Rebellion and Journalism: Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Every journalist is a rebel and every rebel has a journalist twisting and turning within.

Rebels and journalists are two sides of the same coin. They’re both trying to bring attention towards issues which must not be ignored, but are unfortunately ignored. Every journalist is a rebel and every rebel has a journalist twisting and turning within.

We often view rebels and even journalists with a skeptical lens. The idea is to locate and exploit fallacies in their conduct. But in the long term, their actions are mostly constructive in the context of the social sphere. Come to think of it, raising an issue and discussing it at length is the premise of every rebel and journalists’ conduct. The way they operate might allow you to question them and their ways, but in a nutshell, the very nature of their operations is a synopsis of their intentions.

History has been kind enough to introduce us to several rebels and journalists. From Bhagat Singh to Malcolm X, supremacy leaders fought the war for justice and equality by amalgamating the traits of a journalism and rebellion. The synthesis is a product which puts your perception on a platform with concrete understanding and logic backing it. Journalistic potential can be traced from day one and that has been the case with rebellion as well. You can spot a rebel from miles away and you can sense a journalist from blocks away, at least.

But is there a thin line which separates the two? Is there a veil which hides the USP of rebels from journalists and vice versa? It’s hard to say actually. There’s no David-Goliath going on here. It isn’t all black and white really. The idea is to develop a basic understanding of these two very different yet extremely similar constants of the society. It may have been spoken before but the fact needs to reverberate. Rebels and journalists are two sides of the same darn coin. It doesn’t really matter on which side the coin really lands. Or does it?

Meerut Gang Rape - Thank God She Was a Hindu

Meerut Gang Rape has more implications than you can imagine. But I for one am very happy that the girl was a Hindu. Oh no, I'm not a Muslim. I'm not even a complete Hindu. I'm one of those who are going to take some time before they end up categorizing their Gods.

So now that you have already judged me as per your own naive perceptions, let me insert my opinion on this shameful incident. Some of you have not even educated yourself on this topic yet. After all, your favorite TV 'news' (pun intended)channels failed to air this story. Maybe they missed out on covering just another rape. Or maybe there's more to the Meerut Gang Rape. We'll find out.

But first, let me narrate the incident to you. A girl in the city of Meerut, India, was allegedly kidnapped, beaten, raped, and was even forced to convert. Wait! Let me write that again subtracting the tone of secularism. A Hindu girl in Meerut, India, was kidnapped, beaten, raped, and forced to convert to Islam. How does that sound? If your offerings go into a mosque, I'm sure you'll either stop reading now or you'll start judging/crucifying me. But if your offerings & prayers are delivered to a temple, chances are that you'll continue reading with a gush of anger & aggression. This is what religion does to us. This is what they use against us.

We live in a country inundated with minorities. More than the number of minorities, it is the sickening insecurity which can be seen bubbling over and about. Hindus in India have never felt outnumbered. If they have, they've been quick to change that notion. Even Christians, Jews (handful), Sikhs, and Buddhists have never really felt that pinch of insecurity emanating out of their minority status. But when it comes to Muslims, and I'm not generalizing as most of my dear friends are Muslims, they tend to get carried away quite easily. They forget that injustice & misfortune latches on to you irrespective of your religion, region, caste, sex, race, or ethnicity. If the Indian Hindus really wanted the Muslims out, it would take them less than a month to force them out. But no, that's not India. Friends, that's not us. We've lived in harmony for centuries and have displayed immense courage & co-operation in adapting to changing times and cultures. Why let a few political scumbags run away with our peace?

Now why am I so concerned about the religion of this ill fated girl? How does it matter to me? Or to you for that matter? Yes she's a Hindu. So what? To be very honest, you know the answer yourself.

Now, had this girl been a Muslim, riots would've been unavoidable and unstoppable. Selfish and opportunist political commentary would've been inescapable. An avalanche of global remarks would've been expected. And a wave of hatred against Hinduism was sure to follow. But no, none of that fell in place this time. Why? And how? The answer, unfortunately, lies in the religion of this poor soul. She was a Hindu and thus could not be exploited properly.The government forced itself upon all mediums to let this issue pass. The girl was kidnapped. The girl was raped. She was beaten and then forced to convert to Islam. She was kept in a Madarsa in Muzzafarnagar for five days. But all this fails to impress our lords as her religion does not require media & political bull-whacking. Can anyone explain this behavior? Can anyone disagree with me when I say that the same case would've made headlines for weeks had the victim been a Muslim? No you can't.

