When Puppets Hide Behind Pomposity

Farzana,

Let me introduce myself to you. I am a virtual lion, but in the chowk world, I can speak for myself (when I choose) without a need for human interpreters. For short, you can call me “lion”. I don’t believe in i-logs and I have no writing aspirations of my own.

Here are some comments on your article.

Although the concentration of media control is indeed a valid topic for an article, I believe that it is not a new problem (certainly not in India). In fact, a legitimate argument can be made that it used to be much worse in the past (for example, when ALL of the media was controlled by state, or when newspapers were among the few means of two-way communication with large populations and were owned by a handful of families). With the advent of cable, internet, etc., all that has changed – and bottom-line profitability, always the overriding consideration, has become the sole criterion. You may be giving a confrontationist twist to several things which are simple business realities.

Also, one of the issues that I frequently have with your articles – usually of the Civic Center variety, is that you highlight (sometimes exaggerate) grievances but rarely try to suggest answers. One could almost be forgiven for thinking that you are raising questions just to raise a ruckus! The question here (from me) is – even supposing everything you write here is true (and one may not agree with that), in response, what do you expect people to do?

(1) Complain loudly? (But you are already doing that, perhaps more than enough for everybody.)

(2) From the media, stop buying “bad” stuff and start buying “good” stuff? (People already have that choice and they are hopefully making it right now. And since when do we have a widespread agreement on definition of those two terms?)

(3) Make virtuous people out of those “evil” commercial editors, owners, writers, common folks (who after all, are the end-users) and that whole gang of rascals who are part and parcel of this whole machine (except you?) (Well, countless others (including religious leaders) have been trying and continue to try to turn evil into good, forever, it seems!)

Some of your choice of words – “prostitution” and “incest”, for example – can be considered rhetorical noises to grab attention which instead take away attention from any legitimate point(s) you may be attempting to make! The same applies to your opening word!

Simply put, newspapers (and other media) represent businesses. Businesses run on money. Money comes from subscribers and advertisers. If one “peeves off” the sources of that money, the money stops. Then the business folds down. Then, whatever good (even the limited good) that COULD have happened, will not happen. Therefore, one needs to make the best (optimum) use of a given situation. If one keeps those facts in mind, one can work better to positively influence the situation and the outcome.

Also, as you are probably aware, certain reputable newspapers in U.S. (including my personal favorite the Washington Post) do try to address this type of problem (of commercial considerations running rough-shod over idealistic ones) by using ombudsmen – who are supposed outsiders who comment on a newspaper’s content and whose views are (virtually always) published without editing! (Problem is, of course, that few people read ombudsmen.)

Paw-prints:
{*How do they survive? If the writers are contributing for free, as some indeed are, then what freedom are they being granted?*}
Absolutely! I have always wondered – who pays for this chowk site?!

{*It reveals the complete contempt and nonchalance with which people can go about the business of daily living without any pricks of the conscience.*}
True, but not strange!

{*No wonder the media builds up dons as heroes; scratch the surface and the ideology is the same. How else does one account for two most-wanted individuals having access to the media - Dawood Ibrahim and Veerappan?*}
People in news do not need to be role models, only newsworthy! For example, the Times magazine has in the past named Hitler and Khomeini as “person of the year” – it does not mean that the magazine had become a proponent of what such individuals represented.

{*In this charmed world a man (no doubt one of them) who survives an accident becomes a hero. I am sure his life is precious. However, if it is willpower that kept him going, then there are hundreds surviving in the streets by it.*}
As a practical matter, not every case can be covered. Therefore, whatever is high-profile (as well as representative) at the moment must suffice and perhaps can be a source of encouragement and inspiration for the rest!

