Is Indian Media anti-people?

Former Supreme Court Judge Markandey Katju is in news these days for showing mirror to the Indian Media. Today he wrote a piece titled "Why our media is anti-people" which has appeared in Indian Express. This write-up is his answer to his critiques - Editor's Guild of India, Indian Journalists Association and News Broadcasters Association. He rubbed many "feudal and arrogant" media-persons wrong way by saying that "media professionals are of low intellectual calibre with poor knowledge of economics, history, politics, literature and philosophy". While i don't believe in generalization of journalists as per his outlook, I certainly believe that most journalists will fall in that category.

But, more important issue, he has raised, is media's "anti-people" approach. In the article, he has put forward some arguments, which in my view, is not far from reality. Some of the points, raised by him, are:

- He says, that Indian media often diverts the attention of the people from the real-issues to non-issues. According to him, real issues in our country are poverty, inflation, lack of medical care, education and backward social practices. He cites two examples. Suicides by farmers ignored by media and reduction in employment. He says that the job trend in manufacturing has seen a sharp decline over the last 15 years. For instance, TISCO employed 85000 workers in 1991 in its steel plant, which then manufactured 1 million tonnes of steel. In 2005, it manufactured 5 million tonnes - but with only 44000 workers! In the mid '90s, Bajaj was producing a million two-wheelers with 24000 workers. By 2004, it was producing 2.4 million units with 10500 workers.

- Over-dose of entertainment - Lady Gaga, F1 race and Kareena Kapoor standing next to her statue in Madame Tussauds dominating space on News Channels. Cricket and Fashion Weeks ruling the roost.


I hope nobody will deny the veracity of above arguments. I have been raising issue of Corporate-greed time and again through my blog. The corporate houses call it "economic-prudence" or "cost-cutting", though it is noting but "maximization of profit" (Corporate-greed) to fill their overseas black-money accounts. Now the question - Has Indian media raised this issue? Those who know character of media-houses will vouch they cann't. If they cann't, then why "feudal-arrogant" editors are barking on Mr. Katju? I am witness to several real-life stories in which young journalists who got hold of fishy transactions or illegal deals by corporate houses were either thrown out or converted into "intelligent-journalist". In media too, the owners of newspapers and news-agencies are opposing Majithia Wage Boad's recommendations of paying minimum salaries to their journalists and non-journalistic staff. 


Over-dose of entertainment by News-channels is well-accepted fact with people. Leave aside electronic media, I was surprised to find four page coverage of F1 race in Hindi newspapers like Hindustan and Nav Bharat Times. Lady Gaga was everywhere. Now, how does she matter to people? The question here is why et all news channels had to focus on entertainment (According to Katju it is 90%) when there are enough news all around. The answer is same profit-maximization approach by the management of these news-channels. They take work by few staff keeping in mind the rich. Why rich? Because, all those editors who decide on contents are well-paid, drive AC cars and are far from reality of ordinary life. They gets positions not for their intellectual capacities but liaison-skills or fetching advertisements. So, it is obvious for these "feudal-arrogant" editors to be offended by Mr. Katju's remarks.

The heartening part of this debate is that the journalists at lower and middle levels, who suffer most, are supporting Mr. Katju's comments. These are only few editors who are reacting against Mr. Katju.

But, Mr. Katju should also understand that generalization of anything is not right approach. There are journalists who are socially-conscious and put their heart and mind into the coverage of these issues. But, when the editor shift+delete it and threatens him/her of job, then he/she doesn't have any option but to follow the standing directions. It is same as a judge delivers a judgment after considering all "factors". 


 

Planning Commission's 'americamay' thinking.

In the title of this post i have used a hybrid word 'americamay'. Why i have coined this word and what is the meaning of it, i shall explain it in the lines below.

This week two news-stories attracted attention of everyone in this country. First came a story which citing an affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court of India said that the Planning Commission of India has set a ceiling for being Below Poverty Line (BPL) - in rural areas Rs.26/- per person per day (Rs.781 per capita per month) and for urban areas Rs.32/- per person per day (Rs.965 per capita per month). The other news was about 8 ministers of Central Government apart from the Prime Minister being in America at one time. That means the PM could hold a meeting of his cabinet in America because corum requirement is 6 ministers!

For those who do not understand the significance of such coincidences, above two news stories do not have any connection, but, those who know where the government's planning is tilting, may easily smell the whiff of wind and gauge its origination.

