ARE INDIAN MEDIA SECULAR OR COMMUNAL?
A Secular Rethink is certainly needed because of the ``minoritism`` among certain quarters of the society as well as media. To understand the secularism in the Indian context it is very much necessary to have a global overview. There is a particular kind of global phenomenon about ``Minority``. Political class, human rights organizations and the English media of all most all the country of the world have a certain bias towards minority. In western part of the world these three brands of society will always try to speak or write about immigrants who are basically in minority compare to the original nationals. In Muslim countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh politicians and English media as well as the so called human rights champions will always try to speak or write on behalf of the minority (Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, etc.). And the situation is not different in India as-well. Here also the politicians, English media and the so called rights champions always talk about ``minority``. The meaning of the word ``secularism`` have changed drastically only because of these three class of the world. It is not that that the minorities in all countries do not suffer, they are not deprived of their genuine rights, but the way in which it has been projected is wrong, totally wrong. Here I would like to draw attention towards a family of four – mother, father and two children. Out of two kids one is ten years old and the other is five. It is very common in each family that the kids will play together and will quarrel quite often. Now whenever there is a quarrel, the younger child will cry or shout loudly so the parents will intervene and the elder one will have to suffer their ire. This is the story of all ages in all standard families that kids quarrel and the elder kids have been made responsible without giving him a chance to explain even though out of ten times they quarrel nine times it is the younger one is responsible. Now this story should be look in to a vast context of society where people of different sections live. On the religion or other bases they are distinguished as majority or minority. Whenever there are disturbances it is the history which can be verify by anybody who wants that only majority community was being made responsible. Media targets only majority without verifying facts, rights champions jumps to condemn majority. For any reasons the ruling class loves to divide the people, either on religious or cast basis. It is a proven fact that over 95% people in every religion, cast and other sections of society are peace loving and they all depended upon each other. The rest 5% is notorious in each section of society and they are the soft targets of ruling class as well as fanatic religious leaders. They are like guided missiles. But my point is that they are still less responsible in terms of secularism in comparison with the media in general and English newspapers and TV channels in particular. The very medium which can be a bridge or a tool in the critical circumstances is the biggest divider of the society in terms of secularism. Though they are helpful during natural calamities like quakes, floods etc. their role during the communal clashes is one-sided, bias, and full of half-truths. The attitude of media is very dangerous during communal clashes in general and in terms of Hindu-Muslim (majority-minority in any country) relations in particular. Nobody knows but majority bashing is very common among English journalism all over the world (Hindus in case of India). This kind of journalism wins awards but let me say categorically that it never serve the purpose of secularism. There are scores of examples to prove the point that English media –TV channels, politicians and the so-called human rights champions have done more damage to the Indian secular fabric than the communal clashes it self. On August 13, 2006 two days before the 59thIndependence Day the Times of India published a ``special report`` with three headings (page 9) and under the heading ``The Bad`` they have publish a picture of the kar-sevaks on the top of the disputed structure in Ayodhya. Was it necessary to publish this kind of explosive photographs even after 14 years? If the answer is `yes` then why not the photo of the burning of the train in which 58 Hindus were burnt alive by fanatic Muslims at the Godhra railway station on February 27,2002? Tavleen Singh has rightly pointed out that the victims of the 1993bombings in Mumbai are still waiting for justice (Indian Express August 13, 2006, page 7). But the other side is that the so-called human rights champions and politicians are not giving any statements or organizing demonstrations and rallies to ask for the punishment of the terrorists of the Mumbai bombings or preparators of the Godhra carnage. On every December six these media publish and airs the reports of the year 1992 events, thus they remind the Muslims that their ages old disputed structure was demolished by Hindus, but the same media very cleverly forgets the terrorist acts of Mumbai bombings, Ghatkoper bombings, Godhra tragedy, Akshrdham attack.?
It is very painful to note that whenever the Muslim fanatics attack, these media project it as a revenge (or reaction) of the so-called`` injustice`` or the Babri episode and so on. It is in this context that after the Godhra carnage whenever the Muslims attack, media project it as the revenge of the ``Gujarat riots``, but as I said earlier they (media) do not say that the Gujarat riots were the reaction of the Godhra carnage. Even the Gujarat riots were and are projected in such a way that Godhra tragedy did not took place at all! and that in the riots only Muslims had suffered. Are these media reports or talks such vigorously about Jammu & Kashmir where thousands of people lost their lives every year as they talk about the alleged Gujarat riots? There are other examples of media bias in this regard. In first week of July 2006 the Rath Yatra was celebrated in India including Ahmedabad. RathYatra is one of the biggest events in Ahmedabad and it should be cover by all media without any prejudice or bias, but the Indian Express was the only newspaper which did not bother to even report the event the next day, forget about the photograph, but these newspapers never-ever forgets to print a sizable photo on ID essentially on the front page. In a way this is not secularism of the English media and TV channels but it should be branded as communalism of media. I think the role of the media should be balanced to build-up healthy society. They should not pamper one religion or one section and go on beating the other religion or section of the society. But unfortunately the fact is other-way-round. Media has never tried to go in to deep to investigate the psyche of the fanaticism in minority, never talk about religious conversions in remote Gujarat as well in other states of India, willfully undermines demands of the common civil code! They have never tried to find out the demographic changes in the old city areas of the Country, which is one of the major causes of clashes between the communities. Ahmedabad case should be studied in this regard. And let me point out that those who call themselves secular or human rights champions - never prefer to live in such areas, never they willing to marry their girls to a person of minority community or for that matter to appear on belongs to the so-called lower class. And politicians? let’s not talk about them. Thus the ``minoritism`` is not going to solve the problem. Politicians, English media and rights champions will have to rethink in this regard. Just as they will have to contain themselves to give ``voice`` about the immigrant minority in Western and other develop countries, their counterparts in the Pakistan, Bangladesh as well as other Muslim countries will have to limit themselves on going over-board in favor of the Hindu-Christian-Sikh minority, and the Indian minority lovers will also have to change their specs to get a better look. If we really wants to save the secular fabric of the society, the ``communalism`` of media will have to stop once and for all. Pampering of minority should stop everywhere in the world. ****
