Media In India/elsewhere

03-10-2006, 10:31 PM

QUOTEwww.kanchi-sathya.org/
BBC Agrees Vinod Mehta's text was defamatory, removes text from website

Sri. Farokh Merat (over 70 years old, living in Paris) and a team of committed devotees took on the mighty BBC for broadcasting Mr Vinod Mehta's highly defamatory talk on BBC Radio 4 on January 28th & 30th, 2005.

A resolute and determined Sri. Merat was a source of inspiration and steadfast leadership in carrying out a peaceful communication with BBC. Finally he and his team have persuaded BBC that Mr. Vinod Mehta's talk was indeed defamatory and was not based on facts. Completely convinced by the solid proof provided by the Farokh Merat team, BBC has been graceful enough to accept that Mr. Mehta's talk was guilty of defamation and removed the text of the talk from its website. In addition they have also borne a part of the legal expenses incurred.(This effort was funded by more than 20 devotees from different parts of the world including organizations like Satsangham in USA and HCC, Canada).

This is proof indeed of the dignity of the Kanchi Mutt and its devotees and their infinite patience even while dealing with such blatant aggression on the reputation of the Acharyas.

For details from Sri. Merat click here: www.kanchiforum.org/forum...3851#13851

03-11-2006, 07:24 AM

this is the best political comantry show on the cable channel in usa. it is a mock news programm. very wity, very cleaver, very popular. check out all the show clips on their web site. especially the one called Sub-continental divide. its about the 2006 march Bush's visit to india-pakistan. not hilarious. but little funny. lets you know how americans see india.

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_dai...ent/index.jhtml

03-17-2006, 07:37 AM

QUOTEAnatomy of Fourth Estate
MV Kamath

INDIAN MEDIA: ILLUSION, DELUSION AND REALITY, EDITED BY ASHA RANI MATHUR, RUPA, RS 395

What is right - or wrong - with the Indian media? At last count the total number of registered newspapers in India stood at an astounding 55,780 and the total circulation of newspapers at 142 million printed in 101 languages! Right now India is in the midst of a media explosion. Not only are practically all newspapers doing well, Hindi newspapers like Dainik Bhaskar and Dainik Jagran are breaking all circulation records as is the Telugu Eenadu.

Yet doubts are being expressed at the manner in which "national" newspapers are functioning. As SV Sista and Jagdish Rattanani, have noted, currently the media is largely run by a breed of managers who have not been trained to have anything to do with, let alone understand, the complexities of journalism. A deliberate blurring of the lines is noted between the newsroom and the boardroom, the latter in command and the former reduced to a supporting role.

The fact that the glamour brigade has taken its toll on some senior members of the profession so that it is not uncommon to see, hear or read editorial leaders more out of their own news environment. Lack of investment on the news side is leading to a downgrading of journalists practising the trade with no prospect of their growth.

What on earth is happening to the Indian media? It is this subject that has been dissected with remarkable objectivity by a host of distinguished journalists and it is a pleasure to read them. The comments may sound sharp but they are basically fair. P Sainath, for instance, writing on the moral universe of the media, says "quite a bit of reporting on rural India now simply views people there as buyers". The bottom 400 million are not to be viewed as people but as a "difficult market to tap".

DN Bezboruah, former editor of the Guwahati-based The Sentinel notes in anger and sadness that "for the mandarin of New Delhi, the eastern limit of India has always been Kolkata, regardless of what the map of the country may indicate". Very rightly upshot he is at the thought that the so-called 'national' media in India has shown total apathy towards the problems facing the Northeast, calling it an "abiding injustice" adding that "the metropolitan media has remained a silent spectator to the total lack of industrialisation in the region."

Similarly Gowri Ramnaryan is extremely analytical of the print media asserting that few newspapers deal with cultural matters. As she puts it, "The editing desk has experts at work on the political columns, business and sports pages. But culture? Few publications think that expertise is required to edit the art pages. Here you have sub-editors who don't know raag from raas, tirmanam from tihaayi". Ramnayayan concedes that there may be competent editors but insists that they are there "by serendipity rather than by design". 

Her complaint is that the entrance of a new brand of players, the business community, offers little hope, considering that corporate sponsorship is depends on market dynamics. As she puts it, "It sees culture as a means of publicity for consumer products (offering) no stability or security for the slow, long-term, patient nourishing of the arts". And she couldn't be more right.

That is indeed the complaint made by Sista and Rattanani when they make the point that "all flavours of non-journalistic talent, mostly of the consumer goods selling variety have undermined news operations and fattened selling operations". Raj Chengappa has another complaints, and that is against city supplements published by some of our dailies.

There is no question but that the media - specially the English media-is changing. But in which direction? AK Bhattacharya is concerned with the changing paradigms for media coverage of scams. According to him the belief that financial scams have increased with the onset of economic liberalisation is "completely mistaken".

Nothing, he says, could be further from the truth. What seems to be true is that newspapers in the pre-liberalisation era (the period prior to 1991) were less focussed on economic and business news. Barring the financial newspapers, general dailies would relegate most business or economic reports to an inside page. If a MP called Mudgal hogged newspaper headlines it was because he was a parliamentarian. But times have changed.

Time was when there was no clear editorial direction given on reporting financial scandals. The Haridas Mundhra scandal was the first financial scam that newspapers gave adequate prominence to. All these essays beautifully presented in this volume by Asha Rani Mathur are in honour of Prem Bhatia who was a journalistic icon in his times. He passed away in 1995, and it is in his memory that this fabulous volume has been put together.

Bhatia himself was an eager media watcher in his times and as early as in March 1994 had written in The Tribune, which he then edited an article on how proprietors were taking over the functions of an editor, Prem then asked: "Does such an arrangement not reflect an effort on the part of the proprietor to put the editor in his place, so to speak, by showing him that he is not indispensable?" Good question.

The same can still be asked, considering how many editors have now been all but marginalised. The Prem Bhatia Trust deserves to be congratulated for helping bring out this fabulous volume. It is critical and thought provoking. Above all, it tells us how things are in the media. Surely it is time that the truth, however unpleasant, is told. The only thing missing in this volume full of wisdom and honesty in on index. Integrity is all very well, but a book without an index is a geography text without a road map.

03-23-2006, 03:09 PM

x-post: BBC withdraws Offending Article on Shankaracharya

03-26-2006, 08:00 PM

Copy of this verdict

AP High Court verdict exposing anti-national, secular media
THE HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE L.NARASIMHA REDDY
WRIT PETITION NO. 23220 OF 2204
ORDER:

In a way and in a sense, this writ petition demonstrates the extent to which the institutions of ancient origin as well as the concept of public interest litigation have become vulnerable. It also indicates the abyssal levels, to which the norms of journalism have drifted.

2. The petitioner claims to be a registered organization, with an object of espousing the causes of labourers. It filed the writ petition seeking a direction to the respondents ,viz. the authorities of Labour and Police Departments, to take immediate action in respect of criminal cases filed against Suryalaxmi Cotton Spinning Mill, Mahaboobnagar, and violation of labour laws therein after calling for records. The basis or inspiration for filing this writ petition is said to be the items of news, published in various newspapers, during the months of November and December, 2004.

3. Two workers of the mill, referred to above, are said to have died in the year 1998. Investigation into the same is alleged to have been entrusted to the CBCID. In paragraph-6 of the affidavit, which constitutes an important portion of the pleading, it was stated as under:

" It is further submitted that it is reported that two teenaged women workers of 16 years and 18 years by name Tirupathamma and Nirmalamma were raped and murdered in the year March,1998. The investigation was entrusted to the CBCID Department, but no action is taken against the culprits. It is reported in the press that the relatives of the management were involved in that case and also at the same time the Jayendra Saraswathi who was the Peethadhipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti came to the Surya Laxmi Cotton Spinning Mill and performed Poojas and Yagnas. The rumours came out as two teenage women workers in the mill were killed In the name of "Bali" (Andhra Jyothi Daily on 5.12.2004)".

