Opinion The Washington washout
From a public relations standpoint,Dr Manmohan Singhs timing was off. A prime ministers visit to the US is headline news.
From a public relations standpoint,Dr Manmohan Singhs timing was off. A prime ministers visit to the US is headline news. When he is the first state guest at the White House for the Obamas,its the exclusive,live,breaking news,just-in lead story of the day and night. Instead, events of the day,like the Liberhan Commission report,overshadowed the visit. And then,of course,there was 26/11.
The PMs visit coincided with the first anniversary of 26/11 and TV news had 24×7 coverage of it throughout the week. The BJP may frown at this preoccupation,even obsession with 26/11; and they are right to remind us that many other crimes,calamities or deprivations receive a fraction of media attention. But those 60 hours were an attack on our sensibilities,at least partially because we had a real time ringside TV view. The attacks were preceded by months of terrorist attacks in different parts of the country Jaipur,Bangalore,Delhi,Ahmedabad,Malegaon. Television coverage of 26/11 excessive,exaggerated reflected,in a sense,our helplessness in the face of such attacks. In 2009,thus far,we have not experienced terror of a similar nature. Thus,26/11 is unique and has been invested with a symbolic meaning that goes beyond the immediate human tragedy.
Thus,the TV coverage of the anniversary was always going to be overblown. And in the process,the prime ministers American visit which should have been portrayed as a historic first received less than its fair share of attention. Even on BBC and CNN,the British inquiry into the Iraq war took precedence,Then again,state visits are not planned with an eye on media coverage.
On November 26,2009,we watched November 26,2008. You could not have watched anything else. All the news channels had acquired lengthy CCTV footage of the attacks and transcripts or voice-overs of the Pakistani handlers conversations with the terrorists. The horror is still chilling,spellbinding. The length of the entire episode and its live coverage,has,uncannily,left us the most complete account,to date,of a terrorist attack in progress. Brrrrr.
News channels reconstructed those 60 hours with actors playing the major roles. Hindi news favoured this approach with India TV,who else,and News 24 leading the way. Most recounted the memories of their reporters who covered the shoot-outs,or those of the surviving relatives and friends. It was up close and personal,it was real. NDTV 24×7 and CNN-IBN had dialogues with the home minister who looked most self-assured and confident of our preparation,lest someone launch another such assault. Lets hope he is.
CNN-IBNs 60 Hours,spread across several days,was the best: comprehensive,yet succinct and telling without being overly sensational. Discoverys hour-long Surviving Mumbai relied on the memories of foreign survivors to tell the tale. It worked well,not least because the survivors were eloquent witnesses: they painted pictures with their words,set off against dramatic reconstructions without too much blood and tears. Our TV news depended heavily on the CCTV footage and the Pakistani handlers conversations; we saw people being shot,killed. Maybe we didnt have to.
And maybe,Star Plus didnt have to inflict Un Hazaaraon Ke Naam on us. Or Vinod Khanna,Seema Biswas or a host of other actors who,poor dears,had to play many of those who became involved in the attacks. From the Holtzbergs maid Sandra to Karambir Kang,the general manager of the Taj Hotel,from a grief-maddened mother to badly injured child,26/11 was suddenly a poorly scripted,poorly produced docu-drama. Such a production requires enormous skill,plenty of money and an acute sensibility. Not quite there.
shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
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