I have been watching intermittently with interest the Media Coverage - TV, publication, internet, social networking sites over the past 10 days, besides of course everyone’s views on what the media is doing right or wrong.

Some interesting notes Harini Calamur’s and Barkha Dutt’s make interesting reading.

However, as a consumer some common questions occurred to me during this time -

How come:-

All the Announcers develop a breathless reporting style. (looked as if they were given a crash course on it)
Became insensitive as human beings.
Start endangering lives - does it matter if the Minister in his search for glory is feeding nonsense.
Initiate more panic than necessary.

Probably their viewers were demanding sensationalism; human tragedy had become a TRP race for them.

All this and more has been debated & shall continue; but the fact of the matter remains……..

Similar to the Telecom industry some years ago….the critical mass has not been reached by the news channels, all of them are fighting for survival, all of them are dependent on the ministers, celebrities etc. for the sound/news byte; ultimately it becoming a you scratch my back & I scratch yours. Who knows what investments the politicians directly or indirectly have in the same channels.

For the newspapers, it is even worse….for all the tom tomming about the circulation, there are not enough people reading what is written; Remember not all our states are as literate as kerala:) As far as back scratching is concerned, advertisers rule the roost!!!

As a citizen first, consumer second my main worry stems -

In the quest for sensationalism/TRP/profits What if the media start getting & showcasing sponsorships; something like —-the next segment is sponsored by xyz politician, defence ministry, LET & Newspapers saying - Today’s news brought to you by…..

It is now the 6th December 2008!

From the 29th to 3rd December passions ran high; text messages, emails, IM, facebook, twitter, glitter, paper - all means of second hand communication was employed by people known or unknown to you.

“Lets start something . Something. A non-cooperation movement. Something to show we are not taking this lying down. Something that can tell the leaders and politicians that we want our safety. Let it be started by the corporates. A nameless, leaderless movement. Lets show them how many we are and how angry and tired and frustrated we are. Lets all come together at Gateway of India. Coming wednesday, dec 3rd in evening at 6. Lets ask for what’s our right. Right to live fearlessly. Lets devote one evening of Our life to it. Its worth it. If you agree, spread the message.”

I did not say I was going & so did not. I was not against it; just that I did’nt feel that being there was important for me personally.

However, I was determined to find out from amongst those who had communicated to me; how many kept the faith….

Sent this message to my entire phone book-

“A lot of you sent sms, mails, about 3rd dec. Across india declaring privately/publicly that you would attend; exhorting everyone else. Could you share your thoughts, photos etc of the evening attended. If you did not, be honest to at least accept the fact. Anaggh”

Facebook - “Anaggh is wondering how many friends/acquaintances who sent sms forwards of attending Gateway did; if so can they share knowledge takeaway?”

Twitter - ” I wonder how many of those who confirmed reaching gateway found last minute excuses not to attend?”

AND some of the responses -

Love it annagh. Great that you’re getting people to get real. I’ve been so upset with people sending me messages about how angry they are and they wont keep quiet they wont tolerate. I ask them what they will do, they have no answers. - Monica

I could not as none of the ppl who I cud’ve gone with did & I felt weird going alone. I must have made around 9 calls! I also didnt think that would result in any concrete plan/ action. - Sunita

Ha ha good one. I did attend. Mukesh

I did not go and niether did I say I will go. i found the event purposeless. Anyway I am in hyderabad since last two days. Lalit

What 3rd Dec? Sundar

I have not attended but now WE should stop demonstrating and start changing our shelf and the system.Give me your mail id. Dharmen

???? Dharti

Neither did I send any SMS nor did I confirm/commit being there. I knew the number is going to be sizable, hence was not motivated to travel all the way. Karan

I was there. The mood was angry. Not just with pak but also with our politicians. The people were disciplined. No pushing and shoving just a clear cut demand for action not just against pak but also to clear up our own house. Jai Hind. Aparna

I didnt attnd. Tambe

Let me know how many you receive! Devangshu

K. The pics are with my friend. He’ll give it to me soon. I’ll share d experience with you. Monica

I was there . And I am extremely happy that I was there to share and show solidarity . Prasad K

I did not forward any such SMSs nor did i attend any meeting on 3rd December. However would love to get updates from those who attended. Madhurie

I was there, will share my experience on mail. Prasad D

Teen December

Hi Anaggh,

When I reached Regal Talkies exactly at 5:45 pm, little did I expect that the place which already had around 7000 to 10000 persons on the road between Regal Talkies & Gateway of India, will be swarmed with nearly 1,00,000 to 1,50,000 in next one hour. Gathering was from all the section of the society, what was startling was the age group more young then old. You could see few faces in the crowd which were known, but so much at ease in the crowd.