People often equate my criticism of government's America-centric policy making with Left's anti-Americanism, but, for me, it is same as assigning patent of Shiv bhakti to RSS! Is it so? I ask, the government of India's policy making approach should be based on ground realities of Indians residing in India or it should be learned in the United States and applied here! Why United States? Because Suresh Tendulkar who came to these figures for BPL, became an 'Economist' after sharpening his theories at Harvard University! A look at his wikipedia profile confirms my interpretation of his tilted thinking that he was one of those hardcore-libral-economists who are always lost in their created myth called "world economy" (which is nothing but american economy) in the cool environments of their air-conditioned laboratories..oops rooms. This is where they reach these figures over constant sipping of coffee or fog of smoke generated from cigarettes of "multinational" brand - a product of world economy! Huh!

And, see how proudly his profile boasts of ""pioneering contribution...(of) his extensive work on poverty and estimation of people below poverty line (BPL)"! Mind you, he was the member of Disinvestment Commission (1996-99) too. And, what is disinvestment? It is an art of fooling people with stories of loss and corruption in a government run company in order to sell it to a person (such as VSNL of Tatas) to earn crores in Raja-style (D. Raja of 2-G spectrum scam).

Now, the readers would have fair idea of why i have used the word 'amricamay' (अमेरिकामय).

Coming back to 8 ministers and the PM himself being in America at present, I am not surprised if Indian cabinet held a meeting in Washington DC under constant briefing of Obama administration, Robert Zoellick and Ben. N. Bernanke! At the same time, I pray to God that after coming back they don't reverse the figure - Rs 187 per capita per month for rural areas and Rs. 569 per capita per month for urban areas!

Corruption! Jin khoja tin paiyan.........

My present boss, who is an Ex-IPS Officer with intellectual inclinations and sharp mind, often tells me one integral part of Indian psyche that everybody criticize wealth in public while having a secret desire of being rich! Nothing could best describe the prevalent psyche among Indian masses. According to me, scams and cheating-cases are products of same avarice of most of the Indians. If not, then why on earth, these cheating cases keep occurring almost every month and scams quarterly?

The on-going campaign against "Corruption" spread-headed by Ford Foundation funded NGOs of Magsaysay & Gang ('Kabir' of Arvind Kejriwal and Lehman Brothers's funded NGO of Kiran Bedi) in the leadership of Anna Hazare, who, surprisingly haven't yet told us any act of bravery of his army days, is another example of "hamaam me to hum bhi nange, pavitra ho gaye naha ke 'Gange' (anti-corruption movement)! This "disciple" of Gandhiji, have already done away with his principle of 'self-restrain' by calling upon the students to come on streets (an open invitation of rampage!) and see the hypocrisy - he keeps Gandhi's large picture at the venue. It is as if the corrupt people are exchanging currency notes with Gandhiji's smiling photo on it!

It is surprising that many scholars have declared Indians as most self-critical, yet they don't accept that Corruption lies within not outside. Why? I have seen the corrupt people participating in this "Anti-graft" campaign. It is same situation that a corrupt clerk of a Gas-agency become a saint in his locality by lecturing on corruption!

I too have faced situations when I had only two options - Pay the bribe or get lost. I decided for the later and forced them to do my legitimate task.

One of those incidences happened in the year 2001. I was preparing for CAT and was living in a rented room just one floor above my Mausi's flat. Her land-line phone was not working from last few days. One day, her father-in-law told me that he had called up a lineman whom he would pay Rs.200/- and things will be ok. I asked him why he didn't go to nearby MTNL Telephone exchange, he replied that it was waste of time. I assured him that I would do it. He was not sure that i would make it, still, he handed over me the instrument (phone-set) to me. I went first to the zonal office, where the guard (Mind you, he was hired from private firm and was not a government employee!) did not let me in, presenting excuse of lunch time. It was 3PM and I was sure that it was not lunch time. I countered his argument by this time theory, but, he did not budge. I knew what he wanted! Finding no other way, i pushed him aside and rushed up-stairs. I had started speaking to the lady at reception when the guard reached there, so he left without saying anything. (That proves that it was individual corruption not a systematic problem.) The lady receptionist tried to persuade me to come after two days by presenting one excuse or another. In between talk with her, I had noticed Manager's room and had seen Manager sitting inside. So, i shouted loudly at the lady, alleging that I would not pay bribe to her. Hearing noise, the Manager came out and asked coolly why i was shouting. I narrated him my account from guard to that lady. The Manager, not only fired the guard at once, but warned the receptionist. Then he took me to his room and patted on my back for showing courage. He immediately dialed to Telephone Exchange In-Charge and instructed him to repair the telephone-set within 3 days (that was the time which used to be mentioned at bill). I got repaired phone-set back within two days, though i had use threat of speaking to the Manager at Exchange too.

