to some players including the team's vice-captain, Kumar Sangakkara. The terrorists then, of course, escaped never to be seen or heard of since. Security personnel claim that a different route was planed out everyday for the team to ensure their safety. Whether it was a lapse in security or members of the security for the team were involved too is a mystery and we will never know the answer to that question.

On the other hand, the propagandist Pakistani media has shamelessly gone ahead and blamed the attacks on India. Why am I not surprised? They refrained from using the infamous "stateless actors" as a way to dodge questions about the identity of these men. If that wasn't enough, ex-cricketer and now politician, Wasim Akram, who previously claimed that cricketers and the game of cricket would never be harmed, quite literally should put a sock in his mouth. It disturbs me to think that it was actually the Indian team that was supposed to be touring Pakistan for this series. They decided against it after the Mumbai Terror Attacks. One can only imagine the chaos that would have erupted if it was the Indian cricket team that would have been attacked. Quite honestly, war would have broken loose on all accords.

It is a sad day in the world when sport takes a hit to political tension and is attacked in such a heinous manner. I have repeatedly howled about how this is all unnecessary. Unfortunately, Pakistan has a serious situation on its hand and fails to realize that very fact. They are losing credibility in all facets: politically, economically, religiously and now in sports too. The ICC needs to go further and ban not only cricket in Pakistan but its players from playing in any leagues or contests. While this step may seem drastic, many of the politicians who were previously cricketers are now a part of the government and will not stand for such a disgrace to its countries cricketers.

Perhaps we are not taking an enough of a stand towards terror. As a cricket lover, I could not help but look in pain at what was happening to a great side in a country that refuses to budge on terror. They need to realize that they are keepers of citizens that are destroying its reputation in the sub-continent. In the meantime, they will play the whodunit game, blame neighboring countries and totally ignore the question that is at hand, who within your OWN country is responsible? Will we receive an answer to the million dollar question? Don't expect one in this lifetime.