Tag: Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das

That we keep asking the question over and over again in different ways perhaps indicates our angst. As also the mood of the nation. So, we asked Dr Bhaskar Das for his wisdom, which he has shared in all honesty. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. So many people suffering, so many friends and family members passing on. How does one not get angry with the government for not giving us adequate health infra?

A. Your perceived angst is legitimate and sub-optimality of our healthcare system cannot be refuted. Having said that, it has to be also kept in mind that the severity of the second wave could have been combatted better had the civil society been extra vigilant. Besides, deferment of some activities that attract public gathering could have mitigated the current sufferings. In other words, we need to act collectively (we need to understand that we and our actions are all connected) to confront the pandemic. Mumbai has shown this recently, thanks to the BMC leadership, for controlling the impact of the second wave.

Promise, we didn’t ask this question with any motive. It’s a predicament that we’ve faced so very often. So, let’s hear it from Dr Bhaskar Das in the May 20 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. A question that’s worrying us for a bit: How much should one get dictated by one’s conscience?

A. This subject ideally  can’t be a  matter of discussion. If the conscience is missing, how one can function. But I presume that your doubts have arisen after watching what is happening all around. In fact I think that such a situation does arise in everyone’s life at some point or other. But due to situational compulsion, we rationalise and generate multiple shades of grey in the definition of what is conscience and feel absolved. Sometimes it is  difficult to answer an apparently simple question sir, when one stands in front of the mirror. It never lies. But we create our own bubble to solve (read avoid) an existential dilemma through an acceptable conscience (a kind of dialectical challenge).

Our question is long and self-explanatory. Let’s hear it from Dr Bhaskar Das in the May 19 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. We normally don’t take names of entities in Das ka Dum, but we must credit Kolkata’s Telegraph for amazing courage and creativity. A friend summed it up appropriately: “Only newspaper who has guts in this countryWhy do you think newspapers not call a spade a spade? DAVP ads? Or that illegally built mezzanine floor?

A. What is the definition of having guts? Anti-establishment? Publishing facts? Every newspaper has its own editorial approach. We can’t arrogate to ourselves the right to judge the editorial policies of newspapers. In fact every newspaper has its stories that show the so-called ‘guts’. A Mumbai newspaper published the list of people who left their heavenly bodies due to lack of oxygen. A Hindi heartland newspaper reported about the actual number of departed souls. Creativity is a function of imagination/ sense of aesthetics, and perhaps not guts. The reasons, mentioned by you, for alleged drought of guts is difficult to confirm unless one loves gossip.

Our question is long and self-explanatory. Let’s hear it from Dr Bhaskar Das in the May 18 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Even the rich and powerful have not escaped the wrath of the new variant. The pandemic has been a great equaliser. As the line on truckbacks says: Sab ka Maalik Ek. Your comments?

A. Yes, empirical evidence corroborates your observation. ‘Sab Ka Maalik Ek’ is a quintessential truth but I find the Maalik in hospitals, in doctors, in all those people who help us live but habitually glossed over their existence (read we took it for granted).

We can see friends of our Wizard with Words screaming at us for asking a wicked one. Well, it’s a genuine question about what should be one’s public posturing given that a forthright answer could earn the wrath of the powers that be. Let’s read Dr Bhaskar Das’s views on the question in the May 17 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. If someone were to ask you if the current government has managed the pandemic well, what will you say?

A. I am surprised that you are looking for an answer even after absorbing all the information that are making rounds in public domain. But try to remember a line from the Bard of Avon: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/ But in ourselves, that we are underlings. We are cause everything that we experience and all concerned parties have contributed in some form in causing this current state of affairs. Did we act responsibly, consciously and keeping in mind the consequences of our action? A question worth introspecting. I know hindsight is a good science but if we look back, we forgot to ask questions as responsible citizens. Now looking for who is at fault is of no use. Civil society has already started acting but will it be able to eradicate all problems? The answer wil  be in the womb of future.

We thought he would give a response that wouldn’t praise the move, given the workaholic that he is. But he didn’t. Let’s read Dr Bhaskar Das’s views on the question in the May 12 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. How do you react to a large number of corporates and some ad agencies going in for four-day weeks or 10-day breaks?

A. Very humane move, to my mind. Every individual is fighting her/his unique battles now, physical, emotional and professional. A four-day week (not necessarily a reduction of working hours) might provide the necessary balm to the battered soul of individuals.

