Flying High

Employees in the private sector in India are a harassed lot. They are forced to work hard for their measly wages which is very bad. Or so they say.

Today, the pilots of a private airline (Jet Airways) went on strike. Some readers would like to point out that it was not a strike. The pilots just took leave, all at the same time. Poor Jet Airways had no option but to cancel all flights for the day.

The TV channels had a field day showing images of a sad lady who was unable to attend her father's funeral because her flight was canceled. She was unable to make alternate arrangements at such a short notice and sobbed on national TV. But did anyone really care? The TV channels tried their best to sensationalize the news, sucking out every bit of emotion the poor girl had. The viewers had a gala time switching channels whenever her story was re-telecast (every five minutes, approx.). The pilots had no representative on TV so they got burned as villains.

Meanwhile, other private airlines (not Jet) secretly hiked up their prices. Those booked on Jet enjoyed every moment of cursing the mothers and sisters of the Jet Airways pilots/ management of the greedy airlines.

So, whose fault was it? Unbelievably, nobody's. Frankly, you have to stand up for your rights. No one else will do it for you. You should always be prepared for emergencies. You should capitalize on your opponents' mistakes. And you should try to stay ahead of the game.

Unfortunately, the above wisdom holds true. No doubt, it was the same the wisdom in the minds of the pilots/media/airlines/public when they woke up this morning. But something everyone conveniently forgot was Humanity. Did the pilots even consider the inconvenience caused to others before they made their decision? So the pilots went on strike. Did the other airlines really need to pinch the pocket of the already suffering passengers? Did the media really have to sensationalize the story of a woman mourning for her dead father? The way they did it, any sympathy the poor lady might have got turned into apathy of the viewers.

All in all, it was another glorious day in the sovereign republic of India.

Sometimes I wonder, why do people need to be awarded (with humanitarian awards) for behaving like every human should? Something is seriously wrong somewhere.

New Divide

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions. - Albert Einstein

Remember the time when Slumdog Millionaire was criticized for showing India in a poor light? Or when some idiot asked Aravind Adiga to apologize for writing White Tiger? Chances are high that you do not.

I remember the exact date when I saw Slumdog. It was December 29th and we all were huddled in a friend's room in the hostel, watching the movie late into the night. For the uninitiated, Slumdog Millionaire was released in India on January 23rd (almost a month AFTER I had seen it). But this post is not about piracy. This post is about India.

White Tiger (Aravind Adiga's Booker Prize winning novel) talks of two India(s) - India of Light and India of Darkness. He talks mostly about the India of Darkness where corruption is rampant, poverty forces children out of schools, the rich get away with murder, politicians fill their pockets with the common man's hard-earned money and the government remains indifferent. Somehow this India seems familiar to me.

Frankly, I saw nothing wrong with the book. People who claimed that the book showed India in a poor light should...well... go out often. It is true that Art imitates Life. They said that the author focused on only the bad aspects of living in India. Well, he IS a writer of fiction. He drew everyone's attention to the deplorable condition of the masses. He brought forward issues like Casteism that are often brushed under the carpet, irrespective of the fact that they are more rampant than ever. Reservation on the basis of caste, whether for higher or lower classes, is casteism nonetheless. Such efforts need to be lauded, not discouraged.

Slumdog was the story of rags-to-riches. From Hindu-Muslim riots to the gangsters residing in Mumbai's underbelly, the movie tried to show some of the things that were wrong with the country. However, the scene involving Amitabh Bachchan was wrongly glorified. Instead of saying things like "That was disgusting!" Big B should have questioned whether the human excrete Jamaal dived into was fake or not. After all, human rights of the child were involved.

The reason why some people found Slumdog atrocious was due to the stereotypes generated by the silver screen and the idiot-box. The poor working class hero of any YashRaj or Karan Johar film wears Gucci/Armani to work...everyday. The never-ending Saas-Bahu sagas feature divorces in which the poor hero has to give Rs 250 Crore as alimony to his ex-wife. No wonder people have trouble digesting the fact that nearly one-third of the population is not able to arrange for one square meal a day.

