The need for media dialogue
Discussions with the media fraternity are a chance to dispel myths about the profession and stem the current trend of dismissing variant opinions as dissent
| AUGUST 05, 2016, 06:12 AM IST
August 1 was the death anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak. A stalwart freedom fighter and a fearless journalist, Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (23 July 1856 - 1 August 1920) was the first freedom fighter to roar, “Self-rule is my birthright.” The British called him Father of the Indian Unrest. He was given the title of Lokmanya, which means loved and accepted by all, after his radical political ideals got him immense popularity. Tilak used innovative means of defiance against the British and pioneered the first social gatherings called “Sarvajanik Ganpati” to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. Under the guise of a religious festival, the gathering opened up avenues to meet and discuss political strategies. For his strong columns published in his newspaper, Kesari, Tilak was jailed in 1897, 1909 and 1916 on sedition charges. His friend and the first editor of Kesari, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, parted ways with Tilak because of ideological clashes. While his views may have been radicle, Tilak fiercely believed in debate and discourse, agreed to disagree and maintained honour and respect even for those who rejected his ideals. True to the spirit of the great leader, Institute Menezes Braganza honoured Tilak s death anniversary by hosting talks with journalists on August 1. The media dialogue included discussions on globalisation and its impact on newspapers, paid news, gender, amongst other things. Journalism students also attended the talk.At a time when a systematic campaign is waged against journalists, writers, filmmakers and just about any freethinker who refuses to tow the state s line of definitions, such dialogues are crucial. In the keynote speech, Swati Deshpande, a law reporter of the Mumbai edition of a national English daily, spoke at length about the sedition law. She discussed the nuances of the archaic law which has been used swiftly in recent times. Swati said that “extreme incitement to violence” along with a imminent threat to national security were the only plausible reasons to use the law. Deputy speaker Vishnu Wagh recalled his days in journalism. He was nostalgic about the ethic-driven professionalism of the time. “When my newspaper decided to start publishing matka numbers to gain more readership, I quit,” Wagh said. Discuss gambling, and casinos cannot remain far behind. The paid news scandal, revolving around a recently released video clip of negotiations between casino owners and a local newspaper were also discussed. While a few students raised pertinent points, most of the lot remained quiet. One wonders if it is shyness, or if the youth are indifferent about the realities of the profession they are studying to join. Such panels provide networking opportunities and learning beyond classrooms and syllabus constraints and so the youth who attend such events must not miss the opportunity of asking questions, if not in a public forum, but seeking guidance after the program if one is too shy. Organising such events more often will help to form an informed and confident generation of youth who are equipped with awareness of the advantages and pitfalls of the profession they want to make a mark in. If discussions prevail, one gets an opportunity to discover the works of many writing professionals who have continued to contribute to national uplift even after the days of Kesari s freedom struggle. Three days before the media dialogue event was organised at Institute Menezes Braganza, India lost another stalwart author. Mahasweta Devi was a crusader for tribal rights and wrote novels like Hazarchaurasi ki Ma and Rudali. Most of her other works, written in Bengali, championed the cause of tribal communities, more specifically the Lodha and Shabar tribes of West Bengal. Mahasweta Devi died in Kolkata on July 28 at the age of 90. She was a strong and consistent voice against the state and in recent times, she motivated and inspired the agitation against the Left rule in West Bengal against land-acquisition in Singur and Nandigram. Though Mahasweta Devi was fiercely critical of the state, few dared to question her love for the country. She gave a moving inaugural speech at the 2006 Frankfurt Book Fair she said: This is truly the age where the Joota is Japani, Patloon is Englistani, the Topi is Roosi, but Dil... Dil is Hindustani ... My country, Torn, Tattered, Proud, Beautiful, Hot, Humid, Cold, Sandy, Shining India. My country.Sadly, opposing views are attacked with questions of loyalty in today s time. When outspoken women in media are labelled with outrageous titles, and when it has become a trend to call the fraternity as a whole as “presstitudes” the passing of such strong voices of dissent indeed leaves a deep and sad void. On August 4, another eminent journalist P Sainath gave the keynote speech at an event organised by the Film Writers Association in Mumbai. Sainath has extensively covered poverty and rural life in India. A collection of his articles is published under the title, “Everyone Loves a Good Drought. On Thursday, social media was buzzing with selections from Sainath s speech. Sainath talked about the rampant inequality in India and said that not enough is being done to highlight the gap. “How agonised we are when people die, and how untroubled we are by how they live.” He reminded writers to give voice to the voiceless and said that there was no excuse not to do so. “You cannot plead a lack of inspiration of ideas and stories – this is a country where they kick you in the face,” Sainath said.
