(Heart) Breaking News !!!!

Police crying hoarse for the crowd to go back as they want to take control…. Most of the people run back… We can hear the cries, whistles, shouts ……….and suddenly form the corner of the screen we see Barkha Dutt disobey the earnest call of the hawaldaar and walk across to the scene of encounter saying “Though police are not letting us closer to the scene of encounter….but this is NDTV exclusive .”………… Exclusive …huh?

Or picture this, a hapless hostage / foreigner escapes from Taj helped by the fire brigade. The emotions on his face reflects, fear, relief, happiness, stress, all in one. His prerogative seems to run for his life, board the first flight into the arms of his beloved wife and kids. But hey, as he scurries across for his life he is intercepted by the terror of the other kind, media correspondent from Times Now. Questions come thick and fast and LOUD !!! “What’s the scene inside? Is everyone dead? Did you see the Terrorist? Was he having 2 eyes, 1 nose, 2 legs ….”. As if this wasn’t enough for this hapless victim of terrorism of many kinds, even before he finishes his download with Times Now, he is yanked by the one and only Rajdeep Sardesai for his channel. Rajdeep barks, “Were you scared? Were you scared? …………”. On the screen on CNN IBN it flashes BREAKING NEWS … Voice of a Hostage !!! huh?

I must say I was glued onto these channels for the 60 odd hours that this carnage was on. And I was bewildered every minute by this ghastly, on your face, over the top, contradictory, irresponsible, ludicrous reportage. Well we all at some point or other mock the Hindi news programs like Sansani and the over the top journalism that has become the face of Hindi journalism. But to see some of the biggest names of Indian journalism take to Sensationalism and what I call “keep-talking-without-breathing-no-full stop” method. So much so, that once I turned off the TV I could hear the sheer high decibel shrieks of Arnab/Barkha/Rajdeep trinity from other TV sets in the neighborhood.

As if the high decibels and oft contradictions weren’t enough, with every passing hour the coverage became more and more explicit like a ball by ball commentary. Like many I started absorbing every sound byte but as the incident prolonged into the day 2 morning and the visuals of NSG commandoes taking positions at various strategic points of the exterior of Taj, I realized …”hey, their body language suggests that they are trying to avoid the vision of the Terrorists inside… but are they really succeeding?”. And then the realization dawned…. To me and not to these news channels that may be we are feeding crucial information to these terrorists. If the interview with the terrorist holed up in the Nariman House as blatantly telecasted by the notorious India TV is to be believed the voice of this Jehadi Rockstar only confirmed our worst fears … “….Aapke channels par hamne Mr. Karkare aur unki taiyari ko dekha tha (Bullet proof jacket…etc.). Unke chehre mein goli maari humne ”.

By day 3 some channels like NDTV and Star NEWS had started using statements like “Not to give away crucial information..”. A realization that came a bit too late. However, Arnab and his shameless Times Now Crew continued beaming the exact numbers and position of Army, Marcos and NSG positions around Trident (“….7 commandos are on the adjacent NCPA building..”). Meanwhile, the other channels started bringing in the high socialites hungry for some cheap publicity – Shobha De, Bachchi Karkaria (looking like a cosmetic factory expressing deep sorrow at the possible death of Sabina Saikia who had apparently come to Mumbai only to attend her daughter’s wedding …..I could never see the anguish, the desperation….may be the high socialites have been trained to hide those), Jawed Jaffery, Anil Dharker, and that big mouth Mahesh Bhatt….. all of whom declaring war against Pakistan, calling for the heads of the politicians ….(Shobha De even saying – “I can’t believe they have done this to the Taj. The Taj is the symbol of affluence and the rich of Mumbai. I have been courted here, I got married here and my daughter’s marriage was supposed to happen here in a month’s time ……………they cannot get away with something like this. We need to retaliate…”). Somewhere here Shyam Benegal castigated Barkha for being confined to the so called Urban Affected areas and ignoring the largest body count area at CST where the victims were the faceless / nameless common man. Suddenly the look on Barkha’s face for a second was that of horror “Of my God…. Have we crossed the line….OMG… did we make it apparent – our bias for the affluent few….. OMG… did we show our true colors…”

