By Ranjona Banerji
That India’s TV anchors celebrated the consecration of a new Ram Temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, January 22, is a “dog bites man” story. That is, it is nothing unusual, it is par for the course, what was expected of them and therefore not really news. If you want me to belabour the point because you have for some reason forgotten in spite of it happening every day all day: India’s TV anchors are big fans of the prime minister and Hindu majoritarianism as propagated by the party the prime minister belongs to and by the political ideology that he is part of.
They played their part to perfection by oohing and aahing and gasping and taking selfies. What is the purpose of wasting time on them? Why do you watch them, those of you who consider yourselves thinking individuals? Is it because you secretly crave the nightly histrionics, high decibel pyrotechnics and the serial humiliation of anyone who does not belong to their cult? Admit it openly and stop pretending that you’re there for “news”. A 24-hour news channel is an addiction implanted in us by Ted Turner. There is no 24-hour excitement via news. But all this has been said before.
Needless to say, the TV anchors had their own fun. If there were any TV reporters there trying to behave like reporters in spite and despite, my commiserations.
This cartoon by Manjul says it perfectly.
I’ve cut newspapers quite a bit of slack compared to TV, claiming that in some way or the other, they try to maintain an air of “neutrality”, to report and comment with the Constitution, with showing truth to power in mind, and not just fan club genuflection to the Cult of Modi.
Well. You might chalk up one more comeuppance for me.
As I go through the reports across several newspapers, it is clear that they are framed so that the reader sees the consecration of a temple as a political victory for Modi. That he has used religion to do so in a democratic republic is largely ignored. Not even mentioned in passing. The act of a prime minister officially consecrating a Hindu temple is presented as a normal part of a day in democracy.
There are no questions about why a BJP/RSS promise has been an official government event. There were hardly any questions before January 22 either. Take the Indian Express: Columnists have been called upon to present this temple inauguration as a challenge to the Opposition parties; rather than what it is: a challenge to India as a democratic republic. An IAS officer goes back to a promise unfulfilled on the night of December 6, 1992 finally coming full circle. That the Indian Express has old RSS links is known. But it has also presented itself as a newspaper which demonstrates the “journalism of courage”. Cowardice and capitulation are not courage. If indeed that has to be said.
If the Indian Express was bad, the Times of India and Economic Times either had reports which focused only on Modi or presented facts as baldly and blandly as possible: this happened in the past, that happened. With neither context nor comment. The demolition of the Babri Masjid set off violence across India, where largely Muslims were targeted by crazed Hindutva mobs. The city that was then Bombay saw the worst of it. The Old Lady of Bori Bunder may largely operate out of Delhi now but Bombay is its HQ. But there is no mention of the riots in the timeline provided by the Economic Times. How fragile is journalistic memory? The Times of India incidentally has a massive, professionally organised archive. Maybe Bennett Coleman journalists are not allowed inside unless they pay?
The Hindustan Times also followed the Modi route: reports focused entirely on a prime minister being involved in the rituals, what he said and so on. Without question or comment, obviously.
The Hindu had a circumspect editorial which focused on Modi and his speech at the inauguration of this half-made temple, but also underlined the dangers ahead. Condemnation and the Constitution were conspicuously absent.
The Deccan Herald mentioned the runup to the current consecration, including mentioning Modi’s role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
But the general media trend appears to be joy at this long unfulfilled dream having come to fruition.
This shows how much India has changed since the 1990s and how the media has been part of that change – subtly or openly pushing for realization of a Hindu dream in a Hindu nation. That the media cannot understand what it is doing is tragic. Even more tragic is when it understands and does it anyway.
In this murky sea floats also The Telegraph with this iconic headline: “For Whom the Temple Tolls”.
It says a lot in these simple five words.
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal.