From The Dizzy Heights of Kargil to Despairing Depths of Oblivion

I grew up in a time when we had black & white transmission and limited duration of Television broadcast. Colour transmission was introduced in 1982. Post liberalization a host of new Channel beaming an unending fare of programs 24 X 7. News channels competing for our attention, sitcoms etc!

The new high came in 1999 Kargil War. Channels brought this war right into our living rooms. While the men in uniform covered themselves with glory in the battlefield, a hero was born or should one say a Heroine of the small screen no not the glamorous kind. A news reporter who became the visible face of the 24 x 7 News Channels!

She won our hearts and ruled our minds. We became her slaves believed every word she uttered as gospel truth. Then came a minor shift in 2002, became a little more slanted in 2004, gradually the slant became more steep, which compelled me to scrutinize what was being said on the channel and compare it with others in electronic media and also with the print.

I was now convinced that all was not as it should be; I felt cheated, what recourse did I have? None other than move away from watching news on NDTV; I did precisely that. No not even once did I miss the channel, though I continued to watch programs like Big Fight, We the people and Buck Stops Here, used to post comments regularly on these show, also signed on NDTV Social which is their website.

I did e-mail and share a few tweets with Barkha Dutt around early to mid 2009. By now even the programs hosted by her had started to lose their sheen, it was becoming increasingly apparent that there was more than that met the eye. Slowly but surely I was losing interest in this News Channel which I had watched for almost 2 decades.

The on 2^nd Dec 2009 an incident took place on the NDTV social site. Nidhi Razdan employed foul language towards a visitor, which I felt was reason enough for me to move away from following her. I enquired with her if she could block me since that option was not available at my end. The response from her is most forgettable. That sealed my dealing with NDTV. I stopped watching this channel completely 07^th Dec 2009. Excerpt of the exchange of tweets with Nidhi Razdan on 2nd Dec 2009 and tweets posted Mr.Pannoy Roy on NDTV (cont)

I progressed from feeling cheated to now a position where there was disgust for this channel and its personnel. Since I did not watch the channel anymore it did not matter what they broadcasted or promoted. On the net post Ayodhaya verdict there were blogs which had specific references to Barkha Dutt excerpt of the conversations and the way she had conduct her show. Finally I ended up signing an online petition to NDTV in protest for what they were transmitting as being unacceptable.

Courtesy these tapes (in 5 parts) were posted at Open Magazine. The link for the post is given

Today what we see is that Barkha Dutt is at the receiving end of the same system that she engendered, do I pity her No! Do I empathize with her unfortunately No is the answer. Do I believe what is going around on the net to be true and authentic? I have no independent source for checking the veracity and would go along and accept it as being true. Do I believe Barkha Dutt is guilty of wrong doing?  My answer to that is it is for the courts to decide, I do not have the expertise.

It is due to the reportage and the extreme slant that is visible in the Electronic and Print media that I took to blogging and my main focus has been the role of Media. Today I do feel vindicated that, my suspicions were not unfounded. There is more than what meets the eye. Personnel employed by this industry must realize that they face the camera because of professional compulsions and not because they deserve the attention of those cameras. The sooner arrogance is shed by these individual the better they will be able to connect with the public.

Media is an important interface between the government and the people. This medium needs to be strong, independent, trustworthy and transparent. Any doubts on its credibility will mean demise of that channel for sure and a blow to the industry as whole.  The only advice that I can proffer to Barkha Dutt is how ever hard you may try, you take a million people to court the perception is not going to change. The sooner you move on the less hurtful it will be for you. Your continued presence will start to hurt the channel also and then it will ask you to leave before you reach that point take the tough step your ownself.

Rehabilitation is a slow process, once anyone falls from grace it is difficult to return. Public is not in a frame of mind where forgiveness can be expected or requested. Too many wrong have surfaced simultaneously.  More heads have to roll we need a clean system. You may just be the first of the many victims from the Media that these scams will claim.

Full transcripts of alleged conversations between Niira Radia, Barkha Dutt, Vir Sanghvi and others 

Open magazine responds to NDTV’s statement on the Cover Story: X-Tapes (issue dated: 29 November 2010)


Barkha Dutta fighting back seeking to rehabilitate herself.

