Narad Muni –The first Indian Journalist
By Justice Katju
Vishnu Bhagwan was lying on the great serpent Sheshnag in the middle of the ocean, having in his four hands a lotus, a mace (gadaa), a shankh (conch) and a chakra (wheel), when the first perpetually peregrinating Indian journalist Narad Muni came to see him. As usual, Narad was carrying a Veena in his left hand, and wearing a dhoti and with a garland of orange coloured flowers around his neck.
“Narayan, Narayan” said Narad on beholding the Lord, and he bowed and folded his hands.
“Vatsa Narad” said the Lord, “Nice to see you again. How are you ? How are you doing in your profession of journalism on earth ?”
“Narayan, Narayan” said Narad, “Lord, it is for this very reason I have come to you. Please grant me a pension as I wish to retire from journalism.
The Lord showed great concern. ” Why, what has happened Narad ?”
“Lord, I cannot face the competition anymore with these new Indian journalists.”
“Oh come on Narad” said the Lord ” You are such a senior journalist. How can these youngsters create a problem for you ?”
“Narayan, Narayan” said Narad, “Lord, it is not journalism anymore. What exists in India today in the name of journalism is not journalism but magic, and unfortunately I have never learnt magic. There is a new medium called television which never existed in my time. It is truly magical. The job of this medium is not to inform but to create public opinion e.g. by whipping up communal or caste hatred, supporting the ruling political party, etc.
Most T.V. channels, hungry for higher T.R.P. ratings, and determined to get into the good books of the ruling party, incite communal hatred, finding rabid demagoguery profitable. They fall head over heels in trying to demonise a particular minority community, painting its members as terrorists, rapists, anti-national, and what not. For doing this everything goes : half truths, downright lies, sensationalism, trivialization, etc.
A particular anchor, who also owns his TV channel, and whom I call ‘Lord Bhow Bhow’ ( after Lord Haw Haw who spoke for the Nazis in WW 2, and was later hanged ) carefully selects his ‘ experts’, as panelists, most of whom share his communal agenda, and indulge in jingoistic chauvinism and minority bashing. Instead of being neutral and objective, Lord Bhow Bhow aggressively gives a slant to a story, rudely interrupting and not allowing the panelist who disagrees with his views to speak, by shouting him down
Some time back most T.V. channels projected Anna Hazare as a modern Moses who will lead his chosen people to a land of milk and honey (though a careful study of the man’s statements show that he has no scientific ideas in his head). The whole country was led into a frenzy by the media, somewhat like the children of Hamelin led by the Pied Piper, over the issue of corruption, but where is the issue now ? It has disappeared, and so has Anna Hazare. Obviously because the issue is now no longer profitable as it does not increase the T.R.P. rating. And has corruption dropped by even 0.1% in India ? Not at all.
Then the Delhi gangrape ( Nirbhaya ) issue exploded. For over 2 months most T.V. channels created a manufactured hysteria which drove young people to the streets and to Jantar Mantar. Rape had become the one and only issue, a matter of life and death for the human race, while poverty, hunger, malnutrition, unemployment, price rise, lack of healthcare, farmers suicides, etc. were pushed into the background, and became non issues and counted for nothing.
When this hysterical wave subsided another was created by our T.R.P. driven broadcast media : the beheading of an Indian soldier allegedly by Pakistanis. Despite offer by the Pakistan High Commissioner to India to hold an objective probe, our media whipped up jingoism and war mongering, leading to attack on Pakistani hockey players and sending them back, postponement of the agreement on visa on arrival for the elderly, etc.
Nowadays our media has highlighted Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification in the Olympics for being 100 gms overweight, the rape and murder of a lady doctor in a hospital in Kolkata, the Prime Minister’s Independence Day speech ( which only had a lot of tall promises, like his ‘jumla’ of giving Rs 15 lacs to every Indian ), the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankar scolding TMC MP Derek O’Brien, etc, etc, all of which have no connection with the real issues facing the Indian people viz massive poverty, record and rising unemployment, appalling level of child malnourishment ( every second child in India is malnourished, according to Global Hunger Index ), skyrocketing prices of essential commodities like food, fuel, and medicines, almost total lack of proper healthcare and good educaion for the masses, farmers suicides, etc.
“And what about the print media” asked the Lord.
“Narayan, Narayan” said Narad, “It has largely become advertisements. Many leading newspapers really begin on page 7, the first 6 pages being advertisements. And the print media is often led by the nose by the electronic media with its ‘breaking news’.
Paid news, and distortion of the truth to favour those in power is so rampant in both print and broadcast media that there is no point even talking about it.
Lord, please give me a pension otherwise I will go mad in the company of the great Indian journalists of today.”
“Tathaastu” said the Lord, and disappeared, and now Narad Muni is doing transcendental meditation in padmasana in a Himalaya cave with his eyes closed and wishing for early nirvaana!
