It’s not so
very long ago that we had a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ from NDTV where the anchor was caught advising a panellist
“Thoda
Congress ke taraf se defend kar dena”. That gave us a glimpse into what
anchors do when they think it’s a break or the camera or audio is off. But we
now have another case of an anchor dwelling upon what would be good news for
the day. This one is from Headlines
Today. Meet Ruchica Tomar:
What Ruchica and Headlines Today do not realise is that lately
even their “off-air” comments and
conduct are being watched. This happened during the coverage of the Uttarakhand
tragedy by Shiv Aroor and Ruchia was just about to report on a Compounder who had managed a 200-Crore scam.
Watch the video below (43secs) and particularly Ruchica’s comments from 0.10 onward.
I’m
reproducing what she said in Hindi: “Bhagwan yaar! Yeh hai success story. Isko dikhana chahiye
good news today. Isse bolte hai success story. Pakda kaise gaya bechara?”.
Why not! A 200-crore scam is indeed a success story these days. I have
reproduced what I heard but if there are any corrections please do point out. I
also leave the English translation to readers and their imagination. Now, do
bear in mind that I am not accusing the anchor of anything; it may have been
just anguish. I don’t know. But what it does show is that HT and AajTak who are
frequently touting their “Anchor-training”
programmes may have to add a chapter on “off-air
expressions and conduct”.
Our news
channels scream Justice4This and Justice4That but behind the scenes they can be
quite hollow as we have come to know. This video was not on air on Headlines
Today. It was a ‘behind-the-scene’ stuff picked up by someone. TV News channels will now want to realise
they are being watched from the outside and also from the inside. That’s a
good sign for people.
Update: (July 8, 8.17am): It was pointed out by a commenter that the anchor in the video is not Nida Khan but Ruchica Tomar. I have made the correction and apologise to Nida Khan for wrongly identifying her as the anchor.
Update: (July 8, 8.17am): It was pointed out by a commenter that the anchor in the video is not Nida Khan but Ruchica Tomar. I have made the correction and apologise to Nida Khan for wrongly identifying her as the anchor.
Note: The eerie laughter you hear at the end of the video is not mine!
It should be "pakda kaise gaya bechara" at the end?
ReplyDelete@T90
DeleteI agree Its "Pakda kaise gaya bechara"... as you've correctly observed..
Thanks
Her father was the head of congress in a small town of himachal called Nahan.
DeleteHer comment is, "Pakada kaise gaya bechara?" and not "Pakadana nahin chahiye bechara..."
ReplyDeleteI am a dedicated reader of your articles. I absolutely love them because (a) they bring so much from the past as perspective (b) they are usually faultless for what is being said (c) the logic is impeccable leaving the party being accused panting for defense and (d) for the satire, for the clearly mocking tone that you use.
This is the first piece I didn't like because the lady here is herself saying whatever she is saying in a mocking tone. So when she says, "Pakada kaise gaya bechara?" she is actually pouring scorn at our system that normally either lets the culprit go free for lack of efficiency or actively colludes in allowing him to escape. That was the sense that I distinctly got. And that is evident from the previous sentence too, "Yeh hai success story! Isko dikhana chahiye good news today.." She is clearly mocking here and poking fun at the system, at what we have become.
This one piece I cannot ask my friends to read. Hell, this one piece, if my friends read it, I probably will never be able to tell them to read you in future because then they will doubt your reading of everything.
Please take care for things like this. It can mar the otherwise stupendous effort you have made.
I am writing to you out of respect. There are very few left as it is to respect in the India of today. Please ensure that you remain a beacon for all your readers in the times to come.
@Avinash
DeleteYou're over-reacting. Nowhere, does it say the anchor is guilty of anything. It even specifically says "I'm not accusing the anchor.." .. The point is the channels are still "hollow" between what comes to you on the screen and what goes behind it. That's why the recco that they should train their people for "off-air" gaffes. So while you can junk this there is no aspersions being cast on anyone.
@Ravinar
DeleteI have reread your piece and I think you are right - I probably did over-react. However, if you read the comment pasted by SP, you will see that people are liable to read it differently (almost just as I did). But may be that cannot be guarded against.
Thank you for replying.
Avinash
@Ravinar.
DeleteMay be I over reacted too. My thoughts are exactly the same as Avinash's. Bucketing 'thoda congress ke taraf se defend kar dena' and 'pakda kaise gaya bechara' together, is a bit harsh on Nida Khan.
Jinhe bura laga hai, actually kahin na kahin wo sympathetic hain Ruchica/Nida ke liye. Likes are Ruchica are always worried/envy about success stories which they will accept at any cost. Coz money is what matters most to them. Paid Media & Journos Indeed. Period.
Delete@Ravinar
DeleteEven I feel the same as that of Avinash's.
Just today I told one of my close friends to read www.mediacrooks.com while discussing Diggis comments casually in the pool. If he reads this I am sure he feels the same as I felt.
Amazed! Once upon a time India used to respect journalists. Nowadays they're reduced into scums, barring a few of course!
ReplyDeleteI think Nida Khan is no different than Burqa Dutt, Sagarika, Nidhi, Rajdeep, Arnov, Karan, Rahul, Choubeyjee or other MSM presenters. Dishonest from inside, rotten to core, and fit fat from outside. I am sure Nida meant to praise efforts of this guy who made 200 crores, and she was sad that he was caught.
