For years I’ve wondered if anyone would pick up the gauntlet and let the media know what those who are featured in the page 3, page 6 (whatever) columns truly felt about it. Let’s attempt to put the hype in perspective. The press is invited everywhere and anywhere. They happily land up as well. Art openings, fashion shows, book launches, birthday bashes (though why people clamour to have the press at private celebrations beats me). Apparently, for the press, all categories share the same platform. Maybe there is a dearth of talent to cover different events for what they are really worth. That would require a serious effort at reorganising the pages wouldn’t it? So much easier to download sexy pictures of Hollywood and Bollywood starlets from the net. Or maybe, there is no interest whatsoever. And so a mindless party sponsored by a liquor company, or a party thrown by god-alone-knows-who, vies for space with a book launch or a music recital. There is no depth to the coverage at all. Rarely does an interview with the artist, author, musician ever appear when a cultural event is covered. A comment on the work? Never. Now that would require a certain amount of homework and, much more than that, an understanding of the medium itself. What’s worse, reporters feel completely free to quote in inverted commas. Doesn’t matter whether it was said or not, or whether those were the words used. One worries about talking to most of the reporters for fear of sounding asinine for no fault of yours. So, is the idea behind these pages a serious attempt at documenting Delhi’s diary as flippantly as possible? All we ever get to see, because the text is highly dispensable anyway, is tiringly repetitive visuals of a handful of people having ‘a good time’. It suffices to say ‘the swish set’ or even worse, ‘Delhi’s glitterati’ has arrived. Go on, kill us with cliches. Get into exhaustive lists of who all were there, what they were wearing. Choose indiscriminately which names will be printed in bold. In case you missed it, photographs of guests smoking a cigarette or chucking back a drink are at a premium. What is priceless and worthy of half page status is the male- female smooch. (Why people slay the press for its behaviour also beats me. They did see the photographers didn’t they? Then why the fuss?) Is this city about 200 people as far as the media is concerned? Where is that mass of people that gives this city its soul? That actually don’t ‘work’ the party circuit but end up doing so much for the city. Are those people not glamourous or good looking enough to be covered? Or is the press left so gobsmacked by their talent and intelligence and reticence that they are best left untouched? And if these 200 people are the bankable cash cows that make the page work, why are they constantly at the receiving end of the press’ mirth as well? Doesn’t add up in my mind. The writer is a model, actress and artist
