Can India find its due place in the world if its people remain so inward-looking? Do not events in the Ukraine, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Iran, etc., have an impact on the life of an ordinary Indian? Are the people of these and other countries so different that their troubles will not visit India? Is it not important for India’s common citizens to stay abreast of world affairs so that important lessons can be learned and mistakes others have made avoided? Should not the events that take place in India be seen in the larger perspective so that their relative gravity can be properly assessed?
If one were to study the news being purveyed by the media, particularly the much watched TV channels, it would become apparent that they are increasingly transforming into tabloids, obsessed with sensationalisation of trivia and manufacturing controversies. Even serious matters are viewed with a partisan and subjective mindset, with a view to milking the TRPs rather than seeking solutions. Serious, truly informed debate is rarely seen, with the same faces discussing a plethora of subjects.
A significant number of persons might find this excellent entertainment, but how does it prepare them for the serious challenges confronting the nation? Global warming, water conservation, conflict, women’s empowerment, promotion of democracy and understanding its processes, etc., do not find place in the discussions. These issues are parceled out to niche platforms as though they are not the average consumer’s problem. The effort is not being made to connect all these together so that an understanding is obtained of what lies beneath. It would require a lot of hard work and research, and cost a lot. It is so much cheaper to address the baser instincts, provoke anger, hysteria and hate.
They are, after all, providing consumers ‘what they want’. It is perhaps time for enhanced consumer awareness so that the nature of the demand is changed. Media should not be rated by the number of readers or viewers, alone, but also by other criteria. Professional bodies of all kinds should judge media from their points of view – how much it enlightens on issues related to them. Industrialists, lawyers, doctors, economists, farmers, teachers, soldiers, workers, bankers, scientists, traders, et al, should ask if articles and discussions present the true picture – or is it just politics, Bollywood and Cricket that represent the Indian psyche? Indians must understand their role as Earthlings and Human Beings also, before the blinkered vision renders them extinct in the larger scheme of things.
