I was in school, and we had exams the last time the Ayodhya issue cropped up, and I was majorly disappointed that my school compelled all of us to not only attend school but also write exams during that period. I am talking about 1992. And today on September 30, 2010, the Allahabad High Court passed an order finally (hopefully no party will appeal to the Supreme Court) and has given 1/3rd share to both the communities. I am relieved that this has gone down well with people (and I really really hope that people don’t change their views come tomorrow morning).
As of now, I am a very relieved man. I have been worried over last few days leading up to today. I cancelled all my appointments for meeting my clients for today and tomorrow, and have holed my family and myself up in our house. I was worried that there will be people – who still have that what it takes to kill people and damage innumerable properties in the city – on the streets by evening today waiting for their chance to show that they just like their predecessors can also do it. Nothing of that sort happened, and the streets – touch wood – are really calm tonight.
The reason for this post is that I am seriously concerned with the intentions of the media in this issue. Two nights ago, one news channel had got the hardliners from both communities for the discussion and was throwing up hypothetical scenarios and asking for their response. These guys are hardliners for a reason, and they did their job pretty well. This worried me more. And today, after the verdict, when most people are genuinely happy that there is some sort of a resolution in sight for this centuries old dispute, there are some people, in the media who still want to debate why is there peace today. These journalists are concerned not with the fact that both communities will have 1/3rd share on the disputed land, but with the fact that though the Court found that there was a massive Hindu religious structure before the mosque was built, yet Hindus only got a third share. They are also concerned that Muslim sentiments are hurt because the Court overlooked that they prayed there for nearly 400 years. Thankfully, no one from either of the communities is as worried about these issues as our journalists.
These are not some ordinary journalists in some cheesy news channels, I am talking about highly reputed, and experienced people, instigating people to make some horrendous comments so that at least can make the headlines. What were these people expecting? Were they expecting innocent people to die in the aftermath of their skewed imagination coming true tonight so they can nonchalantly speak their minds off about both communities.
The media should have the right to inform people about the happenings in the society, and not try and create unrest in the society. Whatever it is that gives them the right to comment or criticize about religion, also imposes reasonable restrictions on them from making comments against the religion. Tonight, for the first time I feel that we have a highly immature media in the country, they are better off reporting some lady crying her heart out on TV that she was married to Abhishek Bachchan on the day he was getting married. We have a very cynical media, and today I think I will be pardoned if I say that our media is not a reflection of our society. People are not on the street tonight trying to fight, it is the journalists who are doing it now.
Tonight, I have a new found reason to be proud to be an Indian, and no journalist can take it away.
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