“Ratings don’t last. Good journalism does.”
Namaskar, mein Ravish Kumar...
Aap dekh rahe the Prime Time. Namaskar.
(Greetings, I am Ravish Kumar...
You Were Watching Prime Time.)
60 minutes of Prime Time Hindi news at 9 p.m. bracketed within two Namaskars held the three of us (my mother, brother and I) enthralled with its rigorous, relatable reporting, uncluttered presentation and witty sarcasm. Here was someone who was not spitting out news at the speed of 100 items in five minutes, or reading out headlines in a couplet form, or someone who wanted to choke the audience with redundant news stories to create a fog of incomprehensibility. Instead, we found in Ravish Kumar someone who wanted his audience to wake up to reality, to learn about the actual issues, and above all to hold the government accountable for its incompetence. Once, when asked why he seldom has a word of appreciation for the laudable work the Centre is doing, his answer was quite spontaneous, "For that, they have their own gigantic PR machine and Information and Broadcasting Ministry working 24/7."
Interestingly, amongst some of our family members and friends, the three of us gained notoriety by our unwavering loyalty to this no-nonsense NDTV (New Delhi Television Ltd.) Prime Time anchor. "Ravish is part of that intellectual bourgeoisie wanting to break up our great country," they would swear vehemently. Or worse, "He is a Chinese spy, getting clandestine payment directly from Xi Jinping..." Or, "He is on the payroll of ISI" etc., etc. In other words, to them, Ravish Kumar was a traitor (and by default, so were we). For instead of harping on the spiritual heritage and 'unsurpassed scientific feats' of ancient India and the glorious future it is destined for, he helped surface the filth in which the country lies mired. In fact, this is what he has done all along his career as a journalist, indifferent to whichever party held the Centrestage. He focused on educational institutions and hospitals which exist only on paper, or state-sponsored constructions, never used and yet falling into disrepair and oblivion. His report on the kind of afternoon lunches being served to elementary school children across several states exposed the lacuna in the system, ushering in some much-needed reforms, as did his documentation of the substandard quality of potable water in industrialized zones. His sensitive yet uncompromising reportage on the hungry children of leechi-pickers in Bihar dying of encephalitis too was instrumental in making the government pro-active, and helping to avoid a repeat. A tireless crusader for the cause of the poor, of migrant workers and struggling farmers, Ravish's objective remained steadfast: to ensure that democracy reaches its most-deserved and most needy.
Unfortunately, as of late, with the voice of Ravish Kumar coerced into silence, our 9 p.m. eager grouping around the television has disbanded. When the Adani group which flaunts its unambiguous affiliations to the ruling party, emerged as the biggest shareholder of NDTV media house, once labelled as 'one of the last bastions of independent journalism', the ousted of Ravish became imminent. For Gautam Adani, the owner of the group and a close friend of the Prime minister himself, the acquisition translated into eliminating the most rigorous critique of the government, and replacing it with a media that will lend unconditional support to the national interests internationally. In fact, it is rumoured that the very raison-d'être of the acquisition was to have Ravish Kumar voluntarily sever ties from the organisation and hence his influence over an increasing audience base. Imagine the kind of threat this one single, Hindi-speaking entity, hailing from the poorest state in India, posed to the government!
The pro-establishment media had a field day when Ravish Kumar's official resignation finally hit the headlines. What follows is an excerpt from a digital platform called, Opindia:
"Ravish Kumar is a propagandist-in-chief leading the convoy of self-revering intellectual faces in the TV media, who claim to show the truth when they peddle their own agenda but weep for the “post-truth” era when they see people electing a government that doesn’t support their ideological biases. With Adani Group buying NDTV, maybe Ravish realised he can no longer push his agenda through his journalism, and knew now he can find his ultimate broadcasting place only where he himself had once said – a bathroom."
For some of us however, Ravish Kumar continues to be emblematic of fearless journalism. And, it is to be hoped that as a freelance YouTuber, he would further the trend he championed, the one that lent voice to the voiceless with an integrity aimed towards the upliftment of the down-trodden and the destitute. May the new form of public journalism he pioneered, broadcasting personal stories of the folks in small-time India gain momentum under his untethered vision of an empowered people.
Tune in to the freshly launched 'Ravish Kumar Official' on YouTube to get some real news and analysis.
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