This was just one of occasions I have faced corrupt people, but i have emerged unscathed because I have been able to kill the desire of opting for 'easy-path' which people, most often, fall pray to. In my account, one will notice that it was not the system which was corrupt, but the individuals who were corrupt. They live in and around us whom we encourage why giving respectable positions in society. If we hoot them, the corruption will end. In 'Rang De Basanti', the character played by Siddharth kills his father, I ask, how many sons/daughters have done that? The fact is that corruption live within us and no body accept that. The laws can not end corruption, its the "self-restrain" (as Gandhiji preached) only which can end corruption! "Hamaam me sab nange, pavitra hote hain naha ke 'Gange'"! I am not supporting campaign spread-headed by vested interests, because they don't want to end corruption, but want to augment it by creating a new body to enhance corruption.

In the end, I remember those golden words of a saint "Jin khoja tin paiyan, gahare paani baith", though these lines were used for God, but in the case of corruption within, they apply too.

Economic reforms or loot-reforms?

Today, I read an article titled “20 years on, LPG stands for loot, plunder and goonda-raj” written by Mr. M R Vekatesh. While I appreciate some points, very correctly raised by the writer against the economic-phenomenon called ‘Economic Reforms’, but he seems to have relied merely on figures produced by the Government  and is not even five-km near to the reality. Here are my arguments against the writer’s figures and claims.

Despite saving rates of 35-36 per cent, most of the working youngsters today are under huge debt; About number 1 ‘Saving Rates’ they read only in newspapers and books. It raises a pertinent question – “who is making out for this gap?” Forbes’ lists for richest people in the world and millionaires provide answer. The growth rate is not distributive. That means the growing number of rich people along with the richest are making for society down these economic-levels.

It is required to clarify in advance that I am no Socialist or Maxist. My own experience as a former Journalist concludes that privatization has merely changed the group of corrupt people and corruption has just changed the form. ‘Ghoos’ or ‘Rishwat’ has been ornamented with softness of western words and during India’s ‘Reform Age’, it is called as ‘Commission’. Construction business is the leading example of ‘Commission-Corruption’ where the ‘Happening-and-just-passed out-Engineer’ from crème-de-la-crème institutions, demands commission from sub-contractors. Of course, he is forced to do that because he has to satisfy many interests from his employer to his wife, with ‘little’ for his ‘happening’ life.

The writer talked about telecom field as how before 21^st century, only those people who could afford linesmen, got telephones. Cut to present, the ‘Reformist’ private telecom operators are using MTNL-BSNL infrastructure for peanuts! But, neither people takes it as ‘Corruption’ nor government is worried about rising looses of these two government companies because it presents this game as ‘reform’! huh! If that is not sufficient for private telecom players they knowingly activate a Value-Added-Service on your phone and before you wake up, you have lost your money. It may sound funny because of little amount (Rs.30/- per month in most of the cases) involved, but when you get to know that even if this telecom operator activates this service on, conservatively speaking, randomly selected 10000 subscribers on a particular day, the amount is Rs. 300000/- (three lakhs rupees). On, monthly basis, this amount reaches Rs.9000000/- (Rupees ninety lakhs a month)! Mind you, this money is earned by cheating, so it is corruption of different form. Now, one would ask how this amount is earned every month? Well, for that purpose only companies have adopted a policy of meeting the target i.e. add as much as subscribers its ‘Hip-n-happening’ and ‘Smart’ Marketing boys can add. Moreover, they have post-paid customers who are fooled by charging a fixed monthly amount for no use! Against this amount, they don’t provide even the storage for contacts, leave alone any other value-added service. Moreover, even if they set a certain amount credit limit for your post-paid number and though you haven’t reached that amount by the date of payment, they will add Rs.100/- in the next bill as fine! Now, even if 10000 subscribers become victims, the amount comes to rupees ten lakhs a month per operator. Well, have guys from TRAI ever thought about this way of corruption or are satisfied with their monthly share and foreign tours fully funded by these telecom operators!

Rising GDP or Per Capita Income figures merely reflect impact of money in the hands of super-rich and growing rich class, not the 90 per cent (assumptive figure) left-outs. So, this so called ‘economic reforms’ were merely proxy to benefit selected few.

Above examples are just illustrative, if I present an analysis of each and every industry privatized by the reformists, it will be equivalent to a thesis if not less than that. Due to time constraint if I sum-up this get-together of few words, the process of economic reforms have privatized the corruption, with benefits shared by those policy-makers or “Policy-makers with specialization in customized policy-making” who matter.

