Suddenly, the shrieking stopped. If only they were as considerate of our ear drums always. It took 8 October’s earthquake for TV news correspondents and anchors to speak like average human beings. Uncomplimentary but they would be the first to admit that in the pressure cooker atmosphere of live 24-hour news, they often (make that most often) sound like the whistle blowing its top.If you watched the coverage of the earthquake aftermath in Jammu and Kashmir, you would have noticed a fall in the decibel level. The tragedy seems to have robbed those reporting on it of their hysteria. Voices were subdued, everyone was unhurried, and not zipping in their usual human imitation of Delhi’s Metro. Maybe it was the cool mountain air, maybe it was the sense of helplessness in the face of such calamity, may be, well, who knows what it was, but we saw and heard from caring people, out there, bringing home to us the devastation. Although they jabbered like Lewis Carroll characters, they did give space to those suffering. Now, if only they behaved like average human beings always.There was a desperate effort on the part of channels like NDTV 24X7 with Barkha Dutt in Uri and Amitabh Revi in Islamabad to unite divided Kashmir and reunite India and Pakistan. However, as Dutt reminded herself, ‘‘(In such tragic times) borders are irrelevant but not irrelevant’’.The earthquake evoked different types of coverage. On PTV, they concentrated on the human dimension and the ground reality rubble. Was particularly impressed by a woman reporter making the rounds of a hospital: she spoke to the injured, not like someone thirsting for a juicy sound byte but someone who was genuinely concerned about their condition.BBC World and CNN took the aerial route. Extensive footage from way up there forcibly reminded you of contour mapping in geography class, where you identified the topography in a coded language. Really didn’t get a proper sense of the damage. BBC also catalogued the brave efforts of British relief workers - with the Brits paying a license fee for the channel, it must keep the folks back home happy.The earthquake did not act as a dampener on Dussehra festivities. Hindi news channels spent considerable time at Delhi’s Ramlila grounds on the day. Their display of great enthusiasm was less for burning Ravana, more for Sonia Gandhi’s arrival. That news has lost its meaning came home even more acutely, when one channel (sorry, cannot recall which one) led a bulletin with the following story: ‘‘Ravana burns before his time’’. Garba danced late into the night on all news channels; the most innovative relay was the rock band on the spiritual channel, Astha, clearly anxious to prove that high mindedness can be coexist with disco music.Star News was out with its first opinion poll (yes, it’s that season again) on the Bihar Assembly elections and its predictions are unlikely to gladden many hearts, least of all Laloo Prasad Yadav’s or Ram Vilas Paswan’s. Mr.Prasad was in his usual rustic, caustic element dismissing the polls as figments of Star’s imagination. At one stage he railed: ‘‘Is your machine right or my machine?’’ Given allegations of large scale poll rigging, Yadav may have revealed more than he intended to.A huge round of applause for the latest talent show. Nach Baliye (Star One) features TV star couples in a dance competition hosted by Sangeeta Ghosh and Shabir Ahluwalia. Both were relaxed but Shabir needs to take the hair out of his eyes and Ghosh ask her designers why they dressed her up like a pink wedding cake. Fashion aside, the first episode was hugely enjoyable - the couples did what was expected of them (dance) with spontaneity and good humour. Unlike people on other talent shows, actors are accustomed to performing on stage and that made all the difference. Judges Saroj Khan (imposing), Mallaika Arora (magnificently resplendent) and Farhaan Aktar (cute) played their part by their brief comments. Like ‘‘I have nothing to say’’ from Saroj Khan. Recommended viewing for all who don’t know how to relax in front of the TV.