There is an interesting fact about ostriches. Whenever an ostrich feels that it is under attack, it buries its head in the ground assuming that if it cannot see the enemy, the enemy cannot see it. Ostrich hunters have whale of a time shooting such sitting ducks (did you notice the alliteration?). The people who believe that movies like Slumdog Millionaire or books like White Tiger are bad because they depict the truth are just like ostriches. Such morons have the notion that if they do not talk about a problem, it will go away. This notion is true if applied to attention-mongers like Rakhi Sawant (if you do NOT watch Rakhi Ka Swayamvar, chances are that you won't have to watch Rakhi Ka Divorce, or even Rakhi Ka Swayamvar Season Two), but not in case of problems that have plagued our country for years (Reservation, corruption, religious discrimination etc)

To summarize, there are issues which are more important than Rakhi marrying that bald Canadian guy. Issues that have been put aside for too long. Issues that need to be resolved before they divide the country even further.

Spun

Ever since Kareena got that Size-Zero figure, losing weight has become the new fitness mantra. While looking for some exercises that I can do without shelling out a lot of dough for joining a gym, I came across the following article.


Calorie-burning activities and the number of calories per hour they consume:

• Beating around the bush ... ... ... 75
• 
  
• Jumping to conclusions ... ... ... 100
• 
  
• Climbing the walls ... ... ... 150
  
• 
  
• Swallowing your pride ... ... ... 50
  
• 
  
• Passing the buck ... ... ... 25
  
• 
  
• Throwing your weight around (depending on your weight) ... 50 - 300
  
• 
  
• Dragging your heels ... ... ... 100
  
• 
  
• Pushing your luck ... ... ... 250
  
• 
  
• Making mountains out of molehills ... ... ... 500
  
• 
  
• Hitting the nail on the head ... ... ... 50
  
• 
  
• Wading through paperwork ... ... ... 300
• 
  
• Bending over backwards ... ... ... 75
  

Iron(y) Man

For some unfathomable reasons, Google rejected my application for an ad-sense account for this blog. I want my blog to display relevant advertisements and thus help me earn some extra allowance. However, the people at Google think otherwise. What is the problem if an average ordinary guy wants to earn money by penning down his thoughts? ...that too without using any profanities or talking about pre-marital affairs. I'm sure Chetan Bhagat never had any problems for finding sponsors for his website. There's irony hidden in it somewhere but you'd rather find it for yourself.

Shifting our focus to international matters, Hillary Rodham Clinton praised India for acting maturely after the Mumbai Terror attacks. It was commendable that we did not take up arms and launch a full-fledged attack on Pakistan just because a few terrorists attacked our commercial centre. We should have praised US of A for also acting maturely and not launching military attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq just because a few terrorists crashed their planes on two tall buildings. Something tickled my irony bone (next to my funny bone) here, too!

In other news, Mrs. Rita Bahuguna Joshi came back home...or whatever was left of it. Mayawati's supporters (apparently) had burned her house down in an attempt to renovate it with gasoline. Mayawati claims Mrs. Joshi bad-mouthed the Dalits so she deserves to be punished under a SC/ST Law that bans any discrimination against the so-called backward classes. Mrs. Joshi has been booked under several non-bailable offenses besides the "inciting violence" infraction. She awaits trial, while those who literally brought down her house go scot-free. Mayawati said that she will make sure Mrs. Joshi is punished severely. No action has been (or, can be) taken against Maya Memsaab. Some idiots with a misplaced sense of patriotism will consider it greatly ironic. They will burn with anger at the mockery that is being made of the Indian judicial system. They will fire self-righteous remarks about ideologies and other such expletives. But...they will do NOTHING.