The “Enough is Enough” feeling was everywhere. People in groups of 4, 5, 10, 50 and more were marching and slogans in the air were all aimed at present lot of leaders no one was spared, President, PM, CM et. al. “Gali Gali Mein Shor Hai, Leaders Saare Chor Hai” summarizes the entire thing.

Regular candle lighting, banners with various slogans, pamphlets, T-Shirts with different quotes, everything there was different and looked very scattered in thought & deed yet there was cohesiveness, there seemed to be a common demand “You do something or let us do it.” There were more questions on peoples faces then there were answers to it.

I have witnessed few such demonstrations previously, where no politician would dare to go. But this was different because of the sheer number of people turning up there.

After seeing that I think India is rising. There is hope afterall.

Regards
Prasad D

boss I attended..no pic taken-i abhor this photo op..bought a tshirt tho..one for a colleague who was w me n one for my daughter..took me 50mins to locate my car n dvr..lines wer jammed Snehal

I was there with two more people. One of them had sent her entire office staff of 10 participate as well. - Anil

I wasn’t going and so didn’t go. Not that I was against it but just that I did not feel that being there was important for me. Tushar

yes i did make it by 7pm through the radio club side. It was grt to be part of it. I was thr for abt 20 minutes and listened to these guys on a truck making speeches……………..I think it is a grt beginning….we should continue !!! Samit

To sum this up - I had received 100+ sms, emails, IM etc. on this movement. Received 18 responses.

And Yes, more than 100,000 people had gathered to show solidarity & where was the manifesto (in whatever form) presented - to Chief Secretary Johny Joseph ~~~~ Remember him ~~~ had no clue about the 26/7 floods a couple of year ago.

So get real folks….unless this is repeated on the 3rd of every month nothing much will happen except, photos, emails, blogs floating in the real world.

Remember Change  along with time also needs Commitment, Consistency, Constancy!

First day, first show - took me back to school & college days!

There were only 25-30 people in the multiplex interested enough to be watching the movie.

Anybody who has watched theater will abhor the movie; as would some movie lovers too.

Naseer was the best, followed by Boman.

Neha a miscast, Om a zombie & Why Tara of all people?

Paresh hogged the scenes as rightly he was entitled to. But post hera pheri, the line of acting to hamming has been bridged. He just overacts his way through. Also his new stud avtaar, has taken off the acting skills along with the weight.

The movie should have been taut with another 20 minutes being chopped off.

And the only saving grace during the time - a lady thought running for pop corn was more important during the national anthem; whereas a 8-10 year old piped clearly ‘Papa, we have to stand at attention’ Way to go….The future is focused…..

The Truth behind Rule 49-O

An e-mail has been doing the rounds, stating that Mumbaikars can invoke Rule 49-O, which allows them to tick ‘No Vote’ on their ballot, and effect a re-poll with new candidates. The e-mail is a fake, but that hasn’t stopped citizens from asking why 49-O isn’t a viable option

“Our system needs to change”, “Our politicians need to go”, “Our government needs to wake up”: For years, these lines have littered the rhetoric of politicians, activists, and citizens alike. But for a moment recently, the public began to dream of effecting real change, and that to through the medium of democracy — the ballot box.

When an e-mail, titled Rule 49-O, popped up in 21-year-old, Stuti Sakhalkar’s inbox, she broke into a smile. The e-mail stated that if she didn’t trust any of the candidates standing for election, then she had a right to convey to the presiding officer, that she didn’t want to vote. The e-mail even suggested that if this happened, and the number of voters who opted to invoke Rule 49-O were more than the number of votes cast for any of the candidates, then there would be a re-poll. “I was so glad that something like this actually existed,” she says, quickly forwarding the e-mail to everyone on her contact list.

Stuti, however, was a victim of a fake e-mail that has been comforting Mumbaikars in their darkest hours. Although Rule 49-O, stated in the The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, affirms that the person’s right not to vote would be recognised in the total vote counting process, in no case would there be a re-poll. As of now, what rule 49-O will do is register the person’s signature, or thumbprint. This would also require the voter to reveal their identity, which goes against the system of secret ballots. And even if 49-O votes are more than the winning candidates’ votes, it would not negate the result. There is no judgment as yet on the implications of 49-O toward the upcoming elections, and the barring of candidates from a re-poll.

However, having decided to register for 49-O, in the hope of effecting genuine change, Stuti, says, “No one deserves our votes at present. No one at all.”