How many times have you switched to Masterchef Australia to escape the harsh realities and noise aired on the nightly news bulletins? So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das for his views on the negativity in television news in the May 11 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. There are a large number of people who say that one shouldn’t hear the negative news on television. What’s your view?

A. One has to find what is negative news. What is negative to one may be different to another person who might consider same as providing heightened alertness. I am not suggesting that positive news is not welcome. I also admit that over-exposure to negativity engenders emotional turbulence amongst citizens. Any news medium is expected to keep citizens updated with the latest happenings. Consequently, it’s a challenge to suppress reality. Viewers of course have the choice of avoiding what they consider as negative. Now watching spiritual channels might provide solace in these turbulent times.

We’ve asked this question in the past and feel awful that profitable media companies aren’t doing enough to protect jobs. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das the question again given that circumstances now are different. The threat to life has leapfrogged, as have the uncertainties. Without further ado, here’s the May 10 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. We’ve asked you questions on the issue earlier. Don’t you think media organisations that have been profiting in the last many years shouldn’t be retrenching staff because of the Covid uncertainties?

A. Prima facie your question appears to be logical but business can’t be run on historical surplus. Usually surplus of one year gets reinvested in the same business for its sustained growth, expansion of business or diversification, capital expenditure etc. It is very difficult to give any value judgment on an issue like retrenchment from the outside as business imperatives and imponderables cannot always be managed by non-economic grounds. Besides, an unprecedented crisis like Covid has upended the business models of every sector. Hence to protect the larger interest of business, some sacrifices are inevitable, even if they are painful.

This isn’t a fun Friday question, but pertinent. So, let’s hear it from Dr Bhaskar Das in the May 7 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Was the IPL 2021 suspension the right decision or should it also have been allowed to continue?

A. Under the current circumstances of the second wave of the Covid pandemic, it makes sense. So far players were not getting affected (as they were in bubbles), but with their affliction, the imperatives changed and the decision to postpone IPL seems rational. Players are also human beings and their safety should also be a matter of concern. Besides, there are many other activities associated with the matches and that indirectly involves other people who in turn also get susceptible to the virus. So, it’s prudent to postpone IPL.

It’s a question that’s concerning a whole lot of us. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das the question. Without further ado, let’s hear it from him in the May 6 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. There is so much uncertainty in life. It’s almost like taking one day a time. What’s your advice to A&M professionals on bracing the times?

A. Uncertainty has always been uncertain. But we used to think it happens to others. As a spiritual person, I have always believed that uncertainty is the only certainty. Covid has erased the probability of a pseudo lead time between certainty and uncertainty. So, extreme vigil at an individual and collective level has to be maintained all the time. There is no special advice for any profession. Pandemic doesn’t show any bias for any profession, any age, any class etc. What is true for an individual and society is also true for the A&M industry. We have to win together.

It’s a question that is being raised by some in the social media, so we asked our Wizard with Words (and Wisdom) this question. Without further ado, let’s hear it from Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum edition of May 5. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. There are many who think that the media shouldn’t be faulting the government for the inefficiencies in the Covid management. What according to you should be the media’s role?

A. Covid as a pandemic is an unprecedented challenge. At a generic level, it demands not only a collective response, it needs a global collaboration to combat. Hence, both the government and citizens/civil society have to work together to confront the “unknown unknown”.  So, we should desist from accusations. I agree that the government has a fiduciary responsibility to protect its citizens, yet during such a crisis, public-private partnership and the media must work together constructively to mitigate the prevailing crisis. That would channelise the collective energy more impactfully. We must not sit at the judgment seat and try to give a verdict that borders on accusations and finger-pointing. No collective effort can be successful without inclusive engagement.

We thought we provoke him into giving a controversial response, but then we knew BD would be politically correct. As he always is. But then one needs to ponder over his answer to know what he means. Without further ado, let’s hear it from Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum edition of May 4. Read on…

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

Q. Sandeep Goyal taking over Rediffusion is a homecoming of sorts. Now we know Goyal can be a super-aggressive agency boss. What are the changes you expect him to bring in?

A. It’s an interesting development. I don’t have any astrological prowess, but I am confident that Mr Goyal would leave his distinctive mark on the future operations of a great institution. He would leverage technology and creativity in a very symbiotic way to serve his customers. Ultimately, market is the only arbiter of success and so long Mr Goyal can keep the agency ahead of the carve of consumer evolution and make his partners successful in their business journey, he would enhance the quality of the agency business.