Happy Holi

13 comments

1. This is great as it is – your unfiltered thoughts make for very interesting reading.

   1. 🙂 Thanks mate. Glad you spotted that the thoughts are unfiltered — that is exactly how I am writing them, and it is also what my primary intent was.

2. Most of the blog posts are about the government of the day and how it is managing media. I would like to see some thoughtful pieces on how the country is progressing or should progress. For example I listened to Raghuram Rajan’s thoughts on NPR and Freakonomics. While he was critical of the government he also indicated that India has huge potential in the construction sector and it was very nuanced. Also enjoy your writing on cricket which is absent recently. Also enjoyed your thoughts on what the media was saying and what the ground reality is in the states. Would like to see more of them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

   1. Thanks for the suggestions — I have been thinking of how to study, and write, about what exactly has happened, in terms of governance, over the past five years. Hopefully, I’ll find the time and space to do this within the next couple of weeks.

3. I, for one, find your blog extremely useful and gradually it is becoming a part of my daily routine, along with Farnamstreet and few others. Sadly, there is a big dearth in covering relevant issues for myriads of reasons. Your blog makes a very good attempt to diminish that gap . We may agree or may not agree with your conclusions, but we can see the reasoning and facts behind your conclusions and then we are free to form our own opinions.

   This is election time now, and a lot of cacophony surrounding us. So – to answer your question – your daily writings give clarity to things which are happening around us and are very useful to me and many others.

   However, at some point of time – perhaps post election and hoping by then you will have built a decent viewership – you will need to think to promote this blog and take it to next step. Perhaps we can all can help, in our small way to make that often.

   While it seems you have left on Cricket, at some point of time – post election is fine – it would be great to hear your thoughts about the Men in Blue and their chances in the world cup:)).

   PS: Did you ever think about having a video blog a la Sudhir Nair from HW News / or Dhruv Rathee ? Something different and interesting to think about.

   1. Thank you — that is pretty much my objective: to see what is happening around me, to think for myself, and to post the results of those thoughts. I don’t seek universal agreement — actually, disagreement so long as it is fact-based is the best thing that could happen, because my intent is not to grow a group of passive consumers, but to make this a forum for active, pointed debate and discussion (which is why, unlike most blogs, I don’t switch off the commenting option).

      About promotion: I have a day job that takes up a lot of my time, so I am trying to keep this low key for now and not raise expectations too high. With the best will in the world, I am currently unable to cover all, or even most, important developments. So, for now, I’d rather keep this low key, for those who come on their own, and once my working hours stabilise in a week or so, I’ll think about how to broaden its reach. But yes definitely after the elections/IPL, that is my intent.

      I’ll be writing about cricket, off and on, starting fairly soon — while I am not creating content for IPL, the job I am now doing involves cricket (details soon), and so I have to watch the games anyway, at least many of them. So yeah, some cricket will start popping up here, in the middle of all the other stuff.

      I’ve thought of video blogs and it is on my to-do list. But again, until my currently chaotic work schedule settles down, it is all I can do to even put out these occasional posts, so that will have to wait.

4. I keep on checking this space intermittently to know whether or not you have written something. Your posts are so perspicacious and your writing is awesome, truly a masterclass on the art of writing. Wish I had the ability to write even half as well as you ( I realize it is a result of hard work – reading copiously). So please keep on writing. I assure you it is of immense help.
   Despite Modi and his Bhakts hounding and trolling anyone who has opposing views, essentially rendering everything to a binary where you are either with them or against them; how do you manage to keep writing without a trace of bitterness? Even after 4.5 years of such a disastrous government, there is a real danger he would return. Do you think it’s only because of captive media that things are so bad? Or do you think that the people of India like him so much that the media is forced to cater to the partisan demand? For example, times group has one channel catering to the Bhakts and another for regular folks. Also, you must have observed most of the people merrily go about believing things that are not correct despite the existence of a host of fact-checking sites like altnews. Do you think whether or not such fact-checking endeavours are a waste of time? I tried correcting and posting fact-checked posts to counter false narratives propagated by my friends and relatives in WhatsApp groups. I must admit I was a resounding failure. If I cannot convince even people close to me, what chance do I stand to convince a stranger? Do you think anyone can stop this country going down the gutter hole when it has determined to do so? Would like to know your thoughts on such issues. Thank you very much.