Jairam Ramesh Vs Kapil Sibal = Gown Vs Dhoti

Truthfully, i am writing this post bit late. The primary reason - i din't find time because of office work. And, when i am writing it today, i am feeling as this issue has lost its relevance for today. But, still i am writing it because i think that this issue may have lost its news value for today (as we call it in journalism), but it will never loose its importance as far as our country is concerned.

On one fine evening (may be two weeks before) my father, who is a keen reader of newspaper and has an opinion on almost every issue, passed a comment that "kapade utarane se kya hoga? ek baar utar diye to hamesha ke liye to band hone se rahe!"

He was referring to an incident which you may have or may have not noticed (depending on your taste of news). Ok, let me narrate you that incident.

Few weeks before, the Union Minister of State (Ind.) for Environment and Forests Mr. Jairam Ramesh surprised everyone by taking off gown and cap during a convocation ceremony. No suprise, he got support for this act from Mr. Murli Manohar Joshi, former Union Minister for HRD and didn't get any pat from his own party - Congress. Infact, Mr. Joshi claimed that he too did it once.

I personally didn't feel surpris when this act of him didn't find any supporter in his party in general and media in particular. These days, when we hear that our Union Minister for HRD, Mr. Sibal has put his reputation (of being highly sophisticated and reformist kind of person) on stake to ensure that foreign universities open their shops here, no Jairam Ramesh will find any taker. As far as media is concerned, i really don't need to say anything. Everybody who knows media inside out, can understand its behaviour on such issues.

But, the real question is - will we ever be able to stop the tradition of wearing gown and hat during convocation ceremony in our universities? Although i am eternal optimistic person, but i doubt that it is going to happen in near future. The reason for my pessimism is quite solid. First, when entire UPA govt is backing Mr. Sibal's plan of letting foreign universities set up its campuses in India, one is either fool or insane enough to even think that gown and hat may become thing of past in our country. And second, even people of country are not ready for it.

When i say that people of our country are not ready for it, it means that Indians are still charmed and feel high of that dress and the degree that comes with it. The sons and daughters of almost all of our politicians (even the politician who call themselves 'dhartiputra' send their wards to foreign sojourns) are studying or have studied in foreign universities and people who can afford it (unless one is ideologically too strong-headed) will do anything for that special degree of foreign land which sky-rocket family's reputation way beyond sky.

Here, i remember a story of a lady who after serving corporate world went back to its village to contest panchayat election because her father was Gram Pradhan and reportedly people of the village pursuaded her to contest panchayat election.

Nothing wrong with it. Infact, she deserves accolades for her decision. But, aren't people of this village were charmed with her sophisticated urban look and so called 'videshi padai likhai'?

The same pattern is followed throughout rural India and one can not deny the same attitude of urban fellows. Exceptions are always there, but when we talk about rule, no body can dare challenge this general attitude of my fellow country people.

So, unless there is marked shift in attitude and thinking of ruling class towards relationship between education and employment, one will have to contend with 'just showbiz trailers' like one acted by Mr. Ramesh. Here, I must mention that Mr. Ramesh himself is educated at Carnegie Mellon University, USA and MIT, USA. So, no reward for guess, he must have wore the same gown and hat few years before!!

On a dreamy note, suppose a miracle happens and govt of the day makes it a rule that now on gown and hat are banned during convocation ceremonies, what would one wear? Dhoti? I have no problem with it, what about you?

Science in India - are we really lagging behind?

I have never been a serious student of science and i preferred commerce over science when i was asked to opt for science in IX standard. But, over the years, i realized that more than commerce, it is science which makes a country more self-reliant, self-sustainable and ahead in international structure.

This is second time in row that a scientist has forced me to write on a subject i feel like a lay-man. Dr. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan is a well-known name now, thanks to Nobel Prize. Today, The Hindu has carried a transcript of a web-chat with Dr. Venky. In that, Dr. Venky has painted two pictures of scientific research in India. The first one is very encouraging and optimistic. He says, "he sees very bright young scientists in his field (thats biology) who are publishing very good papers. Eventually these people will create an atmosphere of excellence, and then from that a culture of tackling the hardest problems (rather than a defeatist attitude of "we cann't compete", etc) will emerge."

On the other hand, he is very pessimistic about the kind of teaching of science is going on in schools and colleges. He says that there is too much cramming for exams and have very formal questions.

In my opinion, Dr Venky, like any 'defeatist' Indian plus 'repeatist' American has presented a picture which is lacking a point. Before, presenting that point, i wish to clarify that presenting reality doesn't mean presenting excuses.

