Hold Up The Mirror

Media Responsibility

From Chandra Swami to Asaram Bapu, it appears that most godmen thrive under a political umbrella. Regardless, one felt sorry for the thousands of ignorant and illiterate devotees present inside the ashram. Most followers had come from the villages of UP, Bihar, MP and Jharkhand. And many, according to a report in the Times of India, had become devotees after listening to Rampal on Sadhana TV and Nepal 1. 

While reporters were upset about police brutality against the media, and viewers were blaming the politicians, what about media responsibility?

Click here and more on The Hoot. 

You Are Not Invited

Obama Mehman, Pakistan Pareshan

Modi Hit, Sharif Chit

While surfing channels, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon such brilliance on our Hindi news channels. The ticker writers can convert any issue into a joke. But who can blame these rhyming maestros when invitation politics is playing on the political terra firma.

There was a time, when family members were slighted by not inviting them for a family wedding. Likewise, the Congress party decided to ignore the PM by not inviting him for Jawaharlal Nehru's birthday celebrations. Since we all know who takes the final call in the Congress party, looks like someone in the Khangress really hates someone with a beard.

Was the PM offended? I don’t know. What I know is that our pollies are watching too many serials. And I blame Ekta Kapoor for this messy state of affairs. Because the juvenile act of inviting all the parties except the BJP, seems to be inspired by 'Kabhie Souten, Kabhie Saheli' or some such serial, where women plot vicious schemes to torment each other. So clearly, a malevolent matriarch is not exclusive to television serials.Or Bollywood.

If you think I am talking through my hat, why did the ‘rebel-with-no-cause’ decide to share a platform with her arch rival Sitaram Yechury, during the commemoration of Jawaharlal Nehru’s 125th birth anniversary? Such was her rage against the Rightists that she found solace in the presence of the Leftists! It was a crummy spectacle of all the kids joining hands to beat the class monitor with a secular stick. 
Several other cliches pile up like a regressive serial where enemy’s enemy becomes a friend. Lalu and Nitish, for instance. Which is why, according to a fuming  ‘rebel-with-no-cause’, a conspiracy was hatched to indict her right hand man only because she attended a party where the class monitor was not invited. In retaliation, our Kolkatta girl refused to attend the all party meet, even though she was invited. The plotting and the scheming are getting murkier by the day. Why, when folks are allegedly staging bomb blasts, even national security is off limits! Because it is not important to succeed - it is important that others fail.

And now after the masterstroke of inviting President Obama, missiles are going to fly this Republic Day. That Obama accepted the invite with such alacrity has already caused some heartburn. I am expecting another round of invitation vendetta.What if some sycophants organize a yagna to pray for a downpour on the Republic Day? As a result, what if Mommy and Sonny are not invited for the state dinner? What if only Shashi Tharoor from the Congress is invited? The possibilities are immense. Again, because it is not important to succeed - it is important that others fail.

For now, it seems that our Man of Action is not bothered by these petty games. All good, as long as his love for his own voice does not turn a blind eye to all the other voices.

Also on Huffington Post.

Like Really?

Looks like I was un-friended for not liking her likeable pictures.

Going by the social media tradition, if you don't click the 'like' button on my posts, I will un-follow you. You un-follow, I shove you on the restricted list. You shove me on the restricted list, I un-friend you. You un-friend me, I block you. A blow for a blow. 

Sometimes perceptions of ourselves are built more on 'likes' and retweets. Lately, I find that the ‘Like’ button is losing its likability among like-minded people. There was a time when you were a nobody unless a hundred ‘Likes’ popped up on your update. Not anymore. Overall, I sense Facebook and blogging fatigue. Do you?

Moreover, youngsters detest the fact that oldies have captured their sacred turf – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. A US based social media analysis says, “Facebook is the third-oldest social platform, behind Yelp and LinkedIn, with only 20 percent of its users under 24”. Going by this study, I can totally see myself as a pestering Aunty. Almost Mataji-ish. I wouldn’t blame the young for abandoning social media and moving towards dating apps like Tinder.

Now that the ‘Likes’ are not the same like before, the Urban Dictionary tells me about a flirting option on Instagram called ‘Deep Liking’. This is where you scroll through personal photo collections of your muse and ‘Deep Like’ the pictures as a sign of interest. For the ignorant, ‘Deep Liking’ is like Chetan’s Half Girlfriend. It is an emotion stronger than ‘like’ but not as strong as ‘love’. Get it? No? Ignoramus, looks like you are above forty. 

Urban Dictionary also tells me that ‘Deep Like’ is a way to say ‘love’ while avoiding cheesiness. Frankly, to me, this ‘Deep Like’ looks exactly that - cheesy. And creepy. See, its fine when teens ‘Deep Like’ pictures on Instagram. Given that we are an emotional Shaukeen nation, what if we end up ‘Deep Liking’ everything that has boobs? It can be traumatic for some.

Far away from the digital age, I belong to a generation where any fascination for the opposite gender was expressed via Archies cards, song requests and awkward questions, ‘Can we be friends?’ Back then, being a friend was special - unlike the present times where a virtual friend’s pet dog can also send you a friend request. Of course, flirting with a ‘Deep Like’ button is insanely easy compared to risking a tight slap from the girl. In all likelihood, this button is called ‘Deep Like’ because it takes a lot of patience and dedication to scroll past scores of pictures. Today, in the digital age, 'Deep Liking' is like writing handwritten love letters. Imagine the pain of actually finding a pen, straining the carpals while writing legible alphabets, occasionally checking the dictionary, sealing the envelope, licking images of national icons in order to paste them and traveling long distances to find a letter box!
But times have changed. Like, really. So even if you feel that I sound like Sunehri from Dhoom - like a dumbo, do like the post on social media. 

Did you just ‘Deep Like’ it? Let’s leave that to the teens.

 Like is good. 

Trust TOI to tell us all about Deep Liking

Will The Pills Work?

 

Suggestions, Advice, Counsel, Opinions....Is The Patient Listening?

Advice, they say, is one commodity in the market where supply always exceeds demand. After the Congress’s debacle in Maharashtra and Haryana, political analysts and editors are offering advice on how the Congress party should fight a resurgent BJP.
Let's look at what political pundits are saying about the comatose Congress party. Hell yeah, we need a credible opposition. Is the Congress party willing to swallow the pills? Will the pills work?And what about the side effects? Read the entire article on The Hoot.