Has Indian Media broadened its Reach only to Narrow its Focus?

Small Screen. Big Strides. Bigger Challenges:

The current phase in the evolution of television in India is in many ways an improvement over the one that it followed- the time when Doordarshan was the only channel available to Indian viewers. The owners of TV media have realized that in a country of over a billion, the audience cannot possibly be a homogenous lot. Today, with so many channels already on air and so many more ready to be launched in the near future, the viewer seems spoilt for choices. As rival networks vie with each other to occupy the top spot in TRP ratings, competition between them has intensified and resulted in an inundation of programs. In a way, the attempt of the media has been to cater to the diverse needs and interests of their collective audience. From 24- hour news channels to 24- hour cartoon channels to 24- hour science and technology channels- television in India shows it all. Also, most major private networks have diversified and are running many channels at the same time, each airing programs of a genre different from the other. In India alone, the STAR TV network, for example, runs as many as seventeen channels that include Star Plus, several regional language channels, and Star Cricket.

And yet, there are more than a few voices that have expressed dissatisfaction with the way television in India in shaping up. They say that while the number of programs has multiplied many times over ever since the inception of the cable age in India, the quality of the same has remained stagnant.

The most vociferous protests against the narrowness of focus of TV programs have come against two widely popular genres of programs- News and general entertainment. In a recent interview, Sevanti Ninan, media columnist and editor, the Hoot, said, ”Liberalization has led to the media targeting readers as consumers rather than citizens. There is a burgeoning of frothy supplements, loads of newsprint devoted to non-issues… Media is increasingly targeting the upwardly mobile consumers in their cities. It's a serious issue because agriculture, education, employment and health need more coverage than they presently get. We have lots of space devoted to food as a lifestyle thing. None devoted to hunger which stalks substantial sections of the population.” What applies to print journalism holds true for television too. IIMC professor Pradeep Mathur says,” Television media has actually started catering to the needs and interests of only fifty per cent of the country’s population. Their focus is almost entirely on the middle and upper class, urban and educated people of India, which has rendered invisible the issues and concerns of the vast majority of the poor and the voiceless Indians”. So like the current boom in economy, the expansion of the media’s reach is limited to certain segments of the society. High profile arrests and scandals, Bollywood, cricket and the stock market hog most of the space on television news. In a lecture to the Radio and TV students of IIMS, media personality Suhasini Haider articulated a disheartening fact- the Aishwarya Rai- Abhishek Bachchan wedding got around 1200 hours of media coverage, while farmers’ suicides in Vidarbha, even at their peak, got less than 200. Lifestyle and movie based shows run uninterrupted for the whole year, while the Uphaar Cinema fire, the Kanishka Bombing, and the Bhopal Gas tragedy get media attention only on their respective anniversaries.

Ironically, the coverage of even the few favorite subjects of the media lack critical and in- depth analysis, and remains superficial, predictable and one- sided. Most TV channels fail to focus on more than just a few aspects of a person or issue. Rakhi Sawant is almost always portrayed as a loud- mouthed, shallow opportunist. Shah Rukh Khan is always the adorable, down- to- earth superstar. All of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial vetures are pronounced flawless and average around eight and a half stars out of five in most film review shows. Tendulkar loyalists all but convince viewers of his ability to dominate international cricket till 2038. Very few channels have the ability (courage?) to explore previously ignored angles that might lead to uncomfortable questions to revered individuals or institutions. Most prefer paying lip service to ‘heroes’ while simultaneously entrapping and maligning non- entities like Shatki Kapoor.

Graham Greene once said, “Media is a word that has come to mean bad journalism”. As far as news channels are concerned, the mad rush for high TRPs, which in turn result in better revenues, have resulted in many of them focusing less on the authenticity and relevance of news stories, and more on how to captivate the attention of the viewers, even if it means sensationalizing an issue or misrepresenting/ doctoring facts. Investigative journalism that once exposed, say, miscreant politicians or botched government policies, has now given way to cheap, sensationalist sting operations whose success depends upon how well they can stimulate base, voyeuristic tendencies of viewers. The recent Uma Khurana fiasco is a case in point. Today, all know the truth that Ms. Khurana was the victim of a ghastly conspiracy. Yet, what nags our conscience is that the mental and physical torture of an innocent woman could have been prevented had Live India bothered to first check the validity of the accusing reporter’s allegations before airing the false news. In fact, the growing dependence of TV news media on sting operations highlights the disturbing fact that between the challenging path of smart investigation, focused research and objective analysis, and short cuts that involve deceit and entrapment to grab damning audio/ visuals, more and more media people are opting for the latter.