{*One newspaper displayed a prominent picture showing Mumbaikars paying tribute to the “victims of the twin towers” on the anniversary of 9/11. The media in our subcontinent has to remind us about it because they cannot feel left out.*}
Just to set the facts right, there were several hundred INDIANS in those twin towers who perished (Thank God that several other people (like Cayenne) survived!). (In fact, the way you wrote it, I can see how a reader may accuse you of not identifying with THOSE Indian victims because your “identification span” is fully preoccupied with the poor suffering Muslims of Indian Kashmir – who appear to be so, so stressed-out after the hard work of watching passively all that ethnic-cleansing of their dearly beloved brothers and sisters from the valley!)

{*Do the Westerners mourn for the partition of India, the major earthquakes, the genocide in Gujarat, the bomb blasts in various parts of the world, the killing of civilians in Afghanistan to justify looking for a man in a cave,…*}
Calling OBL just another “man in a cave” amounts to the nadir of journalistic duplicity, or perhaps the zenith of utter ignorance!

{*This is sickening, by far worse than the demagoguery you witness from the dhoti-sherwani brigade.*}
But leave out the shalwaar-kameez brigade, for sure! Oh no, THOSE are perfect!

{*This is an infringement of your right to know.*}
But not of YOUR right to tell us, the only one that matters! (Also, there is no such thing as “right to know” – only a right to free speech!)

{*Everyone is screwing up their noses at the stink, not realising the garbage is in their own backyard.*}
Everyone? I guess that would include you! Or, are you made different from the rest – if you prick us, no we not bleed…and all that other good stuff!!

{*My grouse is that in this instance the perpetrators of the crime, so to speak, get to sit on the jury.*}
What’s your suggestion for an alternative jury? A jury of one – initials FV?

{*Most such scoops invariably land up on willing tables by opposing vested interests.*}
It’s true that many industrialists have strongly egoistical personalities (brashness). (You of course, have none!) Those are individual characteristics. It’s also true that all human beings have vested interests. Please feel free to clarify yours in an honest manner.

{*I know of bright young people who have gone out to investigate stories and found to their chagrin that a 900-word article has been reduced to 250 words to accommodate an advertisement.*}
Speak in the past tense, speak in singular, and speak for yourself! Also, the inability to communicate the message of one’s story in 250 words instead of 900 reflects the same type of inflexibility that you are denouncing to begin with.

{*Do you think such editors have any spine?*}
The counter argument is – “Do you think such reporters do it for the money?” the answer is the same: “it depends on the situation!”

{*The reader is forced to worship gods of clay on shaky pedestals.*}
Unless, of course, the reader does so willingly!

In conclusion, I extend a loud ROAR to you!

#1
Thanks BeeJay

Now, next time, please let me speak for myself!

You, better than anybody else, ought to know what happens when people make me mad!

Ever heard the term - ``Cat got your tongue?``

Lion.

#2
Sorry Lion.
I thought I was helping you (you not being much of a public speaker, and all that!)
I promise to keep out of YOUR way from now on, your Lioness!
(Bows and retreats hastily)

A cynical essay penned by a twisted mind.

Selling out is part of nature. Two thumbs up for selling out!

New style this FV. Crisp and snappy, but rozaiba I think she was trying to be sarcastic about selling out, weren`t you?

Re: # 6
yes. no. i mean.

Farzana, romair or anyone
There are some factual errors can ay one spot them.

Orphans of Islam

The history of Britain`s Mirpur population may help to explain why some became suicide bombers