ReplyDeletePoint is precisely taken by Mediackrooks ... When we say something .. its direct or indirect reflection of thoughts or something we see , hear regularly.
ReplyDeleteSince news Anchors are audible we can hear that but there is section of editors and background players who does much more than that ... ‘wardrobe malfunction’ was excellent example since it was on air ...
@avinash ... you can say anything to anyone but remember .. if person like he will read whatever other say ... if he dont like he will not read ... its personal choice .. i disagree that "Your Friends" will read only when u say ...
Leaving aside the Bechara Comment , Reporters deliberately use specific words which are injustice to truth ... A Lay man can observe that.
I think I didn't make my point properly then. It is not that they will read when I tell them to read. It was more about mediacrooks is read as widely as possible. And so the slightest deterrent which can put a new reader off is something to be guarded against. Because mediacrooks is one of the very few hopes we have to correct the imbalance in political discourse by showing the erring mediamen a mirror. I hope I have made my point amply clear now. Still, if you disagree, I won't mind it.
DeleteI have been reading mediacrooks for, I believe, the last two years. This is the first article with which I have felt this. And So I thought it was my duty to point it out.
I think the anchor in Video is Ruchica Tomar not Nida Khan.. Nida Khan works for Times Now.. Get it Checked..
ReplyDelete@ A Doosra
DeleteOkay.. If that is so .. my apologies to Nida Khan.. I thought she was the one... If it is Ruchika Tomar.. So be it..
You can do better, Ravi. Compared to your other articles, this was a whimper. Again, what was the point of this article?
ReplyDeleteRuchica Tomar is Sheila Dixit's girl. I've seen her spin views in favour of congress since Anna agitation days. Watch her twitter space - its quite revealing how blatantly she seeks loopholes to favour congress.
ReplyDeleteAnchor Must be wondering if Congress is involved or not '' Fir Koi Congressi''
ReplyDeleteI read the piece, the comments, and re-read the piece once again. I felt that the first paragraph really does not do justice to the issue at hand. For sure the anchor's tone and intent was sarcastic, and bracketing it with "Thora congress ki taraf se..." gives a wrong picture/interpretation.
ReplyDeleteI agree about your point of behind the scene gaffes, but it would have been appropriate if her tone would had been factual. As a sarcasm, the above case does not turn out of a gaffe, but a natural human instinct.
Your point Sir, seems to point out the insensitivity of journo to say the things she said. However, I am willing to give her the benefit of doubt.
ReplyDeleteWith this kind of outrageous story wherein a person has appropriated money by obvious unethical means, I have seen several hard working and honest people react in a very similar way.
India, is full of stories, of how men and women of lower middle class have fought their way up by getting the best of education in India and abroad and getting a decent life. This fight has make them strive for more. But even in their eagerness and earnest, they know this amount of money, they will not see in their lifetime. That a guy, who is a obvious 'choor' and the understanding that their are bigger 'choors' leads to frustration, and the statement is nothing but a bucket full of sarcasm. It should be taken as frustration of the futility to go through the normal 'right' way when the 'choors' are having all the bounty.
I don't think people as such condone the 'choors' or approve of their ways. Or will even get involved in such acts if they get an option even today. But frustration 'to banata hai bhai'. You can't deny her that.
Buhahahahaha........wasn't she the same idiot who lied about Rajnath Singh on flagging off... here's her lie tweet on 26th June 2013 "Buhahahaha! Rajnath Singh too flagged off relief material for Uttarakhand. Oh boy! They are all the same. #hopeless"
ReplyDeleteDoes not look malicious,as was in NDTV's case. At the most it looks childish.
ReplyDeleteWow! 3 million conquered! Congratulations, Sir!
ReplyDeleteRead The Hindu's articles and their venomous articles on Gujarat and Modi. You will be surprised that such low quality is maintained by editors.
ReplyDeleteMSM anchors are either malicious or outright stupid!
ReplyDeletewhy dont you start a separate column for dynasty door mats?
Its a stupid comment and not malicious. Its the listener who may perceive it deferentially.
ReplyDeleteMaking money by hook or crook is a success story.? What kasab did in mumbai can be a success story as a damage in large scale for the terrorists organization. But can you comment pakda kaise gaya behcara.?
similarly a lowly paid compounder making millions, the way he did it cannot be fair in any means. wonder what pranks he played with people's lives and health.??
I dont think most of the commenters are willing to acknowledge the mentality that has slowly creeped into all of us from our political leaders - make money - what you do is immaterial as long as you get the money into your pocket.
ReplyDeleteI see many businessmen, good enterpreneurs turning crooks, students, young IT professionals - becoming far more comfortable with their own unethical behavior, while criticizing behaviors of others, sometimes to extreme.
To me this two-faced intolerance is a real danger to India - an old and developed culture. We already see this in 10 new states being formed in this decade, and demands for several more. We see demands for being categorized as poor, under-privileged etc.. the fact is we dont care, and we care lesser and lesser now.
If this continues, we will soon need to compare ourselves to some of the least developed countries in Africa (also old cultures), not China, with juvenile crime, tribal wars and the like - we dont think we can live and use the capabilities others bring, we want it all for ourself.
The change Dr MMS and his dream team ushered in - greed is good - will linger long after they are gone and forgotton..