A while back, a Shiv Sena MP, fed up with the poor quality of food being served by IRCTC, tried to force feed one of the supervisors. The MP didn't even ask the supervisor about his religion. When the MP came to know that the supervisor was a Muslim and was observing Roza, he immediately apologized. The media did everything it could to garner TRPs. They blew this small incident way out of proportions and even started a debate on secularism and its presence in India. The scene was similar to that of Aamir Khan's 'Peepli Live'. The media acted like a clown and those who could see through the vast veil of bullshitt, laughed their heart out. A couple of days back, Indian railways fined 9 caterers for unhygienic and poor quality of food. A cockroach was found in a meal provided in a Rajdhani. IRCTC was one of the caterers fined. The media let this incident pass unnoticed. Yes, we're all ashamed of the Indian media.

Though I'm really surprised that people are blaming the media for not covering the Meerut Gang Rape. What's wrong with you guys? What do you expect? Do you expect anything at all from today's media houses? They're all profit based entities functioning on the directions of several interested parties. Were you on Mars all this time? Journalism died a slow and painful death in the last decade. Yes, they murdered journalism with smiling faces and fattening bank balances.

If you switch on your TV hoping to watch news, then kindly change the channel and watch a mindless sitcom instead. And if you unfold your daily morning newspaper expecting news stories, hen please fold it back after reading the comic strips. They're all filled with paid opinions. None of them carry news in its truest form. Media is a pet. It has been reduced to a tool. Media today is a medium for selfish endeavors. Again, I'm not generalizing. There are a few journalists who bend their backs and practice the true form of journalism. I know one such journalist and have worked with him. With an experience of more than 30 years, he warned me about the pathetic state of today's media. And I must say, he was spot on with his observations.

Ramblings #01

ANSWER YOURSELF

Why do you wish to spark? Why shall you be touched by the Hand of God? What makes you so special? What separates you from the usual lot? What makes you the most unusual one? What aspires you? What arrives in you and what departs from you? What brings you and what leaves? What is it that glows brighter in you? What floats better? What slips easily and what holds better? What rages better? What blows better? And what exactly runs better? How should you be justified as the chosen one? Why should your life be easy? What should your cup hold? And how different shall the contents be? Why do you hope so much? Why do you expect so much? And why do you embrace disappointment when you refuse to embrace reality and good old luck? Where were you when the Greats were forged? Were you there or were you lost in a climax? Why should we consider you superior? Why should these worldly men bow to you? What makes you and what breaks you? What constitutes you? What limits you? How can we help you attain your divine stature? What shall put you at peace?

Gaza Conflict for Dummies - A Crash Course In Gaza Conflict

GAZA CONFLICT FOR DUMMIES

India will not desert its long time ally due to global media bias

(Kindly note that the views/facts expressed in this article may be offensive to a few of you. But you see, we cannot ignore the truth just because you are not ready for it.)

Global media bias has brainwashed a major part of world population into believing that Israel’s counter offensive against the spineless Hamas terrorists is inhumane. To be honest, I’m tired of hearing stupid arguments and ridiculous statements from numerous ignorant fools. It is high time that you dummies were provided with some basic facts surrounding the Gaza situation. Consider this a crash course in Gaza and learn before you dance to the tunes of flashy images and emotional stories funded by interested parties.

1.       Jews have lived in Gaza since ages. Jews have been living in Gaza even before the religion Islam came into existence. Jews have been living in the region peacefully even before the concept of ‘Palestine’ was born. Burn that history textbook and take notes now.

2.       The Palestine people expressed their desire to live alongside Jews but they were threatened and brainwashed by Hamas terrorists who wanted to use religion as an excuse to start a regional war against Israel.

3.       Hamas, the terrorist outfit operating out of Gaza, has been using little children as shields since ages. They attack with children in the front and what’s even more pathetic is the fact that they arm these kids with rockets and sub machine guns.

4.       Hamas cowards have no dog tags on them. Hence, when they die in an Israeli air strike or ground offensive, global media labels it a civilian casualty. These fake civilian casualties are a result of silly mistakes made by journalists in the field. No you fool, I’m not saying that all the civilian casualties are fake. But some of them are.

5.       Israel always warns the local residents before an air strike. The Hamas terrorists are gutless rats who hide in homes of Palestine people and fire from inside. What other options does Israel have? No you won’t answer that. You’ll just upload whacky images and post sentimental statements without even making the effort to delve deeper and reach out for the truth.

6.       Israel is losing its territory to terrorists. India faces the exact same situation in Kashmir. So before you get emotionally carried away, be sane enough to remember that India will also face the same situation one day and then your priorities may land on the wrong side of the border.

7.       The Hamas fire rockets into Israel on a continuous basis. They fired 600 rockets in just three days. But no you never talked about that because your stupid TV news channel never mentioned it. Seriously? Wake up moron!

8.       Hamas use old age homes, schools, synagogues, mosques etc. to attack Israel. Israeli defense forces have to be very careful when they retaliate and they lose priceless soldiers in the process. Did you know that you war mongering fool?

