Opinion Decorum at the crime scene
How a taciturn policeman frustrated talkative reporters after the attack on Lt Gen Brar in London
Lt Gen K.S. Brar was attacked in London on Sunday night. It was Monday evening before TV news attacked the story. Listen in on the Times Now report for a socio-cultural encounter between East and West.
It began with a statement from the London police. Spokesman Mathew Russell said,The police were called at approximately 10.40 pm to Old Quebec Street to attend to a man who had been assaulted. They discovered a man in his 70s suffering from injuries caused by a knife. He was taken to hospital and his condition was serious but not believed to be life threatening. Short,to the point,no more,no less.
Enter the intrepid Times Now reporter,a talkative if not argumentative Indian. What is the name of the victim,he asked,perfectly reasonably. But the spokesperson was not a reasonable man. He was an English policeman who was not prepared to say anything beyond what he had been told to say. We do not release names of victims,he replied. Is it Lt Gen K.S. Brar,persisted the reporter unnecessarily,since the headlines on the screen were screaming,Lt Gen Brar attacked in London. The punctilious spokesperson was unmoved: We dont give out names of victims.
Do we know who the assailants are,asked the reporter,changing tack. Inquiries are on,replied the taciturn gentleman. Is the victim still in danger? asked the reporter,rattled by this uncommunicative behaviour. He remains in hospital,came the precise reply. And the attack was last night? demanded the reporter,knowing full well the answer. Yes,around 10.40 pm. And it was in front of a hotel? We have no information,replied the stiff upper lip. But it was on Old Quebec St? insisted an exasperated reporter. Yes,Old Quebec St. And,he [the victim is out of danger? Serious, pat came the reply,but not believed to be life threatening.
Besides the Times Now reporter,the average Indian viewer would have liked to clobber Russell with his British understatements. Were used to much more mirch masala in our crime reports whats with such decorum? So annoying. But you have to only recall the garrulity of the police after Aarushi Talwar was murdered,to appreciate Mathew Russell and the cultural difference between Us and Them.
Got thinking about cultural diversity and realised how little space there is for it. Watch our serials. They are based in Bihar,Rajasthan,Madhya Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh,Punjab,Delhi,Mumbai,etc,but they concern one family,one community. As though we live in different compartments and never mix with the other passengers on the train journey through India. Watch Greys Anatomy or The Big Bang Theory (Star World). They have dark people,brown people,pale people; they have people who are of Hispanic,Chinese,Indian and European origin. Not our shows,oh no. You do not expect serials based in the interiors like Diya Aur Baati Hum (Star Plus),Phir Subah Hogi (Zee) or Balika Vadhu (Colors) to be cosmopolitan but even when serials are based in the metros theres little intermingling of communities. Name one show where a Bengali,a Tamilian and a Maharashtrian are together? That happens only in the reality shows and sitcoms on Sab TV. Otherwise,India that is Bharat is literally nowhere in the picture.
Worse,TV commercials equate beauty with fairness thats why Fair and Lovely. They are class conscious. So an ad like Fevicol with a village background or working class characters will have brown-skinned people. Bajrangi in the Center Fresh ad is darker than most to show off his sparkling teeth,but he is nevertheless a security guard. City slickers in ads for soft drinks,mobile phones,cars,appliances,even home loans will feature people who have lighter skin. And any ad for a cosmetic will have the fairest of the fair: the soaps,the creams,the deodarants,the shampoos. As though only fair people use them or wash themselves. Well known actresses like Priyanka Chopra,most recently for the Garnier cream commercial,or Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone feature in such TV commercials. When will we change our attitudes?
Lastly, what is wrong with Star World? Cant it find any good serials/ series for prime time that it must run Masterchef Junior,then Masterchef Australia and now Masterchef All Stars in the 9 pm slot?
shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
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