Madeleine Bunting
Monday July 18, 2005
The Guardian

The room is packed, the discussions go on way beyond the allotted time: this was a meeting of young professional Muslims in London at the weekend. The anguish and self-criticism was unstoppable as they struggled to find answers to how their faith could have nurtured such a perversion as suicide bombers in London. The object of their scrutiny - the chairman singled this out as a mark of accepting their responsibility - was not British foreign policy, but their faith. What do the Qur`anic verses about jihad really mean? How can extremists misinterpret them? And the imam, Abu Muntasir, patiently tried to answer - it`s been a failure of our scholars, a failure of our teachers. The harshness of the self-criticism was painful to hear: this was a community flagellating itself.
The themes at the core of their discussions were about the failed transmission of Islamic values in Britain and the collapse of Islamic authority - long traditions of respected scholarship and religious leadership were all cast aside on 7/7 by these four young men - why? Over the coming months, every detail of these young men`s lives will be picked over by anti-terrorist experts to map the experiences and influences that shaped their extremism. It`s early days, but already some of the factors that need to be plotted on to this map are emerging.
First, the families of the three Leeds-based bombers were originally, in all likelihood, from Mirpur, part of Pakistani Kashmir. Mirpuris form 70% of the British Muslim population, and the figure is even higher in northern towns. Just as the dominant role of Saudis in 9/11 led to a spotlight on the religion and politics of Saudi Arabia, so attention will focus on Mirpur.
This rural, impoverished district provided cheap, unskilled labour for Britain in the 60s and 70s. Most immigrants were from subsistence-farming communities and had had little or no schooling. They made a huge cultural and geographical leap to settle in the UK - the dislocation is hard to imagine.
One of the things they brought with them was the perception of a long history of dispossession and marginalisation. Partition brought terrible bloodshed and the division of Kashmir between Pakistan and India. (This was the issue cited until very recently as the most pressing political priority in the UK by the majority of British Muslims.) Within Pakistan, Mirpur is to the more dominant Punjabis what the Irish have historically been to the British, explained one Mirpuri.
In the 80s the remittances began to flow in, fuelling an extraordinary boom in Mirpur, bringing computers, televisions, the internet, satellite dishes, microwaves and fridges. One of the strongest Mirpuri traditions is that you marry your first cousin, so there is a constant exchange with the UK to renew the Mirpuri influence for the next generation. Mirpur has been an example - and there are others the world over - of the painful disruption in deeply traditional communities of a sudden influx of wealth and interface with modernity.
The narrative of dispossession gained new force in the 80s amid the collapse of the industries in which the first generation had come to work. Men who had worked long hours in the textiles and steel industry - and had been, arguably, more integrated into white workforces than their taxi-driver and curry-house sons - found themselves redundant. The more recent oppression and humiliation of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan would have resonated powerfully with these collective memories of Yorkshire Muslims, passed from grandfather and father to son.
A second critical issue that needs to be plotted on to this map is that the vast majority of Mirpuris adhere to a tradition of Sufi Islam called Barelwi. One of the Indian Islamic revival movements of the late 19th century, Barelwi life revolves around holy elders known as pirs; their graves become shrines and places of pilgrimage.
The problem, which has been well known within many Muslim circles, is that Barelwism has particularly struggled to translate itself effectively into British urban life. There are very few English-speaking Barelwi imams. They have steered clear of national organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain, and even set up their own umbrella group recently. They are treated with disdain by the Wahhabi and Muslim Brotherhood-influenced groups who are more vocal in the British Muslim community. The writ of the MCB`s Iqbal Sacranie, a Malawi-born Indian Muslim, doesn`t reach into such introverted communities. One wry comment at the weekend was: if Sacranie is visiting the Leeds Barelwis now that`s great, but it`s probably the first time.
What has been obvious to thoughtful second-generation Barelwis themselves is that they are losing the young. The mosques are tightly controlled by the old patriarchal elders, who hire their Urdu-speaking imams from the home village. The kids come to prayers, don`t understand much of what they see or hear and drift off to find an Islam that can answer their questions.
A profound disconnection has opened up between the communal experience of political and economic dispossession and the pious, otherworldly Barelwi traditions. As one Yorkshireman from a Barelwi background, Azhar Hussain, said: ``When I was 17 and got to university and began to take religion more seriously I went to hear all the Islamic groups to see which one made the most sense. The Barelwis are not on university campuses; they can`t answer those questions.``
In the early 90s Arabs told Navid Akhtar, a broadcast journalist from a Barelwi background, that they had spotted a constituency in these disaffected young Muslims; ``They called them `orphans of Islam`,`` Akhtar says.
To compound the crisis of identity for male teenagers, Muslim girls are thriving with their new-found opportunities in the UK as they pull steadily ahead of their male counterparts at GCSE level and in the numbers going on to higher education.
Some in the Muslim community have been struggling with these problems for years, trying to challenge recalcitrant mosque committees, trying to set up youth projects; they have been well aware of the threat of extremism. ``We`ve been too afraid,`` a Muslim living in a northern town told me. ``There are so many frustrated, angry men who tell me, `They`re doing it in Iraq, why can`t we do it to them?` They convince themselves that this is Islamic. I find it frustrating that our community hasn`t tackled this. We have to talk to them about these issues - let them get their anger out.``
For this man, who does voluntary community work, what lies ahead is an impossible tightrope of near-illegality if he is to take on the challenge of extremism in his community - he agrees and likens his position to that of someone who works with drug addicts. We are told that what lies ahead is a battle of ideas. If so, this kind of community volunteer is on the frontline. It will be his judgment call as to when he can guide a disorientated, angry young man or whether he has to shop him to the police.

