I'm not interested in news anymore.
It bores me to death.
And before it comes my way, it has already touched me in some way or another and had its impact on me.
I loathe the manner it which it is presented.
I hate the cover ups it creates for all the lacunae in our governing systems.
I detest the way it has started to mislead people to the extent that an entire population of a billion people, have started to feel inept and unable to follow activism which was until a few months ago, pre the last elections in India, actually driving change for the better.
Its almost sick when you have to sit through discussions on TV between respected people, guided and guarded by prepared mediators who have obviously been asked to lead the momentum in a particular direction.
The divide between India and Pakistan is not because of their diverse cultures and different religions, like we are constantly told and thus, these are not certainly the reason for the hatred between the people of the two countries.
If that were so, India, then because of its diverse cultures, religions and languages would not exist. Europe and America would have perished by now, specially after inviting diverse cultures into their space and integrating with them so beautifully.
If we were so averse to other cultures corrupting ours, then would we have allowed all the influences from the rest of the world to shape our expression in almost every field of performing and non performing arts?
No way!!!
We have to realize that the only reason for the terror and trauma in the Indian Subcontinent, is corruption and bad governance.
If today, we were secure within our boundaries and we could trust that our borders were policed effectively, no Indian or Pakistani would fear each other.
If we can believe that no unwanted element or miscreant would be set free, or allowed to have his way, we would feel safe in our own countries and allow each other to travel and visit at free will, across the borders, like it is in Europe, or in other parts of the world.
Its not because the authorities manning borders in other successful parts of the world are lenient that people feel free. It's because they are so strict, that people feel free to roam everywhere, without fear of being embroiled in incidents which they would have to pay with their lives for.
Every part of the world is under threat today.
Every country which has good governance and evolving systems has made arrangements to see to it that it's people are informed, educated and participative in managing security.
But because, we announce huge budgets in the name of security and because we never see where they are being spent, because we have no arrangements within our system which allows civil society participation and because we live in the shadow of archaic laws which corrupt governments are unable to advance with or change, that the people of India and Pakistan, who otherwise love each other and feel one, are insecure, unsafe and therefore untrusting.
And one thing our governments and political parties have mastered the art of, is the marketing of their dishonesty in such a way, that our media is slowly falling prey to their designs and shifting focus on disease, when critical political issues need attention, and making much of irrational behaviour by politicians in the parliament, when lack of infrastuctures to combat disease at the time it is becoming a global pandemic, is what the medias eye should've been on.
How unprepared we were when we were almost the last to be hit by the Swine Flu? At the time it was such a huge threat in so many parts of the world? At that time when we could have gotten ready?
How prepared were we, when 10 terrorists held us at ransom for 72 hours, during the attack of 26/11, when each part of our own country was on fire for years before that?
Television news needs to focus on each area of our Governance where progress is so slow, that it has got us used to shocks and surprises that spring upon us with such regularity.
Not on some nonsensical discussions about what the people of India and Pakistan want, viewed from a place, which completely alienates the people and what they want from their proceedings.
It bores me to death.
And before it comes my way, it has already touched me in some way or another and had its impact on me.
I loathe the manner it which it is presented.
I hate the cover ups it creates for all the lacunae in our governing systems.
I detest the way it has started to mislead people to the extent that an entire population of a billion people, have started to feel inept and unable to follow activism which was until a few months ago, pre the last elections in India, actually driving change for the better.
Its almost sick when you have to sit through discussions on TV between respected people, guided and guarded by prepared mediators who have obviously been asked to lead the momentum in a particular direction.
The divide between India and Pakistan is not because of their diverse cultures and different religions, like we are constantly told and thus, these are not certainly the reason for the hatred between the people of the two countries.
If that were so, India, then because of its diverse cultures, religions and languages would not exist. Europe and America would have perished by now, specially after inviting diverse cultures into their space and integrating with them so beautifully.
If we were so averse to other cultures corrupting ours, then would we have allowed all the influences from the rest of the world to shape our expression in almost every field of performing and non performing arts?
No way!!!
We have to realize that the only reason for the terror and trauma in the Indian Subcontinent, is corruption and bad governance.
If today, we were secure within our boundaries and we could trust that our borders were policed effectively, no Indian or Pakistani would fear each other.
If we can believe that no unwanted element or miscreant would be set free, or allowed to have his way, we would feel safe in our own countries and allow each other to travel and visit at free will, across the borders, like it is in Europe, or in other parts of the world.
Its not because the authorities manning borders in other successful parts of the world are lenient that people feel free. It's because they are so strict, that people feel free to roam everywhere, without fear of being embroiled in incidents which they would have to pay with their lives for.
Every part of the world is under threat today.
Every country which has good governance and evolving systems has made arrangements to see to it that it's people are informed, educated and participative in managing security.
But because, we announce huge budgets in the name of security and because we never see where they are being spent, because we have no arrangements within our system which allows civil society participation and because we live in the shadow of archaic laws which corrupt governments are unable to advance with or change, that the people of India and Pakistan, who otherwise love each other and feel one, are insecure, unsafe and therefore untrusting.
And one thing our governments and political parties have mastered the art of, is the marketing of their dishonesty in such a way, that our media is slowly falling prey to their designs and shifting focus on disease, when critical political issues need attention, and making much of irrational behaviour by politicians in the parliament, when lack of infrastuctures to combat disease at the time it is becoming a global pandemic, is what the medias eye should've been on.
How unprepared we were when we were almost the last to be hit by the Swine Flu? At the time it was such a huge threat in so many parts of the world? At that time when we could have gotten ready?
How prepared were we, when 10 terrorists held us at ransom for 72 hours, during the attack of 26/11, when each part of our own country was on fire for years before that?
Television news needs to focus on each area of our Governance where progress is so slow, that it has got us used to shocks and surprises that spring upon us with such regularity.
Not on some nonsensical discussions about what the people of India and Pakistan want, viewed from a place, which completely alienates the people and what they want from their proceedings.
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