Perhaps it’s his perpetual white T-shirt that makes Rahul Gandhi invisible to the media. Or that he ‘doesn’t wear religion’ on the said T-shirt to make a public show of it.
On the other hand, Indian news media is only interested in the public display of religious fervour. For the past fortnight, we have been in the constant presence of God on television; news channels have done everything but wrap themselves in saffron dhotis, to participate in ‘Ram Utsav’ (Times Now).
When they are not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ or sitting on the banks of the Saryu river as ‘Ram mandir rises’ (India Today), they’re following the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 11-day ‘anushthan’ (ritual) through different parts of the country. Clad in dhotis, hands folded in prayer, at temple after temple, PM Modi stars as the country’s premier devotee, leading us into this celebration of Ram’s return to Ayodhya, on 22 January. “Very evocative pictures…” said Shiv Aroor, anchor India Today, “Lovely to see (the PM)….” at the Veerabhadra temple in Andhra Pradesh.
What does all this tell us? That Lord Ram is omnipresent, PM Modi is ever present, and Rahul Gandhi is mostly absent, walking into relative obscurity. Someone ought to ask him and Congress whether it was wise to launch the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra a week ahead of Ram’s ‘Pran Pratishta’ in Ayodhya.
Also read: Congress boycott right. Ayodhya event not about Ram, but coronates Hindutva as state religion
News channels or religious channels?
Not surprisingly, television news has replaced ‘spiritual’ TV channels such as Aastha, Sanskar, and Jinvani in their contemplation of the divine. Their worshipful gaze has seldom wavered from Ayodhya: we tour the temple from inside and outside, we admire its carvings, and its gold door. TV news is, literally, counting the days, hours, and minutes to 22 January: ‘6 days 22:36 minutes’ tick tocked CNN News 18, Monday morning.
This is promoted as ‘Bharat’s tryst with destiny 2024’ (CNN News 18). Any and everything linked to the arrangements for the consecration next Monday are on camera. From girls painting Ram and Sita on the streets (NDTV 24×7) and a rangoli trail of eight kilometres (Zee News) to an 108-foot long agarbatti from Gujarat blowing incense on passersby (Zee News); from 560 kilos of laddoos from Agra and pethas in all forms (Times Now Navbharat) to Ramnagari’s khurchan peda that has been cooked for eight hours (CNN News 18). From devotees across the country in Ayodhya, chanting and singing ‘Ram aayenge’, to public displays of devoutness as far away as New Jersey, US, where a car rally was held to the chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ (CNN News 18).
Bharat Express detected a glow on the faces of the devotees in their pagdis, although from afar, they looked stricken by the cold. “Kaisa lag raha hai?” asked the reporter. Came the stock reply, “Bahut achcha.”
“You can feel the resurgence,” said the Bharat 24 anchor, feelingly.
Let’s not forget security: there are 10,000 CCTV cameras on watch (India TV), drones and impressively armed special security force (Republic TV) as well as 100 special flights to Ayodhya’s new airport, for the occasion (Republic Bharat).
What was there left to show us? Oh yes, ministers and chief ministers cleaning temple floors, across the country, after the PM gave a call for a cleanliness drive and showed them how to go about it. News channels caught them in the act but the leaders’ inexperience with mops was all too evident.
Also read: Ram temple in Reels—a massive project is on to make Ayodhya cool
All-round praise for PM
Besides Ram and PM Modi, news channels interviewed Shankaracharyas who have decided to skip the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony. On News India, Swami Avimukteshwaranand clearly said he would not attend. “What’s the hurry?” he asked, to consecrate the temple that was incomplete. The interview ended rather hastily. By the way, during an interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire, Avimukteshwaranand said he and other Shankaracharyas “have not been invited so far”.
Swami Sadanand Saraswati was milder: on Times Now, he said there was nothing wrong in PM Modi’s presence at the ceremony and that the Shankaracharyas not attending doesn’t mean they were against it. That, said a pleased anchor, pretty much put “a full stop” to opposition leaders’s claim that the four Shankaracharyas absence from Ayodhya on 22 January was a reason for the parties skipping it too.
Meanwhile, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar appeared on Republic TV and India Today to laud the Ayodhya consecration—he urged everyone to be a part of “revivalism”.
Other religious leaders blessed the proposed event, lauded PM Modi and sang out hymns in praise of Ram – Aaj Tak found them on a bus singing to their heart’s content.
Also read: Ramayan is back on Indian TV—this time on news channels
Rahul’s Yatra missing on TV
That brings us back to the very beginning: Rahul Gandhi and the opposition. The news channels are annoyed with them for ‘mandir politics’, for refusing to attend the 22 January consecration, and for criticising the PM and BJP for allegedly making it a political event. When BSP chief Mayawati announced Monday that she would fight the Lok Sabha elections 2024 alone, India TV jeered at the Opposition: ‘No Maya, No Ram’, it said.
“It’s Ram’s wrath… Justice loses it avengers,” said Times Now after Milind Deora left the Congress on Sunday in a ‘political quake’ that shook the Congress—the aftershocks were felt in the news studios for the next 24 hours, as they delved deep into Deora’s departure.
Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Yatra flagged off on Sunday, too, but you may not have noticed it on TV since there was no coverage of it, live, just snippets here and there or excerpts of his press conferences. Otherwise, it was blanked out.
Will the yatra receive more coverage after 22 January and as it moves towards Bihar and Uttar Pradesh? Your guess is as good as mine.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)
Wonder why The Print is not covering Rahul’s yatra then 🤣