re: rozaiba # 5

``Selling out is part of nature. Two thumbs up for selling out!``


LOL...that is the only profound wisdom, IMHO. The rest is all pretty much ignorance.

Two kinds of people insist that the world is inhabited by perfect human beings: those who want to fool themselves and those who want to fool others.

Breasts...Prostitution...Incest...Rape....
if you have come down to this level to attract attention to your writings...then i am afraid you are defrauding simpletons like me with incorrect advertising of your wares...

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A long background seems in order:

This was an invited essay. The immediate reason for bringing out the collection, according to the editor, was the selling of editorial space by The Times of India. This includes paying to get your photographs published.

However, my personal experience with the Press has revealed other aspects, and in my essay I chose to highlight those as well. I did not think it fair to hit out at only one publishing group. My point of view was respected and this is exactly how it appears in the anthology.

We must understand that while advertising revenue is essential, there are ethical aspects about editorial policy. And things are slightly different in India than in the West.

Not many people who visit this website are aware of how newspapers operate (just as I would not know how doctors, engineers do)…in fact there are laypersons who believe that sub-editors make editorial decisions, when they do what most of us do ourselves – proof-read, give captions, headlines, choose blurbs.

I would have thought instead of personal comments, the relevant issues would have been seen in their proper perspective…I might add that I had full liberty of editing out portions while sending this essay to Chowk, knowing that some lines would have been used against me. I chose not to.

I wrote: “The fact that beleaguered publications continue to be on the stands should tell us something. How do they survive? If the writers are contributing for free, as some indeed are, then what freedom are they being granted?”

This should be seen as a serious issue rather than point fingers at Chowk, which clearly states it does not pay its contributors. And everyone here knows the freedom that is granted to writers – from my kind of work to the literary groundbreaking stuff about bladder relief.

I, of course, ought to realise that the readers here may not be aware of certain aspects about the Indian print medium to which the above quote alludes. Many newspapers keep themselves alive only to get newsprint quota to keep their sister publications running or to hit out at competition or as vanity press. The ‘writers’ are not paid simply because they are page 3 celebrities who in fact get to become columnists so that they can be tapped for ad revenue and other goodies; the other group of writers who are not paid are on ‘goodwill’ contracts, and they write as per the policy of the paper.

(Since someone has brought this up, I have always been paid for my columns everywhere, including TFT, and I have never written according to any brief. I have already paid the price for it several times, and before making a mockery of it, think about the freedom of expression all of you so value. Before baiting me for having a “contrarian point of view”, think about how easy it would be not to do so.)

After my comment, “No wonder the media builds up dons as heroes; scratch the surface and the ideology is the same” I had said, “How else does one account for two most-wanted individuals having access to the media - Dawood Ibrahim and Veerappan?”

This last portion is far more important. We all know that writing about dons etc is common practice, and it makes for interesting copy (been there, done it), but my problem is with the media having access to these people and they still escaping the police net…I am talking about those who are wanted.

“An outsider works wonderfully in this scheme of things, if the publication wants to show its ‘committed to society’ face or even as fall-guy, who they can conveniently put the blame on.”

Most publications let outsiders do their dirty work. One editor after he was confronted about a piece I wrote, even said that he was not aware of it – this after I spoke about the subject with him and he was so terribly enthused about the ‘exposure’.

I wrote:“There is the mistaken notion that political pressure alone plays a major role. But, you can poke fun at politicians. Ever heard about a media baron being at the receiving end?”

Has anyone realised this? Does anyone care?

I wrote:“I know of bright young people who have gone out to investigate stories and found to their chagrin that a 900-word article has been reduced to 250 words to accommodate an advertisement.”

I have not faced this because I have not been a reporter. But I can and will speak for those who have to go through this every day. These are people who investigate stories that have happened, stories that some people often say should be addressed, and now they find nothing wrong about such stories being spiked. Do you even know about how things work?

Shouldn’t there be an attempt at trying to understand how things work? This is not an isolated point of view. There are people who agree and want to say the same things. I am glad someone brought out this anthology.

For those who have kindly ventured here, these and other aspects might have given you at least some insight, even if you do not agree with me. And I assume you came here after reading the headline and the blurb that clearly states, “Journalism is full of the evils it accuses society of. The Press has in the past exposed leaders and even brought down governments. Ever heard about a media baron being at the receiving end?”

This was the “advertising of wares”, if at all. One was not aware about how simpleton minds work and that they only read the subheads. Do they even know how these subheads came about?

“Who is calling the shots? I ask this question studiedly because the insiders know the game. Journalism today is full of the evils it accuses society of.”

And the evils it accuses society of are Rape, Prostitution, and Incest…ah, that leaves us with breasts…analogy…elementary…

I wonder why Alexander Pope wrote ‘Rape of the Lock’…

I wonder why this anthology is called ‘Rape of the news’…

PS: For those who go through my old posts to use my sentences in their posts, all I can say is that it will take a lot more to flatter me. Just as it would take a lot (if at all) for anyone to make me feel deflated about anything that I believe in and write about.

Thank you…

Ferzana a good response and better still to see you not being apologetic in the face of the usual chuvanistic reactions your articles usually generate. The issues you have highlighted no matter even in the context of journalism remain valid and always in need of addressing.

#12 Farzana Versey

This must be considered a red-letter day – since this is the day this author joins the rank of the “run of the mill” by stooping to the following:

(1) providing a long “background” explanation AFTER a work is published – in order to cover up the glaring shortcomings contained in the article.

(2) not having the courage to respond to individual interactors – which allows them the “flexibility” to wholesale skip on comments that are so accurate and hard-hitting that it leaves them squirming and fuming inside, and they can’t do duce about it since those interacts are so accurate!

The most critical comments – skipped so conveniently – are:

(a) the author uses a few isolated and personal experiences with a few reporters and editors to make vast and sweeping generalizations about ALL of media.

(b) the encroachment of journalistic integrity is more a result of ad-hoc commercial considerations (which eventually WILL reign supreme, since these are COMMERCIAL ventures) and not restricted to the printed media or even the news media.

(c) the author suggests no solutions, leaving aside how to go about implementing those solutions. (By choosing not to respond, the author has basically let the accusation stand – proving (for those who have not been blinded and choose to see this fact plain as daylight) she has NO answers, and given a LOT of ammunition to the accusation that this author’s specialty is mere “bitching” about real, serious, or their opposites in issues – never solving anything)

Although this interactor is not himself aware of the sacrifices the writer may have paid personally for having “independent” views (if “baba–adam” era views can be so designated), he has no reason to doubt that these sacrifices happened or for not to have respect for such sacrifices (which perhaps should be lauded when real life is full of so many compromising situations), however (leaving aside for a moment how deep these sacrifices were (as sacrifices go in the Indian context)), allusion to such sacrifices can not be used as a somewhat uncharacteristic half-hearted and feeble excuse for an attempt to cower away from answering the legitimate questions asked (for such an attempt will be seen by everybody for what it is).