 

This is the latest update on Barkha Dutt post the anti corruption fast by Anna Hazare.

Barkha Dutt Case Study goes live.

 Latest update as on 15th Apr 2016

Barkha opened by taking a crack at Ayaan. Even her opening remarks were laying down groundwork for her Islam apology “why are we here to discuss women in Islam, why not women in religion? Aren’t all religions, Christianity and Hinduism included, tilted against women?”  Then she added that according to her, what Donald Trump said about women was so much worse than the Muslim fundamentalists he is seeking to keep out. Really? Worse than those who conduct beheadings and put it on YouTube? She made this statement, since she knew that in a roomful of liberals, her remarks will draw no challenge. But they established her intention of Islam apology firmly at the onset.

 Latest update as on 17th Jan 2013

I had to look three times to make sure I was seeing right. Balanced on one 
knee, in a tiny alley behind the army’s administrative offices, I was peering 

through a hole in a corrugated tin sheet. At first glance, all I could see were some leaves. 

I looked harder and amidst all the green, there was a hint of black—

it looked like a moustache. “Look again,” said the army colonel, 

in a tone that betrayed suppressed excitement. This time, I finally saw. 
It was a head, the disembodied face of a slain soldier nailed onto a tree. 
“The boys got it as a gift for the brigade,”
said the colonel, softly, but proudly.  [Archived at The Hoot]

 The Buck Stops Where?

 Latest update as on 05th FEB 2016

Naval Chief Admiral Suresh Mehta has set the tail of Indian Media on fire. Indian Main Stream Media mostly – Secular, Social, Liberal and Progressive (!) is outraged.

Admiral Mehta while addressing a press conference on the eve of Navy day passed some scathing remarks on the way media covered the recent Mumbai Mayhem and passed some strictures against the ‘reigning queen’ of Indian Media: Ms. Barkha Dutt.

This is what Admiral Mehta said.

 
 

 I welcome a debate and discussion on this…As always, please keep your tone civil, your language polite…no sweeping generalisations please and no personal abuse.  Thank you.

Subjective debates undermine issues Objectivity needed!!

 

Another auspicious day in India! The States Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala came into being at different times as part of the Indian union today. All three of them are in the southern part of India. Let us all join in wishing these states and the people a great future.

Human is the most evolved specie of all the animals that inhabit the planet Earth. We have a slew of entities with geographical boundaries termed as countries, each with its own uniqueness, predominantly practicing Democracy as the form of governance; some are theocracies, while others are totalitarian. Each has it pros and cons, endless debate goes as to which is better. Without any doubt maximum cacophony emanates from countries which practice Democracy, as it is everybodys birth right to start howling moment they do not agree with something that the state does and show inclination of doing. Be it denying permission to erect Minarets in Switzerland, or a Mosque at Ground Zero in New York USA, or expressing the desire to burn the Holy Quran by Pastor Terry Jones on 11th of September 2010 or be it the Ban on wear Burquas in public in France.  The outcry is in unison from almost all corners of the world and Democratic Rights are cited by one and all.

Lets now focus on the raging debate in India. Yes it has to be on what was stated by Ms. Arundhati Roy on the status of state of Jammu & Kashmir in the Union of India. We have since then had a series of Television debates so called liberal, Human Rights activists and Intellectuals placing their considered opinions about this issue. Like wise many articles and news report along with blogs have been written on this issue. Arguments for and against have been vehemently presented to the readers, with a bias of the author of the piece very evident as we read them. Let see what was said.  “Kashmir needs freedom from India” , “I said what millions say in Kashmir” “Pity the nation that has to silence its writers for speaking their minds. Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for justice while communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists, and those who prey on the poorest of the poor, roam free.”    ,“Only voiced what Kashmiris feel” 

After this started the round of customary round of written rebuttal from other journalists, intellectuals, legal eagles and all those who felt aggrieved at what had been stated by Ms.Arundhati Roy.“Arundhati Roy is dangerously wrong on Kashmir” . Don’t pity us, Arundhati – not yet.   ,“Congress asks Arundhati Roy to withdraw Kashmir statement”, “No damage to India from Arundhati Roy's remarks”  and “Kashmir’s molehills”. 

