Manuwadi media collapsing? We need not kill it — it is killing itself

We have a happy news to all victims of India's Manuwadi monopoly media. People running this media menace have themselves confessed that the entire media is undergoing a serious crisis and things are going out of control. In other words, the media people, all upper castes, admit that they are in a total mess and utter confusion.

They were speaking at a two-day seminar on "Media and Social Responsibility" at Bangalore's most fashionable Christ College of the Roman Catholic church and run by the Syrian Christians of Kerala. We were also accidentally invited to the seminar but at the last minute following pressure from some journalists who prevailed upon the college authorities to invite us.

Deprived destitutes: There were four categories of media people: (1) Print, (2) TV and advertising, (3) Radio, (4) independent panel. Except us, no Dalit was represented in the four panels. Each panel had four speakers. But none spoke about the concerns of the victims of this Manuwadi media — Dalits, Muslims etc. comprising over 85% of our population. The media is interested only in the affluent class.

When a church-run college itself forgets its "social responsibility" how can we ask the money-driven manuwadi media to have the "social responsibility?"

India shining" canard: In Dalit Voice, we have published hundreds of complaints of our readers against this Manuwadi media. In all election forecasts it is highly biased and that is how it often goes wrong. Not that the media is not aware of its prejudices. The "India Shining" canard was spread deliberately to mislead the Dalit/Muslim and other voters of the oppressed sections. It is misleading and misinforming the readers as part of its sacred duty. Because the people running this media are guided by their Dharma which tells them to do their duty to help protect their jati interests. They have no regrets. They have no shame. They did what they did as part of their Dharma.

Collapse of value: While honestly doing their job, they have to go against the interests of the Christian, Muslim and Dalits. That is why they do not think or feel that they are doing any injustice to the country's have-nots.

We have served the same Manuwadi media for 25 years. We were dismissed because we talked of serving the interests of the have-nots. Manuwadi Dharma and the interests of have-nots do not go together.

The English media caters to the English-knowing elites who live in their own make-believe world. All the three speakers in the print media panel were frank about the crisis they were facing.

The editor of a Delhi-based weekly, started with great fanfare just an year ago, said they were thinking of closing down the paper. No advt. and readership falling. That means sure death. Such a death is staring at the face of many Manuwadi dailies and journals.

TV spoiling children: Advertising and TV people said things were going out of control. Values were collapsing in the current competition between the value-driven society and the market-driven society. They also admitted that the TV and advts. were spoiling the children and girls. Nobody can stop them from spoiling innocent minds. A private radio man was the most pessimistic. He was quite frank when he said the "middle class" (which is the other name used by the upper castes to hide their identity) was only blaming others without doing its duty.

A suicide: Another radio man said though the media system itself was undemocratic, the language media was better. The English media was the chief culprit. "When ten big media companies are controlling the whole world media, how can truth come out? People naturally get marginalised", he said. A private TV in India was earning the highest revenue by propagating nonsense. People were watching trash, he said deeply regretting that the good old values were collapsing.

Another media person said: "international media players are marginalising us". But he does not know that the Indian media has already marginalised the Dalits. The Western media is kicking the Indian media bosses who in turn are kicking India's Dalits.

As we sat through the two-day seminar we were inwardly laughing over the plight of this Manuwadi media. This monopoly media dug a well and wanted to push us into it. But the internal contradictions are forcing them only to jump into that well. They are crying. What can we do.

We have hundred and one complaints against this media. But the seminar convinced us that we need not kill this media. It is killing itself.

Toilet papers": A market-driven society cannot think of "social responsibility". Did the Christian college think of its social responsibility?

In DV, we have been calling this print media as "toilet papers", sometimes "napkin papers". Such is the contempt with which we used to treat these papers. Because this media never allowed any new revolutionary thought to spring up or any revolutionary person to grow. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar was the worst victim of this cruel media. It always brought up bogus fellows. Paraded them. But killed potential revolutionaries in the womb itself.

Future belongs to DV: We are telling this from our personal experience of over 50 years being the worst victims of this Brahminical toilet papers.

Anyway, these toilet papers are dying one by one and the captains of the industry themselves have said so. This is a happy news.

It is now the duty of the victims of this Brahminical media to get ready. We have already said that the future belongs to papers like the Dalit Voice.