Perhaps the author should have chosen the “safer” alternative of not showing up at all to post a response – which would have left at least a bit of doubt about the fact that she is really clueless in answers, and not exposed her utter helplessness in face of smart criticism! It’s all so timid it would be hilarious to watch were it not so pathetic! (I suppose it is difficult to leave ALL old habits behind!)

Individuals like supersize need to develop entities, personalities, and opinions of their own, instead of going obsequiously “yes, yes, Your Highness, me too!” and tagging along like a “fly in dukaan-e-halwai” or perhaps more accurately like a “fly on a horse’s rear”, always riding BEHIND somebody!

Dear Farzana:

Where have all the good editors gone?

Before I left the country, I started my day with my favourite newspaper, The Statesman. It had some real thought provoking articles by people like Pran Chopra, S. Nihal Singh and occasional columns by people like Nirad Chaudhry. The newspaper was only 14 pages but it was all meat and advertisements were less than 25% of the printed space. My newspaper kept me fully informed not only about India but also about the rest of the world.

And now? Times of India and Hindustan Times seem like a bloated version of Blitz. Actually, Blitz did use to have some investigative reporting and The Last Page by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. These newspapers have no news. There is hardly any news in them. Most of the news are covered even more briefly than bye Television channels. Even the top news item is never carried over to another page. Even the brief news is highlighted in a 1-2 sentence box.

In Canada, newspapers met the 24-hour news channels by doing more in-depth reporting. Indian newspapers seem to have gone the opposite route - by becoming National Enquirer without doing any enquiry.

There are no more editors in India, only marketing managers!

#15 by dost-mittar on July 19, 2005 9:44am PT

FV writes for Mid-day which makes Blitz look like the New York Times.

#10 by Khamkhwa {``Breasts..Rape...Incest...Prostitution..... ``}

Farzana, You mentioned the magic acronym BRIP. This certainly got Khammy`s attention. He has indulged in, or been the victim of, or has in his possession all four of the above. :)

#12 Farzana Versey
#14 CD_Lion

I wish the author had given some of the background (she explained in #12) up front, along with the original article! Many lions (as well as janitors) are not much into newspaper reading and are not familiar with what “seedy” practices individual publications like the Times of India and other newspapers may be up to now-a-day. Like all commercial ventures worldwide, several may be in a continual mode of rebuilding their images to increase revenues. Therefore, it may be unfair to be so critical of the author. At most, one can accuse her of some sloppiness. If the author has strong feelings on a subject and does not wish to single out just one group, she should not be made to feel defensive about it.

Nobody doubts the author’s strength of convictions, not even her detractors. The author’s steadfastness in choosing not to edit out portions is also to be appreciated. Her comment about personal comments is also true. Pointing fingers at chowk (wage scale-wise) was indeed a low blow and the lion needs to acknowledge that!

The criticism that the author has few solutions may have legitimacy – but does anybody else? At least she is drawing attention to what she perceives to be a genuine problem, although we as individuals may differ regarding the scope or impact of the problem. Also, she sticks to her guns – an unusual characteristic in the present times – and not just in her chosen walk of life! Perhaps if the author were less confrontationist in her way of presenting things and provided more background information in support of her position(s) she would be able to have more people understand and agree with her – but there is no accounting for style!

It is perhaps not appropriate for third parties – especially those who are aloof from the particular line of work being discussed and even more so from that particular line of work as practiced in India, to make wisecracks – just because such wisecracks are so easy to make! Above all, the author’s intents must also be given due recognition. Otherwise, one can be considered to have a jackal’s heart – not that of a lion! Therefore, on behalf of the lion, sorry author!

When creativity is stifled in order to make room for immediate monetary gains, everybody loses something – whether one realizes it or not. Many times the damage is not apparent up front – but shows up in the long run – in developing masses which can not think independently or originally – and that is something which must be avoided at all costs!

