Friday, May 15, 2015

#GoHomeIndianMedia (2)

English: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Baner...
English: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee attends a news conference in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata September 7, 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
ठमेल: Mini India?
#GoHomeIndianMedia

Even since the #GoHomeIndianMedia Twitter trend, I have been on a lookout for video clips that were supposedly offensive. Let's look at this one. My first observation was a racist hatred of Indians is the primary ideology of the elite in Kathmandu, with the Madhesis of the Terai plains bearing the full brunt of it, and this Twitter trend was that same vitriol surfacing onto social media.

भारतीय मिडियालाई नेपालबाट लखेट्नु पर्छ #GoHomeIndianMedia भनेर त्यसै भनेको होइन रहेछ... हेर्नुहोस् भिडियो...

I am not offended. I see a few inaccuracies here and there, but I don't see any malice.

India is a democracy. China is not. India is close to Nepal, China is not, geographically speaking. Ordinary Indians were much more interested in the earthquake. The Chinese in Beijing and Shanghai were less interested. Not because they are less human and less caring, but because they are too far. The US media gave major coverage to Haiti in 2010, and that is why $13 billion was raised for Haiti. The US media did not give the same kind of coverage to Nepal, and so Nepal raised less than 50 million in America. The Indian media's 24/7 coverage was good for relief and reconstruction. That is what prompted Mamata Banerjee to send 100,000 tents, the most needed item at the time. The Indian media is Indian. They cater to an Indian audience. Why are you offended that the Indian media is interested in Baba Ramdev and in Narendra Modi. Modi, FYI, is a duly elected Prime Minister of India who got a majority after a long break of 30 years. The India media is interested in Modi because the Indian people, the Indian audiences, are interested in Modi. Several European countries thanked Modi for what he did in Yemen. I have not heard any Nepali politician or organization thank Modi. For both India and China, this has been the largest relief operation they ever carried out outside their own countries. There is no need to minus the Chinese work. But you have to be really cynical (and racist) to try to play China against India at this time of tragedy, especially at a time when China and India themselves are not interested in that. They realize this is a time of tragedy. Even at a time of peace they both just want Nepal to develop. This China-India game is the smokescreen of the corrupt elite in Kathmandu. It is used to distract the Nepali people from corruption, mafia raj, and sheer incompetence.

Stung by its neighbour's reaction, India plays it cool after 2nd quake hit Nepal

नेपाली मीडिया नेपाल और नेपाली के बारे में बात करती है, किसी नेपाली को बुरा नहीं लगता।  इंडियन मीडिया इंडिया और इंडियन के बारे में बात करती है तो इस बात का किसी नेपाली को बुरा लगता है तो वो नेपाली बेबकुफ़ है।

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Political Cynicism At The Very Top

English: Top leaders of Nepali Congress –spoke...
English: Top leaders of Nepali Congress –spokesperson Arjun Narsingh KC, vice presidents Prakash Man Singh and Ram Chandra Paudel and acting president Sushil Koirala—during the Central Working Committee meeting held at its central office in Sanepa, Lalitpur on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala announced in, I believe, his first or second public speech after the April 25 earthquake that he was going to rebuild all collapsed houses "within two years." You could tell he did not believe it himself even as he delivered the statement. But it was a tactic he had used before on matters of grave national importance. Like the constitution, for example. He kept saying he will deliver it "within a year." Weeks and days before the deadline he kept repeating the same mantra. The deadline came and went. There was no accountability on the missed deadline. He went ahead and applied the same cynicism to the earthquake's devastation. He will rebuild all the houses "within two years." It is a cynical ploy to tag people along, string them along. It is a sad state of affairs.