Television news on the whole has become so cluttered with superfluous non- information that the search of a viewer for relevant news on TV often becomes an exasperating exercise. A viewer who switches on his/her TV to get information on, say, the current stand- off between the BJP and the JD (S) in Karnataka might first have to suffer a slew of senseless ‘news’ stories such as those on Sai Baba’s miraculous, self- elongating garland, the ‘reincarnation’ of Kalpana Chawla as a little girl from Khurja, or the existence of ‘ghosts’ in a locked room of a police station in Jaunpur before being obliged with a coverage on the Karnataka government issue.

Amidst this pandemonium of important and frivolous news, true and fabricated sting- operations, and biased and judgmental coverage, the focus on truth or the larger picture often gets lost. The coverage of, say, police’s arrests of sex workers invariably project sex workers as criminals to be shunned, instead of looking into the grim reality of the situation that forced these women to the margins of the society.

American advertising executive William Bernbach once said, “All of us who professionally use the media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level.” As people involved in the business of TV programming in India, we need to realize this. It is important for us to get rid of our myopic visions and broaden our reach in the true sense. If we resolve to reach out to the masses of the nation and develop a critical, multi- perspective take on issues, we can rest assured of the present success of television to sustain in the long run.

Anupriya Kumar

Female President:A reason to celebrate?

Why do I, an avowed feminist, not feel ecstatic at the news of a woman being chosen as a contestant for the post of the president of India? Why do I find the assertion made by a normally astute journalist like Vinod Mehta, that the UPA government’s decision to float Pratibha Patil’s name as its candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections is a reason for advocates of gender equality to rejoice, a highly misplaced one?

The answer is simple enough- I do not see this incident as an outcome of any larger, sustained effort on the part of the government, or rather, successive governments in India to bring about meaningful and far- reaching improvements in the life of the average Indian woman. Instead, the sordid reality behind this facade is the UPA’s desire to play a political masterstroke, a clever tactic that seeks to get a low- profile presidential candidate who’ll remain grateful to those who’ve brought her instant fame and, in all probability, might help her secure the most prestigious office of the nation, while also aiming at rendering voices, that are skeptical about and dissatisfied with its (UPA’s) gender related policies, silent. Indeed, it appears that the UPA hopes to use the benign, motherly appearance of a woman, who is nevertheless competent enough to have been the governor of a state, as the pretty wall hanging that hides the rotting patch of wall behind it. The female literacy rate continues to be abysmally low. Female infanticide has become the norm in some of the country’s most well off regions. The passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill seems like a distant possibility that might or might not be realized. A woman presidential candidate will be able to veer public attention away from certain highly disturbing facts as far as the current social, political and economic status of Indian women is concerned.

Or so the UPA thinks. As a nation that has finally arrived at an awareness of the ingenious games politicians play to fool those very people who vote them into power in the first place, we should refuse to be duped by the government’s latest act of appeasement. Let us not allow our politicians to get away with a gesture that only seems grand and noble, but remains, all the same, a mere gesture. A female president is not, and can never be an adequate substitute for equal opportunities in education, jobs and legislature, or freedom from domestic violence and physical and mental harassment at work for women. The personal success and achievements, however phenomenal, of isolated individual women hardly indicates overall prosperity of women in general. After all, if this were true, wouldn’t Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan or Khaleeda Zia’s/ Sheikh Haseena’s Bangladesh have been paradise on earth for women, or at least more liberated than, say the USA, which we Indians keep mocking as a country which has never had a woman as its president?