Why do you think Mayawati is the CM of UP? Why did the Liberhan Commission require Rs 8 Crores to tell us what the media was screaming for 16 years? Why do you think politicians are corrupt? What makes them think they can get away with murder? (I'm serious, quite a lot of them have). The answer to all of the above questions is THE COMMON MAN'S STUPIDITY.

Nobody dares to rise up against evil. Yeah, Gandhiji proposed non-violence but he never said that one should always grin and bear oppression. In fact, He did say, "It is a greater sin to be oppressed than to oppress." I'll translate it for you. He said that one should stand up for what is right. The scum of the Earth mock us because we let them. After all, since the advent of RTI (Right To Information), a lot of corrupt officials had to face the music (Jailhouse Rock, I believe).

The most obvious question in your mind, "What gives this jerk the right to tell us to do something? Why doesn't he get up and do something himself." Well, if you ever go to Mullana ask the final year students (that means my immediate junior batch) about Anurag Saxena. They may not have all good things to say but they will agree on one thing...the guy tried to bring about a change. And that's far better than complaining.

If you ever come up with a plan that will reform our country, count me in. I may not lead from the front but I guarantee you will have a loyal ally. Just come out of this ennui and think of something that will change this world...for the better. If you have problems thinking big, think simple...how to improve your locality (that does not mean shifting to a posh area). If you are ready to rebel, you'll always find me by your side. I hope you don't see irony here because none is intended.

Be the change you want to see in the world. - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Losing my religion

Cricket is the gulli-danda of the elite - Laloo Prasad Yadav

India crashed out of the ICC T20 World Cup yesterday. The newspapers and channels are busy bashing Dhoni and his men for the defeat. But, is Dhoni the real villain?

Cricket, in India, is a religion. People live and breathe cricket. Cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar have temples dedicated to them. In a nation of over 1 billion fans, cricketers are demi-gods. The fans idolize them. And then, there are expectations.

Cricket has become such a competitive sport in the country that the few who do make it to the top are objects of adulation. However, the hopes of an entire nation are riding on their shoulders. So, what happens... India loses one match in a competition...the captain's house is ransacked, effigies of the players are burnt. And these shenanigans are not restricted to any particular city or region. The entire nation suffers from the mood swings.

This time around, the Men in Blue had a lot to live up to. They had won the first edition of the T20 World Cup and the entire country wanted them to retain the title. But, they did not make it. So, what went wrong?

If you have been watching the news lately, you would say, there was a drift in the team. You are absolutely wrong. Cricket has such a huge following in India that cricketers compete with film celebrities in the gossip columns. And gossip, by its very nature, is untrue.

This time the team was prepared well and there was not much on the publicity front. If the team is out of the news for some time, it means that the players are actually focussing on their game. But what the Great Indian Media had everyone believe was that there was infighting among the Men In Blue. As usual, Dhoni had to shift focus from his game to dispel the rumours. But the media latched on to his every word. Literally. His every move under scrutiny just to prove that all was not well within the team.

Now, Dhoni is a flamboyant personality. He likes being in the spotlight, but not for wrong reasons. So, he had to fight with the media when when he should have been concentrating on his team. The media further went on a killing spree and destroyed any chances of a good night's sleep for Captain Cool.

And then, the inevitable happens. The players, who were forced to shut up the media with a show of strength had been distracted from their goal. The media had been successful in destroying the peace and quiet in the Indian camp. They said the players performed below par. If you have ever been told that 1 billion people expected you to win against the top cricketing nations in the world, would you or would you not feel the pressure? The players did not show it, but they were under a lot of pressure. The news channels are having a field day cursing Dhoni for a lacklustre performance.

And they say that a rift between Sehwag and Dhoni cost us the title. Oh please, cut the crap!!

Gandhi - the Vision and the Glasses

Congratulations to all my brethren for getting back what was rightfully ours. A certain pair of glasses that were under the hammer at a very big auction. India's prestige has been restored in the International community. Vijay Mallya turned out to be the greatest patriot of 'em all by shelling out a cool $ 1.8 million for the Gandhi Goodies©.

