SIGHT & SOUND
Year of scams and disasters
Amita Malik

As we look back on 2005 on the media, it has certainly been a year of exciting times, though not all of it has been pleasant. If the tsunami was horror unlimited, the media certainly rose to the occasion. Then followed horrible train accidents, floods even in top metros like Mumbai and Chennai, a terrible earthquake of outsize dimensions which decimated both parts of divided Kashmir and much of Pakistan with relentless fury. Thousands of lives lost, some due to belated relief. Yet, at the year end a Pakistani woman rescued alive after being trapped underground for no less than three months reminded us that miracles could happen.

It seemed, at times, that natural and man-made disasters were in competition and heroic rescues, notably by our armed forces, showed that discipline and dedication are worth far more than bureaucratic procedures, which add to the chaos.

Scams did not come far behind disasters. If sleaze in casting couches gave titillating satisfaction to voyeurs and only illustrated what everyone knew, far bigger public issues also came on screen which made what Govinda did with dons many years ago seem trivial. All the more so when some sections of the same media did not find it unprofessional, after Govinda’s family was in a car accident, to barge into the ICU where his injured son was lying so as to get a byte. Just as one foolish woman reporter let down her more professional colleagues by barging into the ICU when Amitabh Bachchan was hospitalised.

But to counter all this, intrepid TV reporters also brought many injustices to light, as during the October blasts in the markets of Delhi, and did what they could to focus on victims who needed help, especially orphaned children with no one to look after them.

There were don stories of high drama such as the return of Abu Salem and Monica Bedi, extradited from Portugal. And at the year-end, the hoax call on the anniversary of the attack on Parliament which showed our MPs carrying out their drill with reasonable discipline. But the most shaming scam of all involved members of Parliament, caught clearly both visually and audio-wise on tape, by the fearless Aniruddh Bahl of cricketing fixers and Tehelka fame.

As we end the year, it remains an open question whether these exposes would lead to any improvement in the high rate of corruption in the country. But TV certainly helped create public awareness of what goes on and will, hopefully, be reflected in how viewers vote in the next elections. The ouster of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi also lit up our screens. We wonder whether poor Bihar will now get good governance.

Next to politics, the favourite talking and viewing point of Indians, and sport. While the whole nation glowed with pride as Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble covered themselves and Indian cricket with glory, the crude ouster of the most successful captain India has known and a master of certain strokes, Sourav Ganguly, shocked not only Bengal but the whole of India. Senior cricketers of high esteem from several parts of India, who cannot be accused of bias, expressed their shocked reactions in no uncertain terms. It showed how politics has infiltrated Indian cricket.

The media also highlighted the sorry state of affairs in the management of Indian hockey, which, at the end of the year saw our once famous team sink to the bottom of the list. Clearly, sport all round has fallen into unsporting hands. Only women’s cricket at last got its due on the TV screen.

The entertainment side of TV showed Big B come back with a bang with KBC2. Would-be rivals are springing up at every step but, predictably, cannot hold a candle to the one and only KBC and Big B. The various singing and dancing competitions aroused tremendous popular interest, if not exactly high standards. I found Nach Baliye, with Sachin and Supriya winning at the end, the most fun, although I found it difficult to watch every episode. And Kashmir got its due with a lad from Srinagar with funny hair but tremendous confidence, becoming the latest singing idol.

As for serials, the less said the better. The saas-bahu stuff dodders on in spite of infinite boredom. Adding to our despair is the decline and fall of two unusual and formerly credible serials, Jassi, the lovable and credible girl next door and the brainy plain-looking secretary, got glamorised out of recognition. Truly it kicked its ball into its own goal. The other watchable and formerly modern-looking and credible serial, Astitva, Ek Prem Kahani, is rapidly going downhill. I think Doordarshan, instead of trying to join the rat race, should revive some of its old serials to remind us that it can be done.

Meanwhile, may I wish readers and viewers a better new year on TV.