This is in response to the recent "headline" that Shiv Sena chief has hit out at Sachin Tendulkar on comments made to the media last week.
In the democratic country such as India, every citizen has a right to express. The Master has it, the Old Tiger has it, as well as we have it. So, there's nothing unique about that. What is unique and of special significance is the ability to decide when to express yourself. It is quite special since an averaged opinion of the mass bares a certain relative value in every context.
The Master opined, the Old Tiger opined something completely irrelevant and then we are following the same course. Whatever the Shiv Sena maestro opined becomes the party's stand on the (non-existent) issue and not, mind you not Maharashtra's or for that matter even any Maharashtrian's opinion. And let's not even go into the relevancy of his comments, because it will be a futile exercise.
Having said that, one must recognize that its best not to regurgitate this matter further by discussing about it. Do I mean to say that Shiv Sena is right and that you have no right to express? No! I simply want to say that a line becomes a Headline depending on the stress given on it and the extent of attention it gains. Let's not give any importance at all to any such irrational, absurd, ill-conceived and politically inclined statement by chewing on it further. Be it by MNS-XYZ party, and be it against SRT-ABC individual - if its that irrelevant, its got to vanish in the archives as soon as possible!
Ohh well .. you wuss .. why not speak out? That's exactly what they want you to do. They .. who?? The media, the politicians et. al. Why?? Media - of course for their TRPs and high SEO rankings for their shows and websites and politicos - for divide and conquer! The sad part - the policy makers have turned into "issue" makers!!! They just love making mountains out of molehills - it bodes well for them during elections!
And we are just as much responsible for it as the politicians. Over the past few years, just after the media-boom in India, we have "over-expressed" ourselves a few too many times over trivial and insignificant issues; which has played in favour of political parties and the media in some way or the other. We should have stepped off the gas yesterday and its never too late!
Its probably more important not to discuss and give importance to insignificant issues than discussing the urgent matters. Yes, we are a democracy and everyone has a right to express; but don't forget that those rights come with a certain amount of responsibility. If every one of us recognizes the power that resides in controlled and focussed expression of opinion (irrespective of what the others may or may not do), it won't be too long before we'll see a much responsible media and probably 1 or 2 responsible and respectable politicians!
So .. Let them bark, do not bark back at them and give a false sense of fear that there's a wolf nearby. Let it just get bored in the absence of any response, put its tail between the legs and leave quietly. Focus your viciousness and power on the real wolves and hyaenas lurking in the woods nearby. Bark when you should and bite when you ought to!
Technorati Tags: Shivsena, Sachin, Tendulkar, Opinion, Democracy, Politics, Media, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Maharashtrian, Marathi, Mumbai, Bombay, Comments, Critique, Views, India In the democratic country such as India, every citizen has a right to express. The Master has it, the Old Tiger has it, as well as we have it. So, there's nothing unique about that. What is unique and of special significance is the ability to decide when to express yourself. It is quite special since an averaged opinion of the mass bares a certain relative value in every context.
The Master opined, the Old Tiger opined something completely irrelevant and then we are following the same course. Whatever the Shiv Sena maestro opined becomes the party's stand on the (non-existent) issue and not, mind you not Maharashtra's or for that matter even any Maharashtrian's opinion. And let's not even go into the relevancy of his comments, because it will be a futile exercise.
Having said that, one must recognize that its best not to regurgitate this matter further by discussing about it. Do I mean to say that Shiv Sena is right and that you have no right to express? No! I simply want to say that a line becomes a Headline depending on the stress given on it and the extent of attention it gains. Let's not give any importance at all to any such irrational, absurd, ill-conceived and politically inclined statement by chewing on it further. Be it by MNS-XYZ party, and be it against SRT-ABC individual - if its that irrelevant, its got to vanish in the archives as soon as possible!
Ohh well .. you wuss .. why not speak out? That's exactly what they want you to do. They .. who?? The media, the politicians et. al. Why?? Media - of course for their TRPs and high SEO rankings for their shows and websites and politicos - for divide and conquer! The sad part - the policy makers have turned into "issue" makers!!! They just love making mountains out of molehills - it bodes well for them during elections!
And we are just as much responsible for it as the politicians. Over the past few years, just after the media-boom in India, we have "over-expressed" ourselves a few too many times over trivial and insignificant issues; which has played in favour of political parties and the media in some way or the other. We should have stepped off the gas yesterday and its never too late!
Its probably more important not to discuss and give importance to insignificant issues than discussing the urgent matters. Yes, we are a democracy and everyone has a right to express; but don't forget that those rights come with a certain amount of responsibility. If every one of us recognizes the power that resides in controlled and focussed expression of opinion (irrespective of what the others may or may not do), it won't be too long before we'll see a much responsible media and probably 1 or 2 responsible and respectable politicians!
So .. Let them bark, do not bark back at them and give a false sense of fear that there's a wolf nearby. Let it just get bored in the absence of any response, put its tail between the legs and leave quietly. Focus your viciousness and power on the real wolves and hyaenas lurking in the woods nearby. Bark when you should and bite when you ought to!