The next stage was the defense from the maker of the speech. “Arundhati Roy defends remarks on Kashmir”. ,  “Arundhati Roy defends remarks on Kashmir “| Deccan Chronicle | 2010-10-26. , next steps in the Police  “Police examining Arundhati Roy's speech” ,  “Arundhati Roy off the hook for her controversial Delhi speech”. and all this culminates as on today  “GBA assails BJP attack on Arundhati Roy’s House”.

Rest easy I am not going to discuss the merits or demerits of what each of them have said or not said. I am going to touch upon a larger question and leave to the readers to decide for them selves what should take precedence. The orderly existence of a civil society is predicated by a set of rules or laws universally applicable across the board. We surrender before these laws and conduct our daily lives within the established acceptable norms. It maybe perfectly normal to walk stark naked within the confine of ones house, however the same act in public is treated as unacceptable and invites punishment under relevant law. Having sex is not prohibited, however if the same act is performed in public or against the will of the other party law views this as an infringement and punishes accordingly. There are no debates about the status of the accused nor is the society, media or intellectual empowered to hand out punishment this is done by the court of law duly established as per the terms set out in the constitution of a country.

Ones Freedom Fighter others Terrorist is an old debate.

The debate on the current issue should be objective in nature, unfortunately it has degenerated into a subjective debate. Why should there be talk of Freedom of Speech or Expression. The basic issue is has the purported statement been made by Ms.Arundhati Roy?….The answer to this is ‘Yes’.Is there a law which defines the limits or conditions for such speeches? Yes there is a law.  Does it in anyway transgress the established laws of the land?.... Answer I am not competent to judge this, neither is the society or the large number of commentator No is an emphatic response to that. Then who will pass a judgment on this?..Court of Law as empowered by the Constitution of the country. Who will produce the evidence and the alleged culprit before the court of law? This is the function of the executive. Let us remember when the ministers assumes office in a government, they are administered an Oath of Office. This is the text…

                                                   THIRD SCHEDULE

[Articles 75(4), 99, 124(6), 148(2), 164(3), 188 and 219]*

Forms of Oaths or Affirmations

I

Form of oath of office for a Minister for the Union:—

“I, A. B., do swear in the name of God

that I will bear true faith and

allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, 1[that I will

uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India,] that I will faithfully and

conscientiously discharge my duties as a Minister for the Union and that I

will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and

the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.”

II

Form of oath of secrecy for a Minister for the Union:—

“I, A.B., do swear in the name of God that I will not directly or indirectly

communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be

brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as a Minister

for the Union except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties

as such Minister.”

I have my eyes firmly fixed on the executive waiting for their response. Will any action on this be forthcoming!

As a child we are often taught the importance of time “Stitch in time saves nine.” The other thing that is ingrained into us that “Pen is Mightier than Sword” if this be the case then how can the purported crime of Ms. Arundhati Roy be ignored.

In conclusion is this tweet which was addressed to me earlier this evening. “Suratsuri@anilkohli54 as an Indian who did not write/indulge in any Small Things,I want freedom from Arundati Roy n all her booker contemporaries”

Latest update : Delhi High Court why shouldnt action be taken against A.Roy for antiindia speeches?Wheels R turning atlast                               

What the Government did not do people of this country stepped up. : Court orders FIR against Roy, Geelani"

Dyanstic politics and Democracy do not gel

On this day 135years ago a true patriot was born. His contributions during the freedom struggle are too well known. It is his service to Independent India which is of far greater importance, the physical contour of India that we hold as our country is largely due to his efforts and bold initiatives. We are dumbfounded and watch in complete bewilderment as a scam a day unfolds before us. Is this our way of taking forward the legacy of our freedom fighter and patriots? Today we pay tribute to the greatest son of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. 31^st Oct 1875. Often referred to as the Iron Man of India!

Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar the man who gave us our Constitution. The most vibrant, and dynamic document, for conducting our statecraft! All discourses on India would be incomplete without mentioning Dr.Ambedkars contribution. Yet the current situation begs a question has the constitution failed us or have we failed the constitution?

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India. Who had consciously decided and had taken a vow that in the case of any school, project, or programme started in memory of his father (Motilal Nehru) or his wife, he would not participate in its inauguration. This is noted by Mr. Ramchandra Guha in his article “That family feeling” “That family feeling”. How would he view all the programmes, institutions, streets, Airport and even bridges in this country are being named after his family?

Mrs. Indira Gandhi we remember today on her death anniversary assassinated on this day 31^st Oct 1984. She is also referred to as the Iron Lady of that era. Enigmatic for many of us if there were her strengths to admire, equally were her acts which leave us wondering if it was the same person.

This back ground is necessary for all the readers to enable them reach their own conclusion on the topic that is going to be dealt with in this blog. That is the young politicians, ethics and their contribution to the nation and its people.“Young, but definitely not restless” “Young, but definitely not restless” . Democracy and it functioning in our country has been variously described by us for some it is dysfunctional, for others it is imperfect and yet some refer to it as a sham.

This would also highlight how far we have traversed, the extent to which we have digressed from our original path. Why is there so much of cynicism? Have we reduced our democracy to by the masses, of a few, for the privileged! Instead of the original concept! By the people, of the people and for the people!

In her article dated 29^th Oct 2010 .“Young, but definitely not restless” Namita Bhandare, begins by saying” Of all the seductions of youth, perhaps the most enticing is its potential for change. We associate youth with transformation and an ability to shake the status quo.” Nothing could be further from truth than this assumption in context of the younger lot in politics.

Today we find a in our politics a system for prevalence of dynastic preponderance, rather than of mass participation of the ordinary Indians. Some of the names mentioned by the author of the article Omar Abdullah  Varun Gandhi, Aditya Thackeray,Jitin Prasada, Sachin Pilot, Agatha Sangma, Tejaswi, Milind Deora, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Priya Dutt, Akhilesh Yadav, Naveen Jindal. Though there are notable omissions as well and that is rather surprising Mr. Scindhia and of course the scion of the Gandhi family Mr. Rahul Gandhi, now was this deliberate or is it accidental, since the newspaper and TV channels never fail to remind us of even the most trivial detail as an earth shattering event should the young Mr.Gandhi indulge in. The other day he undertook a train journey from Gorakhpur to Mumbai and it was a new item in all the national dailies.  “Rahul rides aam aadmi train” “Rahul rides aam aadmi train” . or another example  “Biharis shining, not Bihar, says Rahul”  “Biharis shining, not Bihar, says Rahul” . Now lets get down to each young individual mentioned above and the their lineage.

Omar Abdullah of National Conference party is the son of Farookh Abdullah grand son of Sheikh Abdullah a very prominent lineage and legacy, then why has he failed to administer effectively the state of Jammu and Kashmir, is their a serious mismatch between ability and expectations or we have ignored the fact that experience is also an important aspect lack of which could have very serious repercussions for the area entrusted. Yes this is a sign of dynastic rule. 

Varun Gandhi, gained notoriety overnight by his hate speech during the last general elections. Son of Sanjay Gandhi grand son of Indira Gandhi Bhartiya Janta Party not assured that he would reach the office of Prime Minister in near future even if his party was to form the Government at the center.

Aditya Thackeray the latest entrant to politics son of Udhhav Thackeray grandson of Bala Saheb Thackarey. Would in all probability head the party Shiv Sena at some point of time or the other as and when his father decides.

Agatha Sangma daughter of P.A Sangma. Tejaswi son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav  son of Mulatyam Singh Yadav and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi daughter of M.Karunanidhi of DMK may play a part in their parties are not serious contenders for any high office at the center since the parties they represent are regional and not national.

Jitin Prasada, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Priya Dutt Naveen Jindal,Joytiraditya Scindhia and Mr. Rahul Gandhi. The last 7 names belong to Congress party and none other than Rahul Gandhi has been spoken as Prime Ministerial material not just by ordinary party members but also by Dr. Manmohan Singh.

