Reflections

The Shiv Sena has a bad reputation. Starting as small time bullies who preyed on Udipi shops in Mumbai, they have grown to a major force, more so after the last elections.The recent episode of forcing a Muslim staffer to eat allegedly non edible chapati when he was observing the Ramadan fast made headlines. The story appeared to be the usual bullying of an inoffensive Muslim by the bullies of the saffron brigade. But the Hoot website which, in my opinion is one of the best reporters of media matters in India had a different take. This is well worth reading because it proves that what seems obvious need not always be true. At the least, it is a credible alternate version of the tale that was told by the so called national media whose agenda is always suspect. This appeared originally here This appeared on 25th July 2014, thus the reference to dates and current events must take into account that date. Shiv Sena MPs and the roti fiasco By Nivedita Khandekar The alleged att...

This article is reproduced with permission from the media watchdog " The HOOT ". This website, is in my opinion required reading for all those interested in the working of the Indian media. The original artilce can be found here . Politics and media control BY ADITI ROY GHATAK and PARANJOY GUHA THAKURTA A cartoon in The Hindu (that predates the current Ambedkar cartoon controversy) depicts the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, trying to calm down a bunch of jubilant students, saying “I banned Marx, not marks”. Trinamool Congress chief Banerjee’s ire is primarily directed towards her arch political rival, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), whose mouthpiece, Ganashakti, which she does not want the State-funded libraries to subscribe to. There are many others on her list, especially after cartoongate. The point here is not about cartoons but that West Bengal has a pronounced culture of political parties (in the Opposition, from distant yesteryears to ver...

Our journalists are the most holier than thou people in modern India. They are not afraid of tilting against any windmill and have no fear of tearing to shreds any reputation, however big. The medical profession has been a particular target and there is not a single day that newspapers and TV channels do not carry an attack on the profession as a whole or on a particular practitioner whether justified or otherwise. It has always seemed odd to me that a journalist, often educated to a degree level in a third rate college could arbitrate on the capabilities (or otherwise) of a senior physician who has put in decades of study and experience. But in today’s world, journalists are king. I have also felt bemused at the vicious opposition of all the newspaper editors to free entry of competition from the Western world in their field while they are fearless champions of competition in all other domains. It also seemed odd sometimes that while journalists were so free in attacking the she...