Reference is also made to the items of news published in other newspapers. Clippings of the press reports referred to above are filed as material papers to the writ petition.

4. The writ Petition came up for admission on 15.12.2004. During the course of hearing, it was enquired from the learned counsel for the petitioner as to what was the basis and relevance for making reference to Sri. Jayendra Saraswathi In this writ petition, and it was adjourned to 21.12.2004, to enable the deponent to appear. The deponent filed W.P.M.P(SR) NO.127642 of 2004, seeking permission of the Court to delete the portion of the affidavit, extracted above. He also tendered unconditional apology for mentioning the name of Swamiji. On the next date of hearing, the attention of the learned counsel for the petitioner was drawn to Annexure-I to the writ petition, which reads as under:

1. The petitioners organization is registered one with Regd.No.4483 and our organization is affiliated to Mahaboobnagar District Palamoori contract lobour union.
2. The Jayendra Saraswathi who was the Peethadhipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti came to the Surya Laxmi Cotton Spinning Mill and performed Pujas and Yagnas.
3. The Police didn't register the crime and no post mortem of the dead body was conducted. The same is reported in the press [(1) Andhra Jyothi Daily on 17.11.2004, 5.12.2004 and 07.12.2004, (2) Eenadu Daily on 04.12.2004]".

In fact, the learned counsel, Sri Prathipati Venkateswarlu, was shocked and surprised on seeing this, and immediately made a request to the Court to permit him to withdraw the writ petition, after receiving instructions from his client. There should not have been any difficulty for this court in acceding to his request. However, it is felt that a time has come, when the court has to discourage the indiscriminate proceedings in the name of public interest litigation, and guard itself from being used as a tool by certain interested persons to gain popularity, or to create sensation. Time has also come, to express concern over the way in which institutions and persons of high reputation are sought to be maligned.

5 The petitioner claimed to itself, the credit for the various steps stated to have been initiated by it, before the organizations within and outside the country, with an object of ameliorating the conditions of workmen. Several instances are cited in an index. To that extent, nobody can have any grievance, and even if a handful of workers are benefited out of such proceedings or steps, the petitioner deserves to be congratulated and appreciated for it. However, this court is compelled to observe that the only provocation for the petitioner to file this writ petition appears to be the recent unfortunate happenings in relation to a Seer of an Ancient, prestigious, glorious and reputed institution, with almost 2500 years of history. The petitioner made no secret of this and found it difficult to relate or connect the alleged causes, to the name, he has taken with impunity. When he was called upon to explain, he tendered apology and sought to delete the paragraph. To certain extent, the petitioner who appears to have been otherwise interested in the welfare of labourers was swayed away by the news items published in certain dailies and he did not want to lag behind in the unprecedented process of denigration of the religious institutions.

6. It is rather sad and sorrowful that an institution of such glory, that withstood foreign invasions, and social revolutions from time to time spread over past 25 centuries, is virtually targeted and persecuted in an organized manner, in an independent country. Not only individuals but also a section of institutions, such as, the State and Press, appear to be determined to be belittle and besmirch the Peetham. The perfidy caused to it has shocked almost everybody in the society, cutting across the religions and borders of the country. The role of the Courts, though indirect, is by no means insignificant. Proponents of human rights, fair play and dignity to the individuals and institutions have maintained stoic silence. A powerful section is either celebrating it or is watching it, with indifference. The issue appears to be having a greater dimension than investigation into a murder. That, however is a different aspect.

7. There are certain institutions in every country, which constitute their conscience and pride, and irrespective of the form of the Government, they are respected and revered. In doing so, the country and its people, in fact respect themselves. Even where any aberration occurs in such institutions, wise and prudent people make all efforts to address them in isolation and try to protect the institution, at all costs. It is only the unwise and shortsighted, that try to protect the system or institution with reference to aberration. If at all anything, such measures indicate fall of moral and ethical standards. In the process, the institution has nothing to lose, but in the long run, the society will be heading towards self-destruction. The situation would be much more serious where the targeted institution is the conscious keeper of the society.

8. For example, few years ago, no less a personality than the Chief Justice of India, said at a meeting that there is considerable number of Judges whose reputation is not above board. This statement will certainly be matter of concern for everyone, but can never constitute a justification to denounce the judiciary as whole. Examples can be multiplied. Further, it is not uncommon that the institutions or persons of high reputation are subjected to virulent propaganda. One is required to be careful and cautious in forming opinions or acting on the basis of the same. Human ingenuity is so capable that it can make people to believe as true, what is in fact false, and vice- versa. It is for this reason that one has to reserve the opinions about others till a final adjudication or verification takes place.

9. In the recent history, we had an example. During the Rule of Sri Krishnadevaraya, one of the most celebrated kings of the time, a section of the family was successful in getting a verdict against the pillar of the dynasty; Mahamanthri Timmarusu, by creating false evidence and get his eyes removed by way of punishment. It was too late for the king to repent, when the truth came out and what happened thereafter is a matter of history. Unfortunately, those who are in search of immediate fame, publicity or protection, do not draw any lessons from such instances. The amount of disrepute and sacrilege inflicted upon Sri. Jayendra Saraswathi, as of now, is so enormous, that it hardly has any comparables. Harshest possible words and expressions were used either directly or in innuendo. For persons who have grown to the level of distinguishing the body from the soul, this may be of little consequence. However, the entire episode certainly indicates the levels of mercury in the barometer of social and moral values.

10. Today, he is subjected to the similar treatment, as was Draupadi, in the court of Kauravas. While some enjoyed the humiliation caused to her, others who were in a position to rescue her, remained silent by citing their own personal reasons or pleading excuses. It ultimately emerged that both the categories of the people had to pay the price. They lost their right to protest, when they were subjected to humiliation or injustice of a higher degree, at a later point of time.

11. The importance of spiritual organizations and institutions can by no means be underestimated in the matter of building and shaping a country, or for that matter, the society. Some times, attempts are made to depict the spiritualism as an antithesis to scientific thinking. However, if one reads what Albert Einstein, a scientist of the highest order said, it would be evident as to how shallow, such an approach, is. He observed,

" I have made the Geetha and Sanskrit Literature, the main source of my inspiration and guidance for the purpose of scientific investigations and formation of my theories".

The contribution of such institutions in the field of character building and preaching of morals, irrespective of the religions, to which they belong, hardly needs any emphasis. Any attempt to denigrate them, would be a pointer towards the progression of the society towards ethical and moral bankruptcy. When such bankruptcy and degradation reaches a point, the very connotation of civilization needs to be redefined. It is trite that denouncement of an institution of high reputation and importance on the basis of motivated or unproved allegations would be suicidal to the society.

12. An expression which has gained considerable currency in the recent past is "Law will take its own course". With due deference to those who coined it or those who firmly believe in it, it can be said that it is not true, at least in part. For this adage to become true, there has to be sincerity and honesty at all levels in all those who are associated with administration of justice. The outcome of proceedings in law, particularly in criminal cases can be predicted with an element of objectivity and certitude, if only

a) the prosecuting agency presents the case honestly,
b) the witnesses depose truly,
c) the provisions are law are clear, and
d) the adjudicator is efficient and honest.
Lapse or deficiency on any of these aspects would have its own impact on the
outcome of the case.

