BREAKING NEWS—AMITABH IN TROUBLE – AAACHOOO– NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT
I recollect a Hindi news channel rushing to tell viewers breathlessly in the BREAKING NEWS format that
‘AMITABH HAS CAUGHT A COLD’
I SWEAR THIS IS TRUE
I hope I am stating the obvious when I say that the Indian English language media seems to be obsessed with issues affecting the middle and rich classes. Indeed our middle classes and the rich are also obsessed with their own issues to the almost total exclusion of crises facing the vastly more numerous poor. Of course there are exceptional empathetic journalists—like P.Sainath for example —but the bulk of reportage almost totally denies the existence of our desperately poor people.
Take for example a recent report that appeared in the Hindustan Times.This report was about a conference of top medical specialists on SLEEP DISORDERS. If the report is to be believed the conference was called to discuss the consequences of sleep disorders of youngsters working in BPO’s[Call Centres]. I can imagine the scene at the conference—detailed Powerpoint presentations, thorough discussions, lot of tut- tutting on the ‘crisis’ facing these youngsters. Apparently the sleep deficit makes them take to cigarettes, alcohol. drugs, etc. The report did not tell us if the proclivity for promiscuous behavior [whispered about in society] was discussed or whether that topic was avoided considering the middle class sensibilities involved.
My question is this—for centuries workers in India have been working in night shifts in textile and other mills . I have not heard about any research report or seminar on these and other issues affecting these workers. Why is it that when ‘ people like us’ are affected we become very sensitive to their problems. I agree that most people are more sensitive to issues affecting people who have a similar background. But why is the press or the medical fraternity averse to discussing issues affecting all affected people irrespective of station in life ?
Take the case of the middle class anger and media frenzy that was on display in the JESSICA LAL case. Admittedly this was a case of miscarriage of justice and needed to be highlighted. But why is it that we are totally indifferent to many more issues of injustice to the millions of poor in our jails. I can recollect many instances where a poor man has been and still is in jail for over 20 years for unproven charges as small as pick pocketing ? In most such cases the accuser is a rich man and the accused does not even know that he is entitled to bail. Which lawyer will make the effort to bail him out considering that the poor man cannot pay any fees?
A paper reported that a middle aged Bihari street vendor was sleeping on the pavement in Pune after a hard day’s work selling snacks earning , by his own admission, about Rs. 1000 a month .The bulk of this was remitted to his family consisting of a cancer afflicted wife and three small kids in Bihar. Last week goons of the Shiv Sena accosted him at night and CHOPPED OFF HIS HANDS. The man’s ‘ sin’? He was a Bihari and had no business living in Pune and depriving marathi speaking people of a ‘livelihood’. The media mentioned this tragic incident in a report so small that anyone could have been pardoned for not noticing it alongside other reports of a far more serious nature like cricket scores for example. Does anyone care ? Will funds be raised or lawyers be urged to assist the family to get justice and compensation ? Would the response be as indifferent if the hands copped belonged to a rich man’s son?
I recall that several years ago there was a dispute between the Board Of Control of Cricket in India and one player on the eve of a Test match. The entire cricket loving public was ‘agonizing’ over the fate of the player and of our performance in the Test if he were not selected . The issue took a legal turn and unfortunately a Sunday intervened and the ‘ nationwide tension became palpable, the courts being closed.To the great relief of the entire nation the matter was adjudged by a Supreme Court judge AT HIS RESIDENCE ON A SUNDAY ! I wonder if the Bihari man will get any such justice.
At a conference at a 5 star hotel in South Mumbai a journalist asked Sri Sri Ravisankar if he were a 5 star urban guru what with his followers including film stars, multi millionaires and top politicians. In reply Sri Sri asked the questioner if he would be willing to meet him at a remote village where he[Sri Sri] and his people were digging toilets for the extremely poor ! What he left unsaid was that it was the media that preferred to attend conferences in 5 star hotels rather than travel to a remote village.
Few of us may be aware that everyday 6000 kids die of starvation in India. That India has the largest number of slaves in the world even as we pontificate that the US discriminates against African Americans.
By all means our media ought to tell the world of the many achievements we have to our credit. We do not do this well enough. But let us also give a voice to the many tragedies facing our poor.
K.R.RAVI
USA