Monday, July 13, 2009

I hate you but can't ignore you. Grow up Indian media

Another weekend gone. Another tragedy witnessed. Not one but many. Two most significant - 1) around 35 policemen killed in a naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, 2) 6 metro workers die in a bridge collapse in Delhi. Observe the order in which I've put it. I have lots of respect to the metro bridge collapse dead. But which is more important? According to me, it is the naxal menace which is posing a threat to the very democratic polity that India stands for and the very principal that won us freedom - non-violence.

Why do some people think that a metro incident is more important than the tragic incident that happened in Chhattisgarh. We lost so many policemen in the tragedy. Aren't their lives valuable. To be frank, the media hasn't told me yet the final figure. I don't know if it is 35 or if it is 36 or whatever. The media doesn't care. But the death toll in Delhi "rose to 6", according to the reports that I last heard. May be the media is accurate when the toll is in single digits and it "doesn't matter" to make a few this way or that way when the death toll is in its double or triple digits.

India is the international terrorism's worst affected nations or so does one Mr. John Kerry in USA feels. But we do not seem to care much. Body bags don't affect us much. Perhaps because we are a billion strong nation and can spare a few thousands of these innocent police and army personnel to terrorism. But when the "Metro Man", E.Sreedharan resigns, that makes news. For godssake, show some sympathy to the valiant policemen that risked their lives to save other lives in Rajnandangaon (did we even know where it was before this incident?) including a brave young IPS officer, Vinod Choubey. He, like others, might have studied hard, slogging days and nights for months for his UPSC exams. He might have celebrated when he got 100 or so ranking and went into IPS. He like many others might have tried in vain not to be recruited to the police under the Chhattisgarh cadre. He was there, as an SP only to die, ignored. I am not telling that an IPS officer's life is special. I feel very bad especially when I see bodies of jawans lying in a pool of blood. Indian blood, probably, leaves no stains. That's how we forget our dead so easily and move on.

SHAME ON US.

I see another incident at the same Metro site. This time cranes giving up. The media was there to cover this live. Standing there watching the drama unfold, like curious kids. Now this incident is making news. The Chhattisgarh story still hasn't got its share of the headlines yet. And by the time the media flash us their "breaking stories" till the last debris is dusted off, everyone would have forgotten about Chhattisgarh adn "moved on".

This is us. Welcome.

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