Recalling major fundamental ‘Rights’ Indian citizens are guaranteed by the Constitution

Today, 15^th of August, 2018, we are celebrating India’s 72^nd Independence Day. 72 years ago India got rid of the British clutch which gripped the sub-continent for close to 200 years, took innocent lives, saw sacrifices of all order, divided one country into two and most importantly planted the seed of hatred in the country. We celebrate this day in the loving memory of the warriors of our nation who fought with violence, non-violence and sometimes both. We celebrate this day because we became free, and we could finally write our own constitution. We celebrate this day because we kicked out the foreigners who ruled us and started doing it ourselves. We celebrate to recall ourselves that we are in a free country and we have few ‘Rights’ written in a huge book called, ‘The Constitution of India’. The rights are supposed to be exercised , the rights are supposed to be enjoyed by one and all.

Well, on this auspicious occasion let us remind ourselves about our Fundamental Rights and how are we supposed to exercise them.

According to the big book, we are guaranteed with major fundamental rights, those are:

• RIGHT TO EQUALITY:- The phrase in itself tells all about what the right is meant and what it guarantees. (Guarantees???) According to the Articles 14,15,16,17 & 18 of Indian Constitution every Indian citizen has the right to be seen and judged equally before law. Every Indian citizen must have the access to all other fundamental rights and everyone should be able to exercise them.

But what if I ask you, Reservation System based on Caste, is that equality? Ignoring women and not considering them as good as men in all spheres of the society, is that equality? Well, these questions are seeking their answers for quite a few decades now, answer seems to hide behind the political and non-political agenda and motivations.

• RIGHT TO FREEDOM:- Freedom is what our warriors fought for and sacrificed their lives. The sense that we are residing in a free country makes us feel strengthened and empowered. Am I right? Well, I wonder, when I read the Article 19,20,21A and 22 of Indian constitution and then look towards the society I live in, I find the contrast is sharp and sometimes makes me ask a question to myself, why are we celebrating Independence Day if we are not free yet?

According to our constitution we are guaranteed the Freedom of speech and expression,freedom to form associations, freedom to practice any profession and so on, but the freedoms are only good for the book as one needs to face a number of restrictions while exercising these.

The oppressed cannot question the oppressors, or assembling peacefully may question your nationality! And so on! Where is the freedom and what for are we celebrating this day?

 

• RIGHT TO LIFE:-  One of the most important ‘Rights’ according to the book ‘Right to Life’ is well written but not very well practiced. The right essentially says that every individual in this country has the right to life and personal liberty, which means your liberty or your freedom to live is protected by law until and unless you commit a crime.

With this, I get reminded of how brutally few innocent Indians were lynched by mob for they believed that either the people they were lynching were child-lifters or they slaughter ‘religious animals’ for food or probably they belong to a religious minority. But Law and the big book is silent as there is no mention for any punishment against mob crimes, then how does this ‘Right’ still finds a place in the book?

 

• RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION:- The preamble of the Indian Constitution boasts of religious equality and secular principles. According to the Constitution of India all religions are equal before the State and no religion should be given preference over the other. The book also says that the citizens are free to preach, practice or propagate any religion of their choice. It sounds like a fairy tale today to see my society preaching, practicing and propagating any religion of their choice, and also seeing that no religious belief is awarded preferences.

Couple of weeks back 8 villages were renamed in Rajasthan which had ‘Muslim’ names! This is one of the endless number of examples. The question is out in open, and it is to you? What has went so wrong with the religious minorities that instead of supporting their causes the State aims at preferring another religion. Isn’t that defying the Constitution?

 

These are some of the major rights that the Constitution of India mentions and assures that the State must make sure the effective exercise of these rights. The present scenario doesn’t look even close to that, the rights and the mentions of freedom are just golden words to be preserved with the book but following it and ensuring that the nation is guaranteed to be able to utilize the rights is a far-fetched dream , at least now. In the end, my question to you is, do you think you are still Independent and free? Ask yourself!

Happy 72^nd Independence Day!🎉

The Curious case of Indian Journalism

“Journalism can never be silent: That is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air.”
— Henry Anatole Grunwald

 

JOURNALISM  today is not same as it was few decades back. It has grown up, took a new shape altogether, and most importantly figured out the formula to ‘commercial’ success. Well, much like movies journalism has started following the script and the scriptwriter is the establishment in most cases. The Freedom of Press which sounds like a strong word on paper has a meager role to play in the actual World. The scenario is more or less same around the globe but I would like to explain a little about my observations which surrounds my country INDIA.

Before we move further in looking at the current scenario, let us have a look at the inception and the early years of Journalism in the country.

