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.