Yes, you did !!! There are many ways things could have been different and media could have done it differently:

• You could have acted with a bit of restraint, respect and responsibility. This would have resulted in a bit more well thought out editing and only the necessary bits would have been shown to the world. This would have done the job of informing us, at the same time keeping crucial clues, gory incidents (which could propagate fear etc.), insensitive footage (Hostage hounded just after being rescued) could have been avoided.
• You could have sent responsible and experienced reporters with clear briefs to the ground zero. The clear brief should have included a clear understanding that “we will in no manner jeopardize the rescue operation by either coming in their way, or by showing uncalled for information without permission”. You could have held back your editors at the center (Barkha, Rajdeep and Srinivasan). Editors on the forefront do not make the correct job of editing …they get emotional and jump into this rat race of breaking news.
• You can be less emotional. We can see those crocodile tears, those artificial tremors in your voice and those completely farcical arms around someone gestures. Your job is to report do that crisply, WITHOUT HAMMING and get over with it. I was following the Obama election and 26/11 on CNN too and I must say the professionalism and discipline with which they do their job is light years ahead of our stalwarts.
• You could have shown the complete effect of this by including coverage from CST and Cama Hospital and thereabouts. The media completely got hypnotized with the urban glamour of Taj (maybe because it was still on…nevertheless….I felt there was a lot of glamorous people hanging around these monuments which could have acted better for the TRP race). Mr. Benegal’s slap kind of worked wonders because all the channels started all of a sudden focusing on CST and only CST. All of a sudden there were heroes emerging from the announcing section of the station, all of a sudden another footage from another camera came out, all of a sudden we found heroes from the survivors there….
• You could have avoided from igniting this Pak bashing and cry for war emotions within people. Your job is to report and not propagate emotions. Prannoy roy coming on air and saying “Let’s say Enough is enough…”. While it does show media has its pull but you mustn’t have forgotten your responsibility.

All in all it was sad to see this carnage of 26/11 carry on for over 60 hours before the last Terrorist was apprehended and killed. Yet our media hysteria made me wonder whether without these irresponsible reportage (exposing all our action plans in advance to the attackers), we might have saved 100 odd lives, we might have apprehended and killed these cowards couple days earlier, we might have had the Rabbi and his wife still alive and Moshe not being an orphan, we could have had Mr Karkare, Mr. Salaskar, Mr. Kamte, Mr. Unnikrishnan, and others living honorably ……………..but then our beloved channels wouldn’t have managed to defeat “Jis Desh mein nikla hoga chaand” in TRP.

Truly Heart Breaking !! If anyone manages to come by this way and reads my blog, my sincere appeal to you is watch 9X news…they at least have some heart, they are responsible and operate with a lot of respect and restraint.

Will the next Mahatma….Please Stand Up!!!

I teach and train on Leadership and the simplest definition that I could ever find for that word has been - the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal.

I have been trying to understand what will it take from the present scenario post the carnage in Mumbai to make this term credible, and respectable to the citizens of Republic of India? Well as the definition throws up the critical terms – “Motivating”, “Achieving”, and “Common Goal”.

Motivation can be defined as, Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role, or subject, and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal. Motivation is the energizer of behavior and mother of all action.

The present circumstances have certainly got the nation fired up for all wrong reasons. The demands for War, Cries for attacking our neighbors, inflammatory remarks on our political system (some even bordering on causing physical harm to some of our leaders), scrutiny on the security cover of our VIP etc etc. As per the definition above half of it has worked – the part of desire and energy to get interested in certain activities, but the real issue in India has been the second part i.e. to be committed to a subject and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal.

So, as we look forward, the leadership has to come forth with these definitions intact. The way forward needs to be an era that has the people of India at the center or focal point of all plans. We need a leadership that’s dynamic, empathetic, intellectual, young, secular (in the true sense of it), knowledgeable, strategic, VISIONARY and “Kool”. India demands this and this is non negotiable.