Retired high court judge, Hosbet Suresh, says, “We have discussed negative voting a number of times during our meets, and even put forth a proposal for the same, but it’s yet to be put into action.” Hosbet who has voted in every election, bar the first, says that the fact that his No vote wouldn’t mean anything saddens him. “There have been so many times, when I actually didn’t believe in any candidate, but voted in the hope of change,” he says.

A representative from VoteIndia.in, a website dedicated to the quest of finding a good government, says that the number of queries about Rule 49-O has increased after the recent terror attacks. “That fake e-mail has been doing the rounds for the past two years, but we encourage people not to vote, just in protest.”

However, a lot of people have been hoping that the e-mail turns out to be a reality. An angry Bikram Bindra, a 20-year-old student from a South Mumbai college, feels that if the rule were executed — the way it has been stated in the e-mail — he would be the first person to cast a negative vote. Ridiculing the statements made by some politicians, he says, “If someone tries to console me by saying that such things happen in big cities, I certainly don’t believe in that kind of government.” In any case, Bikram believes that he would use Rule 49-O to show his dissent.

Even 30-year-old Sudarshan Shetty, who promptly forwarded the e-mail to everyone, so that it reached a wider audience believes that it is imaginative thinking like this that makes us truly function like a democracy. He hopes that someday, the contents of the e-mail would become law: “I am waiting for the day when the Rule is mentioned in school civic textbooks.”

Z Security is our birthright and we shall have it say our netas & abhinetas.

Too many cops for a handful of VIPs?

When 200 NSG commandos, especially flown in from Delhi, were fighting terrorists at three different places last week, more that 2,000 well-armed policemen were busy providing round-the-clock protection to 150 VIPs.

The Protection Branch of Mumbai police is entrusted with protecting people claiming threat to their lives. Ministers and select politicians are provided security cover depending. They fall under the Z+, Z, Y and X-categories.

Others enjoying protection under these categories include Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav. Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Govinda and Shah Rukh Khan also get protection. The list also includes Several builders, diamond dealers and other individuals who complain of facing death threats.Officials at the branch told DNA that half of the 150 individuals do not necessarily need security, but continue to get protection by paying a monthly charge to the state.

A favorite topic for me, particularly when the Mayor with her entourage goes & learns about how cities are being run globally and tries to teach everyone through the press, it is conveniently forgotten that worldwide security is for the country, state, citizens in that order and not for neta & abhineta.

S Achuthanandan - If it had not been (martyred commando) Sandeep’s house not even a dog would have glanced that way.

Sure thing Minister But Sandeep is a Martyr and a Dog did go there but this time the Dog got Peed on, feels great.

Vilasrao Deshmukh the modern day Nero: “He is not a terrorist” the maharashtra chief minister said after protests over his actor son Reitesh & director Ram Gopal Verma accompanying his delegation to the Taj.

‘Chief Minister you are not a Location Scout’ And remember Ram Gopal Verma ne Do Sarkar Banayi aur ab Ek Sarkar girayi!!!

RR Patil: “The odd incident doe happen in abig city like mumbai” said RR Patil during terrorist attack when he was state home minister & deputy CM.

Yup you are right Mr. Home Minister, Let this be a lesson to us….Do not elect anyone from the back waters & expect him to know how a city functions….

Muktar Abbas Naqvi: These are just a few women wearing lipstick and powder taking to the streets said the BJP leader about protesting citizens.

Again a lesson to be learnt….Whilst the comment is painful, we have the so called citizen’s forums, liberals who have done so in the past to thank for this. I pray that this does not turn into fact once again.

Shivraj Patil: 200 NSG & 65 army commandos are being rushed to Mumbai the former home minister said, negating the surprise element.

Finally, my turn to be on TV. Why should I let it go…..Hum bhi Minister hai!

During the past week, there have been a flurry of text messages - SMS if you prefer - by known & unknown people - people who never bother to reply to wishes - birthdays, anniversary, festivals suddenly started talking about candles, white clothes, black clothes, bharat mata ki jai, jai hind so on and forth. Some of the most common ones are reproduced below with my personal comments:

Rahul Nanda as well as Wajid were the first to ask whether you were Ok & share information: Topsline has transported 7 people to hospital. In the South Mumbai firing../TOPSLINE 1252 has evacuated over 40 injured since last night. If you or your near and dear ones need help, contact 1252…..

Some one said this was a publicity gimmick, but when asked Did he know about the service, had no clue about this.