So, with that clarification, my first point is that while we compare the scene of scintific research in India with that of US, we tend to forget so many dimensions of it. I always believe that we should never shy away from learning from someone's experience, but in the disguise of learning, one should not try to compare or copy it. If I am right and google provided right information, The USA declared its independence in 1776, that means some 171 years before our people forced British to leave this land. As early as 1860, The USA proceeded on the path of industralisation backed by scientific reasearch. In this context, i want to mention that India established its Department of Science and Technology only in 1971.

Some people may argue that British India too produced some brilliant scientists and it is not that this land started churning out scientists only after country got its freedom. Points taken, but this is equally true that although British produced some brilliant scientists of Indian origin, but they were never allowed to work for this land. They were working for their 'masters' not for their own people.

The budget for the scientific research, GDP of the country and some other socio-economic factors also can not be over looked for the slow growth of this field in my country. But, despite inumerable odds plus resistence from within and outside, if scientist like Dr Chidambaram (who was the operational man behind our nuclear test in 1998), Dr C N R Rao, Dr. Kalam, Dr Jayant Narlikar, Prof G N Ramchandran and numerous other have been able to make their mark, it is no ordinary job. I don't discount the fact that most of them have come back here after spending some time in US or any other western country, but that cann't take away share of Indian brain and determination of Indian speciality in their sucess. One may ask why our scientists are less known in comparision to their western counterpart. Well, in my view, our scientists, due to their inheritance via DNA structure, unlike western counterparts, believe in work and not in media publicity. They are modern day  Sadhu who believe in seva not meva. That is why they are less known names.

Another point which i want to raise is that despite eulogies from many, the so called scientific environment of the USA too has its own share of shortcomings. Dr Venky too admitted in his interview that sustained funding for a project is a problemetic area in US. Another problem he mentioned is that even the so called 'perfect system' is not emune to corruption in promotion system. Although Dr Venky didn't mention the word 'corruption' but when he says, "This (promotion) is a terrible worldwide problem. It is because those deciding on promotions etc do not want to spend the time and energy to make an informed judgement of their own. The worst thing about this is that one can publish a mediocre paper in a high impact journal and get more credit than for an outstanding paper in a less prestigious journal." Considering this, i think of reaction in my country where if one faces this kind of problem, he/she will surely lambast whole Indian system in general and people of here in perticular.

Now, i come back to question i posed through title of this blog 'Science in India - are we really lagging behind?'. In my opinion, this is one's perspective that is actually lagging behind, not my country. Those who complain are 'defeatist' in my view and are escapist by nature. A country becomes great due to courage and contribution of its people in difficult times not just due to its mere size of population. I am of firm opinion that if my land can produce Aryabhatt and Charak in ancient times and Dr Chidambaram like people in modern times, no power on earth can stop my country to become a land of scientists.

Is your country your identity?

Recently, Venkatraman Ramkrishnan, a scientist from USA was awarded Nobel for his splendid work in the field of Chemistry. He shared this award with two other scientists - one, another Americal and the one from Israel.

On receiving this information, our media in India went overboard to display it as pride for our country and its people. The leading newspapers and news channels presented this news as if this country has achieved something exceptional. The response of the people was no different from the media. Some called it as great pride of the Nation and some calling it as a milestone for the science in India.

But, i ask you - was it so? Was it a milestone for the science in India? Ok, let me ask you rather less important question - was this award for an Indian born scientist or to a scientist of USA?

Fed-up with uncalled for spilling of his inbox with congratulatory messages from India, Mr. Venkataraman even went so far as to write a piece for an English daily in India asking to stop that non-sense. For him, as we can infer from his write-up, his Indian origin does not hold any significance in his work, for that he received Nobel. Although he accepted contribution of Baroda University in his education, but he clearly distanced himself from giving any credit to his country of birth in his success.

I think that whatever he wrote and said, had a valid point. After all, if a person, say from Kolkata, comes to Delhi to build his career, should he entirely credit W Bengal in his success, if he achieve any significant success in his life living in Delhi? As far as my personal opinion is concerned, i would give credit to the place or state or country where i have achieved success. For me, it is equal to giving credit to your Karm rather than your inheritance. Afterall, one moves from one place to another only when the former doesn't have any opportunity for growth. So, if a place does not offer opportunity for growth, then why give credit to that place?

I do agree that the place where you were brought up plays a significant part in one's overall personality development, but just because of this factor if one denies credit to Karmabhoomi or place of action, will be equal to step-motherly treatment to the one who hold your hands when you needed the most.

This also raises a more widespread problem in this globalized world where people move from one place to another within a country and one country to another country for career. If a person is moving within a country, nobody will make hue and cry as was made out to be in the case of Venky, but what about those people who have moved out to another country for better opportunities? Should they be identified with country of their origin or country of their action?