13. If the prosecution is to depend upon the whims and fancies of the prosecuting agency or the Government of the day, if the witnesses keep on changing their versions, if the law is framed or changed keeping certain individuals in view, and if the adjudicator is not upto the expected standards, the law will not take its own course. On the other hand, its course is determined by one or the several factors referred to above. The way in which cases foisted or withdrawn, particularly with the change of the Governments, the manner in which, the witnesses are coming forward, with conflicting versions, would illustrate phenomenon referred to above. The criminal legal system in the country has become so elastic and uncertain that persons can be put behind the bars for months or years together on the basis of unfounded allegations, whereas, those convicted for heinous crimes can be made to wander freely in the society by liberating them from jails, even before they have served the sentence. Much would depend upon the whims of those who control the system.

14. In the recent past, the freedom of the prosecuting agency, and that of the Courts, to deal with the cases before them freely and objectively, is substantially eroded, on account of the overactive or proactive stances taken in the presentations made by the print and electronic media. Once an incident involving prominent person or institution takes place, the media is swinging into action and virtually leaving very little for the prosecution or the Courts to examine the matter. Recently, it has assumed dangerous proportions, to the extent of intruding into the very privacy of individuals. Gross misuse of technological advancements, and the unhealthy competition in the field of journalism resulted in obliteration of norms or commitment to the noble profession. The freedom of speech and expression which is the bed rock of journalism, is subjected to gross misuse. It must not be forgotten that only those who maintain restraint can exercise rights and freedoms effectively.

15. If the press clippings filed as material papers in this writ petition are examined, it indicates the miserable levels to which the glorious profession of journalism was brought to. In the edition of 17th November of a Telugu daily, the heading of news item, loosely translated, reads "harassment to labourers and luxuries to Swami". The name of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi was taken and it was written "since last two decades the management is inviting Swamiji by incurring huge expenditure for performing poojas, and it is facing the criticism of "killing crows and feeding vultures". In another news item of 5th December, 2004, of the same daily, indiscriminate reference is made to Swamiji and others in the context of death of women which is said to have taken place in the year 1998. It continued its tirade against the mill in the subsequent news items, and wrote very nasty about it. Another vernacular daily went a bit further. In its District Edition of 4th December, 2004, it has put a picture of noose used to hang the criminals, around the sign board of Surya Laxmi Cotton Mills. In the news item, the name of Swami Jayendra Saraswathi is taken and reference is made to several irregularities said to have taken place in the mill. Even before the writ petition is filed, the petitioner appears to have informed the daily, and in their District Edition on 11th December, 2004 a news item was published that the petitioner is going to file a writ petition. Here again, the name of the seer was taken.

16. A section of the electronic medium has reduced the entertainment and journalism to nauseating levels. For instance, a local Telugu Channel conducted a quiz, in the last week. The viewers were given the option to choose 'Bakara' among the 4 choices. They are 1) Sushil Kumar Shinde 2) Jayendra Saraswathi 3) Uma Bharathi and 4) the Cheetah, caught at Jubilee Hills. To say the least, the said news items and the presentations in the networks disclose the way of thinking or the standards set for themselves in the field of journalism, by those, who are running the same. The persons who have contributed the news items and those who published them have forgotten basic values of life, leave alone that journalism. Unfortunately, they are not rare exceptions.

17. At one stage, this Court thought of issuing notices to the concerned newspapers and the channel, directing them to show cause as to why the matter should not be referred to Press Council of India or any other concerned agencies. Two factors weighed with the Court, to give up the idea. One is that such a course of action is prone to be utilized for aggrandizement. The second is that, in the matters of this nature, effective results can be expected, if a proper message is conveyed, with the hope that wise counsel would prevail on the concerned. If they still pursue the same path, a day would not be too far when they would be shown their place in the society.

18. Freedom of speech and expression is a concept "deduced" (to adopt the words of Sri Soli Sorabji) by courts from the provisions of the Constitution of India. Though there is no direct provision in the constitution, the Courts, particularly the Supreme Court and High Courts recognized the necessity and importance of a free press, to sustain a healthy democracy and the corresponding right was carved out, through the process of interpretation. It was nourished and nurtured by the Courts by protecting it from the onslaughts, from time to time. However, with the passage of time, the freedom came to be grossly misused by certain agencies. Thanks to the contribution of a section of the press, such a sacred freedom was brought to nauseating levels. The observation of the Supreme Court recently in relation to a photographs of a cine heroine and her friend; in a daily, indicates the gravity. One has only to realize that the courts which have "deduced" freedom of speech and expression and nurtured it for the past few decades, may not find it difficult to redefine it, if it is found to have been misused by certain persons or institutions, to the point absurdity. It is the cumulative effect of the various instances of the type referred to above, that may bring about such a situation or rethinking in the entire matter, and if that happens, the society may have to pay the proportionate price. The reason is that, freedom is always replaced by tyranny.

19. There is a broader angle to the matter. Though the Courts have
rescued the situations many times, they have their own limitations. Much
would depend on the values cherished by a society. If the state
institutions and the members of the society do not identify for themselves,
and follow the basic norms, much cannot be expected from the Courts. Once
the society does not feel any responsibility to itself, and does not follow
the basic principles of morality, mutual respect and tolerance, no Courts
can help the situation. A famous Jurist and an American Judge, 'Learned
Hand', in one of his celebrated speeches on "Contribution of an Independent Judiciary" observed as under :

"That a society so riven that the spirit of moderation is gone, no court can save' that a society where that spirit flourishes, no court need save; that in a society which evades its responsibility by thrusting upon the courts the nurture of that spirit, that spirit in the end will perish. What is the spirit of moderation? It is the temper which does not press a partisan advantage to its bitter end, which can understand and will respect the other side, which feels a unity between all citizens â real and not the fictitious product of propaganda â which recognizes their common fate and their common aspirations â in a word, which has faith in the sacredness of the individual. If you ask me how such a temper and such a faith are bred and fostered, I cannot answer. They are the last flowers of civilization, delicate and easily overrun by the weeks of our sinful human nature' we may even now be witnessing their uprooting and disappearance until in the progress of the ages their seeds can once more find some friendly soil. But I am satisfied that they must have the vigor within themselves to withstand the winds and weather of an indifferent and ruthless world' and that it is idle to seek shelter for them in a courtroom. Men must take that temper and that faith with them into the field, into the market-place, into the factory, into the council-room, into their homes; they cannot be imposed; they must be lived. Words will not express them; arguments will not clarify them; decisions will not maintain themâ¦".

He said about spirit of liberty almost similar tone. This aspect of the matter was clearly demonstrated in India, during emergency.

20. The necessity for this Court to undertake this discussion arose because of the fact that the pleadings of the petitioner are nothing but the manifestation of the feelings of a section of society and unless they are curbed at a stage, they may grow to monstrous proportions. Though Courts or other institutions may express their view points, much would depend on how the society at large, chooses to react. IT is said that when Thomas Jefferson came out of the Constituent Assembly, the waiters asked him as to what is the form of government, they have decided for America. His answer was "Democracy, provided you keep it". What applies to form of government, equally, if not with greater force applies to the norms and values in the society.

21. The petitioner sought for action against the mill, by alleging certain acts and omissions against it. It was fundamental for it to have impleaded the mill. It has not chosen to do so. The obvious reason is that it was more anxious to tarnish the image of a seer than to protect the interests of the labourers. The whole episode reveals that the concept of public interest litigation evolved by Courts to protect public interest has been grossly misused by the petitioner.

22. For the foregoing reasons, the writ petition is dismissed. There shall be no order as to costs.

03-28-2006, 05:06 AM

This article typifies the societal stockholm syndrome of the DDM dhimmis. It recognises the dangers of ummahdom but then refuses to evaluate it on its own merits. What we have instead is a stupid equal-equal where strange equations are postulated. First the equal-equal comes with Thackeray=Azmi. The next step is Azmi=Bukhari/OBL/Khomeini (thereby implying BT=OBL) with GujRiots etc mixed in for good measure. There are several problems with this..

