It is interesting to see the next-to-nothing coverage in the media, particularly electronic media, of Rahul Gandhi?s gruelling forays into India?s tribal areas, as he and his team see for themselves the terrifying result of non-governance and absence of appropriate administration. It is easy to mock and belittle those who are actually out there, trying to get a grip of the realities that confront this nation, truths that have been aggravated over the years by sheer neglect and complete government denial.
It is much too hot at 40-plus centigrade temperatures for those ?pretty? faces that adorn our small screens to follow a real and challenging ?story?. It would call for some intelligent reading, some study of historical facts, some basic comprehension about government functioning and social upheavals that represent the aspirations of people who politicians have perversely taken for granted, to be able to ask serious questions and knowledgably probe the countryside crisis. But the familiarity and comfort of cricket and cinema in cool studios have proven too alluring for the media to give up. This makes for unintelligent and superficial mouthing of current political jargon, fed to robotic anchors by editors sitting at desks in comfortable offices. Any wonder that news viewers are being dumbed down so relentlessly?
Surely, there is space for ?stories? ranging from the sublime at one end, to the ridiculous at the other and much else in between. If India is to take off, her diverse constituents need to connect. Governance has to address both types of needs and aspirations, not ignore one and live off both, which is what the trend has been thus far. The eruption of what is now termed ?Naxalism? is a reflection of marginalised people asserting themselves, asking for their due rights, and this is a direct result of governance in denial. This is just one example.
It is a shame that the electronic media has no commitment to the inclusive growth India so desperately needs. What would dignify this great country would be TV as a technological tool that connects our diverse polity and alters the course of our political and social narratives, yielding a public domain that is inclusive and humane, shorn of the fancies and follies of urban spoilt brats.
The socioeconomic perversities of India, with rampant rape and murder, abduction and extortion, are so stark that any further abdication of responsibility could push the country over the edge. When, for example, ?authorities? are seen to protect the guilty, the betrayal endured by citizens is so acute that the legitimacy of the State suffers serious erosion. Once the fragile line of patience snaps, the country may be beyond the point of possible reconciliation between the privileged and the rest. This would be very dangerous.
It is for the government to acquaint those of this problem who claim ignorance of what?s happening in their very country. It is democracy that is supposed to save the situation. All political dispensations and their administrations are accountable to the Indian people. It is incumbent upon them to listen to voices of anguish, however muted or suppressed. Terming a mass revolt as a ?law and order problem? will not do.
It is tragic that the Indian State has been reduced to pliable putty, vulnerable and threatened. It needs to be overhauled and revitalised with a fresh set of rules and laws that will defend and dignify the people of India. Reforming the IAS must top this agenda. We acutely need a national leader who is at ease both in India and Bharat, without a searing and ruthless ambition to retain and nurse the kursi.
Such a leader could set a strict timetable for his team and enforce a new work ethic based on a dynamic and rewritten code of governance that makes sense in the world of today with its many disparities but equally endless economic opportunities. This time, the traditional knowledge-based industries of rural India should be coaxed out to embrace the economic story. India can yet be a genuine success.