9.       In 2005, Israel evacuated its citizens from Gaza from a safety perspective. The moment the last Israeli soldier left Gaza, the Hamas monkeys started burning synagogues. Does that entail your ‘Palestine’ exclusive human rights? Or maybe burning other religious structures is ok as long as your place of worship stays up!

10.   Israel has been cornered by global media which is a puppet. Terrorist groups have not missed a chance to give this conflict a ‘religious’ face. Even then, Israel has been patient enough to keep that back door open for negotiations.

11.   Israel has been attacked by Arab nations six times. Israel, in its glorious history, has never attacked a single nation.

12.   Hamas is filling public schools and mosques with rockets and arms. They are firing these rockets from these very locations and then they flee. When Israel strikes back, global media retards call it ‘ISRAEL ATTACKS SCHOOLS’ or ‘ISRAEL ATTACKS FOOTBALL GROUND’. Yes, it is very easy to fool you when your source of information is limited and prejudiced.

13.   All you hear is how Israel is killing innocents. Do you know that not even a single rocket is specifically aimed at targeting citizens? Israel does not believe in guerilla warfare. It is the Hamas who don’t have the balls to face Israel on the battle field in a real battle.

14.   Israel has opened medical centers with up to date surgery equipment in and around Gaza. They’re also dropping food packages for the Palestine. They offer food, shelter, and treatment to the Palestine people who have nowhere to go. The Hamas try and attack these locations too. C’mon guys seriously? The Hamas are cutting out aid and relentlessly aiming for a complete burn down. How can you not see this? Even the blind have feelings.

I hope all these facts will help you understand the Gaza situation better. It’s not about Jews, it’s not about Muslims, and it’s not even about that strip of land. It’s about a country fighting for its sovereignty. It’s about a nation uniting for a cause. It’s about ending the wrath of radical Islamists who are not even true to their own religion. It’s about finishing an unfinished business. These terrorists have knocked on all our doors and taken dear ones from all of us. Isn’t it only fair that we put an end to this disease altogether? Support Israel and pray for the Palestine people who are suffering because their leaders are a bunch of selfish and wretched creatures.

Pakistan's War On Terror - A War Pak Can't Afford

The world’s largest democracy and Pakistan’s favorite neighbor India gets its new leadership and Karachi airports are stung by a gruesome terrorist attack.  Many wish to draw a comparison. Some wave it off as sheer co-incidence.  Others are not interested in ‘conspiracy’ theories.  I, on the other hand, choose to remain silent.

The Karachi airport attacks left 36 dead including 10 terrorists. All these men of ‘faith’ were wearing suicide vests clearly telling us that they never really feared death. They were bred in an environment where death was an expected and very much welcome guest. Every time a clash between us and them takes place, they get the media coverage. It doesn’t really matter if it’s about them blowing up a building or about us air bombing their forever ‘remote’ locations. They still make their presence felt.

Pakistan was born with fear and has lived with fear. Fear never left Pakistan and Pakistan always feared the past, the present and even the future. A failed state struggling to come to terms with its huge population, poor international relations and radical groups, Pakistan has always been making ends meet to be labelled as a democracy.

Recently, Pakistan’s fist-fighting with the terrorist outfit Tehrik-e-Taliban escalated into a bloody affair. Terrorists launched an attack at the Karachi Airport leaving 26 dead. The ten terrorists were also gunned down. It is reported that two terrorists blew themselves up using their suicide vest. Now, all eyes were on Pakistan.

Pakistan followed with a ruthless air-strike in North Waziristan shelling almost 100 militants. The attacks were carried out early in the morning. The mastermind of the Karachi airport attack was also killed in the attacks. Pakistan sent a strong and quick reply to its enemies.

I admire the enthusiasm with which Pakistan has gone ‘public’ about their intolerance towards religious terrorist outfits. For the first time, Pakistan has taken an open stand against terrorism. This is a positive sign. When we take the Modi-Shareef meeting into consideration, this form of retaliation is just what India expects from Pakistan. Once the two nations combine forces against terrorist groups ailing the Indian sub-continent, the world will recognize a new allied power.

But how practical is Pakistan’s war against terrorism? By the time the war ends, Pakistan will be reduced to dust. Whatever development has taken place will be undone. The economy will wither away. The beautiful cities of Islamabad and Karachi will be in shambles thanks to the acute guerrilla attacks. Pakistan will not be able to recover. And portions of the resistance will always survive and hide away in pockets. They will come back and cause damage to the state. Pakistan will hardly ever win such a war. It would be careless and illogical to say that we’ll see a terror free Pakistan in a few years. An estimate of the degree of collateral damage will always act as a deterrent for a full scale war against terror.