1. How many buildings has Thackeray blown up ?
2. How many women and children were roasted alive before OBL decided to blow up WTC ?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/artic...464756.cms

And if there is still some doubt the rascals come up with this concluding line..

QUOTE Its neighbouring state encouraged rape of Muslim women and dismemberment of their unborn children. Why was there no call then to the faithful to flood Azad Maidan? Is the Indian state more frightening an enemy than Bush who, in fact, has not supported the publication of the Danish cartoons?

04-09-2006, 08:07 PM

fwd

QUOTEOne development inÂ this weekÂ raised a serious question about approach and neutrality of Indian media. On 5th of March STF of UP police announced they have arrested one Imam of Allahabad in connection to Varanasi blast of 7TH March which took life of more than 20 people. Blast took place in Sankatmochan temple and railway station in varanasi .

STF started their interrogation with ImamÂ from 26th of march but it was officially disclosed only on 6th of march when Imam of PhulpurÂ of Allahabad with other five people was arrested in connection to twin blast.

After discloser of this news by UP police approach and neutrality of India media was on test ,but it is really unfortunate to find as they were unable to pass the test. Media personal can ask a question who were judging their role and who reached toÂ conclusion of their failure. It was not any agency or political group which think like this it is common perception among masses that our media has become selective.

Electronic and print media who believe in sensitizing every normal incident as a national calamity why choose to ignore this big development. Electronic media thanks to news channels start organizingÂ discussions on every matter whether it is related to phone tapping , Sonias resignation or sleaze cd ,refrained themselves from discussions on this matter.

Not even a single representative of secular political parties or cleric was invited in any of TV channels show to analyze this new emerging trend which contradicts claim of secular parties as well as Indian muslim groups that they have nothing to do with global Islamic jihad .

Role of media is under scrutiny now when third time within one year security agencies have arrested professional or religious muslim in connection to terrorist activities. Last year STF of UP police arrested one Muslim professional doctor which had his medical clinic in Vasant viharÂ in national capital Delhi. He was accused of cooperating with those terrorists who attacked Ram temple at Ayodhya.

In his confession to UP police doctor said he had a feeling of revenge in his heart after demolition of Babri majid in 1992 and Gujrat riots in 2001. When terrorists told him about their planning to attack Ram temple in Ayodhya ,he decided to help them.

Second incident when any professional or religious Muslim was held responsible for supporting terrorism was member of Haj house in Mumbai. When Mumbai police arrested this cleric in connection with Pakistan based terrorist organization Lashker-E-Toiba ,deputy home minister of MaharashtraÂ R.R.Patil scolded police for disclosing his identity .

Now it is third time when professional or religious Muslim has been arrested in connection with terrorists. Unfortunately on every occasion media tried toÂ putÂ this news under carpet. Are they undermining threat of Islamic terrorism or they have fear of Muslim backlash or in last but not least they want to defend their secular theory that Indian Muslims are very good and they have nothing to do with international Islamic terrorist organization and global Islamic jihad.Â

Â Â Everyone had in its memory how Kanchi Shankaracharya was trialed and crucified by media before courts decision in Shankarraman case. If IndianÂ media is neutral and truly professional then why this mysteriousÂ silence in case of Islamic fundamentalism.

Mysterious silence of media is easily understandable.

Â Big newspapers and TV channels are owned by big business groups who are more interested in serving their ownÂ interest rather thanÂ national. Every business group want to own a newspaper or news channel to create a pressure group against government simultaneously they do not want to follow any path which is any more different from beaten path. They have only one policy that they have no policy.

Their so called big editors live in air-condition rooms of national capital and want to impose their thoughts on country. If in their mind Indo-Pakistan peace initiatives are good for health of nation they start shouting in favor of peace processwithout sensing mood of country or without keeping in mind what people of nation expect or think on this matter. Same happens when economic issues comes. If big editors feel good with budget which reduces price of luxury cars or custom duty in wines they taken for grantedÂ Indian people as they also have feel good.

This is very dangerous phenomenon when so called opinion makers are totally unable to feel the pulse of nation and keep guiding policy makers. We have one incident before us how media matters a lot to our policy makers even judiciary also. After unfortunate acquittal of all culprits in Jessica murder case when media took this issue very seriously ,apex court seemed so image conscious in delivering its judgment regarding Zahira Sheikh. Why I am calling this phenomenon dangerous because policy makers of our country still look towards media personnel for guidance and media is either unable to feel the pulse of nation or they are busy in imposing their will and theory on nation.

Problem of Islamic terrorism is one of those problems to which media want to underplay. But this ostrich attitude and denial will not be able to stop proliferation of Islamic terrorism and its root cause.

After Varanasi blastsÂ editor of Hindustan Times and hardcore secularistÂ Vir Sanghvi warned media against ignoring real issues of Indian masses. But it was not suffecient enough toÂ changeÂ secular media . They are still in fools paradiseÂ where they are denying Islamic terrorism.

There could be one other possibility behind this denial. If these terrorist activities will be linked to global jihad, policy makers will have lot to do in finding out reasons and rooting them out.

If this could one of distant possibility it indicates escapist approach of our policymakers .

Our secular establishment whether it is media or policymakers, lawmakers have proved them totally irrelevant and irresponsible .They do notÂ want to take on Islamic terrorists and their cohorts .With their approach they are only encouraging more and more attacks and bending their knees before jihadi forces to give them free passage. If we keep on denying fact that Islamic terrorism is global phenomenon and Indian Muslims are vulnerable to become part of this global campaign we will invite more trouble to us .

Major organizations of international Islamic front an umbrella organization of different Islamic terrorist groups worldwide, founded by Osama Bin Laden in 1998 to fight against infidels has established their base in several parts of country and they have support of local Muslim populationÂ is a fact and it will always be a fact whether Indian media accept it or not.

Imam Waliullah who was arrested from Allahabad in coonection to Varanasi blasts confessed before UP police that he was area commander of eastern UP of Harkat-ul-jihad-Al Islami a branch of Jaish and Al-Queda which operates from Bangladesh.Â Â He also traveled Bangladesh and Pakistan to get training from terrorist organization like Lashker and Jaish. HUJI is a Bangladesh basedÂ terrorist organizationÂ which is a branch of Jaish E-Mohammad and belong to Deobandi school of thought which believe in violent Jihad. Deobandi school of thought has its headquarter in India .

But this Darool Uloom Deoband madrassa never come under scrutiny of security agencies or mediaÂ political parties always portrayed it as major patriotic organisation instead.Darool Uloom Deoband madrassa is paramount inspirational force behind global jihad which produced major terrorists including Massod Azher of Jaish, Mullah Umar of Taliban.

When 9took place in America and an inquiry commissionÂ was formed to go into the details of this incident , commissionÂ concluded that attack on twin towers should be analyzed in its totality .CommissionÂ suggested two tier war against this global phenomenon . On the one hand network of Al-Queda should be demolished physically simultaneously propagation of this poisonous ideology should be stopped . Findings of this commission is very much relevant in Indian context also. We should also fight against this phenomenon militarily and ideologically both .

 Unfortunately our so called forth pillar of democracy media is neitherÂ cooperating nor encouraging this fight. Whenever harsh acts were made to curb terrorism mediaÂ playedÂ lead role with so called human right activists and liberals to witdraw these acts on the ground ofÂ misuse and discriminationÂ of those acts .At the same time media never pointed fingers towards radical nature of Muslim seminaries and syllabus ofÂ their madrassas.On the contraryÂ theyÂ always supported Muslim atrocity theory which Islamic apologists use to justify terrorist acts of Al-Queda and otherÂ terrorist organizations.

