Making India Work

Over the years I have a rule that I have followed consistently, in professional forums I do not comment on issues that are unrelated to either the topic at hand or which are outside the realm of my professional existence. However, a few days ago, for the first time ever, I broke my own rule.  

I have now been working in India for six years and have spent an equal amount of time in services and manufacturing. The one thing I have come to acknowledge is, a number of individuals have overcome humungous obstacles to achieve a standard of living that their parents could only dream of. Some of their stories give me goose bumps, each time I recount them. So whether it is the story of my colleague whose parents could not read and write but she is a finance professional today, or the story of the young man who moved from the village not knowing English, worked as a peon, attended night college to complete his bachelors and learn English, and then joined one of India’s largest private banks; every accomplishment makes me salute their spirit and achievements. The other thing I have come to appreciate is that while we may all have our differences, when any one of us is in need, the rest of us stand behind, solid as a rock. Recently, a colleague lost his ailing mother. He was out of town and sent an sms. That was all that was needed for the team to brave the torrential Mumbai rains, reach his house, help with all the formalities and last rite preparations and on top of it ensure that he took a flight which even with a delay would get him home in time. This extended support system is rarely seen in other cultures.

 Having said that, I must also admit, the one thing that agonises me the most is the tendency of Indians (me included, I am an Indian and proud to be one) to find someone else responsible for all the woes. Somewhere, accountability for our actions and responsibility for their consequences misses us by miles and miles. And it was a lamenting on similar lines when I decided to break my rule. On the topic of current GDP scenario, one gentleman started his rant on how Indians are intolerant, how the government is ineffective and how the media is irresponsible. After listening to him for five minutes, I had to ask – who are the intolerant Indians, who elects the ineffective government and who reads or watches the irresponsible media without ever writing to the Information and Broadcasting ministry? And then every citizen turns around and says, “what can I do all by myself”; and every time I have the same response, “every drop contributes to making the ocean”. Why do we hesitate to stop littering in public places? Why do we not go and vote even if it is NOTA? Why can we not stop reading and watching the overtly sensational media pretending to give us news and information? If each one of us takes the responsible step, we can usher in change. If we keep waiting for someone else to lead, then we will just have to make do with what we have!

Single person bringing in a different era - Idealistic? Maybe. Honest? Absolutely.  Not impactful? Not at all.

 Idealistically, the freedom struggle is quoted by many as an example of how ordinary citizens contributed to the nation gaining independence. Honest individuals have demonstrated, in recent times, how one person’s quest can lead to positive change – so be it Jessica Lal’s sister who finally got the country to rally behind her and get justice for her sister, or be it the story of how Popatrao Baguji Pawar’s foresight and efforts ensured that Hiware Bazar in the drought prone Maharashtra district of Ahmednagar became the only place in this year’s drought to be breathing; there are multiple incidents of one person creating an impact that can improve thousands of life. Yes these individuals could have waited for someone else but they did not. And yes they needed that every someone else to take some accountability and responsibility, and work with them, to achieve the end result!  

 Historians are writing eulogies about how great a nation we were. I believe, we are still a great nation, with inspiring citizens all around us. All we need is to rise to the occasion and create the consciousness that each one’s prosperity and happiness will only add to that of the others. If there is more money with a larger group of people, there will be more money for everyone eventually (an economic discussion that is for another post maybe). If there is greater harmony, there will be lesser strife. If there is more empathy, there will be fewer intolerance episodes. But none of this can come from the rule of law or from a dictate of any specific individual. This has to come from the individuals who form the civic society and only then will it be sustainable.

Louis L’Armour has summarised my thought beautifully, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers."

Indian Media - A Sprained Fourth Limb?

Media industry empowers its workforce to spread awareness, generate opinion and induce change; whether it is positive or negative impact that is created depends on the content carried. In the race to make money, it seems like Indian media has thrown caution to the winds. Analysing from across the seas only a small aspect of this carelessness was evident, but a closer inspection at home brought me face to face with the significant amount of violence, sex and glamour that spans news media; without thought to the probable influence on the adolescent and the impressionable young. Indian media also carries unabashed biased content on criminal offences, jeopardising fair trials, if audience coverage increases.

Recently, a popular English daily of the country carried a column titled “Water Cooler Moments” with explicit content on flogging, spanking and violence as increasing “bonding” during sexual activities. The piece mentioned “research” that corroborates such indulgence. Sex in India is not an openly discussed topic either in schools or at homes. However, there is a lot of exposure that teenagers have to sex via media. This intrigues teenagers who are increasingly engaging in different acts of physical intimacy without much thought, understanding or safety. Imagine the impact that columns such as the one under discussion, on “increasing pleasure”, can have if youngsters really try to attempt “bonding in bondage” either consensually or forcefully (especially in cases of forced sex).

This column is supposedly meant to bring forth overheard “interesting” conversations, but such content is blatantly lackadaisical. Furthermore, this column is regularly published right next to the “Open Space” column, which has a large young reader base. Having content as it did, almost positioned the piece to target the youth as the prime audience! I must admit that I had not read the newspaper and was pointed to this article by a friend. I was horrified and on pointing out the objectionable content to the newspaper’s editor, I received no response. It is really sad to know that Indian media professionals are abusing their privilege of “freedom of speech and expression”, a constitutional right, without acknowledging that they are capable of shaping the nation’s future.

The recent rape case of the American girl is an incident that highlights media’s liking for creating frenzy. (I would like to admit that the reports also agitated me). The first few days post the incident Indian dailies carried front page articles on this issue. Pre and post facto details, the statement of girl and suggestive comments by parents of the accused; were all published without censorship. Additionally, the accused’ statement saying that they did not flee the city as they did not think that the girl would “cry rape” made bold headlines. Printing such statements could signal to youngsters that it is alright to commit crimes as long as they are not caught; but on the part of media there was no curtailing. Once the news had lost its initial excitement, all coverage was dropped. The victim’s sufferings, the accused’ innocence and the police’s findings; nothing was deemed important enough to be brought out in the open.

There was no balance in the reporting of this incident. Responsible journalism would have been in reporting the facts in full, producing complete statements of both the victim and the accused (as opposed to publishing just the victim’s statement), refraining from publishing the strong opinionated comments of parents of the accused and then following through with the case. I also opine that the identity of the accused should have been protected until the case had closed. If found guilty, the media should have then increased awareness of the punishment meted out and promoted the judiciary’s efforts of setting an example in order to avert such horrifying crimes in future.

The legal luminary, Fali S Nariman had once said, “Free and robust reporting, criticism and debate contribute to public understanding of the rule of law, and to a better comprehension of the entire system. It also helps improve the quality of that system by subjecting it to the cleansing effect of exposure and public accountability.”

The gigantic Indian media is providing apathetic exposure to the youth and publishing without any responsibility itself; thus it remains doubtful if it will perform its function of improving “quality of the system”. With a weak “fourth limb of a democratic system”, media as called by GN Ray the Chairman of the Press Council of India, will this democracy be able to strongly stride and take on the world is a question that we need to address. Just as India needs to demand accountability from its politicians, Indians need to ensure that media begins to acknowledge its duties. The nation needs to awaken and smell the coffee!

PS: Maybe I spoke to soon, there was an aricle in the Mumbai Mirror on the rape case this morning. The balnced view is still questionable as the language still sensationalises the issue. The piece can be found on http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/15/2009050420090504031227495d8b4e80f/Party-pics-boomerangon-TISS-rape-suspect.html. Interestingly, Mumbai Mirror calls itself a tabloid newspaper!