The 400-crore yacht, among other things - Part 5/5

The capitalist messengers
All forms of media have been criticized and rightfully so, but being more of the business ventures (and less of informers to the public) that they've become, they've taken even that criticism and turned them inside out. So while the print media came out with defense articles (see above), the TV stations held debates upholding the rights and functions of the news channels. As if we didn't see uncensored shots of blood being flashed on the screen, and the constant "breaking news" being used to push hours-old headlines, and the live coverage of a terror tragedy as if this was the one and only chance for the news channels to compete with their sports counterparts.

And when it comes to debates and discussions, instead of providing a forum, these shows and in particular the anchors forget that their roles should be limited to being that of unbiased moderators who have an informed view of the subject being talked about. Like Joey Tribbiani once famously said, "You don't put words in people's mouths! You put turkey in people's mouths!" These "journalists" already seem to have a fixed view on things and will not acknowledge the other view. Capitalist mouthpieces, through their editorials, are shunning a very realistic analysis (and one which came to my mind long back) - why is it so difficult to digest that our increasing friendship with the West is a possible root cause? Just because the person who suggested so differs radically from you in terms of economic policies? And the fact that the owners of such news networks are collaborating with industrial barons and diversifying to celebrate the "good life of shining India" obviously means that they've turned a blind eye to - and here I shamefully use a term used by a prominent Leftist who was the only person talking any sense on a show on one of the very channels I'm overtly criticizing - "suffering India", which unless we choose to live in our urban cocoon we have to admit is the real India, and is not confined to the rural belt, but is also co-existing with us in the cities.

Thank God, then, for the re-opening of the Taj Mahal Tower and the Trident. Sorry, not God. Thank the pseudo-celebrities and the professional socialites for showcasing their resilience, expressing solidarity and making yet another stand against terror. As for me, I'm just sad that I wasn't there to pose for the cameras and eat without paying at a five-star. Who said there's no such thing as a free lunch?

(concluded)

The 400-crore yacht, among other things - Part 4/5

Rich man's blood splashed on a rich man's lens
I'm sure most of you must have read at least one of the articles in the print media with the common title, 'Don't Shoot The Messenger'. By various authors, all try to defend the media, using the very example that has been cited most often as an example of the media's irresponsibility - of commandoes landing on a roof during the Nariman House siege. I personally would like to think that though that example is obviously flawed (even if the event was shown live - and there's considerable debate on that as well - given the noise a chopper makes, there couldn't have been much stealth involved), the argument isn't, and that's something I've already covered in my previous posts. Just to recall one incident that particularly comes to my mind, a reporter given access to the backside of the Oberoi/Trident complex accidentally spilled out the location of the commandos closing in on the terrorists.

But what's more of a concern to me is the 'why' and 'how' of this particular strike being the watershed. This very city has seen a spate of such gruesome attacks, and I happened to be stuck in office when a series of bombs went off in the local trains. Now, I wasn't going to be on those trains but my colleagues possibly would have, but thankfully weren't since it was issue-closing time. The marketing people came back from hastily terminated meetings and told us about the carnage they saw. People were desperately trying to get in touch with their families. We saw streams of people walking the 20-odd kms. home due to the suspension of train services and clogging of roads. I finally got home past 1am.

Interestingly, the news that followed focused on the spirit of the city (yes, that very cliche) being visibly shaken. Even more interestingly, even though just about a month back, there were candlelight vigils, peace marches, human chains and signature campaigns as a part of the massive anti-reservation protests (which I would like to attribute to that year's first hit Rang De Basanti), there was nothing of that sort after the blasts which seemed to suggest that people had had enough and wanted change. Maybe because Obama wasn't around back then. Of course, the entire coverage had its focus on the Taj and the Oberoi/Trident. Nariman House (which, it was reported by the international press on the very first day, houses an extremely orthodox sect of Jews) was completely ignored till the time our local media checked the international response and realized that it's not just some random building in the crowded bylanes of a not-so-upmarket part of south Bombay.