We are on war with Islamic terrorism. Islamic terrorists have launched a full fledged war against our faith and sovereignty.Â Â If we want to win this war we have to fight it in unity. Islamic terrorism can not be curbed without fighting against ideology of Islamic terrorism . Selective approach of media is disaster in this war.It is high time for media to introspect in this matter otherwise it would be too late.

05-11-2006, 09:38 AM

'friends of tibet' suggests boycott of 'The Hindu'
QUOTEFrom: Friends of Tibet <support@friendsoftibet.org>

'Save The Hindu' Campaign

The Hindu, one of the most credible and trusted newspapers in the country has many things to its credit. Chief among them is the appointment of an Ombudsman or a Readers' Editor in a newspaper for the first time in the history of Indian journalism. This 127-year-old newspaper with 3.8 million readers has a different story to tell ever since N Ram, who describes himself as "An Indian who has no sympathy for the Dalai Lama's separatist and backward looking agenda", took charge as the editor-in-chief of the newspaper on July 1, 2003.

Friends of Tibet has learned that the editorial board of The Hindu led by N Ram has instructed their centres not to carry any 'Tibet', 'Dalai Lama' and 'Falun Gong' stories criticising the policies of the Chinese government. Instead of depending on reliable news agencies like PTI, UNI, IANS, Reuters, AP and AFP, The Hindu has found a Beijing-based news-agency to fetch stories - The Xinhua - world's biggest propaganda agency belonging to the Chinese Communist Party. Probably The Hindu is the only newspaper in the country to reproduce Xinhua reports. Today The Hindu has virtually become a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party.

Perhaps unique in the world because of its role, size, and reach, Xinhua reports directly to the Chinese Communist Party's Propaganda Department and employs more than 10,000 people. The head of the Xinhua has the rank of a minister. Successor to the agency, Red China that was founded by Mao Zedong, Xinhua adopted its current name in January 1937. Since October 1949, this state-run news-agency has been completely subordinate to the Chinese Communist Party and remains the voice of the sole party.

A card-holding member of the Communist Party in India who had been to China and occupied-Tibet at least fifteen times in junkets mostly arranged by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, N Ram is also the mastermind behind 'India-China Association of Journalists', an embassy-sponsored organisation specialising in arranging pleasure trips for Indian journalists. This new strategy of Beijing has already won the hearts of some of our best journalists. Ironically it is only when the Tamil Nadu Police entered The Hindu office premises in Chennai, N Ram who calls the killing of a million Tibetans by China's occupying forces 'a myth', got enlightened about freedom.

We believe that it is immoral from the side of an Editor to drag some of the eminent journalists to do ethically-wrong reporting for The Hindu and Frontline and also to use a democratic forum - freedom of the press - to advance the cause of an autocratic regime.

'Save The Hindu' Campaign is an attempt to save the newspaper and also to expose Xinhua - Chinese government's propaganda agency to its readers. Let us use the opportunity to write to the newly-appointed Readers' Editor about our concerns on The Hindu policies on various issues including Tibet.

For a case study and to sign a petition online, go to: www.friendsoftibet.org/save/

(The Petition will to be submitted to the newly-appointed Readers' Editor of The Hindu.)
...........................
Friends of Tibet, PO Box: 16674,
Bombay 400050, India.
Tel: +91.22.26409612 / Mobile: +91.9388465953 / +91.9418079832
Email: support@friendsoftibet.org
Web: www.friendsoftibet.org
..........................
Friends of Tibet is a global movement to keep alive the issue of Tibet through direct action. Our activities are aimed at ending China's occupation of Tibet and the suffering of the Tibetan people. Friends of Tibet supports the continued struggle of the Tibetan people for independence

utepian · 05-13-2006, 05:22 AM

When it comes to Hindus specially Gujaratis, seculars have abandoned even pretense of political correctness. According to them, some Muslims may have gone astray, that too because their "aspirations" have not been met - but by no means can the entire community be called intolerant. Why they are infact the beacons of compassion without which the fabric of Indian pluralism would simply tear apart. But if you consume dhoklas for breakfast, you and each one like you who does so is nothing less than a foetus disemboweler. Each one of you.

The author of the following article is a Sahitya Akademi Award winner. If these utterances are not obnoxious, divisive, intolerant - then I dont know what is.

The publication has established itself as the guidepost for righteous journalism at all costs. If it is published here, then I have no doubt that in order to be all-inclusive one has to first be blatantly and terrifyingly sectarian!

It is amazing that an opinion on a vast mass of people such as this can be considered normal.

QUOTEÂ Â Hating Muslims is a Natural Thing in Gujarat

Â Â http://www.tehelka.com/story_main18.asp?fi...ew_point_CS.asp
Â Â GN Devy
Â Â Â
Â Â This is probably the only state that has a sizeable number of Muslims but no Urdu paper
Â Â Gujarat has become an intolerable place; at least that is how I find it. Today, there are very few people I can talk to in Gujarat because they simply do not understand basic things, or donÃ¢â¬â¢t want to. I can make myself a very comfortable citizen of Vadodara. But the problem is, I cannot talk to the people of this city; it is like walking in the desert. I find the popular myth of Gujaratis being peace-loving people impossible to believe. How could all the riots, so many of them since 1969, have happened if this were true? I have thought about this deeply and my sense is that violence is an attribute of their acquisitive nature. Gujaratis are extremely acquisitive people. They will do anything to acquire. The most decent people here, people I would otherwise respect, would do anything to get a visa to the United States, even resort to cheating and dishonesty. They are hungry to acquire. Even Gujarati devotion is about acquiring. They have an exchange relationship with God Ã¢â¬â I give you devotion, you give me riches.
Â Â The Muslim hatred practiced here is not conscious or learnt. It is just somehow normal, as nature would have meant it to be. There is no bitterness of Partition here, as is the case with Punjab. There is only the deep, almost genetic, knowledge of Somnath and the invasions and an accumulation of prejudices. Then there is a huge void in their memory until Gandhi arrives.
Â Â Gandhi, I have to say, is not a popular man in Gujarat; they merely pay him lip service. You do not become a bad man in Gujarat if you hate Muslims; you are normal. Decent people hate Muslims. And it is not a city phenomenon alone; this is true of villages as well. If a Muslim is traumatised, it is a normal thing. Just to give a sense of how Gujarati Hindus relate to Muslims, I will come to the Narmada issue. Gujarat is extremely pro-dam and, therefore, extremely anti-Medha Patkar. Gujaratis will call all pro-Medha people Muslims. Intolerance in Gujarat is unanimous. If Muslims are hated, entire Gujarat will hate them. If Medha is seen as an Ã¢â¬ËenemyÃ¢â¬â¢, all of Gujarat will look at her as an enemy. In that sense, Gujarat has treated Medha as much an Ã¢â¬ËenemyÃ¢â¬â¢ or a Ã¢â¬ËfundamentalistÃ¢â¬â¢ as Muslims are treated. The minds have got locked here. The culture of disagreement and dissent is pervasively shunned. This is so even when Gujarat is not a feudal state in terms of its economic makeup.
Â Â Some years ago, Habib Tanvir wanted to come and stay and work in Vadodara. He did not find a house for six months. Eventually, he went back. Some of us tried to find him a place to stay, but nobody was willing. My own landlord at the time, a perfectly decent man otherwise, refused. Raoof Valiullah, an honest and purposeful Congress mp was killed by gangsters in the centre of Ahmedabad a few years ago. Not even the Congress party made a noise about it. I think because Raoof was a Muslim. There was no sense of loss or outrage when Ehsan Jafri was killed. There is no political or ideological divide in Gujarat on the Muslim question; even the Congress hates Muslims.
Â Â I have a young Muslim associate who has been pursuing post-graduate studies. After the 2002 violence, I suddenly noticed that he was having a problem trying to form his sentences while speaking. He used to write clearly but I saw that his writing too was breaking up. In fact, he wasnÃ¢â¬â¢t able to write. This was a typical case of aphasia, which is a condition of loss of speech and articulation caused by external trauma. Gujarat is probably the only state that has a sizeable Muslim population but no Urdu paper. I wonder if there is something to it, a state of collective aphasia. I often wonder how it must feel to be a Muslim in Gujarat. I shudder to think what it must require to live at the wrong end of so much hatred, contempt and threat. Do they have a strategy of reaction? Is something in the process of evolving? I do not know.
Â Â A Sahitya Akademi Award winner,
Â Â Devy is founder-director of the Tribal Academy in Tejgarh, Gujarat.
Â Â (As told to Sankarshan Thakur)

