"REIMAGINING, REDEFINING AND REBUILDING ITS CONTOURS :- THE INDIAN MEDIA, ITS CATAPULT AND METAMORPHOSIS AND BEYOND."

Dear readers,

Contradictory emotions stormed my mind. I was absolutely delighted and overwhelmed to address you all but I also experienced a feeling of trepidation as I had to write about the Indian media today, the watchdog and the 4th pillar of our democracy and I admit that one must exercise due restraint and caution while penning down thoughts on the democratic institutions or its pillars which bear testimony to the triumphs of our vibrant democracy. And therefore I resolve not to be allured and driven by the impetuosity of my thoughts. But somehow I managed to find a bottom line.

Today neutrality seems to be the cardinal rule or the fundamental statute which governs the Indian media fraternity. But let me insert two crucial caveats. First and foremost, neutrality has a very strong tendency to deprave and secondly neutrality and unbias or impartiality which are often perceived to be synonymous are separated by a very thin line of difference.

The idea of a fence sitter or a neutral media is an oxymoron. Media which acts as the purveyor of information and shapes opinion in the public discourse cannot commit the sin of being neutral because it deals with the pressing issues of public interest everyday where there is an evident binary between the black and white, right and wrong and the justified and unjust. The tendency to remain neutral or silent implies choosing the perpetrator over the victim, prioritising political affiliations and vested interests over commitments to patriotism and allowing the spirit of our glorious constitution to be callously lynched by not scrutinizing the echelons of power and not holding them accountable for their policy decisions and actions which may adversely impact the citizenry of India.

Neutrality perpetuates the status quo and it is a glaring weakness since it has no impact and writing about the Indian media is nugatory or futile, if it does not make a thumping impact. The democracy of India has granted the freedom and the liberty to every individual to break every shackle, but still if at all the media remains inclined towards neutrality and remains content with the status quo, I vehemently argue that the media would face the peril of standing at odds with the principles of its own profession and would encounter the precipice of losing its credibility which in turn could initiate its outright collapse.

When I write this, I sense some of you might subject me to your virulent criticism and accuse me of making flippant remarks but with complete temerity, I have the gumption to state that if the Indian media is to be truly free, not only in letter but also in spirit, where it operates in the void of any extraneous influence or pressure, the epicenter of Indian media has to be shifted from the corridors of the concentrator of power in india, "Lutyens Delhi", not only physically, but also psychosomatically. And believe me I am not writing this with any kind of disregard, contempt or animosity towards Delhi ( I have been a student of the University of Delhi) but for the Indian media to be unfettered where its dissent is not chilled and labelled as sedition, where a quid pro quo doesn't prevail and for it to function in an atmosphere where media houses and power structures are not hand in glove and thereby compromises are not concomitant, this step becomes a requisite.

Today our media needs to counter the calumny of lies which are being deliberately spread about India by the western media with the ulterior motive of jeopardizing India's image and I wonder that in India, why do we have a compulsive desire to seek validation from the west. Readers, the western media is sanctimonious by nature and it feels entitled to intervene. In the past, it has ridiculed India's ambitious Chandrayaan, presented India's COVID situation with undue sensation, mocked our COVID-19 vaccination policy by saying it is the "fastest finger first" and very recently it has remarked that the future of India stands at crossroads owing to an ignoramus leadership. Prior to commenting on the level of civilization in India and pontificating undesirable opinion about how to create a convivial understanding between different pluralistic groups in India, the western media should reflect and retrospect as to what was the level of civilization depicted in the acts of sheer vandalism which transpired in the protests of Capitol Hill last year, in the supposed progressive West.

The Indian media has to inculcate the habit of being assertive and persuasive. We have to assert our identity strongly on the face of the hegemony of the west and endeavour to build a strong counter narrative. Unfortunately, we have been so tremendously influenced by the western media that we have allowed their prejudiced views and highly stereotyped and biased opinions to deeply permeate into our conviction of what a resplendent nation India is and let me point out that this is also one of the major reasons responsible for brain drain in India today. Always exulting in acceptance of everything that the west subjects us to would prove to be catastrophic.

What is rather more unpalatable and perturbing is the fact that this agenda driven mockery of India by the west emanates from a particular segment of people within India who are in the noble job of writing opeds and columns for leading publications of the west and in turn all these people are labelled as experts and intellectuals and further their visions and opinions about India are hailed as seminal by the west. These are the same bunch of people who advocate for the human rights of terrorists, who prey on the vulnerability of issues in India and commit the abhorrent act of imploring certain sections of our population every now and then and who incite vitriolic reactions and protests, demanding the subversion of any new law or policy which comes into force in India. Therefore the Indian media essentially has to counter an enemy within. Absolutely repugnant and indeed what a shame this is!

"The freedom of the media is sacrosanct but by no means absolute" and I write this with the strongest sense of condemnation for the propensity of the media to conduct media trials which are largely based on surmises and raw conjectures. Media trials cannot be labelled as the manifestations of the "Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression". The excessive publicity of the accused or the suspect in the media before the trial in a court of law incriminates a free trial and amounts to undue interference with the administration of justice and further makes an unfair encroachment upon civil rights.

"Constitutional supremacy is the bedrock upon which the edifice of our democracy rests. And if the foundation of the edifice is sought to be altered so as to invest the press and media with unbridled powers, the very edifice would tilt and consequently be weakened to the detriment of the citizens and the democracy itself."

I would miss out on the eternal soul of this blog and won't do justice to it, if I refrain from mentioning the commendable and groundbreaking coverage of some stories done by the Indian media. By catapulting certain issues into the national limelight and by further awakening the public conscience, the media has played a pivotal role. Be it the media's relentless battle in the pursuit of securing justice to Nirbhaya who was robbed of her dignity through the barbaric, dastardly and gruesome act of gangrape, or be it exposing fugitives absconding the law, or be it the sensational revelation of scams CWG, 2G, Hawala, Adarsh Housing successively one after the other, implying zero tolerance to corruption, the Indian media has been the voice of a raging population and has somewhat tried to immerse itself into the depths of truth and reality and all these stories have indeed proved to be watershed moments in the history of independent India.

To conclude, a subjugated and submissive Indian media would be a blemish on our democracy. A media which is confrontational at the core is sine qua non for a robust democracy. The media of this nation cannot live inside an echo chamber and it shall not shield itself inside the veil of neutrality. The voice of our media has to reverberate, it has to be loud, it cannot be a whimper. The Indian media shall keep pace with the evolving times but yet shall not detach itself from the issues of the common people in India. And finally our media should demolish and obliterate all the conscious efforts of the west to malign India by building strong counter narratives which resonate at the global front.

"No force on earth can stop an idea whose time has come." It is imperative to reinvigorate the Indian media without an iota of doubt, for it to be progressive and not retrograde. Pondering upon the ideology and course of action, our media would adopt in the long run would imply entering the domains of a speculative territory.

But I write with absolute certitude, that the next few years would witness a media revamp, rejuvenation and metamorphosis in India where the Indian media would break all barriers, fathom the unfathomable and re imagine, redefine and reinvent its contours but with a reasonable sense of self regulation. 

Small waves of change would soon transform into the most turbulent tides. I shall take your leave with these powerful words :- 

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom because no one can ride you unless your back is bent."

My Dear Readers,

The rest I leave to your wisdom and your fine sense of judgement.

Do drop in your valuable thoughts in the comment section!

Please do abide by the social distancing protocols. Stay safe!

"दो गज दूरी, मास्क है ज़रूरी।"