All the reactions have been from the showbiz and P3 fraternity, and not suprisingly, each and every one of them claims that the Taj was like their second home. Maybe they actually can afford five-stars on a regular basis; maybe they need to give such an impression for reasons known only to them. All I know is that I can't - heck, even Leopold was a place I went to when I felt I could afford to splurge - and happened to be in a mood to tolerate the differential treatment meted out to people with coloured skin. All I know is forget five-stars or even lesser luxuries - most of my compatriots can't afford to have 2 square meals a day, and who are yet to experience the things we've been taking for granted ever since we were young - telephone, television, electricity.

This is not the first time people have died such tragic deaths. Earlier, the targets were public transportation systems and such middle-class infrastructure; even this time, scores lost their lives in Victoria Terminus, a few each in Cama Hospital (imagine the kind of headlines one of those high-profile private hospitals would have made) and at Mazgaon docks, Vile Parle and Metro Circle. From the looks of things, these people were clearly lesser victims whose blood is meant to be shed. Granted that the people with the riches are the only ones in positions powerful enough to force a response, but what good does it do to talk in vague circles? And how is a rich man's blood any more precious than a poor man's?

Such stake-outs and seiges have been happening on a regular basis, but in troubled hotspots which are away from the media glare, most notably Kashmir and the North-East. No one gives a damn when that happens. The very people who are out on the streets now never gave a damn when the common man was blown apart again and again and again in the very city who ordinary citizens they now claim to be. And at the same time, they are hypocritical enough to say on camera that "earlier, these things used to happen at markets, trains and buses which are places we never went to, but now it's as if they've entered our homes. We thought that we, the elite, are untouchable but clearly even we're not safe." This shameful comment of a socialite was one of the many ones in a similar vein aired by one of the most respected 24-hour English news channels of our country.

(to be continued)

The 400-crore yacht, among other things - Part 3/5

We, the people, suck
There is a huge disconnect between different strata of the society within the limits of a metropolis, and one needn't look further than the city which is always in the limelight, and quite often for tragic reasons - Bombay. Now there's a city which has seen strife not only recently, not only during the serial bomb blasts of '93, '03 and '06 (among many other such sporadic incidents), not only during the flash flood of '05, not only during the riots of '84 & '92 and not only during the on-and-off bashing of minorities and outsiders ever since the Shiv Sena was founded in the mid 60s, till date (with its breakaway faction MNS joining in).

Bombay isn't a unique case but is definitely a classic example of the undeniable fact that we, the people, are already divided on numerous counts, whether we like to admit it or not. There are people for whom religion is of utmost importance; for some, there are castes; for others, there are regions. For my fellow youngsters, it is increasingly becoming "cool" to shun religion and denounce the caste system while citing both as an example to deride our elders and emphasise the importance of our generation (augmented by the random percentage figures of our population under a certain age), but given the urban setting that we are growing up in, we are unbelievably divided socio-economically, and by our very own logic, are no better than our seniors.

It is so easy for us to blame the politicians for dividing us, whereas we are an inherently divided people and they are simply taking advantage of this fact. The fact that the Sena (and now, the MNS) survive is because they have a substantial enough support base. A reader who on the lines of the chain SMS wrote about non-Marathi commandos vis-a-vis "Marathi kids playing cricket on the empty streets" was lampooned by other readers, who in venting their ire came out in support of those 2 parties, their leaders and their beliefs. Then again, a politician who voiced the first thing that came into my mind when I heard that the ATS chief who was a key figure in the Malegaon investigations had been killed ("how convenient") and who could have done without saying so given that he is a Union Minister is being ostracized by what is emerging to be a potent combine - showbiz and media. And the urban populace is firmly with this non-political coalition.

(to be continued)

The 400-crore yacht, among other things - Part 2/5

The ever-lengthening bridge
The contrast was, as it always is but only when we care to look at it closely enough, spellbinding. While NDTV India's Zaika India Ka had Vinod Dua roaming around and sampling the local cuisines of the remote streets of Maharashtra's Konkan coastal region, the news that was flashing on our screens was the 400-crore gift that Anil Ambani has given his wife Tina. A bit of research revealed that this is the latest form of sibling rivalry - "Mr. Big" answering his industrialist brother, who gifted his wife Nita (note the coincidental anagrams) a 250-crore private jet. Congratulations on your mighty efforts, sirs.