05-26-2006, 01:37 PM

Post 150 & 151
The Hindu newspaper knows nothing about being Hindu or Hinduism. Surya is the Sun Deva, which they have typed in all lowercase as sun god, probably to contrast with the genocidal maniac that is the Christo-Islamic deity.
Surya Namaskaram is Namaskaram to Surya, which entails more than 'thanksgiving'. The practise includes gratefulness for the continual source of energy and life, but it is also an expression of happiness, a show of our respect, combined with concentration, devotion and the cultivation of inner harmony. And like all Hindu practises, those who ultimately benefit from it include the person(s) performing it. Suryan is shown respect for the joy and bounty he gives all year round. Just like the other Devas are shown respect for their part in making life possible.

Perhaps The Hindu should focus on their Islamo-Christian terrorist deity or Stalin or Mao or whoever takes their fancy today.

From post 169:
QUOTEI often wonder how it must feel to be a Muslim in Gujarat.
That writer, GN Devy, should not find this too hard. There are enough Muslims looking to convert non-muslims. All he/she/it needs to do thereafter, is move to Gujarat. However, the greatest revelation would be to then discover what it is like (in a spiritual sense) to be a Muslim - anywhere: the narrowness of thinking that is required to be a True Muslim and all that that entails.

Of course it is safer for Devy to wonder about how it is to be a Muslim in Gujarat. I doubt he'd even consider wondering about how it would be to be a Bangladeshi Hindu or Buddhist or a Pakistani or Afghani Hindu. Now that would be a true ordeal.

05-29-2006, 09:55 AM

This should have been in the opinion column, but is actually in the top stories section <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif' />

The author's opinion and assumptions are now part of news.

http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?I...odi's~hands

QUOTETOP STORIESÂ

May 29, 2006
Fanaa, a ready ammunition in Modiï¿½s hands
Monday May 29 2006 00:35 IST

The controversy over the just-released film ï¿½Fanaaï¿½ has less to do with Aamir Khan and more to do with Narendra Modi and his brand of politics.

ï¿½Fanaaï¿½ is a film on nationalism which the BJP in normal should have encouraged. Its story revolves around a blind Kashmiri girl whose loyalty to India leads her to kill the man she loves because she discovers him to be a terrorist working against Indian interest. It is a plot just up the BJPï¿½s alley.

But Narendra Modiï¿½s government in Gujarat has made sure that the distributors do not touch the film with a barge pole. The central BJP is divided over ï¿½Fanaaï¿½ but Sushma Swaraj and V.K.Malhotra have chosen to standby Modi and this shows the lineup taking place inside the party.

The truth is that ï¿½Fanaaï¿½ has come as a ready ammunition in the hands of Narendra Modi getting ready to mount an electoral battle in 2007.

He is not letting any opportunity go by to prepare the ground forthe final assault. He lost no time in converting the fast of Narmada Bachao leader Medha Patkar into an opportunity to launch a counter-offensive and consolidate the Gujarati opinion behind him.

He sat on a dharna at the Sabarmati Ashram. He put the Congress on the defensive and forced Congress MPs and MLAs to fall in line with the Gujarat position set by him. Then came the Vadodara violence, another chance to firm up the Hindu opinion in his favour. And now, ï¿½Fanaaï¿½ offers him yet another opportunity.

Aamir Khan spoke on a subject that agitates Gujaratis. So polarised is the situation today, that any expression in favour of Medha Patkar is seen to be anti-Dam and anti-Gujarat. Besides, Aamir is a Muslim and the message is implicit.

There are also signs that he does not intend to confine himself to Gujarat alone but is trying to spread his wings. Last Saturday he was due to be in Mumbai to unveil the statue of Veer Savarkar in the city.

There is a section inside the BJP in Maharashtra ï¿½ led by BJP chief Nitin Gadkari ï¿½ which would like Modi to take the place that Pramod Mahajan used to occupy. The Mahajan groupï¿½s influence is already on the wane.

Modi would like to position himself for the post-Vajpayee-Advani scenario He has emerged as a mass leader in Gujarat, in some ways emerging larger than the party and even the Sangh there. It is difficult enough to remove him, and will be even more difficult if he wins the Assembly elections in 2007.

However, there is a growing disconnect between the consciousness of Gujarat and of the rest of India. It is this disconnect which, while helping to catapult Modi as the leader of the state, may prevent him from becoming an acceptable national leader.

He has tried to get onto the development bandwagon in the last couple of years, winning even those Gujaratis who held him responsible for the communal violence in 2002. He is a workaholic, has no corruption charges nor a family who use his name to make money. But his intolerance on issues like ï¿½Fanaaï¿½ and instances like Vadodara will keep him as a sectional leader.

While Modi is quick to seize an opportunity to make political capital, the Congress has shown responses that are sluggish. It has not even attacked the BJP ï¿½ and Modi ï¿½ for disallowing a film which speaks volumes about Kashmirï¿½s integration with India, about nationalism, about a fight against terrorism.

The Prime Minister defended Aamir Khanï¿½s right to air his views in a democracy, but party leaders have been silent. They could have gone to town against the BJP for its hypocrisy.

What also weakens the Congress is the position taken by the government in Punjab against another film, ï¿½The Da Vinci Codeï¿½, which has been mired in a controversy. After the film was cleared by the Censor Board with the disclaimer that it was a work of fiction and not of fact, the stateï¿½s home department went on to advocate a ban.

It is not as if Punjab has a large number of Catholics and Amarinder Singh is worried about their reaction with the state going to the polls next year. One can only guess his reason but it only reinforces public skepticism about political partiesï¿½ ï¿½ï¿½commitmentï¿½ï¿½ to freedom of expression.

05-29-2006, 10:07 AM

That article is hiliarious - after breathing fire for so long the DDM have just resorted to harmless whining. Their frustrations come across in statements like the ones below.

QUOTEHowever, there is a growing disconnect between the consciousness of Gujarat and of the rest of India. It is this disconnect which, while helping to catapult Modi as the leader of the state, may prevent him from becoming an acceptable national leader.

Yes bhai yes. Us gujjus have horns on our head and are devil incarnate.. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devilsmiley.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='devilsmiley.gif' />

06-03-2006, 01:10 AM

MEDIA IN INDIA
 by N Ananth Padmanabha

06-03-2006, 06:57 AM

Here is HT ethic

QUOTEToday's QuestionÂ Â
Has the incident involving Rahul Mahajan dented the BJP's image?
Yes
No
Can't Say 
Rahul is neither in BJP, why it matters?
Did they ask same question regarding Rahul Gandhi affairs or drug abuse?

Yesterday's question is amazingly missing;
Question was on Office of profit.

