It’s a big blog world

While we watch what passes for news but seldom qualifies for it on Hindi news, Sahara Samay is different.

Watched Prasun Bajpai anchor the 10 p.m. news show, unhurried and without breaking anything but the monotony of other channels. Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Bundelkhand and his 5-paise speech were the subjects of analysis. We heard long excerpts from it interspersed by questions and answers between the anchor and correspondent Sanjay in Bundelkhand on Rahul’s public popularity, his flop show in Gujarat, comparisons between him and his father Rajiv Gandhi and what Prasun described as Rahul’s weakness for ‘Bisleri, Burger, Pizza’. Perhaps the most important political lesson Rahul Gandhi may have to learn is to drink water from a well, not a bottle!

And please welcome the Lok Sabha Channel. It began as a medium for (un)parliamentary language and behaviour but while the sound and fury on other channels often signify nothing, this channel in a quiet, ponderous way, has since transformed itself into a good public service broadcaster. Doordarshan should imitate it. That or shut shop. That or hand it over to the Lok Sabha.

LSC has good classical music in the mornings, thoughtful discussions in the day, a variety of regional films and plays in the afternoons or evenings, plus lectures by the likes of Prof Sugata Bose of Harvard. And so few breaks you actually yearn for one. Plus, Lok Sabha discussions, live: if you heard the nuclear debate, you’d have discovered that our parliamentarians can speak for longer than a sound bite and know more than often given credit for.

Meanwhile, Zee News embarked on an exploration. By chance, it found a cave in Sri Lanka with Ravana’s body, no less. Its intrepid reporter also found burnt soil at Raigla where Hanuman set land on fire. We got seasick on the high seas with Zee News in search of Ravana ka mahal but alas, a high tide denied us. With other news channels following Zee’s lead, we knew we were onto something epic — but what exactly?

What a field day news had during Test Match 2. Once the victory was ours, Saturday afternoon, it was a medley of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander and Chak De India (the new Indian anthem?). Long, long after Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Harsha Bhogle had praised each ball bowled, each wicket taken and congratulated every other Indian player, all those former cricketers who couldn’t be there, provided their own running commentary on the news. Foremost was Bishen Singh Bedi who had backed India the evening before (Headlines Today) and kept his word on Saturday. The prize for the most patriotic Indian goes to the Times Now correspondent in Jammu. “Sorry, I have to keep journalistic ethics aside,” he begged our pardon and threw himself into a wild bhangra.

Aamir Khan gave a haw-haw Kabir Bedi a good launch on Zoom for his Director’s Cut. The interview by Bedi, flat as a plain throughout, lasted one hour at the end of which we knew Aamir loved his mother very much. And more but no space left to tell you about it. Next time.

shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com