Somehow, I've begun to doubt my own sense of patriotism. My chest just refused to swell with pride when the news was announced. I apologize to Indrajit Hazra for quoting him here with the quote unquoted as he quoted exactly what I had been thinking.

My only question is: If we Indians wanted the Gandhi Goodies © (glasses, slippers, bowl and blood report)so badly, why did we ask the government to get them for us? After all, unlike the Kohinoor diamond and most of the Indian artifacts scattered across various museums around the world, these Gandhi Goodies© weren't stolen property that left an unholy imperialist-hegemonic ooze-trail across continents and time. This was fair and square deal in which the owner of the Gandhi Goodies© had decided to sell them to the highest bidder...No burglaries, no customs rackets, no Tomb Raider sequences, no RSS hanky-panky that we are so familiar with...All legit. So, why couldn't one of us, so keen to suck every Gandhi item scattered across the globe, raise his hand and make a bid at the Antiquorum auction last Tuesday night at New York?

No, you don't have to answer the above question. Not that I expect you to, anyway. What's the big deal with the glasses? I thought Gandhi was about ideology and not idol worship.Frankly, I have come to accept the Great Indian Hypocrisy as a way of life. To think of it, alcohol was the vilest thing according to Gandhi (That's why October 2 is a Dry Day!). Almost six decades after his death, India; his own country; cheered while his belongings were purchased at an auction by India's biggest liquor baron. Another one bites the dust in front of the Great Indian Hypocrisy! May his soul rest in peace.

This one flew right over the KINGFISHER's nest!

The Evil that Men Do

The terror attacks in Mumbai. I don't have to go into details. Yes, I condemn the crime. Why bother about capturing all terrorists. Catch just one and kill 'em all. Simple.

I grew up in Chandigarh. The 1980's were troubled times in Punjab. I remember mom and dad talk about curfews without realizing what the commotion was all about. In or around 1992, a certain Beant Singh was assassinated. The fact that he was Chief Minister of Punjab is the reason I used the word "assassinated" instead of "murdered". I grew up not understanding why someone had to die for someone else to live in peace.

Osama Bin Laden did some marvellous prime-time action by taking the war back to the US of A. Why? I know the facts. But I don't understand the reason. Nor do I understand the reason why US thought it had any right to meddle in Afghanistan anyway. Why the hell did Dawood Ibrahim orchestrate the Mumbai blasts in '94? It couldn't have been religion. The bombs never discriminated against Hindus or Muslims. They just did their job; took away innocent lives. The tales of terror are endless. I don't feel the need to elaborate any.

Why does a man turn on his brothers? This so-called 'Jihad' everyone keeps talking about, do even know the meaning of the word? What can you achieve by killing people who haven't done anything to you? What is the purpose of this mindless bloodshed? Does killing actually resolve any issue? Can you quote a single example where shedding the blood of innocents is demanded by GOD?
You can leave your answers as comments, maybe if I forget to delete them, I might even read them.

On 26 November, India (not including Kashmir. No need to count it in India, let Pakistan have it. I don't bloody care!) faced the biggest terror attack in its history. At night, a few armed men arrived in Mumbai. They killed many civilians and officers before they were finally subdued. The death toll stands at 195 (currently. That's 1 more than Saeed Anwar's world record). Intelligence officials claim that the terrorists came from Karachi. I don't bloody care. They may be residents of Papua New Guinea for all I care. What I want to know is the reason why? What did these madmen set out to prove? How can people be so dumb. They are fooled so easily by the pretense of Jihad. Heck, If you want to organize a Jihad why don't to start a few missionary hospitals and orphanages.

