Opinion All you need is love

Archana,the co-host of the 20:20 match,hugely enjoyed herself in the studio,beaming from ear to ear. Notice how women miraculously appear at 20:20 games either as cheer-ladies or spaghetti straps courtesy Mandira Bedi who first perfected the art of pasta cricket. 

Meanwhile,Lalu Yadav,in his trademark kurta-dhoti compressed into a yellow sleeveless sweater,ran purposefully along the platform. This graphic on Zee News was quite apt: throughout Friday,before and after the Railway Budget,the Hon’rable Minster for Railways raced from one TV news channel to another,and announced on at least one that some day he would become prime minister. Another miracle?  

By the way,Mr Yadav’s cow is the only known cow to have made news on all the news channels as Lalu bid him a fond farewell before appearing in Parliament. Wish someone would do the same to DD News Railway Budget coverage: since the mid-Eighties,DD has been parked on the same platform where the Railway Board Chairman and other officials sit in a third class studio and tell us that we will receive first class treatment. Cancel their tickets.  

Valentine’s Day,what to say? Romance was in the air and on it and everyone was smelling of roses — or smelling them. This was either in complete compliance or defiance of the pink chaddis. Aside from promoting shops with fake hearts and the sale of roses as NCR Samay did,Zoom gave you a bouquet of its fave love songs and Sahara Samay reminded us that love ka nagma had changed,juxtaposing old Bollywood love songs with the new. But our Valentine goes to Dilli Now which endowed old Valentine with medicinal properties hitherto ignored by lovers: doctors from leading Delhi hospitals told us that hugs and loves had a direct,positive impact on the brain,that heartache,backache and every other pain would disappear with just a little love. Love ointment,anyone? 

On the morning that Lalu Yadav was laying tracks for the future,an airline crashed into a house in Buffalo,USA. CNN broadcast local affiliate coverage of the tragic accident. The footage of the explosion and fire were shown from a discreet,cordoned-off distance — no reporters in sight. The anchor confirmed neither fatalities or possible survivors. A press conference followed where the officiating officer said,“Okay,this is how this going to play out” and thereafter,a series of officials answered questions relating to their specific areas of responsibility. A telephone number was provided to the media,for any queries. Period. Indian officials and TV news,please note for our next crisis.  

Finally,Indian TV news should be exported to Pakistan and Pakistani private news channels should be immediately broadcasting into our homes so that Track III negotiation could connect us. On Sunday,Geo TV’s “exclusive” footage of the alleged Karachi hideout where Kasab & Co had stayed before leaving for their mission Mumbai,was repeated on all our channels,so we might as well see the real thing,especially since the Pakistani media has done more to undermine the official Pakistani position and expose the truth about 26/11 than anyone else.  

shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com