HT had removed poll information and question because more than 95% voted against returning of Oop as it is.

HT is not a professional newspaper but a paid stooge.

06-03-2006, 04:44 PM

QUOTEWhy is the media so negative?
M V KAMATH
http://newstodaynet.com/guest/2905gu1.htm

Â Â Â Â In an address delivered in Hyderabad early in May, President A P J Kalam spoke about his three visions of India and he felt that the points he raised were so important - which indeed they are - that the paper he produced was put in general circulation in the Internet.

Â Â Â Â The first vision he envisaged was freedom. Freedom not just for India but for everyone. He asked, 'In 3,000 years of our history, people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds, looted us and took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed anyone's land or tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why?' His own answer to that question was: 'Because we respect the freedom of others'.

Â Â Â Â His second vision for India was development. Asserting that India is among the top five nations in the world in terms of GDP, the President said, 'it is time we see ourselves as a developed world'.

Â Â Â Â His third vision, said Dr Kalam, was strength. He said: 'India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that, unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power, but also as an economic power'. And no truer words were ever said.

Â Â Â Â Having made his points, the President then asked: 'Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognise our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories, but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?' No one in power has ever raised this question before and it has to be asked and it is just as well that the one who has done so is our own President. But first a clarification is needed. One can't generalise about the media just as we cannot generalise about any party or people. Having said that, a frank answer is needed. And that is that as a people - and the media often merely reflects people's sentiments - we have lost our self-respect.

Â Â Â Â The inferiority complex we suffer from is colossal - and this, even after we have been an independent nation for six decades. The British tried to destroy our respect for Sanskrit and sought to dismiss Sanskrit as 'a dead language'. 

Â Â Â Â When, under the BJP-led NDA government an effort was made to put Sanskrit back on the school and college curricula, a hue and cry was raised by none other than a decadent set of Hindu intellectuals. For them Hinduism itself was something to be ashamed of. It was that utter sense of self-demeaning that gave birth to the war cry of Hindutva and provoked the Mumbai-based Shiv Sena, for example, to raise the slogan: Garu se kaho hum Hindu hai. (Say with Pride that I am a Hindu). Matters have come to such a stage that our Hindu intellectuals feel that to be known as a liberal - whatever that means - one must deride Hinduism, Hindutva and everything that is associated with them.

Â Â Â Â How can a nation with Hindu majority thrive, when the majority itself is ashamed of its history, culture and achievements? The achievements themselves, as Dr Kalam has pointed out, are truly remarkable. We are the first in milk production. We are Number One in Remote Sensing Satellites. We are the second largest producer of wheat and the second largest producer of rice. It is a long list of achievements but does the media reflect this? Not on your life. President Kalam recalled now, when once he was in Tel Aviv in Israel there was an attack from outside by the Hamas resulting in a lot of deaths that was shocking. But, President recalled: ''The front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchid and a granary'. Added Dr Kalam: 'It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news'.

Â Â Â Â Contrast this with what is happening in India. Even as Dr Kalam was addressing a meeting in Hyderabad, a handful of TV channels were trying their utmost to trigger communal riots in Gujarat, if not the rest of India. As Swapan DasGupta, writing in The Pioneer (7 May) noted, 'it was clear as daylight that the media was bent on stirring things up' following the riots in Vadodara in the wake of a demolition of a dargah dictated 'by the imperatives of urban renewal - in this case, road widening'.

Â Â Â Â Forgotten by the media was the fact that at least 10 Hindu shrines had also been demolished in the city for the same reason. As Dasgupta put it: 'To suggest that the roadside shrine should have been left alone because it was so dear to local Muslims suggesting that there should be one rule for the aamadmi and one rule for minorities'. And the blame for the fury of Muslims was automatically laid on Narendra Modi. The loathsome hatred of Modi is a reflection of the Hindu intellectuals' deep sense of inferiority complex which he makes no effort to overcome. The word 'secularism' has been so prostituted that it has ceased to have any relevance. It has been reduced to mean self-denigration. It is this total lack of self-respect as a people that is behind the media's negativism. It is not that we have no talent. It exists in abundance.

Â Â Â Â When the United States and the entire world at its insistence, denied India access to a super computer, Indian scientists built one superior to anything that the United States could offer. Hardly anybody is aware of that fact.

Â Â Â Â There was a time when we went abegging for everything, including food and money. Today we can export foodgrains and can boast of a substantial foreign exchange reserve of over $125 billion. On 10 May, in the largest- ever polling exercise in the United Nations to elect a 47-member Human Rights Council, India emerged Number One, getting 173 out of 191 votes, the biggest tally for any country, surpassing Japan (158 votes and China (146) in Asia. And yet we shamelessly go begging to western countries for their support to get Permanent Membership of the UN Security Council when we should be treating all western powers with total disdain if not contempt.

Â Â Â Â India deserves inner self-respect more than external recognition. External recognition will increasingly come when India realises Dr Kalam's three visions but who will tell that to our media which is determined to indulge in beating its breast all the time, running down the country's great past and damning its present?

Â Â Â Â The first thing the government should do is to pull up the media - especially the electronic media - for its utter misbehaviour and irresponsibility. India's worst enemies are not external - they are us, ourselves.

06-04-2006, 02:11 AM

QUOTE(Mudy @ Jun 2 2006, 06:27 PM)Here is HT ethic



Mudy

Same thing with rediff..

http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/jun/03rahul...?q=np&file=.htm

For the idiot who was writing this report, office of profit bill is not nearly as important as somebodys kid getting landing into trouble .. <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' />

06-04-2006, 02:41 AM

Rediff is part of HT. <!--emo& Big Grin

--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' />

Bharatvarsh · 06-06-2006, 12:56 AM

QUOTEIndira Gandhi fought her adversaries bravely and emerged out of the Emergencyâs shadow, but Sanjayâs death while flying an aircraft left her shattered. So much so, that she reportedly went against her secular grain and sought the company of holy âgurusâ and sadhus for solace.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060605/asp/...ory_6312120.asp
But you can host iftaar parties and visit mosques and Churches though, but if you are a Hindu, beware and do not do any monstrous sins like practicing your religion thereby making yourself an unsecular RSS fascist out to kill poor opressed Muslims and Christians in India.

06-07-2006, 07:47 PM

QUOTEThe law, did you say? 
Pioneer.com
Kanchan Gupta
This past week media, especially television news channels, has had a whale of a time converting a tragedy into a tamasha. Ever since last Thursday night's mysterious events at 7 Safdarjung Road in Delhi, which is located on the outer perimeter of the security arrangements to protect the Prime Minister's Race Course Road residence, media's entire attention has been focused on Pramod Mahajan's son, Rahul, and his alleged drug abuse.

Like a pack of hyenas, reporters and camerapersons have been relentlessly closing in on their quarry felled by circumstances over which he probably had little or no control. Is Rahul Mahajan a habitual drug abuser? Did Pramod Mahajan's secretary, Bibek Maitra, die of a drug overdose? Was it cocaine? Or was it heroin? Or was it a more lethal concoction? Why was it an all-boys party? Did the hospital where Rahul Mahajan recuperated try to cover up his unwholesome indulgence?

These and other questions are yet to be answered with any conclusive evidence. For all practical purposes, the police investigation is still at an initial stage. All that we have as "totality of evidence" are the versions put out by four delinquent young men who are believed to have been present at 7 Safdarjung Road on that fateful night - statements first made to television news channels and thereafter to Delhi Police. The facts of the case will emerge only when the prosecution and the defence meet in a court of law. Till then, your guess is as good as mine, never mind the exuberant reportage of journalists masquerading as Sherlock Holmes who, incidentally, was addicted to morphine.

