If theres one thing exceptional about Indias news TV,it is its relentless search for the average. This Wednesday,as bombs went off in Mumbai,the three words most used were again,angry,and average. Mumbai was targeted again; the average Mumbaikar was angry. As always,the narrative writes itself in a Delhi studio and then we proceed to the location being described to get the right bite.
CNN-IBN was the worst offender. Its anchors bellowed at helpless passers-by from their comfortable studios: But what makes you angry? Their journalists were ordered to ask that question as well; no amount of artful editing can conceal that fact when the answers you broadcast start with Oh,what makes me angry is… And in any crowd,theres someone willing to be angry,and so CNN-IBN found a bystander willing to tear angrily into the Congress,
R.R. Patil and pretty much everyone else,including the neighbouring country. The bystander was elevated to news TV superstardom for the night,aired repeatedly as a tribute to his angry average-ness.
On India at 9,Rajdeep Sardesai asked for anger,too: Mumbaikars today,it seems are very,very angry… How do you respond to what Priya Dutts suggesting,that anger without solutions is not the way forward? The person he was asking was Shobhaa De,and she didnt disappoint,ranting about criminals and politicians and an evil nexus: Rajdeep,its a lot of baloney,I refuse to listen to this rubbish anymore. Its not about anger,anger,anger… There is a sense of desperation. We are feeling exploited. We are feeling used. We are feeling just mad. She went on for minutes. It was ridden with extraordinary lapses of logic she assumed all blasts are necessarily connected,and she listed various intelligence agencies,including Israels,she was convinced knew more about the attack on Mumbai than ours. There were phrases perfect in their incomprehensibility: Almost covert support,for one,and Mumbai is a symbol of global power to the world.
Dis-grace-ful, she concluded.
Sardesai let her finish this ridiculous speech and then stated: Shobhaa De,perhaps reflecting the sentiment of the average Mumbaikar who is very angry. If I was the average Mumbaikar,that statement would have made me very angry.
Elsewhere on CNN-IBN: For the seventh time since 1991,Indian citizens have been killed in a loathsome act of terrorism, said Sagarika Ghose in the lead-off of Face the Nation,Indias Best Presented News Programme. (An extremely dubious claim. The seventh time part,I mean.) Intelligence-gathering was particularly at fault,because the signs to a trained person would have been unmistakable. What signs? There have been so many unsolved blasts…
The discussion didnt rise above that level of illumination. Even so,the presenter tweeted the next day: Superb FTN last night with fabulous speakers. So much talent available in the country,yet a bumbling clodhopping govt… frustrating! Suggestions were also available,courtesy of CNN-IBN headhunters: Chidu,Ms Bedi for NIA?
On NDTVs Left,Right and Centre,Nidhi Razdan and her four Delhi-insider panellists a Congressman and a BJP-wallah who appear on everything; a former bureaucrat; and a newspaperman who talks about terrorism with a knowing,toothy grin discussed Pakistan,the UPA,the BJP and the NIA for half the show before the fifth (Mumbai-based) member of the panel,Jerry Pinto,was asked his opinion about Mumbais response. Pinto ko gussa aaya: Why are you asking me this question? Why has this become something that Delhi people will talk about in Delhi as if it has nothing to do with Bombay?… why did your cameras go in,do a little camera rape of those victims,and then you give it to these four distinguished gentlemen sitting around in Delhi as if nothing has happened… four very elegant gentlemen discussing this in abstractions,and then you ask me the old,tired,spirit question. The four elegant gentlemen were looking distinctly uncomfortable by this point. Razdan was perplexed: I dont know why youre angry with us…
Pinto responded: This is the 31st minute of this conversation,and now you want a Bombay voice? This city is largely upset. And Ill tell you why were upset…. Were upset because the reportage comes out of Delhi. And Delhi does not seem to understand that this is something that happened here… Im angry that NDTV will do a discussion about a Bombay event in Delhi. Does that make sense?
Finally,the average angry Mumbaikar.
mihir.sharma@expressindia.com
