The Buck Stops at the LOC

Photo Courtesy / Credit nationalviews.com

Article first published in +Medium Click here


Much has been written and flushed down Twitter about L’affaire Barkha and Arnab — the two most popular and — arguably — respected anchors of English News Channels. I too added my two penny tweets to it in jest (another one) .

Frankly, I admire both Arnab and Barkha — each in a different sort of way. Both have their own distinctive styles — which make people either like or dislike them. They say — a good brand has to create an ‘emotional surplus’ — either positive or negative — that gives it recall and attachment. Marketers call it SSP or ‘self-selling provocation’. Lalu Prasad, Mamata, Kejriwal — all have loads of it. So one may not like them — but still cannot ignore them. SSP is also what sets Arnab and Barkha apart from the rest of their tribe.

So, some people may be put off by Barkha’s Oprah Winfrey punched into Christiane Amanpour style of journalism and others are repulsed by Arnab’s haranguing on The Newshour a la Fox News anchors they allege — but none can deny they have become stars in their own rights and command higher TRPs than their peers in the trade. And, that is bound to make a few hearts burn.


The comparisons do not end there. Barkha and Arnab grew as journalists by the dint of their hard work. Neither of them owes their successes to anyone but themselves. Both cut their teeth in the Television industry in a channel, which is reputed to put a premium on pedigree. Though Barkha’s mother, Prabha Dutt, was an intrepid journalist — she was not exactly high profile. Arnab comes from a less known political family of Assam — but his entry ticket into journalism was his Oxford degree rather than family antecedents like some of his erstwhile colleagues at that channel. Therefore, it is perfectly understandable that both would be driven by strong ambition.

Many believe the eminently forgettable film by Aziz Mirza — Phir Bhi Dil hain Hindustani — was a take on Barkha and one of her male contemporaries in the electronic media. People are almost certain that, the character of the TV anchor Nandita Malik in Peepli Live was crafted after her. It would be a cliche — but not wholly inaccurate — to say, Barkha fought a lone battle to make her place in the galaxy. And, to do so — as Meryl Streep had once said — one cannot be just pure gold but need some brass in them as well.

Arnab’s story is a little different. He was never counted among the charmed circle of the Roy Boys (and girls). His boldest gamble was not just in joining Time Now — but create a News Channel away from Delhi, when news in India is primarily politics. To make a success of it -without having the daily access to politicians in the capital was no mean feat. He fashioned himself as a cross between Tim Sebastian and David Frost changing the paradigm of TV News (whether for good or bad) with Times Now TRPs soaring. That was difficult to digest for his “upper caste” counterparts on the Lutyens’ beat.

From hatchet jobs in friendly magazines (that carried scathing profiles of Goswami as a boss and journalist)- to barbs like “you don’t have to shout to be heard” — when Arnab pulled off the coupe with the twin interviews of Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi in the closing phases of 2014 elections, he became the ultimate trespasser in the cozy club of Delhi media.

The best (or worst — depending on which side you are) was yet to come. The recent interview with Narendra Modi — his first to an Indian Channel after becoming the Prime Minister — was the proverbial last straw. Apart from Twitter tirades — articles were written on the ‘questions he (Arnab) did not ask”. Instead of critiquing the PM’s replies — the ire was entirely directed on Arnab. That something had snapped — was clear in Arnab choosing a business magazine (not affiliated to any media group or industrial house) to put out his rebuttal.

However, it could not or did not stop there. In today’s charged and polarized world — “if you are not with us then you must be with Modi”. And, that I presume must have got Arnab by his new long hair. There begins the new ditty.

Have met Arnab a few times. I have seen very few journalists who are so polite and soft spoken. Therefore, I — for one — was never taken in by his TV persona — which appeared largely put on for audience effect.

Barkha on the other hand has been more touchy about criticism and reactive — be it on Kargil or Radiia. That could be a function of individual personality, but on screen I have always found her to be dignified and restrained. She is basically a reporter at heart who revels at being out in the field — rather than be caught in debates within the confines of the studio. I think she is one who gets the medium of television better than most.

Strident nationalism is the chosen ‘positioning’ for Arnab — while soft ‘liberal’ could be Barkha’s brand. Both have worked brilliantly — while many others of the same vintage have faded away.
At the end of the day — let us face it — Barkha and Arnab remain the two real stars if Indian News TV. Peer rivalry is common in all professions — especially those when they are high profile public persona. Be it movie, politics, cricket — even among lawyers, academics, scientists and doctors.

So, we — the lay viewers — should not get too worked up over it and sucked into their spat. Just leave it the two of them to spar it out and enjoy the show.


And, there is no need to question the patriotism of either – as the Buck finally stops at the LOC that neither Barkha nor Arnab are likely to cross.

Do even Kashmiris know what they want ?

Why is Congress and Left Lib intlectual and media outraging most Kashmir?

Atrticle first published +ABP NEWS  Click here to read 

A Kashmiri family walks past paramilitary troopers standing guard during a curfew, in downtown Srinagar on July 15, 2016. PIC/AFP. (courtesy +ABP NEWS 

Resurfacing after his most recent – now famous and frequent – R&R break, when Rahul Gandhi thundered -“Lack of foresight & poor management has led to the escalation of violence in Kashmir” – a witty Twitter buddy quipped: “Is he referring to Nehru?”