This is not to suggest that what happened last Thursday night was nothing more than an innocuous teddy bears party. Nor would it be appropriate to rush in with claims of innocence because police investigations, if conducted with rigour and honesty, tend to come up with the most unexpected twist to what we believe is a predictable tale. No sensible purpose is served, therefore, in jumping to conclusions or irredeemably destroying reputations.

Yet, what we are witnessing is gleeful delight in declaring individuals guilty after trial by media. This callous disregard for caution and fairplay stand out in sharp contrast to the manner in which media treats criminals whose crimes are of a far greater magnitude and with far reaching consequences. A Delhi-based English newspaper, for instance, came up with the most inventive excuses, including multiplexes not screening Aamir Khan's Fanaa, to slyly justify the terrorist attack on the RSS headquarters in Nagpur. A 24x7 news channel, while reporting the recent grenade attacks on two buses carrying tourists in Srinagar, kept on insisting that the "victims were caught in crossfire" even as its correspondent, clearly horrified by the sight of blood and gore, interrupted time and again to say it wasn't "crossfire" but a terrorist attack.

These are only two examples of lib-left media's double standards. A close scrutiny of news bulletins and the morning's newspapers will yield a rich harvest of how facts are twisted, glossed over, given a spin or altogether ignored to present stories that may fetch viewers and readers but do enormous disservice to the concept of a free and fair media. Those who argue that salad dressing is required to make stories more palatable are honest only up to a point. Much of the spin and twist is prompted by the perceived need to be politically correct or, at least, be seen to be subscribing to that which is socially fashionable at the moment.

But we digress. Coming back to media's current obsession with Rahul Mahajan's alleged drug abuse and its tragic consequences, it needs to be said, and said unequivocally, that by going after an individual simply because his name titillates curiosity among the lowest common denominator, we have ignored the much larger issue of how ineffective our law enforcement agencies have been in preventing the illicit trade in narcotics and psychotropic substances from becoming a lucrative business proposition in cities across India.

Nobody has paused to ask the police as to how come they woke up to the grim reality of cocaine, heroin and other assorted drugs being sold without any let or hindrance only after last Thursday's incident. We have not paused to wonder what makes drug peddlers so bold as to appear on television cameras and tell all about their trade without any fear of landing in the slammer.

The high decibel highlife of the scum that sustains drug trafficking and provides custom to those who peddle nirvana for a price is telecast every night by all leading news channels to propagate deracination and debauchery as the only way to 'chill out' after a hard day's work by the bold and the beautiful. And don't we know just how hard it is?

Yet, dirty fingers are pointed without the slightest trace of remorse when one of them slips and falls. But only for a while. Ask Fardeen Khan and he will tell you there's no shame in being caught doing drugs, not least because the prosecution is loath to get him, and many others like him, convicted for violating the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the same law that is now being touted with such elan by both police and media.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, like all other laws of this country, is followed more in the breach than in practice. It provides for loopholes that can be used to get off the hook. It does not scare either drug peddlers or their clients because they know they can get away by greasing palms and, if they are picked up, by hiring bright criminal lawyers who can prove that black is only a darker shade of white.

utepian · (This post was last modified: 06-09-2006, 04:47 AM by utepian.)

Under N. Ram, the Hindu becomes a âsorryâ paper
QUOTEARVIND SWAMINATHAN writes from Madras: Editors, reporters and correspondents at The Hindu are in a state of shock and disbelief today after another grovelling apology to an automotive major from their card-carrying Editor-in-Chief N. Ram appeared on the pages of the paper.

âIn the Open Page article by R.S. Anand titled âThe way we showcase India abroadâ, a sweeping and baseless statement was made about a Kirloskar product, suggesting it was outdated. The Hindu apologises for this unwarranted assertion and withdraws the Open Page article from its website,â the apology signed by the editor-in-chief reads.

The âoffendingâ piece by Anand, a student at RWTH in Aachen, Germany, comprised run-of-the-mill reflections on the Hannover Fair, and contained just two references to Kirloskarâboth of them in the same paragraph.

âCompanies such as HMT, BHEL, Kirloskar, etc, participated in the (Hannover) fair. My fellow German students were shocked to see the engine displayed by Kirloskar which was designed a century ago. They asked me, âAre they still using this one?ââ the "offending" paragraph went.

That was enough for Ram, otherwise a champion of free expression on television and in public forums, to go out crawling on all fours.

âJust what does our editor find so sweeping and baseless about that statement,â asked a senior editor of the paper on condition of anonymity. âAnd anyway it is not the authorâs statement, it is the quote of a German visitor."

Hindu staffers are bemused that Ram, otherwise particular about details, should not have published the date of publication of the offending pieceâMay 21, 2006âin the apology. âItâs almost as if he doesnât want readers who have back copies of the paper at home to go back and check,â a staffer said.

At the same time, many senior editors and journalists within and outside the Hindu are horrified that the whole article has been axed from the paperâs website although the references to Kirloskar were contained in only one paragraph.

âLook at the irony. We lecture the world on why Da Vinci Code should not be censored. We lecture the world on why Fanaa should not be blacked out. And yet, because some rich family is offended, we remove the whole piece from the website. Is only the paragraph at fault or the whole piece? And what will the author tell his German friends about The Hindu? That the paper has very elastic journalistic ethics, depending on who is offended?â the editor asked.

There is yet a third angle to the apology which is that it comes over and above the head of the much-vaunted Readerâs Editor, K. Narayanan, whom Ram has been projecting as the panacea of all journalistic ills in the country.

âWas Kirloskarâs complaint brought to the notice of the Readerâs Editor? If not, why not? If so, what was the substance of the complaintâthat somebody had a view that the advertiser did not like? So, is Ram the Advertiserâs Editor? Doesn't this undermine the position of the Readerâs Editor,â a staffer asked.

The Kirloskar apology is the second inside 20 months since Ram displaced Malini Parthasarathy and his brother N. Ravi in a bloodless palace coup.

On October 20, 2004, Ram published this: âThe contents, tone and language of 'Kudos to Tata Motors' by C. Manmohan Reddy (Business Review, The Hindu, October 18, 2004) are highly inappropriate. The Hindu conveys its deep regrets to Mahindra and Mahindra and also to Kotak Mahindra, ICICI Bank, and Citibank for the publication of the article."

In that case, all the âoffendingâ piece did was to lambast Mahindra and Mahindra for showing a âsingular lack of responsibility towards the environmentâ.

âThey choose to sell Bharat Stage I versions of the vehicle in large numbers in many of the 11, large and environmentally sensitive, cities where all the other automotive manufacturers have switched to BS II versionsâall to save about Rs. 5,000 to 6,000 on very profitable SUVs that cost nearly Rs. 8 lakhs, on the road,â Reddy wrote.

That was enough for Ram to apologise to M&M and the auto finance companies. However unlike in the Kirloskar case, the offending M&M piece continues to remain on the paperâs website along with the apology two days later.

Media watchers say they are not surprised that both the apologies have gone out to automotive companies, which are big advertisers on the pages of The Hindu and many of which are located in Tamil Nadu.

What they find hilarious is that a committed communist should be so servile and obsequious to capitalists.

âHereâs a paper that day in and day out extols Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Prakash and Brinda Karat. And yet to see it saying sorry for such minor journalistic indiscretions, if they are indiscretions, suggests duplicity, if not plain hypocrisy,â says a journalist who has seen better days under G. Kasturi.

"At least with The Times of India, you get what you see. The paper makes no bones about protecting the advertiser's interest. Here on the other hand, free speech is being twisted by a very forked tongue that wants the cake and wants to eat it too."

Also read: Kudos to Tata Motors

and N.Ram's Apology

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