[Reader-list] The Ninnies of Television

[rahul pandita]

Sometimes he wondered, damn it, how does this channel
function? He asked this to his friend. Both of them,
after exchanging meaningful glances, would sneak out
and visit Gupta Ji’s shack to have a cigarette. After
taking a deep breath inside and making rings of smoke
in the air, his friend answered his query: This
channel, it is a sample survey of our country. The
channel functions the way our country runs. He
hesitated a bit, but finally asked: And how does our
country run? His friend closed his eyes and replied:
God knows. 

It was a reality. Journalists no longer held the reins
of the channel. The 24-hour cycle of news had changed
everything. An editor ceased to be an editor, he
turned into a manager. And then, gradually, managers
came to be recruited directly to run the editorial
affairs of the channel. Why carry on the façade when a
newspaper had begun to declare ‘Made in Delhi’ instead
of ‘Published in Delhi’. 

A very few so-called journalists still held the top
editorial positions. The problem also was that there
were too many ‘heads’ like the multiple heads of
Ravana. One such ‘journalist’ was employed by Lala Ji
and was made the output editor. His name was Gaurav
Sinha. It was said that until a couple of years ago,
he handled MCD and DVB press releases at the Jagbharat
Times. Later he joined Phataphat channel as a business
reporter. 

He met an old business journalist in Press Club, one
evening. After greeting each other, the business
reporter enquired about his office and he told the
reporter about Gaurav Sinha. Upon hearing that Gaurav
Sinha had become an output editor, the business
reporter burst into laughter and said: Just six months
back, Gaurav Sinha was covering the Auto Expo with him
at the Pragati Maidan. Afterwards, Gaurav Sinha stood
in front of the camera, to record a Piece to Camera,
which went like this: 

Mere peeche Auto Expo chal raha hai, jisme gaadiyan
dekhne ko mil rahi hein. 

When he was saying this in front of the camera, the
business reporter kicked him mildly on his rear and
said: abhe champak, Auto Expo mein gaadiyan nahi to
kya Gulab Jamun dekhne ko milenge kya? This unnerved
Gaurav Sinha so much that he left the scene without
recording his PTC. 

The same Gaurav Sinha was the channel’s output editor
now. One day, he had just come back after completing a
story on Kargil war. He had just entered the newsroom
when he saw Gaurav Sinha trashing a reporter’s copy.
When Gaurav Sinha’s eyes fell on him, he asked: Batao
bhai Defence Correspondent sahab, Kargil Yuddh mein
marne wale Indian Army ke sabse highest ranking
officer ki rank kya thi? A face flashed in front of
him and he replied: Lieutenant Colonel. Gaurav Sinha
made an ugly face and shot back: arre yaar, kya baat
kar rahe ho? Major bhi to mara tha eik. 

He didn’t say anything. He was possessed by a strange
mental state. It was not anger; he ddin’t feel like
laughing or crying either. His mental state was
expressionless. He remembered Lieutenant Colonel
Vishwanathan, who was, a few hours before he proceeded
to Kargil, setting a dynamite at the base of a house
in the Ganderbal area of Kashmir valley. Few militants
had taken refuge in it and he put them to death. 

Late in the night, he went to the Press Club and drank
till memories flushed out of his mind. 










Rahul Pandita 
  www.sanitysucks.blogspot.com
  Mobile: 9818088664



	
	
		
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