Note to Barkha

[Edit: This was a comment I posted on ndtv.com in response to Barkha Dutt's holier-than-thou rant about the media, but it never got published. So much for censorship.]

Barkha,

While I do not necessarily believe in censorship of news (As you rightly mentioned in your article, it is important to prevent rumour mongering and panic), I do believe in unbiased, non-sensationalized and quality news. Unfortunately, none of the news channels met that standard in reporting the events on and after 26/11. Here is what I think was wrong and how it needs to be corrected-

There is no place for a soundtrack or yelling reporters on a news show. It does exactly what censorship of news results in -> panic. In no way should news reporting/debates/discussion degenerate into a Bollywood show.

With respect to "We the people" (Nov. 30), I do not believe people like Luke Kenny, Kunal Kohli and Simi Garewal (Simi who?) amongst others are in any way representative of what Mumbai is going through right now. You kept cutting off the only person (ex- commissioner MN Singh) on the show that was making sensible comments. If you wanted a fruitful discussion, you should've invited more people like MN Singh who have an insight into what is wrong in the system and what can be done to correct it.

Could you explain your walk through the Taj Mahal hotel describing the destruction while there were still forensic analysts collecting data? Could you clarify why you had to then be escorted out of that very place with a policeman frantically blowing on his whistle? The only thought that comes to mind is that you irresponsibly trespassed into an area you were _not_ supposed to. Why didn't you defend that incident in your article?

I still do believe that there is scope for improvement in the way the news is reported. There should be no place for bias or sensationalism in news. Only responsibility in delivering the facts.

bikes 101: how to ride with your eyes open

Do you think you'll live to tell the story of biking up this steep slope down to your last drop of perspiration and then racing down the other side, feeling the wind in your hair and the sweet satisfaction of all other miscellaneous accomplishments of life that don't warrant a celebration of their own and tend to piggyback on such occasions, only to realize when you're half-way down at top speed that you've missed a turn before the climb itself; are traveling in the wrong direction and that you might have to turn back?

I suppose not. Because your brain (and legs) should've most likely collapsed at that point.


Cross reference #3407:
grammar 101: how not to write really long sentences

happy birthday

And so I wait,
and wait,
and wait...

But you-
- don't reply,
- - - are busy,
- - - - - have other things to do
- - - - - - - other people to tend to


You've tried my patience to the very limit I never knew I had,
and yet I wait

But now,
You can go fuck yourself for all I care!
Because I don't
But then again, maybe I still do.

ugh!

There are some things that last just a split second but essentially have the potential to ruin your entire day. Static, for example, is the worst. There is nothing more frustrating than getting out of bed, walking over to the bathroom and getting your first static shock of the day from the door-knob. You're not even awake, for crying out loud! And then the shower? How many times have you not been able to scamper away from the shower soon enough to escape the cold blast of residual water in the pipes before the warm water begins to flow. That's enough to numb my nerves for the next one hour, not to mention have my eyes popping out for the rest of the day. How about buses? Ever helplessly watched two if them pass by right in front of your eyes just because you couldn't cross the road in time? And then you wonder if you missed them because you stopped for a second to curse after the static shock. And if all three happen together? How do you think would you feel? Would you be sitting in your office blogging away looking like Macy Gray crossed with Frankenstein?

Of course.... you could look on the bright side of life and all that. But then again, you could be having a bad hair day.

will this ever end?

I don't want you to see the news. I want you to see the difference in the news. With both sides being fed what they want to hear, will this ever end? And I am ashamed to ask at times - do I even care anymore now?

Nine rebels, one Indian soldier killed in IoK
OCCUPIED SRINAGAR [November 15, 2006, 23:29] : Nine suspected militants were shot dead by troops in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) on Wednesday in gunbattles, police claimed, as the foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India held talks over the disputed region.

In another article,
In Occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism, martyred eight more Kashmiri youth at various places.


vs.


Seven militants killed in Kupwara
Wednesday, November 15, 2006 (Srinagar):
Seven unidentified militants were killed in three encounters in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday. Four militants were killed at Warsun village while two others fell to the bullets of security forces at Gulgam this morning. Another militant was killed at Ucher-Magam village last night.

the reason why i don't make new years resolutions

was just browsing through my previous entries (not like i have many) when i found this
find answers below

1. yep
2. ha! you wish
3. look at 2.
4. not there yet
5. getting there
6. i did! i did! i did! i hate them now!
7. er.....
8. doing 'em right after the cooking now
9. N/A

forever young

and i see now what Bob was talking about
when he hoped we, we'd be forever young
i'm not afraid now, not afraid to fly
'cause i know you, you're my catcher in the rye