The public at large has no clue what so ever as to their education qualification, institutions that they studied in, did any of them participate in the college and university level politics. What is the level of their engagement with the constituencies that they represent? How many years have they spent in the service of the nation and how well do they understand the requirements of the people of this country. How many years have they put in with the party before being given tickets to contest elections? These are some of the questions that need answers and we are not getting them.

There have been no statements made by any one of them on any of the burning issues, we have not seen them participate in any debate in the parliament. What is their vision? We are unaware, how will they implement incase they do have a vision for the country? Most of them are in the parliament because of lineage and not because of any other merit. If their mentors are their father or mother then the politics that they have learnt is nothing new but a case of ‘Old wines in new bottles’.

The role of media in all this is rather curious, they first create a halo around these individuals, convert it into a myth, believe it to be gospel and then sell that to us. This instead of informing the public at large about the merits of each of the above named individuals. The focus is on promoting them, this is not going to help the nation, consequences of inexperienced young men and women in position of authority could lead to real and long term damage.

The only thing common among all these young politicians is that they have been parachuted into the political arena due to their lineage and nothing more. They could help themselves in dispelling this perception by interacting and informing the people of this country about themselves, their ideas and vision that they have for their country. Until that happens they would not be able to win the respect of large section of the population. They may win election since they are contesting from well protected fiefdoms nurtured by their parents.

Media must introspect and perform a role that is befitting and not that of public Relations Company trying to promote a product. The more they report on inane items as event of some consequence just because Rahul Gandhi is involved, greater is the resistance from the people and this is borne out by the fact that the negative comment on the newspaper sites far exceed positive comments. Censorship by deleting unpalatable comments is also not going to help their cause. Since it is the same media which is reporting on these events claiming the fundamental right of Freedom of Speech and Expression, denying the very right to its readers.

Fortunately in all this there is the BJP and the Left parties who do not practice dynastic politics. Though media does pick up, selective cases of father and son or daughter from these parties to make its point that all are the same. That is not true because none from these parties are automatically selected as party Presidents or are projected as Prime Ministerial contenders. Which in the case of Congress party is a forgone conclusion, should there be a Gandhi available then there is no other option for the top jobs of the party or the Nation.

In conclusion we are a democracy, let us stay the course and strengthen it let us not deviate and practice Monarchy in the garb of dynastic politics. We owe this to our long gone patriots and all those unknown Indians who willingly sacrificed for this country, during the freedom struggle. 

Latest update on 07th Sept 2013

 As expected, the Indian National Congress, which is the single largest party, has the largest number of MPs—78 out of 208—with a politician as a family member. Surprisingly, the number of “family politicians” from the second largest party the Bharatiya Janata Party is comparatively low (about 20%).   {LINK}








 

Political bankruptcy of Congress comes to fore

Perverse sense of humour, or reveling in others misery is not my forte. However what transpired last evening on TimesNow, could not resist myself from smirking and must confess enjoying with a fair degree of smugness as Mr. Vinod Sharma of Hindustan Times, was being hauled over the proverbial burning coal, as also the verbal barbs being driven into him by Mr. Mahesh Jethmalani, as if he was a mere Voodoo doll. To watch a Secular Fundamentalist receive his just dessert on Prime time television is a sight to behold.

The spectacle was completed with Mr. Manish Tewari of Congress red in face ranting non stop hoping to drown other voices, how he did not suffer a cardiac arrest will remain a mystery? Guess enough of gloating over these two worthies predicament. I am not a party member of any political outfit.  As “Mango man” (Aam Adami) we have been violated so often by the likes of Vinod Sharma and Manish Tewari that it almost seems a natural reaction when some one tears into them and their ilk.

                                                                                                                                                                       Preamble done and dusted with lets get down to serious business of addressing the issue that is the motivation for this blog.