Amit/Huseni/Fred/Amod/Ravi/Savita plus a host of others sent the popular message - Where is Raj Thackrey Now? Tell Him That 200 Additional NSG Commandos From Delhi ( North Indians ) Being Sent Mumbai To Fight The Terrorists.

Whereas Rajendra/Prasad said Karkare, kampte, salaskar, shinde and More are all MAHARASHTRIAN

Then other common messages flowed in
Plz forward raj thackeray’s phone no. if u find it. Dnt no where he is when u need him. We want him to go and save amchi mumbai alongwith his mns goondas, “THE” sons of the soil. Army, nsg commandoes are not marthi manoos…Why should they fight or lay their life for mumbaikars…
We need not worry about those who came by BOAT, but must worry about those who rule us through VOTE, at delhi & maharashtra. Pass this to all patriotic Hindustanis like u. Vande Mataram

lets all request Mr.Raj Thackrey to send his troops , the ‘only’ saviours of maharastra, to fight it out with the ‘real terrorist’ rather than show his cowardness with attacks on biharis and UP-ites … !!
Pls forward this to one and all if you agree with my views … !!

“Forgiving a Terrorist is left to GOD. But fixing their appointment with GOD is our responsibility.” -INDIAN ARMY.
Just pray that we defeat them.

Don’t worry about Raj, worry about the impotent congress sonia ruling this country & state who send a mess to potential terrorists pls continue blasts and we will protect u even if supreme court convicts u, all for muslim votes

If sonia gandhi of(north italy) stops feeding chicken biryani to Mohd afzal & gets him hanged then there would have been no need to get 200 (north indians) to mumbai. These Fidayeen terrorists know for sure that if caught alive, impotent congress-sonia r there to protect them. Modigiri & not gandhgiri works.

Do not worry about those who came thru boats… Our forces can easily defeat them,
WORRY about those who have come thru votes… they are the REAL ENEMIES..!!

Here some sanity came to the fore, asking questions such as:

All of us who circulated anti Raj Thackerey SMSs are hypocrites. When MNS Goons were beating up North Indians we sat quietly safe in our homes. Lets get real.

NSG Comandos sanitized Triden Oberoi Nariman House & Taj Mahal Hotel & got rid of terrorists. Pl. santise streets from hysterical 24X7 electronic News Media 2

Q to Politicians provided police & paramilitary security “Did U ask Ur security details 2 go fight terrorist when they were killing those who voted 4 U?”

Looking at the Media & celebrity quotes a valid Question - Where are the self styled socialist actor Aamir Khan, Shabana Aazmi, Javed Akhtar, Teesta Setalvad at this need of hour. Its obvious of Aamir does not have any movie releasing soon to gain mileage, Javed’s mouth is too stuffed with paan to speak Shabana is not bothered coz no Bangladeshi zopadpatti was under seige, While Teesta represents only the greedy minorities namely: The Hijackers in this case.

Then the Black, White, Candles, Rang de basanti quotes:Lets start something . Something. A non-cooperation movement. Something to show we are not taking this lying down. Something that can tell the leaders and politicians that we want our safety. Let it be started by the corporates. A nameless, leaderless movement. Lets show them how many we are and how angry and tired and frustrated we are. Lets all come together at Gateway of India. Coming wednesday, dec 3rd in evening at 6. Lets ask for what’s our right. Right to live fearlessly. Lets devote one evening of Our life to it. Its worth it. If you agree, spread the message.
Jaydev Mody/Fred Poonawala

Vijay Jain
Lets get together n show solidarity n support 4 innocent lives,pls join 4 a candle march @ 7pm on sun 30th at marine drive(opp jazz by d bay).vijay jain
Someone askd me how will it help?Its the same question that i asked myself. In this country if there is anything that matters it is collective opinion. Let the politician take note.vijay jain

Lets start something guys. Something. A non-cooperation movement. Something to show we are not taking this lying down. Something that can tell the leaders and politicians that we want our safety. Let it be started by the corporates. A nameless, leaderless movement. Lets show them how many we are and how angry and tired and frustrated we are. Lets all come together at Gateway of India. Coming wednesday, dec 3rd in evening. Lets ask for what’s our right. Right to live fearlessly. Lets devote one evening of Our life to it. Its worth it. If you agree, forward it your phone list.
Manu Dhir

Lets not let it end so easily for the terrorists and our politicians. Lets do Something.A non-cooperation movement. Something to show we are not taking this lying down. Something that can tell the leaders and politicians that we want our safety. A nameless, leaderless movement. Lets show them how many we are and how angry and tired and frustrated we are. Simply by coming together at Gateway of India, wednesday, dec 3rd at 6 pm. Lets ask for what’s our right. Right to live fearlessly. Lets devote one evening of Our lives to it. Its worth it. I’ll be going for sure.
Ravi Saxena