A lot of lives were lost. There is a lot of difference between laying down your life for a cause and dying for nothing. The NSG commandos and armed forces along with the police officials made our country proud. True sons of the soil. But what about the 40 or so terrorists who wreaked havoc on the City of Dreams. What was their cause? They were scumbags before they attacked and they are still full of crap. I have spoken a lot more curses than I'm writing down. Why can't people just understand? L-e-T denied any responsibility for the attacks. And they can wash their hands off the matter. A terrorist is a terrorist. If you have a problem with the system, why don't you stand up? Heck, kill any corrupt politician but spare the innocents.
Its easy to break bricks with bare hands because bricks don't fight back. If these terrorists have any self-respect, accept my challenge.

Stop hiding in foreign countries. Come here, and fight like real men. Cowards! You require truckloads of ammunition to disturb one city. Why don't you try to fight mano-a-mano; man to man unarmed. These guerilla tactics only prove your impotence. May God (or Allah or whoever you worship) cast you into the burning fires of Hell (or Jahannum or Hades or simply stick you up in purgatory)!

And Raj SOB Thakeray, just keep your mouth shut for at least one week. The common man's really pissed off. Just hope that you don't get burned down by the fury surging through our souls!!!

What an idea, Sirjee!

This small post is dedicated to the ingenious minds in the advertising business. A few days ago, I came across the most touching ad. The IDEA ad featuring Junior B as a priest!

The ad is pretty simple. A priest sees a poor girl being turned away by his school because the seats are full. Feeling sad for the children who can't attend school, he prays to God. And gets an IDEA. Soon, every village boy and girl is getting educated like their urban counterparts. How? By the use of mobile phones!

All children in the village gather at one spot. A mobile phone placed nearby connects them to teachers of a missionary school, undoubtedly overseen by the priest. So, besides teaching the students in the classroom, the teachers are also teaching children who otherwise wouldn't have been able to go to a real school. In the Annual Prize Distribution Ceremony, the girl who was initially turned away (in the beginning of the ad)wins the best student award.
The ad concludes with the priest looking up at the sky, smiling and saying, "What an idea, sirjee!"

The very first time I saw the ad, I felt a tear trickle down my right cheek. It touched a very deep chord. Why can't we all be more like the priest? We are supposed to be the new India. Why depend on octogenarians to resolve our issues when they can't even take care of their own knees...ehm...health.

I could blabber on about the state of the country, the deplorable conditions of the middle class but that's not the issue. As was once said by JFK (and quoted by millions): "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!"

Kudos to the people who developed the IDEA ad (The ad company, the actors etc.)
Its brilliant...and maybe...just maybe...signifies the rise of the new India.

India TV...A Tribute (Definitely not the last)

This work is copied from an e-mail that landed a few days ago in my mailbox. Each picture is worth a 1000 words...








What? When? How?! Where!?


Oh crap!! Cows are missing!!! haaaaalp!!



Hats off India TV!!! What would we do without you!!?!?



I really REALLY like this animation!!



OH why not?!?! Coz bloody aliens will travel billions of lightyears so that they can drink delicious cow's milk on their long journey back!


Ha! why didn't I think of that before!? They must really worship our cows!! THAT's why they abduct them!!


Really!??!? You don't say!!!



Yes yes!! Our cows are being beamed by alien ships! The world is coming to an end!!! haaaaaalp!!



We better hide Indian cows!! Coz thats exactly what the aliens are looking for!! Quick QUICK!!



Oooooooooo! Flying cows!!!

And some more!


I told you aliens exist!!!! I was beamed too, when I was a child and I didn't believe in aliens!!!! HA! in your face!!! see the proof!!


Wow more proof!! HAIL India TV!


I dare you to spot the cow inside the encircled area!!
(psssst....it's flying!)

Go away alien freaks!!! Don't take our cows!!




Great reporting by a great channel. Keep it up, India TV... you couldn't sink any lower anyway!