The more I think, the more I get drawn to Mahatma Gandhi. His dynamism, empathy, intellect, youth (at heart and mind), secularism, knowledge (a qualified and well read Lawyer), Strategy, VISION (Independent India) and Kool (Bapu was a hit with kids, youth, and old alike). He arrived from South Africa and almost immediately gripped the combined imagination of the entire country and the British. He gave that Vision, purpose or as the definition of Leadership suggested above – “Common Goal”. He motivated the entire country to use the non violence path to earn their independence – this motivation lasted for several years till we finally earned the goal, it wasn’t a mere curiosity, interest or excitement. It was a cause which the entire nation got aligned to and were dedicated and determined to achieve it.

Sadly post independence it was our own countrymen who didn’t let the philosophy of Bapu or his ideals on modern independent India, percolate down to the mindsets of the citizens, who were looking upto him for further direction. It was never the same after his departure. As if Nehru – Jinnah turf war wasn’t enough, post his departure started the turf wars of another kind. The so called Congress – Non Congress wars and thus emerged the political landscape of modern India.

But if we look back and introspect, Bapu, had the charisma, the ability, the “Stuff” to be that one Leader who could have captured the imagination of the entire nation and led it to the next level. In short though that system of leadership gives a lot of authority to one man nevertheless that would have ensured we followed a Visionary.

Gandhism or Gandhigiri, whatever way we look at it, has been a philosophy that will hold true even after 200 years. Bapu didn’t live for a short term gain. He lived and breathed for India of the future. His actions, thoughts of equality, empowerment, education, etc. are very contemporary and if followed today can create a super prower mindset in each one of us that is lacking. Bapu, wanted us to be proud of our country. He wanted us to think and work (do our own bit) for our country. He taught us to hold our head high. Be assertive. Be united. And not to resort to Violence.

We see shades of Gandhi in Mandela, in Obama, in Kennedy and in their times all these have been successful, impactful, credible, respectable and popular figures. Its time India – the land of Gandhi, develops the next Mahatma who can guide us to our next Goal. Since 1947 India never had a common vision for the country. We seem to be just walking but dunno where to. Its time to demarcate certain goals and align the entire nation to that. Australia did it, Singapore did it, USA did it, Japan did it…. Its time India lines up !!

So lets start the SEARCH for our next Mahatma (Who knows – I might be the one), and our keywords for this Search has to be – VISIONARY, INTELLECTUAL, KNOWLEDGEABLE, TRUE INDIAN, EDUCATED, AWARE, EMPATHETIC, SMART, YOUNG (AT HEART), AND KOOL. And once we get him/her, lets not get the “Anti Incumbency Syndrome”.

Jai Hind !!!

Oh darling !!! Yeh Hai India ...

No, I am not here to vent my ire on the termite ridden, spineless, shameless politicos of India. Barkha, Rajdeep, Arnab, Prannoy has been doing a phenomenal job at it. I am not here to bash the Terrorists as the words, sentiments that I hold for them cannot be expressed in civilized language. I guess someone the other day held a placard at Gateway of India which sort of explained my sentiments

Mr. Terrorist, I am alive..What more can you do?
Mr. Politican, I am alive,
Despite you
I am Alive
I am Mumbaikar
(In my case) .. I am Indian

I am not here to ridicule personalities, intelligence, coast guard etc etc.

I am certainly indebted to the bravado exhibited by our forces and police forces even though our system did try its level best to foil every step that we took towards glory.

I am not here to do any of this. I have been watching news non stop since Wednesday night and seething ……seething at myself. Seething at my ecosystem, seething at our cowardice, non committal “Chalta Hai” mindset, seething at our impotency which has not once but many a times have been the subject of pure “Khilwaad” for forces across border, seething at the way we have continued to accept sheer brainless slobs take political decisions on our behalf, I am seething at no one but myself….What is my contribution to all this that gives me any right to be angry with Manmohan Singh, L K Advani, Narendra Modi, R R Patil, etc. I am responsible for them to be there …I have handed the keys to my house and the responsibility of my safety, to them and now what right do I have to whine, cry, crib against them when I don’t want to come out of the cushy confines of my world to the dirty, pothole ridden roads, porous borders, Female Anopheles ridden environment to complain. Sub chalta hai…. !!! And I let it that way ……my friend …so when time comes I have to pay for my ignorance, my indifference, my callousness !!