India confronted near Economic Bankruptcy in 1989 after sustained misrule by Congress for almost 40 long years. Today the same Congress is confronting political bankruptcy. This is highlighted by the choice of Interlocutors appointed for Kashmir. The statement of Mr. Dileep Padgaonkar where he classifies Kashmir as a dispute goes against the very stand of the Government of India and the various statements made at different time on the floor of the Parliament. Refer what the Indian Parliament had unanimously resolved on 22 Nov 1994. Extract “On behalf of the People of India, Firmly declares that- “The state of Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and shall be an integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means; India has the will and capacity to firmly counter all designs against its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity; and demands that – Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, which they have occupied through aggression; and resolves that – all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely.” The Resolution was unanimously adopted. Mr. Speaker. The Resolution is unanimously passed. February 22, 1994”

Centrality of Pakistan in resolving this is affording a place to a neighbour in our domestic affairs. Even the UN resolution does not acknowledge Pakistan’s role beyond vacating the land illegally occupied by it in 1948. 
                                                                                                                          
 “1. UN Resolution (Document No. S/1100, Para 75, dated 9th November, 1948) PART I (Cease-fire Order) para B states: “The High Commands of Indian and Pakistan forces agreed to refrain from taking any measures that might augment the military potential of the forces under their control in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. (For the purpose of these proposals “forces under their control shall be considered to include all forces, organized and unorganized, fighting or participating in hostilities on their respective sides).” Here reference to “organized and unorganized, fighting or participating in hostilities” clearly denotes the tribesmen from Pakistan’s side in Pakistan Held Kashmir.

2. Please also refer Part II (Truce Agreement) para A (2) & (3): “(2) The Government of Pakistan will use its best endeavor to secure the withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistan nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the purpose of fighting. (3) Pending a final solution the territory evacuated by the Pakistan troops will be administered by the local authorities under the surveillance of the Commission”

Failure of the Congress to asses and think through before appointing the team is apparent, journalists suffer from an exaggerated self view is not in doubt anymore. Role assigned was that of listening and reporting, role being performed is that of a policy maker with little or no expertise in the area of International relations or the finesse of diplomatese. Yes the debate has been ignited and more will join in. The fact is last evening on TimesNow. Mr.Saifuddin Soz of Congress did concede that perhaps the purpose would have been better served if Mr.Dileep Padgaonkar had not made the remarks. Is this not an indictment of the interlocutor and those who appointed him?

True to form Mr. Vinod Sharma in his blog  “Kashmir’s molehills” is being sanctimonious as is his wont. “I’ve never doubted the BJP’s patriotism. What’s suspect is the wisdom it deploys to pursue national interest it tends to see through the prism of Hindutva.” How on earth does he believe that a certification from him is desired or required by BJP. His preference for Congress is not hidden from anyone one of us, yet he for some unknown reasons lives in denial of this fact.

The entire exercise of engaging the various sections of the society in the valley has been vitiated by this one statement and thereafter the obdurate defense mounted by Mr. Padgaonkar. There is a serious need of addressing the grievances of the population of Jammu and Kashmir, not just the valley. Responding to BJP’s objections is the last thing that should occupy the mind of Mr. Padgaonkar he is neither a spokesperson of the Government of India nor is he a partyman of Congress. BJP is a National Party, besides also the principal opposition party and is mandated to question the actions of the Government and its appointed agents.

Task on hand is onerous to digress from it would be detrimental to the well being of the people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and India at large. Egos must be kept firmly in check accolades may warm your cockles, criticism is the reverse side of the same coin and does raise your heckles. The added dimension of the anti India tirade by Arundhati Roy and Geelani in Delhi and the coming together of various supporters of disaffected groups on a single platform are portends of difficult times ahead.  An over eager neighbour as Pakistan so willing to not just fish but actively support and direct anti India actions makes it all the more imperative for these interlocutors to be focused on their brief , enabling establishment of a lasting peace for the distressed people of Jammu and Kashmir and the valley in particular.

In conclusion if the barometer for disapproval of Mr. Padgaonkar’s remarks and the anti India hate speeches is the Twitter and WWW.Then the judgment is unanimous in both cases. This is Mr. Mishra's take "@rk_misra UPA should realize that even a hint of giving-up on J&K will lead to upheaval & blood bath as we saw during partition. Nation won't accept.” 

Ignore the interactive people at your own peril.