The Maanga

By definition, growing up is confused with having grown up. And Indian business sentiment is possibly the single greatest example[1]. Sevanti Ninan rightly castigates the media at the wrong place. Somehow, one always expects something worthwhile on a Sunday Magazine. Pointing how stupid the stupids are is best left to The Maanga. One thinks.

In an NDTV discussion late last week, predictably, the spokespersons of the CPI(M) and the Indian National Congress were restating their stated positions forcefully. Nilotpal Basu, cleverly started his statement by declaring that the day they were discussing was in fact the thirty third anniversary of the declaration of emergency by Mrs Indira Gandhi. And reminded everyone how the nation should remember what the price of overriding Democracy is. Jayanthi Natrajan, cleverer still, completely side-stepped that allusion and restated her party’s stated position in present tense. After fifteen minutes, Shekar Gupta, the journalist on the panel, in his closing remark, reminded Mr Basu that his party was the only one that vociferously supported Mrs Gandhi’s promulgation of Emergency at that time. NDTV moved on to another program.

In a CNN-IBN program called Devil’s Advocate, where the host is given a license to be probing and the permit is taken quite seriously, Finance Minister P Chidambaram was interviewed. During the interview, when the Finance Minister was answering a specific question, the host tried to ask another question assuming the answer that was just being given out. The interviewee told the interviewer, “listen to me” and went on to explain monetary policy and variables.

Barkha Dutt, in yet another discussion, had Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah from Kashmir say something about how Kashmir’s people will decide their own levels of tolerance. To a Rajeev Pratap Rudy and a host in Delhi who thought Democracy does not work as rule by majority in one context or the other. Respectively.

[1] — See what I did there?

India is a third world nation. It has an idiotic populace living in medieval social structures. Not that there is anything wrong about that. India also has the world’s most annoying media. It’s free because those in it are stupid. The result is that one never gets to watch a good Tamil kisu-kisu on TV and one is force fed with murders in a North Indian town that one does not care about. And, Tamil TV, sadly, is now designed for such idiots who want to live in the 70s and have re-runs of third standard arguments. Apparently, it’s funny to them[2].

Aarushi Talwar, Hemraj, Nitish Katara, Jessica Lal — how does a Palanisamy even care? And why are there domestic helps in every house? One hopes the Maoists infiltrate the shanty towns next to satellite towns and metros. One also hopes, Scott Carney is right. For a change. One can’t take anymore junk media — though one does not have a choice, given how bad the Tennis has been.

[1] — Intha vaaram, kOttayil kudiyerum kuzhandhai kaathalargal[3].

[2] — A great man once said it.

[3] — Alliterative type.