The Problem with Beauty Pageants

Beauty pageants in the modern times have been a rage with people in countries across the world ever since 1950s. In India, the idea of a beauty contest caught popular imagination in 1994. I clearly recall that as a curious pre-teenager with an infinitely impressionable mind, I had rejoiced at the news of Sushmita Sen becoming the first Indian woman to clinch the coveted Ms Universe title in 1994. The country was still riding the joy wave of the tall and elegant Ms Sen’s victory when later that year, another Indian girl Aishwarya Rai ‘beat’ contestants from as many as 87 countries to take home the Miss World title. Many more ‘Miss Indias’ followed suit. In short, in the period from mid till late 90s, India became the new ‘Venezuela’ of beauty pageants. The Indian beauty, long neglected by the western world, had finally ‘arrived’.
Time shatters many-a-reassuring illusions. As I grew up, I became increasingly aware of the unfair nature of these contests and the insidious effect they have upon society in general and young women in particular. Firstly, while most contemporary, struggling-to-be-politically-correct organizers of beauty contests might shout at the top of their voices that these contests are as much about ‘brains’ as they are about ‘external appearances’, the truth remains that these contests are open to only those women who possess a certain ‘look’. This means that you might be the author of a Nobel- nominated book, winner of an international Sudoku contest, and have an IQ of 169, unless you are tall, slim, and ‘sharp-featured’, you cannot come even remotely close to being considered a potential beauty contestant. And as nearly all beauty contestants are almost equally tall, slim and sharp-featured, they appear to the layperson’s eyes, not a group of individuals with distinct identities of their own, but a bunch of identical clones whose only claim to individuality are their finger print reports. To make matters worse, once a girl enters the contest, she is made to undergo a rigorous ‘grooming’ session by the end of which, she acquires the walk, smile and accent of a kind which is common to thousands of girls besotted with the idea of wearing a silly tiara and an even sillier smile, and waving to a crowd which is wondering,” is this Ms Armenia, or Ms Albania, or just a big Mis(s) take?”
Another worrying aspect of beauty pageants is the shockingly systematic way in which they label a certain look ‘perfect’ for the entire womankind. If the winner of a ‘beauty’ contest is tall, fair, thin and sharp- featured, then the winner of an ‘ugly’ contest will invariably be a woman who is short, fat, dark and, (for want of a better adjective) blunt- featured. This clear demarcation between good and bad looks is reinforced by a certain enormously powerful and influential section of the media, which gets paid in millions by cosmetic companies, weight-reduction and other appearance- enhancing clinics. The average woman finds it hard to remain indifferent to such an overwhelmingly influential marketing propaganda, and develops a sense of dissatisfaction regarding her appearance. Those who don’t boast of the perfect 34-24-36 vital stats are often pushed, consciously or unconsciously, into indiscriminate fasting, excessive and unplanned exercising, or even taking weight reduction pills. Such desperate measures often take a toll on their health, and weaken their bodies’ ability to resist diseases, cause anorexia, fatigue, anxiety and even depression in the long run.
The solution to this problem of course lies in our minds. While it might be easier said than done, we should ensure that our desire to remain healthy takes precedence over the longing to possess thin (mal- nourished?) bodies. Starving yourself to death might ensure you a beauty contest title today, but eating a proper, healthy diet promises a better tomorrow. Also, one must also take heart from the fact that even in today’s materialistic world intelligence, manners, and most importantly, kindness and compassion are respected much more than fair complexions, tall stature, large eyes and sharp noses. You can, even today, choose between Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta on the one hand, and Mother Teresa and Dr.Kiran Bedi on the other as your role models.
So what are you waiting for? Go ahead. Take your pick.

India at 60:what next?