So says the janitor, and the lion needs to pay heed.

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She reminds me of Lieutenant Scheisskopf`s wife: A brilliant Havard graduate who only ever wants to run around completely naked, and whipped.

Re: # 20

Or was she from Wharton Business School?

If you do not like newspaper barons in India wait till the emergence of television moguls.
Internet sites like Chowk offer a nice alternative to traditional media.

Finally, this awful woman has come a cropper and met her doom even on this benighted site, where india-bashing is a sport for frustrated paks.I hope she finally gets it.That she`s a lousy writer, a twisted sister(all indians are my brothers and sisters), and what one gives out one will reap in return.Only time is constant.

A related article:

http://www.rediff.com/news/jan/13farz.htm

Miscellanea/Farzana Versey

The day a journalist realises the subject is also a human being, he would be able to sleep at night.

When Charlie came into my life, he did not know what he was getting into. I have always fancied myself to be a responsible journalist. Which means, if a scoop flutters before my nose, I sneeze and let it disappear. The problem is, it does not. Another scribe with a nose as sensitive as the bomb squad`s favourite dog`s, gets it.

Any regrets? None that have to do with envy. But I do feel like a voice in the wilderness. Thank heavens, I am not an investigative reporter, though I have done my bit at unravelling the truth. The second problem is, no one is interested in the truth. People want a blow-by-blow account. Or hard-hitting facts, without a care in the world as to whether it will affect the facts or the person.

Which is where Charlie comes in. An HIV-positive person, he was disillusioned with the mechanisms that were meant to act as a salve but were instead inflicting fresh whiplashes. I had, I admit, crossed the neon-lit streets and walked the tree-lined bylanes with him in order to understand his mind, but it would be wrong to say that it was all I was doing.

Somewhere, I too was looking for the bluster, the statements that would peel off masks. Sure enough, I got it; plenty, in fact. He did mention names.

When I sat to write the piece I omitted the names, thinking about what a noble creature I was. After the piece was published, Charlie called. Oh, I thought, he is calling to thank me, to tell me what a wonderful job I had done to spread AIDS awareness, to deflate our pet positions.

He said all that. And more. He told me that he had got a memo from one of the organisations he was doing rehabilitation work with. He was asked to explain why he had cast aspersions on their work and would he please explain his stand?

As far as I was concerned, Charlie`s stand was clear when he had told me, ``The process of rehabilitation helps me hold myself together.``

If Charlie did not know his mind, who did? Yet, he was made answerable. All his dreams stood naked and bruised. And he wanted me to help, since I had held him up for public scrutiny.

This is the delicate point. If I let him write in the papers saying that he had not accused anyone and he was misquoted, my reputation would be at stake. Besides, it is not the truth. And if I wrote another piece explaining things, it would mean giving the issue more prominence. I could just as easily have washed my hands off and said, ``Sorry Charlie, I`ve done my job. Good night.``

Instead, I dictated a long letter which he could use as a reply to the memo. I don`t know whether it was the most honourable thing to do, but I think it was proper.

However, does it absolve me of guilt? After all, when someone throws pearls of wisdom your way, you don`t hark back to the oyster it came from. When a person agrees to talk to a journalist, how open must he be? And how much prudence must a scribe exercise, knowing well that as an eagle he might not dare but that won`t prevent the vultures from circling overhead?

I have faced many situations where I have had to question myself. One of my earliest assignments was on breast-feeding and the guilt associated with not nursing. My knowledge of the subject was theoretical so, when one line was dropped from my manuscript, I paid no heed. Till the lady in question called and started crying on the phone. What had been left out was the crucial information that she did in fact breast-feed for nine months. I had no alternative but to cry in response.

But the years have taken their toll. I don`t weep over such things anymore. Today, I tell my interviewee point-blank: ``Everything that you say is for public consumption. I am not your friend, so don`t give off-the-record nuggets.``

Does that solve all my problems with a nagging conscience? Not quite. For, what is seen and what is perceived are two different things. There can be a wide chasm between what is said and what is understood. The day a journalist realises that the subject is also a human being, he would be able to sleep at night.

