Media – the Saviour!

I have stopped watching the entertainment channels on the TV. The news channel provides all the ingredients of a blockbuster – violence, corruption, scandal and sex. The only difference is that, unlike the Hindi films, in real life there seems to an absence of that idealistic hero who sets everything right by the end of the movie.

Today’s newscast was especially depressing. A sting operation on the junior telecom minister which confirmed what the whole of India already knows – that corruption exists in high places. Then we had Buta Singh’s son caught in a bribery case.  Another sting operation at Sourav’s – a restaurant owned by Sourav Ganguly where bargirls were caught on camera, dancing to entice customers. And finally, we had Imraan Hashmi of serial kissing fame going public with a fact which again is well known – muslims are discouraged from owning a house in most societies.

Enough reasons to feel depressed I guess…. But wait – there was something even more depressing- the brazen denial of the facts by the very people caught red handed. The Telecom minister said that he did not know Ms Gayatri, the Jt secretary of his party. Buta Singh cried ‘Political conspiracy’ over his son getting caught. A very relaxed and confident Ganguly was seen talking to the press and asking them to wait till the police inquiry was over. All powerful men, smug in their belief that their power will shield them from any repercussions. I sometimes feel that India is still a feudal state where the whims and fancies of the Rajahs run amok. Only the Rajahs have been replaced by someone equally powerful and maybe more sinister!

Finally about Imraan Hashmi – poor fellow was clobbered by Shahnawaz Hussain for being a serial kisser and therefore not a muslim, by Shatrughan Sinha who accused him of publicity stunt and by the secretary of the Housing Society who accused him of being too much of a celebrity. Excommunicated by a fellow muslim as being a non muslim and denied a house because of being a muslim!! It’s a situation Joseph Heller would be proud to write about!

Isn’t there something called the Truth anymore? Can camera footage of guilt be so easily swept under the carpet? And these are 4 high profile instances – there must be millions of such cases of corruption, abuse of power, racial/religious/ethnic discrimination happening in our country everyday.

ye daaG daaG ujaalaa, ye shab_gaziidaa sahar
wo intazaar thaa jis kaa, ye wo sahar to nahii.n

These lines by Faiz seem to sum up the despondency………

But there is a silver lining, a ray of hope, the emergence of the proverbial hero to cleanse the system. It’s not an individual but an institution – the Media. Today, the media is fast becoming the lathi of the common Indian, an institution which, despite or because of its narrow interest in TRP, speaks the language of the people. I feel that in case my country is to improve, the media has a challenging role to play in the process.