I am in US, and work daily with Pakistani based developers. 2 work out of Lahore, and 1 from Rawalpindi. All thru yesterday, not even once did they switched off because of drill/outage/fear.
These kids, they go out in the middle of the night to take their breaks .. drink tea and eat pranthas..
They told me that things are fine in both the cities.
Personally, if this is how the war/skirmishes are going to be be, then I'd take it. At least no lives are lost in this kind of warfare.
But yes, the sheer studipity of this is not lost on me.
You write truth to power. Sorry, but am enveloped in a pall of gloom. I hate to say this, but I have, as a citizen given up on my fellow citizens. I am complicit in allowing this state of affairs to come to pass. And right now the genie cannot be put back into the bottle. We are a failed nation. When I think of the "routine" the "normalcy" around me with Zero discourse or worry about the cost of war, the need for war, for or against, all I see is "inko office jana hai". Perhaps there is a need for this normalcy and no need to panic. We have to be seen to be doing everyday things. I don't even know where is my nearest bunker and what we are supposed to do in case our homes are bombed. So ill prepared. But then maybe am overreaching, overreacting, over thinking. All will be well. We have 56" of a non-biological pawpaw to look after us.
Yeah, this is exactly the fog I was writing about -- way too much information, most of it unreliable, some of it downright dangerous, can overwhelm the senses and leave us groping in the dark, unsure of direction or destination. Breathe.
Guessing it is the competition between news media to increase their viewership/reach and thereby delivering more value/revenue to their ownership that is driving this kind of reporting. Capitalism driving news reporting!
The electronic media is not making money through reach or similar metrics, but by government patronage. Advertisers support channels seen as pro-government; on top of that, there are these "conclaves" and similar events, with the PM, HM etc as main attractions -- these bring in sponsorship money, and is increasingly the main revenue stream for the big TV houses. The nonsense they do in the name of journalism is merely to remain in the good books of the government, by playing to a particular gallery
Trying. In the face of such optical onslaught, news mags like The Wire being shut on the Internet, aiports closed, Rafale jets being downed (or not, deafening silence of the Defence Ministry or Def Comms on it could be taken as affirmative) IPL suspended, Poonch residents not being told about dangers but asked to harvest their crop, Chandigarh residents being asked to stay indoors, and the laughable and shocking "ground reports" of our agencies, life is like some high pitched 3rd grade Hollywood masala film. Life has to go on. Life does go on. Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Syria...life goes on. I wish I was born anything but human. Nothing we as a race are doing can we take pride in, especially since we think the sun rises from our nether orifices. Am I becoming a musanthrope? Perhaps. Forgive me for the rant, but really paani ab sar ke upar chala gaya hai. Your podcast on Rohit is superb. Thank you.
Thank you for writing this, Prem. Needed to be said.
As a lifelong member of the media, Sarthak, I so wish it was not necessary to write/say the bleeding obvious.
I am in US, and work daily with Pakistani based developers. 2 work out of Lahore, and 1 from Rawalpindi. All thru yesterday, not even once did they switched off because of drill/outage/fear.
These kids, they go out in the middle of the night to take their breaks .. drink tea and eat pranthas..
They told me that things are fine in both the cities.
Personally, if this is how the war/skirmishes are going to be be, then I'd take it. At least no lives are lost in this kind of warfare.
But yes, the sheer studipity of this is not lost on me.
You write truth to power. Sorry, but am enveloped in a pall of gloom. I hate to say this, but I have, as a citizen given up on my fellow citizens. I am complicit in allowing this state of affairs to come to pass. And right now the genie cannot be put back into the bottle. We are a failed nation. When I think of the "routine" the "normalcy" around me with Zero discourse or worry about the cost of war, the need for war, for or against, all I see is "inko office jana hai". Perhaps there is a need for this normalcy and no need to panic. We have to be seen to be doing everyday things. I don't even know where is my nearest bunker and what we are supposed to do in case our homes are bombed. So ill prepared. But then maybe am overreaching, overreacting, over thinking. All will be well. We have 56" of a non-biological pawpaw to look after us.
Yeah, this is exactly the fog I was writing about -- way too much information, most of it unreliable, some of it downright dangerous, can overwhelm the senses and leave us groping in the dark, unsure of direction or destination. Breathe.
Guessing it is the competition between news media to increase their viewership/reach and thereby delivering more value/revenue to their ownership that is driving this kind of reporting. Capitalism driving news reporting!
The electronic media is not making money through reach or similar metrics, but by government patronage. Advertisers support channels seen as pro-government; on top of that, there are these "conclaves" and similar events, with the PM, HM etc as main attractions -- these bring in sponsorship money, and is increasingly the main revenue stream for the big TV houses. The nonsense they do in the name of journalism is merely to remain in the good books of the government, by playing to a particular gallery
Superb clarity and very timely.
Thanks for reading. Stay safe
Trying. In the face of such optical onslaught, news mags like The Wire being shut on the Internet, aiports closed, Rafale jets being downed (or not, deafening silence of the Defence Ministry or Def Comms on it could be taken as affirmative) IPL suspended, Poonch residents not being told about dangers but asked to harvest their crop, Chandigarh residents being asked to stay indoors, and the laughable and shocking "ground reports" of our agencies, life is like some high pitched 3rd grade Hollywood masala film. Life has to go on. Life does go on. Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Syria...life goes on. I wish I was born anything but human. Nothing we as a race are doing can we take pride in, especially since we think the sun rises from our nether orifices. Am I becoming a musanthrope? Perhaps. Forgive me for the rant, but really paani ab sar ke upar chala gaya hai. Your podcast on Rohit is superb. Thank you.