India at 60: what next?
India poised. This is what an imposing billboard tells me every day I pass it by on my way from home to my beloved college in north campus. I travel by the Delhi metro, feel proud of it and rejoice at the news that more Indian cities will soon get the gift of efficiently-run and well-maintained metro railway in the near future. The dazzling malls, impressive high-rise corporate offices and glittering multiplexes in Gurgaon and Bangalore impress Indians and visiting foreigners alike. The GDP is pegged at an all-time high of 9.2% for the current fiscal, more and more foreign companies are exploring Indian markets and finding them an attractive destination for massive, long- term investments, Indian business houses like are quadrupling profits and merrily buying out international giants, the latest example being the much in news takeover of Corus by Tata Sons, and Indians living abroad are making their presence felt in their chosen fields, be it science, medicine, business, or arts and entertainment. The green revolution has resulted in a steep rise in domestic food production and has therefore ensured that India no longer suffers the humiliation of begging the western world for poor quality food grains in order to feed its hungry millions, and has also brought India to a position where it can help other nations meet their food requirements. Health care provided by several hospitals, with exceptionally well trained and qualified medical staff and state-of-the-art technology, is at par with the best in the world. Roads are the backbone of a country’s infrastructure, and the ambitious ‘Golden Quadrilateral Project’ aims at strengthening this very backbone. Apart from ensuring faster movement of people and finished goods, this project will result in quicker transportation of agricultural produce from villages to town and will therefore benefit rural and urban development programs alike. Nehru’s brainchild, the IITs, along with IIMs and several colleges in universities across the country are counted among some of the world’s best higher education institutions. Alumni of these colleges have proved themselves to be exceptionally capable of handling positions of responsibility as teachers, administrators, political leaders, sociologists, scientists, theatre personalities, movie makers, painters, doctors, engineers, and so on, and have thus contributed positively in the emergence of post- colonial India as a strong, dynamic, confident, and increasingly self- dependent nation.
To catalogue all of India’s achievements in the past 60 years is an uphill task, as there are just so many of them. Yet, today, the position that most of us find ourselves in is one which oscillates between the two extremes of tremendous optimism about what the future holds for us and scepticism regarding our ability, as a collective force, to overcome factors which can act as potential hindrances in our path to progress. In fact while we have been enormously successful in fields as diverse as space exploration programs and the IT sector, our sense of pride at these accomplishments diminishes a bit when, a closer look at the graph of the country’s development reveals some rather discomforting, below par performance in certain key areas. Inadequate focus on primary education, especially in rural areas, has resulted in only a marginal improvement in the country’s literacy rate, which is currently 59.5%, a far cry from what can be deemed even remotely respectable. A list of individual Indian women like Ms. Indira Nooyi, Dr. Kiran Bedi, late Ms. Kalpana Chawla and Ms. Shabana Azmi who’ve disregarded gender barriers, and combined hard work, perseverance and sheer genius with certain favourable factors such as great educational opportunities and supportive families to reach the acme of achievement in their chosen fields will be a seemingly endless one. But the high rate of female foeticide and abysmal sex ratio of the country as a whole and of some of the most economically advanced states such as Punjab, Haryana and the NCR in particular, throws light on continuance of a rigidly patriarchal society in which gender bias still appears commonplace. As other aspects of life get increasingly modernized, one observes an alarming rise in the hypnotic influence of extreme right- wing groups such as the Bajrang Dal over large sections of people from all over the country. Not even the most bullish week in the history of the Bombay Stock Exchange salvages the nation’s pride when dented irreparably by such monstrous acts such as the Godhra and post- Godhra riots, or the spine- chilling burning alive of Graham Staines and his two sons by frenzied religious fanatics. Reliance’s newest petrochemical refinery might make their Jamnagar project appear child’s play, and the Tatas might declare their intentions of taking over the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto tomorrow, but as long as we keep getting such interesting news through newspapers delivered to us by malnourished, half- clothed child immigrants from Bihar and eastern UP, we’ll continue to languish at an embarrassing 126th position in the Human Development Index. The inhuman beating up of peacefully protesting Honda workers in Gurgaon, the recent Nithari massacre and the brutal atrocities perpetrated by police and army in sensitive areas such as Kashmir and Manipur, all reinforce the disheartening conclusion that unless your status equals that of someone like say, the head of Adobe in India, you’ll find it tough getting recognized as someone who holds the right to demand social justice. Hyderabad might be hailed as the IT capital of the country, but this information means little to the families of those farmers from Andhra Pradesh who are driven to suicide due to failure of crops every year.
At this crucial point in time, the immortal words said by Pundit Nehru on the glorious eve of India’s independence almost sixty years ago, come back to our minds. He had also said that freedom and power brings responsibility. Today, several of us find ourselves vested with great freedom and power, and therefore, with the responsibility of bringing about a meaningful change in the lives of the less privileged majority. There are several ways of doing this. A balance needs to be achieved between say, inviting MNCs to set up base in India and ensuring that they do not violate environmental standards while building offices and factories and also provide ample compensations to the project affected persons (PAPs). To decongest big cities like Delhi and Mumbai, immigrants should be provided with enough reasons to stay back in their native states by focussing on infrastructural development in not just the metros, but also in smaller capital cities like Patna and Ranchi. Governments should dare to dream big, as dreaming big is the first step towards achieving big. There is no reason, for example, for there to be only a single AIIMS or a single Delhi University in a country of over a billion. Just as every village deserves a primary school and a dispensary, every stat in the country deserves at least one fully equipped hospital and a well- run university. Adequate funds should be poured in rural development programmes to make them attractive enough to young, energetic individuals to be able to turn their backs to the currently much more alluring prospects in bigger cities. Most importantly, the nation should strive, as a whole, to take firm stands on issues of national interest. If a government dares to misuse tax money, or chooses to do nothing to stop the mass murder of a particular community, the rest of the nation should make it clear that they won’t stand such regressive policies by voting it out of power in the next elections.
Finally, to go back to Nehruji’s words, and modify them a bit, the achievement of 60 years of independence marks not the beginning of a period of rest, but one of incessant striving, to end the poverty and ignorance of the suffering millions, to wipe every tear from every eye. And as long as we fail to realize the great visionary’s dream, our task will be deemed far from over.