Indian Idle

Well, this post has taken a lot of time. Not because I was busy as such, but there are other things like semester exams etc. which really require a lot of time and effort. Being the final semester of third year of engineering, I no longer have any faith in the current syllabus followed by our University. Heck, we are stuck with reading about IDE drives while SATA-II revolution has changed the meaning of hard disks everywhere. Anyways, my semester got over and I was left with nothing to do. So I did what I thought was a logical action: Switch on the TV.

I had been bashing INDIA TV for everything; Khali to Youtube video ripoffs. Apparently, there's more to INDIA than INDIA TV. Its a fictitious work called Reality TV. The channels are swarming with shows that show "Reality"...apparently.
As far as I can remember, it all started with the internationally acclaimed Idol series making it debut on Indian television 4-5 years ago. There was a certain Abhijeet Sawant whose voice brought a nation together. Moving on, presently there are atleast four to five song/dance shows on each channel. Be it Star's Voice of India, Zee TV's SA RE GA MA PA Challenge, or even Sony's Indian Idol. Other less popular ones include Fame Gurukul among others. TRP ratings of these shows used to hit the roof when the inevitable occurred. The channels lost the concept of reality. Each and every precious moment the contestants shared turned into nothing more than a publicity gimmick.
So, we had Harshit's octogenarian grandmother congratulating him on live television with everyone on stage crying to their hearts' content (It really made my stomach churn). Once upon a time, when we watched these shows, there was bond we developed with the participants. They were one of us, struggling to make a place in society. Their pain was our pain. We laughed when Rahul Vaidya cracked jokes, we cried when he was voted out. Somehow, gradually the connection was lost. A tried and tested success mantra bit the dust due to over-repetition.

Word of the Day: OVERKILL.

Now we have Star's "Jo jeeta vo Superstar", a platform for the finalists of Indian Idol, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Voice of India etc to once again compete for the #1 spot. Well...it's not alone. On a similar track is Zee's "Ek Se Badhkar Ek". Now, the contestants; although familiar faces; seem distant. There's no bond, no connection. Most of them are now playback singers or have big record labels backing them. And WHERE'S THE REALITY, for crying out loud? Even the conversation between participants is some sort of advertisement.

"Hey, why don't you try ***** shampoo? It will make your hair smooth and silky."
"Thanks, it really works!!! WOW!! Now my hair is smooth and silky!"

OH PLEASE! We don't need that. Are you playing with our emotions? Cut it out!

Well, leave it to the channels to destroy an internationally successful franchise.
With these thoughts in mind, I switch to Cartoon Network. Ben10 and Naruto are good enough to pass the time. Atleast they don't have a silly anchor shedding crocodile tears.


P.S:
Even stand-up comedy hasn't been spared. We have all sorts of vulgar/obscene remarks being telecast in the name of comedy. It all started with an experimental show called Laughter Challenge. Its the same Laughter Challenge that gave us Raju Srivastava, who is now a pet of all news channels. Go figure!

The Great Indian Backstabber

A backstabber is someone who stabs a knife in your back. and the reason your back is turned towards them is because you trust them. Sometimes, the betrayal turns out to be far more painful than the wound itself.

So, who is the backstabber I'm talking about? our very own news channel, INDIA TV!!!

It all began with a small piece about the family of an Indian. This person had become very famous doing what he does best; beating up people. He had won accolades for his performance in the United States. Slowly, the news about this great Indian ambassador of sports gained momentum. Gradually, news about his latest exploits became part of the daily fixture. If you haven't yet realized which personality I'm talking about, here's a clue: WRESTLING. Yes, the great KHALI was India TV's pet. Other news channel were taken aback by the sudden surge in INDIA TV's TRP. They also joined the bandwagon and Khali became the new prime-time superstar.

All this while, I was cursing India TV for laying the path for a new superstition. WWE stands for World Wrestling ENTERTAINMENT for a reason. It is just an elaborate setup. The participants are not wrestlers but skilled athletes. My cries were wasted on laymen who celebrated triumphs over Undertaker and Batista. It is said that a lie told a thousand times will become the truth. People readily accepted Khali as a great wrestler. India TV made him a star with pirated videos of his fights (courtesy: YouTube).