   1. To your points, Jharna:

      #1. As a writer, or even as a citizen with a mind of your own, it is debilitating to let your thoughts or actions be dictated by what someone else says, or thinks, of you. I do what feels right; I genuinely don’t let the opinions of others affect me. Praise doesn’t make me believe I am good, so why would negativity result in bitterness? I listen to what the ecosystem is saying, but it is in a detached, observing sort of way, is all.

      #2. I don’t think the prospect of a second Modi term is as inevitable as it is being made out to be. For a good chunk of last year I was literally walking through small towns and villages in the north as part of Paul Salopek’s walk, and the one overarching thing I came back with was, there is an enormous gulf between what the media thinks is important, versus what the people think. So, no, I don’t think it is as inevitable as all that — and funnily enough, neither does the BJP itself; its own internal surveys suggest it might end up around the 160-200 mark.

      #3. Someone once pointed out that you can’t reason someone out of an opinion he did not reason himself into in the first place. My brother in law is one such — he has a blind belief in the BJP of Modi, and this belief is totally unmoored in fact. I don’t attempt to reason with him because I know from experience that nothing will change his mind. And there are lakhs of such people. What we don’t quite account for is this: Just how many people are blind believers? You can’t quantify in actual numbers, but one way to estimate it is this: In 2014, 31% voted for the NDA. That is, 31% of 50% of the country. All data analysis suggests that besides hardcore believers, the BJP benefited from the vote of youth, women, dalits, minorities etc. The believer voted on belief, the others on hope. And ALL TOGETHER comprise 31%. That is just under 1/3rd of the country, and not all are believers. In other words, more than 2/3rd of the country have relatively more open minds and are less prone to blind belief — and that is who fact-checking serves. I always believe that the silent majority, under any regime, outnumbers the vocal minorities on either side, and that therefore this majority is the one worth addressing.

      I think this country will do fine. We thought doomsday had come at the time of the Babri demolition and the religious riots that preceded and followed it, but we stumbled out of it. This, too, will pass — at least, that is what I sincerely believe, and that belief stems from the faith I have in this country and its ability to right its own wrongs.

5. Sir, well analysed news has totally drowned in the din of paid news these days. Yours are the few balanced blogs that exist out there. And I would love to continue reading your opinions.

   With much respect,
   Prerna

   1. Thank you — will keep trying to serve as a filter, cutting out the noise, and underlining issues I think are important.

6. I started following you on Twitter, and soon after, your blog, more than a decade ago I think, when I first joined Twitter. Your thoughts and musings have always been great to read – even though there’s less cricket mentioned these days 🙂 They’ve always been an interesting lens I wouldn’t otherwise have.
   Going on Twitter has become very sporadic for me in the past couple of years, and so when I open up feedly and see posts from your blog it’s nice.

7. I live under a “digital rock”, so to speak as I have access to neither twitter nor television. My sources of news therefore are primarily with an occasional newspaper, a little bit of social media (which i don’t inherently trust) and a few choice blogs, including yours.
   What I intend to say is that your articles throws light on stories that i have either never heard of or which I had read about but never fully understood. You have a gift for expressing yourself clearly but much more than that, I appreciate the efforts you take to provide references within your articles.
   I therefore find your “scratchpad” immensely useful in understanding the world around me a little better.

   1. Thank you Sameet — that is sort of the whole point of doing it. I don’t intend to chase every single thing that pops up — what I do is, when something catches my attention and I think there is more to it than what appears on the surface, I research the theme and then try and incorporate it all into a piece. Glad you find it useful, appreciate the kind words. Be well.

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