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| Courtesy Twitter.com |
Most India media houses have stationed their top correspondents in the US to cover Narendra Modi’s maiden visit as the Prime Minister of India. NDTV’s Barkha Dutt talked to excited women playing garba, Rahul Kanwal from Headlines Today spoke to the students at Columbia University, Bhupendra Chaubey from CNN piqued our interest about Modi’s probable gift to President Obama and a nostalgic Maroof Raza from Times Now enlightened us about Muhammad Ali’s first bout against Joe Frazier at the Madison Square.
It is like a big social carnival bordering on hysteria with media men talking about everything except the strategic give and take. While we know what we want from the US, what was expected of India is not discussed enough. If India wants US to be stern with Pakistan on terror, is India ready to send soldiers to fight the war against ISIS?
It is like a big social carnival bordering on hysteria with media men talking about everything except the strategic give and take. While we know what we want from the US, what was expected of India is not discussed enough. If India wants US to be stern with Pakistan on terror, is India ready to send soldiers to fight the war against ISIS?
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Echo your sentiments Alka. The same thoughts have been playing on my mind ever since NaMo landed in the US. Have you seen the James Oliver show snippet about Modi's visit? It was actually embarrassing to watch it :(
ReplyDeleteYeah, saw the video. Though better sense prevailed yesterday. For once NewsHour had a meaningful debate yesterday from 8 to 10 PM.
DeleteAgree Alka. Even I have been fidgeting uncomfortably with all the media attention and strangely as you said quite opposite on both sides. Saw the James Oliver show and yesterday read an article in The Economist, both made me squirm and fume and the Indian news hype just made me squirm. I am hoping that the visit yields actual returns.
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree Asha, there has to be some sense of balance.
DeleteThat's one big mockery happening Alka. Do you know there are religious clashes happening in Gujarat? No media channel is reporting it. I didn't see a single print newspaper report too. We are so so engrossed in hero worshiping that we forget to see any reality beyond that.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the clashes and the protests in Hong Kong. But our media gets obsessed with one news. Scary how they place you on a pedestal and push you down within no time. They did it to Anna, Kejriwal .....I hope Modi survives.
DeleteWe do go overboard,give US a superior status and then crib about their superiority.
ReplyDeleteWe are like please look at us, we have arrived. An overdose, actually.
DeleteBe it considering them superior, or trying to assert we are equals, both shows insecurity.
ReplyDeleteThere is a huge element of eagerness on our part.
DeleteAlmost every time an Indian VIP visits the USA (in particular), the media coverage has had me squirming in embarrassment. They have always made me feel like the Indian VIP on visit is some schoolboy visiting a Headmaster and every single act of the Host country is seen as either patting the schoolboy on the back or reprimanding him. Do they ever realize the grave disservice they do to the stature of the country by always adopting the POV of our having to beg for respect instead of assuming it?
ReplyDeleteThe coverage needs to be beyond the romanticism, beyond the superficial. As of now, it looks like we are shouting, " look at us, we have arrived." Really?
DeleteThis is the first time we have a PM who's talking to us and not talking down to us. He's telling us what we want to hear and his actions are no different. The hysteria is understandable but scary as well. We are quick push down our heroes from the pedestal we build for them.
ReplyDeleteOur media will insist that it is pandering to popular demands but the educated middle class is tired of their jingoistic tones.
Our media needs to mature.
DeleteI am afraid our political discourse seems more about jingoism and scoring points than about maturity of thought. Your example about Arnab's debate on Pakistan underscores that point.
ReplyDeleteA section of the media behaves like kids when it comes to Pakistan.
DeleteThank heavens, I missed out the cacophonical coverage as I was away from TV and offline. But yes, did catch the Rajdeep episode and the derogatory headlines. It sickens me what passes off in the guise of reporting these days. News coverage has touched its nadir in India. I haven't watched a news channel in a while now.
ReplyDeleteYou did? You missed a media carnival.
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