One Nation, One Voice

ONE NATION, ONE VOICE

The recent events in our nation have lead to a rather interesting, and frankly disheartening & depressing scenario of some people in the media and the public asking questions of the Government of India as well as sadly, The Armed Forces; or critically examining our shortcomings and our flaws or perceived flaws both. It is not my point that these institutions cannot be questioned; but the timing of these questions leaves a lot to be desired for. Neither am I advocating ultra-nationalism or fanaticism, or making any observation for or against these two approaches.

THE MEDIA

Given the furore in some sections that I have seen, as well as sporadic comments on social media – let me be also crystal clear – nothing in this article is to be construed as an anti-Indian point, nor is there anything contained herein that is in support of anything even remotely anti-Indian. When I state that institutions can be questioned {given that we are a democracy}, before we start the blame game, we perforce have to consider the presence of internal mechanisms of redressal as are there in both the Government as well as the Armed Forces.  

It is the role of the Media to question the Government, to lead change and to engender a positive force on the Government that keeps it accountable to the people; this is does by providing information to the people so that they can be informed and can form opinions basis facts and data that are balanced and fair. This I whole-heartedly accept; not only do I accept this, I wholeheartedly support the role of the Media in a democracy.

THE PEOPLE

There is even a case for sporadic, interested, fair and patriotic individuals {and groups} to openly question the government, make petitions, approach the courts and all the rest that a functioning and vibrant democracy entails. The presence of all of these in our lovely India is a source of immense pride for all of us Indians, that is also beyond debate. Further, the above is not an indictment of any specific entity or individual – just a general observation in theory.

I am not making a case for gagging of the people in any way or form; we are a democracy – and any such move would not be successful in a nation where democracy has now taken deep roots till the last person and city & village in India. The very thought of gagging 1.27 Billion people is ludicrous on the face of it, and quite frankly impossible to achieve; any attempt towards that would be capital folly, as no doubt everyone realizes quite clearly. Given our diversity, there will always be a cacophony of voices emanating from our people who have diverse challenges, dreams and ambitions.

VIBRANCY OF OUR DEMOCRACY – AND THE MEDIA

The point here is simple : it is the role of the Media to communicate these diverse opinions, challenges, voices, problems, objections etc to the larger public in as coherent a voice as possible; it is also through the Media that the Government also, in some ways, keeps abreast of the overall public mood.  No one is arguing with that so far as I am aware; these are absolutely vital functions that a vibrant and rich democracy needs to breathe, grow and eventually enrich its people.

THE INFORMATION AGE

But beyond all of this, it needs to be kept in mind that The Media is also a very powerful force in the modern information world, with its rapid flow of information and its hyperactive social media. Examples of its power are evident in every of the world in shaping and influencing opinion, conveying an image etc. This places an onerous responsibility on all segments and sections of the Media {including Social Media} – one that needs to be kept in mind.

ONE NATION, ONE VOICE

It needs to be understood that times of stress are different from normal times; times of stress need a very different and highly calibrated response from The Media. Fine – this also applies to Social Media; but that is impossible to implement at least so far as I am aware; you cannot expect that from Millions of individuals. When the nation goes through trying times, especially times with an obvious foreign hand of intervention and terrorism involved in it – the equations change quite dramatically.

One cannot deny that there is a very, very high chance {certainty?} that these recent stressful times have been stoked by our kindly, peaceful, sweet, gentle, ‘democratic’  neighbor. Indeed – the evidence of this is present in our history as well as recent events. What should the response be in such a charged atmosphere? How do we prioritise our statements, responses and focus in these trying times is the key aspect that needs to be appreciated

Do we go the complete fair route and question the Government and its actions in such an atmosphere? Is this approach even fair? Again, I admit that any Government must be questioned in a democracy; this is the basis of democracy and is its foundation stone. Or do we keep silent – or should we mute our critical examination in light of the stress? Given the external factor involved and the complicated nature of the on-ground reality as well as the sacrifice of our patriots and our  citizens, is this constant questioning of the Government, or analyzing internal factors to the stress, really advisable or indeed accurate?

I respectfully submit that in such times, it would be an excellent idea for the Media to speak as one- as one nation, one voice. This does not mean blind support to the Government – as I pointed out above, that isn’t democratic, or indeed advisable. That just means that we allow the situation to settle, allow all facts to emerge – this will allow a much clearer image to emerge. This will also be a powerful force multiplier to our Armed Forces and to the Government which is already fighting a hard fight on the external front with our perpetually sick neighbuor!