The brothers, along with a handful of other people and industrial groups, represent everything that is shining about our country. Then again, this "shine" is confined to certain pockets in no more than the Big Six cities. I don't know how many of you are from or have spent considerable amounts of time outside the Big Six, so I'll just talk about myself here. Till the time I turned 14, vacations every year meant a trip to Patna. And though my age didn't stop me from realizing that it was a much smaller place than Delhi, the fact is I was really young, and also hardly had any reason to step out of the house and roam around. Of course, after that my maternal grandparents shifted to Calcutta and that was the end of my yearly visits to the capital of Bihar.

Now, I love travelling in general, and travelling by trains in particular. And I've travelled quite a lot, but haven't really experienced life in the small towns. But observing closely gives me quite an accurate picture of the ground realities. That, and the fact that due to certain quizzes, I happened to be first in Nasik and then in Anand (in case you don't know, the home of Operation Flood and Amul), and subsequently in Baroda. These are the places that occupy the middle rungs of the social ladder. They are nowhere near a Delhi or a Bombay, but are better off than the vast stretches of our lands where Reliance or Idea might have reached, but landlines have not; where only the richest farmers with sizeable holdings can afford that elusive solitary lightbulb which provides the only other glow in the wilderness, other than the headlight of a dusty old two-wheeler belonging to who is possibly the only person from that locality to have ever been to a big town or city.

I can keep romanticizing about real India - I feel I'm in that phase, and I sincerely hope it doesn't desert me. I feel wiser than I was a few years back. How wise I am not sure, but I was definitely very naive back when the whole "India Shining" campaign was launched by the people in power at the Centre, and whole-heartedly endorsed by the industry and the media, and predictably, therefore, urban India. In the firm grasp of the "feel good" factor, I refused to acknowledge my dad's remarks about real India. Come to think of it, I rarely ever acknowledge what dad, who has travelled to the most remote areas and troubled hotspots over the past five decades and is by far the most knowledgeable person I know, says. Anyway, I have a much less hazy perception of real India now.

(to be continued)

The 400-crore yacht, among other things - Part 1/5

I don't really know how I'd like to start this one. And it's not like I'm facing a dearth of ideas - on the contrary, I've got too many in mind. So let me just put them all down.

(EDIT: I'm breaking it up and making it into a 5-part series, as otherwise the length is proving to be a deterrent)

The first rule of Fight Club is that you do not talk about Fight Club
I make it a point to mentally scoff every time one of my fellow urban youngsters says to me, 'Dude! You've seen Fight Club right? Isn't it, like, the most fucking awesome film, like, ever made?' and I am compelled to do so in at least 9 out of every 10 cases, and at multiple levels.

First, the literal level. Now, it's a fact that most people aren't smart enough, so it's safe for me to say that at least 5 of those 9 say so because they either loved the action sequences or were simply blown away by the premise of a character's non-existence. And I concur. But they watched it once, observed those things and that's about it, whereas the very reason why the film (and the novel) is so brilliant is its depth which merits at least one repeat viewing. Because without that, you have to be a genius to appreciate the existential angst of the protagonist caught in the increasingly materialistic world.

The reasons for the other 4 targets of my mental sneer are tricky, as in many cases, I should be at the receiving end of my own wrath. Anyway, these people are smart enough to appreciate the intricacies of the story, and acknowledge the demons of our times, but they (or should I say we?) are too used to the luxuries of our routine well-off lives that it's not possible for us to even think about life without them. Think about it - big brands, plastic money, the good life. In our own ways, we are as much addicted to these as we are to a certain substance or the other.

Since I've not a clue what I'm getting at, let me move on to the not-so-literal levels. Here, it's just the way my "hep" generation would say such a thing. In a way, it is intertwined with materialism. And while it's great that you have access to everything global, nothing can justify your need to turn into clones. While I'd love to be part of a group that makes good use of the resources of this information age but at the same time is wise enough to pick and choose attributes from the West while maintain one's Indianness, I'm sorry to say but I don't see that happening. And say it if you really mean it, but please don't say "change" just because a certain Obama says so.

(to be continued)