Thursday, January 27, 2011

Good bye BBC Hindi

It was very painful to read this piece of news today. I vividly remember those times when I as a child used to listen to BBC Hindi and Urdu for a different take on world affairs. And a better one too.

The style of reporting the news and the care taken not to sensationalize the news was what I liked the most. The coverage of any event focussed on providing audience with facts rather than opinions. Apart from this they also provided the background of the issue at hand which helped millions in understanding it properly. The online version would still remain but the closure of short wave services would impact those in semi-urban and rural areas a lot. They are the ones who are in real need of these kind of news services. With the power situation we have in our country it is difficult to imagine television can replace it. But it becomes terrible when you look at the state of private news channels esp. in Hindi.

Sensationalist coverage with all opinions (sorry that is a euphemism, actually speculations would be more proper) and no fact leaves viewers with little information. It is really a sad day for journalism because not just Hindi but many other foreign language services will be shut. R.I.P. BBC Hindi. All good things finally come to an end.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Good times. Where are they?

India as a country is surely not enjoying the best of the times. High inflation, plethora of charges of corruption and space research setbacks. All these things have made this first month of year gloomy.

Corruption has always been rampant in India but so many charges on people holding seats of high responsibility are very disappointing. When even CVC and a former Chief Justice of India come under cloud, it surely is one of the most disconcerting time for ethics in Indian public life. Add to it the monster of inflation which has not been reigned in by the government yet. Rise in petrol prices may very well aggravate the problem although it is good to know that diesel prices are not being raised, at least for now.

But India is known for its resilience. We have seen far worse times in 1991 and came out of it to embark on our journey of phenomenal growth. I hope we do enough inquisition to embark another journey of inclusive growth this time.