Imagine there’s no TV
It isn’t hard to do
No Arnab, Nidhi or anti-nationals
And no religion too
Imagine all the anchors speaking like you do
Aah-haha-ah-haha
I just coined that ditty — with profound apologies to John Lennon. Somehow, it seemed appropriate to ‘Imagine’ for the last Tele-scope column of 2022.
Honestly, do you ever wish there was no television? I do. But wishes aren’t magicians and since we can’t wish it away, let’s do the next best thing: choose what we want to watch.
So, here’s a piece of unsolicited advice for 2023: if you must watch television, watch Hindi news.
Skip English news channels, except for their election results. Ignore general entertainment channels (GEC), barring talent reality shows such as Kaun Banega Crorepati (Sony), Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (Zee), Nach Baliye (Star Plus), Jhalak Dikhla Ja (Colors). And avoid Bigg Boss, unless you enjoy watching people make fools of themselves on national television.
Replace all of the above with Hindi news channels: they give you entertainment and more. Plus, bombs away in Ukraine… It’s comedy, melodrama, a war film and a newsreel all in one.
Debatable panellists
Above all, Hindi news channels give you a sense of the governing narrative in the densely populated north and central parts of the country, with all its colourful diversity of disagreements and divisions. What you hear can shock or horrify you but it does have a ring of reality to it. Assembly elections are due next year in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and that discourse will deepen. We need to watch, listen, learn — no better place than Hindi news channels.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke of television news spreading ‘hate’ and promoting Hindu-Muslim animosity, last Saturday: he might as well have been speaking of Hindi news channels.
Just watch Amish Devgan’s ‘Aar Paar’ on News18 India and you will understand how any news acquires a communal edge on his show and Hindi news. For instance, actor Tunisha Sharma’s alleged death by suicide was an excuse for him to discuss the so-called ‘love jihad’ despite no such indication from the police. Then, it became the trope across news channels: the usually careful NDTV India thought it fit to debate ‘Love Jihad ki rajneeti’.
From ‘love jihad’ to wild stories of Mughal desecrations and other caste or class perfidies, Hindi news reflects the thinking in the dominant political and economic class. That the argument is in Hindi makes it all the more authentic and accessible to the public.
Also, Hindi news channels choose ‘expert’ panelists from a wide spectrum of political and social thought. While the credentials of some ‘Muslim scholars’ may be dubious, at least there’s an attempt to get both sides to state their case. This can lead to brutal, outspoken debates with alarming threats and assertions, but you know what? They seem to capture the deep-seated beliefs and prejudices in a way that English channels don’t, considering they still coat them in a veneer of civility.
These panelists could be people you’ve have never heard of: Zee News’s debate on Tunisha Sharma featured All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s Rashid Sharif, scholar Mohammed Hazik Khan, and actor Mukesh Khanna among others.
A News 24 talk show, Monday, regarding Rahul Gandhi’s tour of former prime ministers’ memorials, featured Rajkumar Bhati (Samajwadi Party), Atul Londhe (Congress) and Rajiv Ranjan Prasad (JDU).
Also read: A Hindi news channel is good business. You don’t need to be an Ambani to understand that
Hitting the ground
News channels are meant to give you the news. Well, Hindi news channels cover a far wider news circumference than English ones: there’s news, news, news in hourly rapid fire rounds of 30-40, 50-100 or 200 news items from across India and the world. There’s even a special ‘2 minute war report’ from Ukraine on Times Now Navbharat.
And it’s not just anchors sitting in air-conditioned studios rattling off news or controversial views at high speed; there are reporters sweating it out in villages and small towns – again from the Hindi-speaking heartland. Saw a report from Bulandshahr on Uttar Pradesh’s sugarcane farmers on Monday (News 24). You won’t see that on an English news channel unless the farmers come to Delhi.
At election time, reporters travel extensively, go where we haven’t gone, seek out people of many persuasions. They visit villages, districts, small cities—think of the recent Gujarat assembly election. Channels such as Aaj Tak have their female reporters travel on motorcycles or scooters — that’s so good to see. The coverage has depth and gives you a clear sense of what the public thinks.
Then take the TV debates: they’re scheduled so as to not clash with your dinner unless you can’t eat without watching Rajat Sharma or Sudhir Chaudhary – both at 9 pm on India TV and Aaj Tak, respectively. Otherwise, they begin at a civilised time, 4 pm onwards—literally, chai pe charcha.
Better still, these verbal jousts are, usually, fought at lower decibel level than English duels – although participants have been known to come to fisticuffs.
And, barring the highly excitable ones on TV9 Bharatvarsh, Republic Bharat or Aditi Tyagi of Zee News, anchors are soft spoken – unlike Arnab Goswami (Republic TV) who was screaming, “How much more do we tolerate from this (Vadra) family?” Monday night while Sudhir Chaudhary (Aaj Tak) dissected Tunisha Sharma’s death and its `love jihad’. Neither monologue was edifying but Chaudhary assaulted our sensibilities more than our senses.
Compelling story-telling
Which brings us to the final reason to watch Hindi news: it weaves a far more compelling story – the embroidery is rich in melodrama, the language pure Bollywood. It’s juicy—and distasteful and sometimes dangerous, granted. News should be treated more seriously, but seriously? This works for its audience.
Just consider these from reports on the Tunisha Sharma case:
‘Break up, Make up, Give up’ (India TV)
‘Lunch pe fight/Phir Suicide’ (Zee News)
’15 minute mein hate story’ (News18 India)
‘Pyaar, dhoka aur maut ki mystery’ (ABP News)
English news channels do try to be masaledaar but it just doesn’t sound right in English.
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)