Encounter...  The meaning of the word as we use in India is unique. The word assumed it's new meaning in the late-1960s and acquired a unique place in our vocabulary by the time of Emergency. It was the time of the Naxalbari movement in north Bengal turning violent and entering large parts of urban areas in the state. Even scholars and professionals were supporting a fledgling group of so-called Communists who had broken out of the Left parties, accusing the latter of "compromising with a cause" by following Parliamentary Democracy.  "Power flows from the barrel of a gun," they quoted, conveniently ignoring the fact that if so, the state is many times more powerful. They made handful of poor villagers take on posse of rifle-toting police with bows and arrows. All in the name of "revolution"!  Oblivious to logic, students on (then) Calcutta streets chanted, "China's chairman is our chairman". It was romantic to be called a Naxal or a Maois...

The other day there was one of those unsolicited messages in one of those unsolicited groups. Yes, with time, I have started attending WhatsApp University. And with time, I have stopped exiting groups; I attend these classes as a passive, mute student of unlearning – though my attendance would be considered insufficient. Many may call me a watcher or even a voyeur. However, I yearn to unlearn a lot – especially from groups that proudly exhibit the term Media or Journalist. So I do occasionally glance through the sundry post when I need to unlearn or get winded. In the message, one of these media specialists targeted a certain “infamous” communist leader, raising questions over his source of income in supporting his livelihood (even if frugal) or funding an election campaign. Left is just a four-letter word today. And now that it has been rendered politically and economically irrelevant, I find it amusing that some people still find it worth flogging a dead horse. And I LoL when someo...

Vijay Yadav was from Patna, Bihar, and Sufian Momin was from Maldah, West Bengal. They became friends while working at a multi-storey-building construction site in Mumbai. On Monday (April 13) evening, Momin gets a call from Vijay; later, other labourers from Maldah who were staying in Bandra east also receive similar phone-calls. Calls were also received by labourers from other states with a message for them to assemble at the bus stop near Bandra railway station on Tuesday afternoon with a demand: “either arrange our food, or arrange our return home”. Thus, the migrants from Maldah joined workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, others, at the said bus stop in Mumbai. 'THE INVISIBLES' by GOPAL DUTT SHARMA  The labourers later said that instead of either proving food or a passage home, police dispersed them with baton charge. Some were injured by the caning; but scared of being nabbed by the police, most preferred to suffer quietly at the shanties that are their temp...

When Messenger Is News  In media industry, the present will pass; but the past is likely to lay heavy on the future. While some publications have announced closure – mostly “temporary” – many have announced pay cuts (“temporary”) and some, even job cuts. A message went viral on Sunday; that a certain Hindi news channel has fired its “entire Digital English team (15ppl)… without any prior notice… they just got an email on Friday evening. They are just paying one month’s basic salary and nothing else”. The three-para message was shared by others over various social media platforms. People started asking those in-the-know for details… and re-shared the incident with their “followers and friends”. Soon there followed other messages … National, regional, vernacular... Whether a "big house" or not-so-big-house... salary-cut, job-cut, leave-without-pay… most tightening their belts any which way during the lockdown. Those sacked were also part of the pro...

To colleagues working in their newsrooms or on the field in these days of Corona scare… To those comrades who will not or cannot isolate or quarantine themselves… To associates who will tomorrow again “cover” Parliament, the offices on Raisina Hill, or various hospitals, or other ‘beats’… From my hardworking young friend @IamNaveenKapoor handle I may not be anywhere there, but my thoughts, my wishes, my applause are always for you, with you… When countrymen open their newspapers, switch on to a news channel or log onto a news-site, they will know what they want to know because you were there to source out what you know they will want to know… When such calamities strike, editors scramble reporters to ground zero. And this time, it’s ground zero everywhere! What is worse – and what I can understand – your beat, your daily reporting will become tougher and tougher as the “society is walled off”. And the times aren’t good for either news or for the media industry a...

Perhaps the biggest leap taken by mankind in recent time on social media or a messaging platform was with the invention of WhatsApp. It is free (almost), it is convenient, and it is ubiquitous! But armchair warriors have turned this boon into a bane! With several hate messages going viral on WhatsApp following north-east Delhi riots, @DelhiPolice tweeted on March 3: “Hey guys! Not done. You have taken the job of spreading नफ़रत so brazenly. Rest assured, we are watching you all, and mighty well. While we know some of these are fake IDs, be sure of our capabilities to hunt you down  😎 . Take this as a sweet warning! #DelhiPoliceNailsFake” An idea that was meant to unite is being used by bigots and zealots to divide. They are spreading falsehood and – through it – also hatred. There is a term that is being widely used for messages that have no basis, only bias – WhatsApp University. Again, this is how a senior police officer in India, @IPSMadhurVerma, m...

(Pic courtesy: Gopal Dutt Sharma) In India, it may. But many a times it cannot. This despite the fact that media -- especially TV news -- is said to be self-regulatory. Take the example of a government ban on two Malayalam (Kerala) news channels over their coverage of violence in Delhi. The 48-hour embargo, imposed on February 6 was however revoked the next day following “representation” from the channels, reported news outlets. The order reportedly included… "Channel's reporting on Delhi violence seems to be biased as it is deliberately focusing on the vandalism of CAA supporters... It also questions RSS and alleges Delhi Police inaction. Channel seems to be critical towards Delhi Police and RSS…". (Pic courtesy: Gopal Dutt Sharma) If so, is this an official statement on who, or what the media cannot or should not "criticize"? Not the first time Indian media critical of the government of the day was “banned”. It was perhaps wors...