When less is definitely more

At last. The Prime Minister spoke and we listened intently, as he earnestly, outlined his government8217;s policies. If it all sounded rath...

At last. The Prime Minister spoke and we listened intently, as he earnestly, outlined his government8217;s policies. If it all sounded rather like the Common Everything Programme, never mind: it was so well-intentioned, you had to admire him. Admire him for having the courage to avoid tele-friendly sound bites, for making a speech that was replete with references to development, illiteracy, pollution, agriculture, irrigation, drinking water, urban slums, girl child8230;instead of IT, liberalisation, disinvestment, Sensex8230;terms we had become accustomed to hearing for five years.

Dr Singh8217;s speech was precise, unambiguous and detailed8212;sometimes, you lost the plot. He read fluently, without hesitation or pause8212;something we had begun to expect in prime ministers8212;Narasimha Rao, Deve Gowda, Vajpayee.

He made for a change. If you watch TV news, particularly in the daytime, you would know they talk a lot of bull. Bulls and bears and shares and who dares topple them, that8217;s the stuffing of the news. On CNBC, this is understandable; on NDTV 24X7 or Aaj Tak it gets excessive. They don8217;t talk of development, illiteracy, irrigation, urban slums even a quarter as much as they do about stock subjects. As for the rural belt, what8217;s that? Something you wear around you waist?

Well, why expect differently? It8217;s not like the starving, suicidal farmers of AP watch Aaj Tak, NDTV, or Star News. Those who play the stock market do, the companies whose shares they own, do. The companies, also, advertise on these channels. Them and the banian-wallahs. So, there8217;s not much point prosing on about development, irrigation, etc, to urban audiences. It8217;s not like we8217;re interested or anything.

If you8217;re interested in the BJP soap opera, that like all good soaps never seems to end, you8217;d have been equally bemused. The former prime minister might be amused but for the average viewer the 8216;now-he-will-now-he-won8217;t8217; riddle has lost its mystery. And frankly, Venkaiah Naidu is about as telegenic as irrigation8212;to see and listen to him every single day is a grrroan. Sushma Swaraj we forgive you your hair.

With the government ducking for a low media profile, the news channels must feed off the BJP for sustenance. Which explains why we were subjected to incessant live coverage of the BJP National Executive meeting in Mumbai, endless analysis of who said what. The fact that Vajpayee claimed his 8216;8216;I8217;ve had enough8217;8217; was a joke, the day after TV correspondents had spent hours analysing and scripting his political obituary, was not funny.

Learn from Jaipal Reddy. Since taking office, the I038;B Minister has spoken infrequently, but sensibly. No dramatic ambitions, no wild accusations of biases or diatribes against the BJP8217;s handpicked Prasar Bharati Board. His predecessor, Ravi Shankar Prasad, sought out the TV mike like a moth does a candle flame from the day he was appointed. He made many promises he could not keep8212;CAS most memorably8212;and appeared ineffectual. Mum8217;s the better word.

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Wanted: a channel to air the views of the people. Tired of listening to politicians when, in a democracy, they ought to listen to us. Right? If there was a channel that conveyed what we think of their policies to them, they might govern better. And since it will be the only channel to give the public importance, it might have a huge following. Once there is a following, can advertising be far behind? Mr Reddy?

The creative genius who produced the Stayfree sanitary napkin TV commercial deserves to have his/her nose rubbed in it. In the ad, a girl at a theatre hall grinds her posterior into a number of male noses as she passes them. He friend disapproves: they could smell her you-know-what. The girl reassures her friend that all is well, she is wearing the protective and perfumed ? Stayfree that keeps the B.O. at bay and immediately little arrows dart around her lower abdomen in a protective embrace. Dunno whether to exclaim 8216;8216;Ugh8217;8217; or 8216;8216;Huh8217;8217;.