Two events yesterday jolted me out of my digital sleep. One was the ab(pre)sence of Salman Rushdie in Jaipur festival and other one being the Indian babies separated from Parents by Norwegian government. Though the two events were not connected, even from timeline perspective, what surprised and shocked me is the media treatment given to these two issues.
While few channels were busy in making programs about how and why Salman Rushdie was not allowed to be even digitally present, they were interviewing him and other “distinguish” panel members, making his presence felt all over the place. His omnipresence was of such magnitude that the organizers cried on the dais, people were shouting slogans in the streets and panelists were fighting whether it was right or wrong! Even the thought whether Rushdie has manipulated the festival! For some time, it looked like he was the only news coming out of Jaipur. Talks about our obsession, isn’t it?
Second issue was of Indian couple in Norway who came on Indian TV after 8 months of Norwegian governments separating the kids from the parents. We had all the masala available to be made as a Bollywood movie – crying parents, emotional grandparents, lawyers, psychiatrists, callers, human right activists, external affair minister etc. You couldn’t have asked for more. In their emotional and cultural right fight with Norwegian government, they had to reach out for help and they did. But what did our channels do? Again, get a distinguish panel, not having a clue on the events that culminated in Norway government taking away the babies and giving them foster homes! All they had to talk about is Norway's cultural insensitivity and cruelty! It would have been evening in Norway but none cared to get their side of the story.
I agree wholeheartedly with filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor’s question in one of the shows – “Why and how have we become so manipulable?”
