From a year or 2 to till yesterday, the way things were turning out in media made me very much disappointed. They made me switch off the TV and run inside my bedroom, which though dint let me sleep; but raised a very disturbing question in mind. Am I really listening/reading to these things?
These thought first begin, when in an incident someone said “we are living in times where you need to teach your children that they should say Bharat Mata Ki Jay”. As a person who understand both Marathi and Hindi language well, the statement was nowhere targeted towards any specific religion/group. But yes it was targeted towards every citizen of this country, and yeah what the hell? Why anyone should has problem saying it? Mohan Bhagwat dint question anyone’s patriotism by that statement, neither had he said those who don’t say it should go to Pakistan. It was more or less statement like what my grandma used to say “Aajkal ke bacchonko badonki izzat karana sikhana padata hai”. How do we react to this?
I tell you how we react. A gentlemen said in response (though he was not expected to respond to it) “I won’t say Bharat Mata Ki Jay even if you threaten to cut my throat “. Wonderful! And the next thing I saw on TV made me go what the hell! (That’s more decent way of putting it). Instead of media questioning why someone has a problem saying it, or just brushing aside this issue by telling the gentleman “Boss he dint say he will cut your throat or u r an antinational if u don’t say it, they questioned how Mr. Bhagwat could ask this and there unfolded a drama of Modi-Bhagwat bashing. Calling them Hitler and what not.
Let me tell you a pleasant reality of this country. I studied in a school which had Urdu, Marathi & Kannada medium schools together. Which attended their prayers together every morning and I never saw any fellow Muslim student taking an offence to utter Bharat Mata Ki jay. Never. Nor till last year when I heard first Muslim who had a problem saying it. And I’m sure these are not many. As a matter of fact I could never imagine this being a matter of debate for any Indian.
But all I have is right to sit and watch TV and crib about it. With nobody standing up for the right thing.
And to my fear this kind of news, narratives, debate occupied the most part of the public discourse on news media and it took the shape in last week which I thought could never happen in my terrible nightmare.
Imagine this, a terrorists of Hizbul Mujahidin gets killed in an encounter with security forces. And all that began was sympathy wave from section of media (most of them) towards the terrorist & people explaining how uncalled for was the encounter. Some even called it fake. Oh yes! The terrorist had whatsapped you that he will surrender to security forces. Isn’t it?
If there has to be any debate about an incident like this. The debate should have focus on the issue and not that to explain innocence of a terrorist you call the security forces rapist. That’s shameful. Some even tried to justify the act of terrorists by saying people are moving to terrorism because of the situation army has created in valley. Really? If that is the logic you apply then every act of terrorism is triggered because of some incident that takes place and someone somewhere feel oppressed. But do we always justify terrorism. Why is this selective outrage on this issue?
But Amidst all these there stood a hero. A hero who enters our television screen at prime time (or you can say super prime time; that’s the way our hero likes to call it) dressed like Bond, with the most powerful weapon of modern times in his hand, a pen and paper. And trashed all these terror sympathizers out of the boundary line. Raised very pertinent questions what other media houses have failed to question. Asked these pseudo-liberals to take a clear stand whether you are for or against terrorism. And that reassured my trust in the system, it reassured the values I have been taught as a child to always put country first before anything. Most of these media houses does not realize in an incident which involves India’s pride, we Indians can never be objective about it. Oh yeah! You can say we are not intellectual or any other word which defines your shameful behaviors. We are proud, we are not you; we don’t think like you & we don’t feel like you.
And finally I would like to thank Mr. Arnab Goswami for standing up for voices like me. For being the voice of the nation. And asking what nation really wants to know.
Bharat Mata ki jay!
From a proud Indian
Shri Bandivadekar