Today I wont complain about India. Today I wont put India down compared to the lush green environ of Umrica. Because India isn’t at fault. Its me who is. Its me who dreams of that utopian landscape that I see and salivate while watching the western flicks, yet do nothing to make a similar world for myself.

Thing is “We the people” do not know the real meaning of two critical words – “PRIDE” and “OWNERSHIP”. Hence, at every juncture when we need these two words within us we tend to just look at the other person’s plate and complain about what we don’t have. We will cry hoarse that “my house is bad”, “My roads are pathetic”, “My city is lousiest”, etc etc but seldom do we think “How can I make this a better place?”.

Last few days, what hurt me the most is I chose to accept everything that happened. Of course the calamity wasn’t in my hands, but the aftermath certainly is. Isnt it my right to ask for a safe world? I pay taxes, I vote and then I am not getting anything in return. If this was a deal with a DTH operator and some channels weren’t being beamed into my house I would ravage the last drop of blood from the operator and would demand my money back. So is this different? Why am I still paying taxes? That sort of money if I invest in private security aren’t they going to give me a better chance to live more? Then why give it to this Government, for which the only benefit I get is a Form 16 certifying me as a responsible taxpayer in this country. I don’t get a statement saying where my money has gone? How much of it has been invested in infrastructure, how much in welfare, how much in secutiry etc. Yet I am blissfully clueless and elated at that.

Why do I go and keep voting these Moronic monsters whose entire purpose of existence is to suck people dry of their wealth, peace, sanity and stay happy. Why do we take so much care in choosing companies with the best future plans, leadership team etc when it comes to choosing our jobs and when it comes to something as critical as our country we are just going with “Anti Incumbency Factor”

We salivate and are wide eyed looking at the phenomenon called Barrack Obama, who makes it reality for the age old suppressed clan of African Americans by starting from a garage and making it to the White House because …”Yes He Can”….. Whats stopping me to go out there and put my limited education at use.

Are honesty, discipline, dedication, determination… simply part of English Vocabulory …not virtues that we follow anymore? Why cant we the people seek these qualities when we entrust our beloved country into someones hands.

Are these people – Modi, Mayavati, Laloo, Advani, Shivraj Patil, RR PAtil, Vilasrao, Paswan etc. the best that we have for business. Why cant a Ratan Tata be the prime minister? (I am just throwing a name for the sake of my argument). He has the basic understanding of people. He connects with Rural and Urban India well, he has been leading one of the biggest business houses employing a vast population, his group has always doen business with a lot of transparency and ethics, so why do we not throw up leaders of that stature who will have the desire, capability, knowledge, intellect, courage and composure to make us feel proud of our country.

Don’t let the government take Vilasrao out and unleash another impotent figure of Shushil Kumar Shinde on us ……with us not even saying anything about it? Don’t go out there in the next elections thinking Congress has been ineffective so lets vote for BJP. As someone pointed out in a talk show yesterday that Congress was purely unlucky to have been in power during these testing times…. Too bad. Even if BJP would have been in power nothing substantial would have taken place. All these political parties have one agenda …. That’s self prosperity !! I must admire the single minded focus they have on that one point.

So why I am I here writing this today…!!! I don’t know. Because I have let myself down, not once but everytime I have seen India getting raped and helpless at the hands of some gun totting external forces. My cowardice and indifference will kill me one day ….. and I will still be searching for people whom I can hold responsible for that.

Today, I am clear about one thing, I am proud of India, I am proud of my land, I am proud of being born here, and I know if I want then I can make it a wonderful place. Critical factor is “I”. Its time to join all the “I”s and bring in that “CHANGE”….. !!!

Yes “We” Can…… Oh Darling …yeh hai India !!!