The Alternative Government By Bikram Vohra

The Alternative Government by Bikram Vohra

It's scary. There is an alternative Government in India. It's called
the TV News and it has a Prime Minister called Arnab Goswami who is
the Chief Anchor  and a cabinet of clones who each try to outdo him in
various languages.

This lot spends several hours a day stunning the public into
submission by being obnoxious,impolite, breaking every rule of

journalism, aggressive, imperious, loud and hostile. There is an
overwhelming "I" factor and they now style themselves as saviours of
the Nation.

The sheer breathtaking meanness makes for riveting your viewing till
you realise you are being conned and it is all table thump-ing
theatrics.

The sad part is they actually come up with good subjects that are then
wrecked by a tsunami of babble so that by the end of the show there is
no concept left of the original issue, simply white noise. NRIs are
gradually discovering these visual pundits on their feed but are not
yet wholesale fans.

In recent times their power to create public opinion has been
recharged what with the political developments. In fact American TV
has begun lampooning the shrill texture of the Indian 'Foxes' as they
are being termed.

The scenario is always much the same.

You get 8 tame individuals desperate to be on TV, put them into
pigeonholes and then you whiplash them mercilessly with idiomatic
bombardment...I don't give two hoots about you, Sir, answer my
question, yes  or no, sorry you had  your turn, this is
disgraceful...just an endless barrage of attack.

The trick is no one is allowed to finish their argument and every
answer can be mocked without factual corroboration. It is a smirk
show. On a dozen channels. In different languages. The non English
ones are even more virulent. This bizarre entertainment has many
takers because there is this verbal illusion that these anchors are
bringing up hitherto hidden issues and airing them. True, but where
they could be doing good they are turning everything into frenetic
entertainment.

The issue becomes secondary to the screaming match. And these 

anchors are neither culpable nor accountable, they can say what they 

want without consequences and you  wonder why people volunteer to 

be the pigeons in the coop ready to be defeathered. From my brief 

exposure to these shows they are more part of the problem and not 

the solution.They hold the matchstick to the dry tinderbox that is India

 today and they can ignite it with their malice. Doesn't anybody else 

see that?

(Bikram Vohra has been editor of Gulf News, Khaleej Times, Bahrain
Tribune, Emirates Evening Post and helped in setting up Gulf Today.)
.

Herewith some more comments :

                    

Bikram Vohra Is absolutely right in his observation about the brazen 

display of arrogance by most media channels. Arnab specially takes 

the cake out of all other Idiots. The so called Fourth Estate is in as bad

 hands as the First, Second or Third  for that matter. There is so much of 

aggression and bitterness in the tone and tenor of each Anchor that their 

verbal diarrhoea  remains completely devoid of reason.

     I would ascribe this degradation of debate to the incompetence of

 participating politicians, who even at the cost of suffering humiliation at the 

hands of a few hired pseudo-intellectual, would want to be seen on the screen

 of a TV. Every Channel has a team of  expert media goons, who play to the 

tune of the Anchor most dutifully. Arnab and Rajdeep who lay claim to

 knowledge of every hue pertaining to this world or the world beyond, are

 in their elements these days. Rajdeep, who escaped mugging, during Modi`s 

visit to America, is still nursing his humiliation. Whole world knows about his 

entry and speedy advance into world of media. Kind courtesy Mr Ghosh his 

father-in- law who himself was an outlaw.

       Arnab thnks he knows more than God. He knows every thing about 

politics, science, astronomy, metaphysics and what have you to humble a

 politician, a scientist, an astronomer, a godman and all those who dare to 

question his view point. Other day he was wanting to teach politics to Kiran 

Bedi ,who snubbed him for claiming to be the final stamp on journalism. 

Since than he is not permitting any one from BJP to complete their response

to a question by AAP or Congress. In fact he jumps into the debate as a 

participant with all the repetitive spite at his command.

      Coming to Karan Thapar, he is a despicable character who can not be

 brought on a right path. He is born with a pathological hate for every thing 

said or done good by nationalistic persons or institutions. Indian Military and 

right wing politics bashing are his special forte. He is ably assisted in this sport

 by Shekhar Gupta another loose canon of the Indian media. It will be far more 

easier to count the non-lout lot of this genera.

      What is the remedy?  They are self destructing motor-mouths, which 

have a very short shelf as well self life. Faster they spew venom, 

sooner the end    

THEY ARE ANNOYINGLY LOUD AND BORDER INCIVILITY..

ARNAB HAS  ALREADY PRONOUNCED THAROOR GUILTY WITHOUT

TRIAL. UN DOUBTEDLY SOME PARTICIPANTS ARE DESPERATE TO

BE ON THE TV AND SOME OTHERS,PARTICULARLY FROM ACROSS

THE BORDER, WILL ACCEPT ANY NONSENSE  AGAINST PAYMENT.

KARAN THAPAR HAD BEEN AN OKAY ANCHOR BUT OF LATE EVEN

HE HAS BECOME UNDULY AGGRESSIVE. THESE ANCHORS ARE

TAMED ONLY WHEN SNUBBED BY THE LIKES OF SUBRAMANIAN

SWAMY AND THAKRE WHO ARE EQUALLY OR EVEN MORE MOTOR

MOUTHED .

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