For almost six months, Khali was the ruler of prime-time news. Aaj Tak and Star News had fallen for the bait; hook, line and sinker. Khali dominated these channels. He even appeared on Aaj Tak to wish the viewers a Happy Holi. And then, the Ides of March did what they do best. Brutus betrayed Caesar.

India TV did an elegant volte-face. With the panache of a deadly assassin, India TV started showing videos depicting wrestling as a sham. For an entire week, hours were dedicated on describing how fake blood is used for effect, how to throw opponents without breaking their neck, how each wrestling match is fixed etcetera etcetera. Its as if India TV was trying to save us from worshipping a mythical monster. Now, Khali was Public Enemy #1. But what about the thousands who prayed for Khali's success? What about the naive millions who spent sleepless nights thinking about the injuries to his interpreter thinking it was all real? It was India TV which brought Khali into limelight. It was India TV that was washing its hands off the matter. Sheer brilliance!

I thought the media could not sink any lower, India TV easily proved me wrong. Aaj Tak and Star News had been hit below the belt. Both were left red in the face. But at what cost? Millions of viewers trusted these channels to provide them with important information. And what did they do? Glorified a stage artist when even vital issues were left in the lurch. In a bid to outdo each other, the unsuspecting viewer was taken for a ride.

The news channels that fell into India TV's trap are not innocent. But what the people at India TV have done is UNFORGIVABLE. They have played with the trust of millions. Only an apology can clear the air. Frankly, I don't think I will be ever able to trust them enough to accept their apology.

India TV - Paradise Lost

When Rajat Sharma first conceived the idea of his own news channel, I was overjoyed. After all, AAP KI ADALAT was a favourite show of mine. Rajat Sharma's personality exuded the fact that the channel was going to be something Indians had never seen before. He was right. But in a different way altogether.

Starting off with some huge exposes, INDIA TV promised the moon. It seemed corruption would not stand a chance against the channel. From the politbureau to film stars, the channel was afraid of none. Unbiased reporting became its unique selling point.
And then...

Slowly, the rot began to creep in. INDIA TV had a niche market growing smaller by the day. With time, the market forces took control of the channel. The channel no longer subscribed to the same ideals that it was founded upon. Sensationalism was the key to survival.
"Man predicts he will die in 24 hours - Exclusive"
"Khali beats Undertaker - Breaking news"
"Amitabh Bachchan has common cold - 1 hour special"
"Aliens on the moon? - 3 hour special"

A new term TABLOIDization was coined to describe this behaviour. Somehow, true journalism was lost while meaningless gossip ruled the roost. Shahid-Kareena-Saif love triangle became more important than Indo-US nuclear deal.

Working 24 hours, the reporters could only come up with material that can be called NEWS only by an ignoramus. Nowadays, they download videos from YouTube and show them on television as exclusively covered events. Only last night, they were broadcasting a performance by David CopperField (Undoubtedly, one of the best illusionists of the 20th century). The poor reporters didn't even know who he was and kept referrring to him as a con man..[This person has cut himself in half, this person has girls dancing around to distract you, This person is an impostor!]. Pathetic!

The losers at the studio even had an EXPERT on the sets telling people that humans cannot fly. Disgrace!

I have only one advice to give to Rajat Sharma. AAP KI ADALAT is good. But one show can't save an entire channel (KBC was an exception). You held the world in your arms...and you let it slip. The good times are over.

And to you my readers,
If you are ever feeling stupid and believe there can be no one stupider than you, simply switch on the TV and turn to INDIA TV.

My Favourite TV shows

Psych
DragonBall Z
CSI
Maximum eXposure
The Office
F*R*I*E*N*D*S
Bean
L O S T (Season 1)
The Apprentice
Home improvement
Seinfeld
Gamer.tv