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Showing posts with label The Hindu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Hindu. Show all posts

Friday, April 9, 2010

Democratic India's Dodgy Media - The Hindu's Modus Operandi Revealed

Boot-lick the powerful and ambitious Roman Catholic Church.

Bully the local khat panchayat.

The following comment was published in: The Economist: The Vatican's travails When walls are too high


divakarssathya wrote:
Apr 9th 2010 3:51 GMT

Finally after years of careless silence, The Hindu finally bestirred itself to write a second editorial on this horrendous issue of pedophilia and systematic cover up in the RCC.

In another disturbing show of the Indian media's small mindedness and self hatred, the editorial stayed well within the safe boundary of recycling the well worn foreign criticisms of the RCC.

Not one word on what this might mean to the children and the RCC institutions in India!

To the best of my knowledge, there is very little from the vernacular media - especially television.

What an outrageous betrayal of India's health and future !

India's ruling classes are given to believe that sado masochism or the boot-licking/bullying thought and behaviour is a secret legacy of our ancient wisdom.

After its careful and tender licking of the RCC boots, The Hindu thundered on about a tiny so called "khap" panchayat from an India state.

From where I sit, this is yet another glimpse of a nauseating lack of self awareness by India's self celebratory ruling classes.

In my experience that I have documented, it is India's editorial classes colluding with the rhino hided babucracy, that are the truly barbaric panchayats that are the crushing burdens of India today.

With such a dodgy and deluded Indian media and authority, who needs the alleged 10 yuan armies ?
Recommend (3)


divakarssathya wrote:
Apr 9th 2010 3:16 GMT

Earlier I had written:

India is crisscrossed by schools and other institutions run by Jesuits.

Yet thanks to India’s dodgy editorial class very few in India know that the Vatican has paid out close to a hundred million dollars to compensate for victims of child sexual abuse by albeit “a small minority” of priests.

The Indian media has barely reported that story.

Was the media’s heinous silence an act of concern for Indian children or a hideously wrongheaded act of leaving well enough alone ?

Abuse of power often happens in plain sight, since to the busy and self absorbed lay person, the powerful appear glamorous and formidable and their prey appear to be rebellious, despicable and in many ways, asking for it.

As somebody who has conscientiously refused to do business the way it “normally” is in so called democratic societies - I will not pay bribes - and who has been almost destroyed for my pains, I am able to feel deep appreciation for the heroes who spoke out and for those who heard them, felt outrage and who together managed to extract a measure of accountability from one of the most powerful and ambitious organisations on this planet.

Since the past two decades, the Government of India, the Government of my own state, Andhra Pradesh, the Andhra Pradesh High Court , the Chief Information Commissioner and State Information Commissioner have combined to impress on me that what works in India is what I have called the “patronage paradigm” – the paradigm of shoddiness, irresponsibility, cronyism and corruption” – and that ideas of the rule of law and democratic processes are merely spectacles to lull the gullible.

I have been denied the recognition that were commended to me by one former Chief Minister of my state, one former minister of home affairs, one speaker of the Lok Sabha, several prominent ministers of the central cabinet, eminent intellectuals and freedom fighters.

I have been unable to earn a decent living.

The office of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh incited my neighbours to cut off my water supply.

The information commissions in the state and at the centre denied me my right to information on spurious, brazenly illegal grounds and punished me for daring to object.

The high court denied me my right to competent counsel and punished me for complaining.

Even as we speak, Dr Manmohan Singh”s office, “Daredevil” Pratibha Patil’s Rashtrapati Bhavan, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, State Information Commissioner CD Arha are all locked in a most perverse and ignominious conspiracy of silence to deny me justice.

Even as the Prime Minister’s Office maintains a guilty silence in my case, it appears to have jumped through hoops to heap honour on a businessman alleged to be a serial swindler.

India’s editorial class is as dense, amoral and narcissistic.

Variations of this comment have appeared in almost every major Indian online publication plus in a few abroad.

However, not a single editor or reporter has had the professionalism to pick it up and make it “impact”.

My credentials are strong and I have taken much trouble to meet many editors personally, usually on impeccable referrals.

Our “know-it-all-in -chiefs” have had nothing but smirks to offer.

When I sought the solidarity of the press, Shekhar Gupta (editor in chief of New Indian Express) advised me, “You cannot go around taking pangas (quarrels) with people, yaar.”

Even my comments are mutilated.

Vinod Mehta’s “Outlook” has banned my comments on risible grounds.

The Hindu crawled.

It published “spin” by corrupt officials and got hissy with me for pointing out, with evidence, its craven, yellow soul.

The Indian Press (with a solitary exception) blacked out the fervent open letter written by Padma Vibhushan Kaloji Narayana Rao.

That dear man , clear as a bell in his nineties, had laid his head on my shoulder, hugged me and wept.
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divakarssathya wrote:
Apr 9th 2010 3:15 GMT

What about “civil society” in India ?