Indian journalism in proper terms dates back close to 250 years ago when a Brit William Bolts ‘announced’ the first newspaper meant for publication in 1776. Bolts invited the ones who are interested to read the news to his residence. The newspaper had dual function, one was dispatching news from home for readers and also expressing the grievances against the colonial administration. It was not a huge success. The first breakthrough point in Indian Journalism came few years later in 1780 when James Augustus Hicky, a printer by profession dared to start ‘Bengal Gazette’ which is also famously known as Hicky’s Gazette. It was probably the first time in Indian history when Journalism saw the Sun. Hicky described Bengal Gazette as a ‘ weekly political and commercial paper open to all parties but influenced by none’. It was probably the first whistle-blower. The Bengal Gazette targeted the likes of Warren Hastings and his private affairs. The Gazette featured everything which in today’s date will be popular as ‘scandals’. After a year later, Warren Hastings denied all postal facilities to Hicky’s Gazette. Hicky was put behind the bars and his printing press seized. He continued writing in the prison against the tyranny but soon faded away. That was in other words was perhaps the first indirect ‘censorship’ on press.

 

Bengal became a popular zone for Press as 5 newspapers made back to back appearances in the following years after 1781.  Bombay Herald and Madras Courier were launched in two cities, this papers became lapdogs of the administration and soon garnered popularity. Circulation was high and the papers continued to publish in favour of the establishment. This was probably the first time ‘journalism of biases’ took shape in the country. In 1799, Government issued Press Regulations in the country and also introduced pre-censorship of press unofficially. It was the first seed sown against the Press Freedom.

In the following century Indian Language Journalism saw its first light with Serampore Missionaries and social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy came up with their vernacular newspapers and periodicals. There were few others who took courage and published anti-establishment news in vernacular languages but this only pricked the British administration to tighten the regulations on Press. In the year 1857, which the British historians also term as the year of ‘Sepoy Mutiny’, the restrictions on Press freedom was increased with the Gagging Act, passed by Lord Canning to prevent the newspapers to publish anything which criticizes the Government.

In the next couple of decades, India saw the rise of English language newspapers like Times of India, The Madras Mail, The Amrit Bazar Patrika and a few more. These papers were mostly edited by Brits and they served the purpose to satisfy the readers in support of the establishment. Few newspapers tried to break-free, they were silenced and the process was initiated which goes on till date.

 

What you just read is a reflection of what journalism under tyranny goes through, but you don’t really need to look back at history to see such forms of JOURNALISM. Look around today, see what the newspapers and most importantly the news broadcasting channels are following.

‘Journalism to influence’ has lost its ground to ‘Journalism by influence’ in 21^st century. Today we have thousands of news papers and news channels in various categories,modes and languages being operated throughout India, but what is interesting is that we will find handful of such media bodies actually working without biases in their reporting. What forces this media houses to report in one particular line? What influences them to hide the truth at most times? Well, the answer to this is not very difficult to derive, like in the British-era even today, the tyranny of the establishment continues to hold a tight grip on the newspapers, television news channels, radio, digital platforms etc. One can question, what convinces me that the establishment influences the media, to answer them I can cite many examples of recent times where Journalist who tried to break the shell and report in a way which otherwise would trouble the Government’s agenda and votebank politics were either killed or suspended or put behind the bars.

 

In the month of January, a crime reporter from The Tribune, Chandigarh, Rachna Khaira, investigated and published a report claiming that spending only Rs. 500 and 10 minutes was enough to get access to every detail submiited by individuals to UIDAI (Adhaar registration authority) and hence the data was not safe with the authority. Soon after the report was published, an FIR was lodged against Khaira and the daily by an unnamed deputy director. This is a great example, how reporting on issues for greater good comes under the scanner just because they question the authority.

There are plenty of instances where journalists have been killed, recent cases include the murder of Gauri Lankesh, Sujaat Bhukari etc. Journalists in India are not safe, they do not enjoy Freedom of Press which probably other nations do, but is this the reason why many big media houses today are acting as conservative forces and operating as the lapdogs of the establishment. In a democracy as large as India, media is considered as the fourth pillar and is generally expected to report without biases. So, what makes them go against the purpose and support the strong and mighty?

We can ask a million questions, but we won’t have a single person responsible to answer that. In the past 20 years, the trend of media houses operating has seen a change and this change is facilitated by the influencers. Many news channels and newspapers in the country are owned or financed by the top businessmen or people who are in terms with the politicians or are politicians themselves. The media houses need to keep themselves well fed and hence work under the ‘orders’ of these forces. In the generation of media where digital mediaspace has taken over and newspapers are drying out of circulation, only respite for them is taking shelter under these influencers. Broadcast media too is loosing out on TRP as the number of media houses in the country are increasing by the day, so they resort to ‘dishonest’ and ‘sensational’ journalism.

The important part which all these media houses, journalists, inlfuencers, politicians and everyone else involved in dissemination of bias news, forgets is that the country might be the biggest democracy and the 6^th fastest growing economy in the World but it is also home to the largest population of poor people. The issues of this country are not limited to fitness and ‘selifes’. The issues are much bigger, at the ground level, a common Indian suffers a lot and no one takes responsibility to report that probably because that might affect the votebank politics and also the financial support to the media house. Media is supposed to be standing with the oppressed and supporting their causes rather they do vice-versa. The focus should be on creating healthy debates and discussion which would yield some solutions to the existing problems of the country rather not give birth to more.

Well, a lot needs to be done and a lot need to transpire from the few sensible minds of the country who actually try hard to work for the people and their issues.

 

 

THE CONTENT MAN

Thanks for joining me!

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer. – Jim Carrey