 It is actually ironical that, this statement could well be applied to any politician dealing with Kashmir – in the last 70 years. No doubt Jawaharlal Nehru made a massive political gaffe – that even the Nehru-Gandhi family and their apologists will find difficult to contest — on the referendum proposal.

 But, looking at it counter-factually – would things have been any different in Jammu & Kashmir today if he had not capitulated then? Arguably, not.

 But, a lot can be said and questioned about the handling of Jammu & Kashmir by successive Governments since Independence. It may be true that, without the shadow of the referendum faux pas, India could have been less apologetic or defensive in its Kashmir strategy. But, only so.

 If it were Pakistan’s state policy to keep the Kashmir issue on the boil as an eternal bone of contention with India, it would not have relented on strategy just for the lack of a purported UN Resolution.

Equally, professional jihadists – whether sponsored from across the border or sons of the soil – would not have stayed idle waiting for the earlier editions of promised “acche din” to arrive.

There is little reason to believe that, in the absence of insurgency and internal strife, Jammu & Kashmir would have developed at a faster clip than the rest of India since Independence. Therefore, the much-flogged justification of separatism, unfulfilled ‘aspirations’ of Kashmiri youth, would have still been there either way.

 In trying to tackle a seemingly insurmountable problem with knee-jerk, short sighted and, at times, ill-conceived solutions, the Indian state has progressively complicated the situation in Kashmir Valley. In the process, it has also created huge cesspools of vested interests not just in political circles but an entire ecosystem that thrives on “Kashmir war chests” on both sides of the LoC.

Although no real industrial development took place in Kashmir Valley, several ‘soft-skill’ enterprises flourished. These range from NGOs to media and, so-called, Track 2 “Kashmir Experts” (or call them the neo-KPs, Kashmiri ‘Pundits’ of a different kind) comprising politicians, journalists, retired bureaucrats, diplomats on sinecure, hibernating intelligence sleuths and even former Generals. They are like quacks to those patients with psychosomatic ailments keep running to.

Finally, there are the touts, brokers and middlemen coming in all forms and hues.

With each passing day these interest groups are growing deeper and wider roots. In trying to counter them, new ones are created and that becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.

The old Dogra Royalty may be on the wane but new political dynasties have emerged who want to rule Jammu & Kashmir —  keeping their families and partners safely ensconced in Delhi or London. But, obviously the rewards of power are far too lucrative for them not to answer the call of the valley.

Against this backdrop, the BJP is the only national political party that has an ideological position on Jammu & Kashmir rather than just a political one. Retaining Jammu & Kashmir as an integral part of India for the BJP is part of its belief system – for which their leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee – the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh — laid down his life.

The BJP and RSS are committed to the idea of Jammu & Kashmir being integral to India, which is not negotiable as far as they are concerned.

But, for Congress and others it is more a matter of political compulsion or geostrategic imperative. One may recall – from time to time – the Congress has in the past tried to soft-pedal a “let go” policy on Kashmir, especially through friendly journalists.

That makes the task of Narendra Modi’s Government all the more unenviable. Any signs of a pragmatic pact with a “Kashmiri” party like PDP immediately draws flak from the BJP’s core constituency of Jammu Hindus and Kashmiri Pandits.

On the other hand, the slightest offensive against militants immediately has the entire world – most notably the Lutyens’s Liberals — coming down upon them like a cloudburst in Srinagar and New Delhi.

One does not recall so much outrage on the decades of military action in the valley as over firing pellet guns in Srinagar (not that the former justifies the latter). The protests after Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani’s death received more prime time and front-page coverage in Indian media than what one can remember about the anti-Kashmiri Pandit pogrom in the valley in the 1980s.

Interestingly, if one cares to note, it is the Congress, the Left and their friends in the media who have been most vocal in attacking the Central Government on Kashmir. In comparison, one has not heard the voices of other political parties, especially the regional biggies at all. Is there a story in that too?

With BJP-PDP 2.0 in power – with the more strident Mehbooba Mufti following a protracted courtship – Jammu & Kashmir watchers assumed that the BJP had put on anklets that would deter New Delhi from taking a hard line against militants.

Suddenly realisation seems to have dawned that power sharing does not necessarily mean going soft on separatists. The Prime Minister’s silence and even Mehbooba’s muted reaction to the events of past week has further brought home this message. This has rattled the self-appointed conscience keepers of the Kashmiri cause.

The question one is inclined to ask these “neo KPs” is: can the Kashmiris be so counter-intuitive to believe that their lot would be better either under independent self-rule or in Pakistan?

How many of their youth who are being sacrificed in the self-styled jihad for ‘Azadi’ really understand what it entails for them. If unfulfilled ‘aspiration’ is really the cause for their taking up arms, as some intellectuals suggest, do they think their fellow Kashmiris across the border are any better off?

If the leaders and benefactors were really serious about their welfare and future of Kashmiris, they would negotiate with the Central Government on a specific agenda for development, health-care, skill-building and employment generation, rather than lead them to a mirage of jannat.

Sadly, ordinary Kashmiris do not seem to know what they really want.