A man doesn’t eat or drink for more than 60 years. Yes you have read correctly, it’s not 60 minutes but 60 long years! The nation’s best doctors and scientists closely examine the facts and observe and monitor his movements on camera for three weeks. Yes, it’s true. He’s a miracle, declare the members from the Defence Institute of Physiology and Applied sciences (DIPAS). Isn’t this a sensational news, deserving of first page headlines in all newspapers and the main feature of all TV news programmes. Surprisingly all newspapers and TV channels are observing a mauna vrata (a vow of silence).
Initially the news was covered with excitement, in hope of discovering yet another false claim and a scandal; to whip the already beaten Hindu culture and hurl abuses and mockery galore. However to the shock of the media, the investigations not only proved the sadhu’s claim true, it even challenged the modern society’s conceptions of reality. The sadhu explained that as a teenager, mother Durga (one of the most popular Hindu goddess) had given him darshan (audience) and blessed him with supernatural powers.
Now the media is caught in a flux. How do they explain him to the world based on their reasoning and logic? They can’t explain this supernatural feat without attributing his prowess to divine intervention and acceptance of spiritual facts, the knowledge of which the media lacks. Hence they prefer the safer way out- ignore the news. Just imagine if the studies had proved he’s a fraud, what would have happened to the National media. They would have been hysterical in denouncing the saffron brigade. Now the silence in face of a sensational discovery of truth exposes the media’s double standards. On the one hand the media claims to search for truth but on the other seeks only scandals and controversies, especially opportunities to ridicule Hindu culture.
82-year-old Prahlad jani’s stunning the world by not eating or drinking since the age of fifteen (for the last 67 years) deserves honour and kudos but the media prefers to go gaga over IPL and the sex lives of Bollywood gods.
A few years ago Ramadev Baba was needlessly dragged into a controversy by the media which accused him of mixing animal bones in his medicines. The National media lashed at him, and Hindus apologized for being Hindus and for having a fraud as their messiah. Ramadev had revolutionized yoga and offered simple breathing exercises (pranayama) to help the billions in India lead a healthy life. As money poured in and his coffers increased, it also invoked the lower human tendency of envy amongst the politicians and the media.
Mrs. Brinda Karat launched a campaign against Swami Ramdev. Besides other allegations, she charged that the medicines produced in his pharmacy contained animal bones. There was a great hue and cry. The NDTV channel which is reported to be related to Mr. Prannoy Roy gave great coverage to her. It even organized many discussions live. In the end when the Health Minister of the then Congress government of Uttarakhand held a Press conference to declare that they had conducted laboratory tests and found no bone contents in ayurvedic medicines of Baba’s pharmacy, the NDTV which had led the anti-Baba campaign blacked out this news from its viewers.
Many people wrote to Mr. Prannoy Roy in March 2006 through e-mail and by post also highlighting this act of infringement of the journalistic morality. But no response. In the meantime, INDIA TODAY included Mr. Roy and his wife among the top 50 personalities of the country describing them as the “credible face” of journalism. We can clearly see that NDTV had blacked out this news deliberately to avoid its own embarrassment. It only proved that the channel had launched a deliberate tirade against the yoga guru without ascertaining facts. So can you say that NDTV was free, fair and objective, at least, as far as this episode was concerned? Months later many other investigations declared him to be innocent and the allegations by the media were proved baseless. This time once again the media turned a Nelson’s eye, and didn’t cover the acquittal.
Indian culture and Hindu saints have been time and again misrepresented in the Media and the billion plus Indians sit nonplussed as hedonistic values are championed by the media. Men and women are encouraged to abandon reverence to saints and the holy wisdom contained in Hindu culture. It’s time the intelligent Indians challenge the credibility of the media rather than blindly accept the news. The media for sure is not serving the best interests of the Nation nor are they interested in protecting the National values and culture. In fact most of them are working against the interest of the Indians. After Pakistan, we have another in-house enemy to confront- the national print and electronic media. In fact these are more deadly for they pose as friends and plant the seed of destruction within the country. Indians beware of this hydra headed demon- the media.
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