Lets start a non-cooperation movement to show we are not taking this lying down. Something that can tell the leaders and politicians that we want our safety. A nameless, leaderless movement to show them how many we are and how angry, tired and frustrated we are. Lets all gather at Gateway of India. Coming wednesday, dec 3rd, evening 6pm to ask What’s our right? Right to live fearlessly. Lets devote one evening to it. Its worth it. If you agree, spread the message.
Monica Raheja

Monica Raheja
Let us get together and show solidarity and support for innocent lives and in hope that this gets over forever please put a candle in your window @ 9pm.Pl fwd.

Hiren Desai/Monica Raheja

Please wear black tomorrow or a black band on arm as a sign of protest against the terror acts in Mumbai. Please forward this message to one and all u know.

Mukesh Jagwani

Its high time our govt stop and take action against terrorism….empty promises wont work … Lets stop paying taxes as a protest agst govt who have failed to offer basic security to its citizens !

Sarabjit Singh
An Olympic shooter wins Gold (only a game) & Govt gives him 3Cr + awards.
Another shooter dies, fighting with terrorists, (saving our country and our lives) & Govt pays his family 5 Lacs.
Truly Great India ?!?
(Plz fwd to all Indians, so tat it somehow reaches the President, P’M, C’Ms, IAS, & all concerned)

Deepak Bhatia

Kerala CM insults martyr NSG Sandeep’s family, Mah CM takes film people to Taj, India’s PM loses sleep over how to give kashmiri terrorist’s mother pension money. Mera Bharat Mahaan.

This chaos has just added to the Telecom coffers by sending messages; nothing else!

Lets start a non-cooperation movement to show we are not taking this lying down. Something that can tell the leaders and politicians that we want our safety. A nameless, leaderless movement to show them how many we are and how angry, tired and frustrated we are. Lets all gather at Gateway of India. Coming wednesday, dec 3rd, evening 6pm to ask What’s our right? Right to live fearlessly. Lets devote one evening to it. Its worth it. If you agree, spread the message.

I received this message from Monica, Ravi, Fred, Jaidev, and numerous others…..

A noble thought…..but to what purpose?

How many are really going to gather there?
All different citizen’s forum is gathering there….who controls…what works?
How is everyone going to reach there - cars, trains, walking? Adding to congestion & police woes….
What government are they going to present - CM is busy saving his seat, home minister has resigned, mayor is busy gallivanting across the globe trying to learn from Israel, Governor cannot do anything, Raj, Uddhav & gang are busy with their strategy how to be up one another..

Let us not Americanize this event like 9/11. Remember we do not have the basics in place unlike the developed nations. Take a pragmatic view of getting the right information, draw up a immediate, short term plan, execute/implement so that the politicians understand the might & power of the citizens.

AND Like Shilpa Shetty says….I would avoid being there because the focus would be on celebrity rather than the forum.

Today’s Bombay Times carries an article dated 2nd December 2008   A CEO Mumbai

All the celebrities have answered this in their providing sound byte mode; but they are not at fault. Media to capitalize, sell more come up with such Questions do more harm than good.Because, the Q & answers are forgotten soon after, probably within the week. To support this….this publication has been asking the same Question for the past 5 years……

Mumbai needs a CEO… here’s why

asked on 21 Jul 2003,Yes, says international consulting firm McKinsey and Company. Definitely, says Nicholas Piramal Chairman Ajay Piramal.

Who commissioned this survey? Again the word Resilient - What happened? Transportation, Slums etc. where passion was running high. So why not do something about it? Always leave it to the government….The so called responsible citizens & publication, shoved it under.

If a CEO runs your city…


A week later 27 Jul 2003, same gyan; presented differently….by the McKinsey Bombay First Report. Sunday Times brings you a blueprint for your city, specially drafted by our team of CEOs — GREAT, who implements, Not us says McKinsey, we are just consultants…..

Living, commuting, politics
15 Aug 2003. A month later published research. A poll taken with no result in sight.

Call of the times: A CEO for Mumbai

Mumbai has a Mayor, Chief Minister, Governor besides the various citizens forums some of them headed by  Limousine Liberals (according to Jaitly) Central government representatives etc. but none of them want to be held accountable….GET A CEO….

Fact is that along with the politicians, people are the biggest terrorist. Every celebrity, citizen is into the ME First mode, even that is just verbal diarrhea, no concrete action.