Since I started the first interact – a long one, which inadvertently set the tone for these discussions, it is only appropriate at this time that I should put in the words which can hopefully restore a semblance of balance to those same discussions!

Therefore, here go – my SERIOUS thoughts on this!

(1) The topic under discussion needs to be considered on its own merits – not on the basis of who is writing the article. Virtually every interactor here (including this one) is guilty of passing that pre-judgment!

(2) Concentration of media powers is a legitimate and serious topic of concern, since it can become the first tool of mind control. EVERYBODY needs to be concerned, not just a few members of the intelligentsia.

(3) Journalists and writers do not create the ills of the society – they simply try to highlight them using their own particular variety of flashlight – sometime the flashlight emits its own color, adding to the variety of colors that is life!

(4) The relatively less number of interacts on this article confirms its serious nature and (far from being considered a “cropper”) enhances MY regard for it. (My personal experience, over the past ten months or so, is that the most useless “gossipy” and “politics-type” articles generate the maximum number of interacts – where any fool can run his/her mouth and many (sadly, including this interactor) indeed do.)

(5) As far as being patriotic toward India is concerned, that honor strictly belongs to individuals who love that great land enough to – in spite of its very well-known and even more well-advertised shortcomings – actually LIVE there, not to individuals (like me) who have left it and who owe a different allegiance! Pure and simple!

In spite of the danger that it may make me look like a wet cat, I can not but admit that I did put in a few provocative phrases in my earlier interacts – my intention was that they would stimulate spirited defenses, counter-points and additional discussions. I must say that I do feel a bit of disappointment that not too many have showed up – other than perhaps the author – that too, in a half-hearted kind of way! (It’s difficult to blame her, since the Beej has become highly unpredictable!)

If anyone else at the chowk site would like to add a couple of sober words related to this serious topic, be my guest! Otherwise, vast multitudes of guys and gals, you get exactly what you deserve!

Here is some interesting trivia, from Merriam-Webster website: (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/mwwod.pl). One would guess that example sentences reveal a lot about the meaning most people typically attach to a word, and the real-life situations they are expected to represent.

The Word of the Day for July 23 is:

hobnob • HAHB-nahb • verb
: to associate familiarly

Example sentence:
Bill hoped his new job as a reporter would give him an opportunity to hobnob with politicians and other notables.

Did you know?
“Hob” and “nob” first came together in print in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, when Sir Toby Belch warned Viola (who was disguised as a man) that Sir Andrew wanted to duel. “Hob, nob is his word,” said Sir Toby, using “hob nob” to mean something like “hit or miss.” Sir Toby’s term is probably an alteration of “habnab,” a phrase that meant “to have or not have, however it may turn out.” After Shakespeare’s day, “hob” and “nob” became established in the phrases “to drink hob or nob” and “to drink hobnob,” which were used to mean “to drink alternately to each other.” Since “drinking hobnob” was generally done among friends, “hobnob” came to refer to congenial social interaction.

Dear Farzana:

A while ago, you had quoted a hindi poem ``Jeen Uska Jeena Hai, Jo Auron Ko Jeevan Deta Hai``. I am in the process of organizing a stem-cell donor regitery program among South Asians, and would like to use this poem. Could you please email me this poem?

Thank you.
Anil

Ref anil #27

[Dear Farzana:

A while ago, you had quoted a hindi poem ``Jeen Uska Jeena Hai, Jo Auron Ko Jeevan Deta Hai``. I am in the process of organizing a stem-cell donor regitery program among South Asians, and would like to use this poem.]

It looks like you are organizing a stem-cell donor registry among NORTH Indians and Pakistanis what with your Hindi/Hindustani/Urdu poem.

If you want to get to the South Indians, you would need to write your appeal in C++.

Re: # 28

Harimau:

This is the program for all South Asians. You too are welcome.

Anil