Since close to a year now, I have written to the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Campaign for Judicial Accountability And Reform, Forum For Judicial Accountability, MKSS (Aruna Roy)and Anna Hazare regarding this cascading delinquency of constitutional bodies in India.

There has not been one constructive response.

They all appear to be in helpless denial of the awful truth that an innocent citizen has been hounded and humiliated since two decades, not for any bad behaviour or wrongdoing, but for resisting the dilution of the values of the Indian constitution and standing up for the correct administration of the Right To Information Act 2005.

Please visit and participate at http://sathyagraha.blogspot.com/ :

Andhra Pradesh High Court’s Pernicious Rebellion Against The Law .05/29/09

RTI Act 2005 Abuse In Andhra Pradesh- SIC Cheats! Chief Secretary Lies!05/07/09

Prejudiced CIC Laps Up PMO Lies 05/05/09

Compelling Criminality. Divakar S Natarajan and Varun Gandhi Cannot Both Be Wrong ! 01/28/09

And India’s editorial class will not report the story!

News and views from Divakar S Natarajan’s, “no excuses”, ultra peaceful, non partisan, individual sathyagraha against corruption and for the idea of the rule of law in India.

Now in its 18th year.

Any struggle against a predatory authority is humanity’s struggle to honour the gift of life.
Recommend (4)

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Sixty Years Of Change In India

The following comment was published by The Guardian UK

For a quick and easy way to be outcast, outlawed, to be put forever beyond the pale, whatever, try this.

Try standing up for the idea of the rule of law.

Since the past two decades, the Government of India, the Government of my own state, Andhra Pradesh, the Andhra Pradesh High Court , the Chief Information Commissioner and State Information Commissioner have combined to impress on me that what works in India is what I have called the "patronage paradigm" - the paradigm of shoddiness, irresponsibility, cronyism and corruption - and that ideas of the rule of law and democratic processes are merely spectacles to lull the gullible.

I have been denied the recognition that were commended to me.

I have been unable to earn a decent living.

The office of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh incited my neighbours to cut off my water supply.

The information commissions in the state and at the centre denied me my right to information on spurious, brazenly illegal grounds and punished me for daring to object.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court, in the inimitable manner of the Indian judiciary, has misbehaved egregiously.

The high court denied me my right to competent counsel and punished me for complaining.

Even as we speak, Dr Manmohan Singh's office, "Daredevil" Pratibha Patil's Rashtrapati Bhavan, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, State Information Commissioner CD Arha are all in an obvious conspiracy to deny me justice.

Why are we so abysmally cynical and hopeless that conditions will continue to remain outrageously inhuman in India?

One simple reason: The following comment or variations of it have appeared in almost every major Indian online publication plus in a few abroad.

However, not a single editor or reporter has had the nous to pick it up and work it to the max.

My credentials are strong and I have taken much trouble to meet many editors personally, usually on impeccable referrals.

And of course our editors know it all. They have had nothing but smirks to offer.

When I sought the solidarity of the press, Shekhar Gupta (editor in chief of New Indian Express) advised me, "You cannot go around taking pangas (quarrels) with people, yaar."

Even my comments are mutilated.

Vinod Mehta's "Outlook" has banned my comments on risible grounds.

The Hindu crawled.

It published "spin" by corrupt officials and got hissy with me for pointing out, with evidence, its craven, yellow soul.

The Indian Press (with a solitary exception) blacked out the fervent open letter written by Padma Vibhushan Kaloji Narayana Rao.

That dear man , clear as a bell in his nineties, had laid his head on my shoulder, hugged me and wept.

In India today, it is difficult to tell the difference between policeman and journalist, politician and criminal, lawyer and judge, Indian Administrative Service Officer and the village idiot.

But they all are laughing all the way to their offshore accounts.

Melting Pots responded:


@divakarssathya

For a quick and easy way to be outcast, outlawed, to be put forever beyond the pale, whatever, try this.

Try standing up for the idea of the rule of law.


I very much sympathise with you.

Whatever you have said is not something new and they are just the echoes of what already been told over and over again. It's bit of a silly of us to expect that "Rule of Law" will ever take its place and justice will prevail. You are just a sprat, not a shark!

Unless you are politically influential, or powerful enough to intimidate, you plea for justice is a waste. Media work not to highlight the absence of "Rule of Law" but to promote the interests of the ruling class and thugs.

I will be surprised if your comment is not removed! Good luck!


divakarssathya took the high ground:


Bless your kind heart Melting Pots.

It does occur to me that with the precious life you used up to express your angst, you may have written to the editor , guardian to investigate my claims and do a story.

Its better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

To the editor; on the subject of the influence of the guardian in the US, my feedjit has lit up with - presumably - your esteemed visitors from across the Atlantic.

Thanks, guys. Give a thought to the story, will ya.


Thanks Craig Jeffrey