My name is Terror and, yes, l am everywhere. There are some who might consider this to be a facetious inversion of the latest Hindi blockbuster’s catch line, but it is more than that. If ever a chilling reminder was needed that terror is a constant element in our lives and that the sobering legacies of 26/11 are still present, TV prompted us rudely on 13/2 and then again on 15/2. This week a bomb blast in a bakery in Pune caused the death of innocent lives, while a Maoist attack in Midnapore district of West Bengal left more than 20 members of security forces dead. As heart rending as both the incidents were, especially for the families of the unfortunate victims, it was Pune that caught the imagination of news channels. Maybe it was the timing, the day before Valentine’s Day which, by the way, was also the start of the Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. Or maybe it was the assumed linkages of the “foreign” hand to the Pune blast as opposed to the presence of the “Indian” hand in Bengal.
Whatever the reason, the coverage of the attack on the camp of the Eastern Frontier Rifles that killed 24 jawans was less intense than that of the Pune incident even though in terms of magnitude its a first. Times TV was perhaps the first off the block by taking footage from Star Anando, the Bengali regional channel of the Star group. With translations you got a sense of the horror and the inability of the administration to handle such a calamity.
The Pune blast received wall-to-wall coverage by news channels
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Following suit was Star News. So it was the Pune blast that received wall-to-wall coverage after goofing up initially. Collectively, all news channels had positioned the blast simply as the bursting of a gas cylinder. Since there was no attribution, there was no knowing how that bit of news got out. CNN-IBN carried special reports — one only wished these were given by better reporters, with an emphasis on being on the side of the ordinary people.
NDTV played out the attack with studio discussions and interactions with Home Secretary GK Pillai. Both Times Now and Headlines Today looped vitriolic footage readily available on Youtube of terrorist Hafiz Abdur Rehman Makki, and the hate speech he spewed recently. All of the reportage passed off as adequate if not exactly inspiring or original.
Since everyone knows that terror has become such a constant in our lives, it might be a better strategy to groom some reporters as “terror” correspondents with the same sense of specialisation and rigour that reporters who cover the entertainment beat have. The Pune coverage also dented the focus on Valentine’s Day a little. Of course, channels like India TV continued airing shows with gurus giving us detailed information on which partners with certain alphabets would be the perfect match, while others showed us (read CNBC Awaz) how love means having to buy something.
Though cricket consumes the best, and the worst of us, spare a thought for some other sports. If there is an insomniac in you, the live coverage of the Winter Olympics being held at Vancouver is a good relaxant. Not as magnetic or hyped up as the Summer Olympics, they still bring together their own sense of novelty and insane competition. So far I have seen some mesmerising speed skating, cross-country skiing and luge which, of course, sadly caused the death of a Georgian athlete. But the real crowd puller is the figure skating competition which is aired in the mornings. Watch out for the splendid performance by Chinese and Americans.
The medal contenders are getting in place. So it is always an exciting watch, and the double and quadruple twists are simply breathtaking. As some contestants fall and slip, you are shouting in pain along with the audience. So engrossing.
Season 9 of American Idol has kicked off and this week saw the whittling down of the Hollywood hopefuls. From 181 contestants — the most incredible turnout ever, says the predictable Ryan Seacrest, the show’s anchor — the number has come down to 24. The interesting element is the entry of comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres as this year’s judge. The good thing is that DeGeneres seems to be serious and tough about her job as judge and jury — a good counter to the sometimes too sweet newcomer judge of last year, Kara dio
Guardia.
