Not Mutiny but War of Independence

For those who have not being following, there is a place in Unnao a district close to Kanpur, called Dhaundiya Khera. A local seer dreamt of a tonne of Gold hidden in the womb of a fort of an erstwhile local Raja, who was executed by the British after the revolt of 1857 or better say our first War of Independence.

Mrinal Pande is some reporter who has in parts covered the ASI’s excavation of the Unnao site of Dhaundiya Khera.

Rao Raja Ram Baksha Singh was the local king of that area, that was the seat of the Bais Rajputs.  And apparently the Raja was also the leader of the Bais Rajputs of the area. The Bais have often been alluded to as the Bhale Sultans - for the dexterity in the wielding the long lance called the Bhala in India. Whether it was the Trilokchandi Bais or the Solankis who were the original Bhalesultans is a subject of debate though, as the Solankis also claim to be Bhale Sultans.

This journo, Mrinal Pande, in her/his coverage of the Unnao Dhaundiya Khera excavation alluded to Rao Raja Ram Baksha Singh, whose fort was being excavated, and whose treasure it is believed was being hunted as the leader of the Mutiny. At many places the fight against the British was called a “mutiny” and the fighters have been called “rebels”.

While to me, such reportage is not only retrograde but also weak on the knowledge of history, this also establishes what happens when others document your history, and all that you control is oral allegory that will never have the credibility of penned down history.

While Mrinal Pande or her ilk will never call the American War of 1775 as Mutiny, even when it actually was, but they even today call the Indias war of Independence 1857 as Mutiny and our freedom fighters as rebels.

One of the reason for this could well be that the scribes usually have only a very functional knowledge of English and lack the sense to nuance the closely related words.

The other reason is, that, most of the history has been documented by foreigners, who looked at the natives with either condemnation or condescension, and hence, while their accounts might have been objective on dates and data, but never on interpretation and understanding. On the contrary, the local accounts were always more allegorical, less accurate on dates perhaps, but substantially more credible on the sentiment.

When a preamble to a government scheme or documents opens with the lines “60 years of independence” something in me is killed.

Officers, scribes and hoi-polloi need to be sensitized on the use of words as they should not be pejorative for the people who fought to secure our freedom.

INDIAN MEDIA NEEDS TO BE MORE POSITIVE

The USA today had the front page carrying tributes to Madiba. The appellation makes a reference to the clan that Mandela belonged to. A photo of a car poster said, Tata Madiba, and in the Zulu language, Tata means father, as Madiba was fondly called just like Gandhi was called Bapu (father) by the Indians.

Other front-page news of a USA Today, a newspaper still trying to graduate from its tabloid type presentation and its unique Gulliver font, was a feature of the rover on Mars.

Contrast this to the front page news of Indian newspapers, which are replete usually with sexual escapades of the high and mighty, or the gory details of some heinous crime or with similar offences so repugnant to the mood in the wee hours of the morning, when you wish to wake up to positivism and propriety.

One of the reasons for this over exposure to negativity could well be the distrust that the people have in the system. While, most of us have, at some point of time or the other, bent or endeavored to get around the system and get our job done, but when others do so, we decry it. We also tend not to trust the system that we have ourselves have been able to bend. Additionally, when people in public gaze commit a misdemeanor or a crime, we are always very curious to know, if the system will indict them or cave in to shelter them.

Therefore the Indian media is always front-paging such news. Be it Tejpal, or Justice Ganguly. Both of the have committed crimes and those crimes have been reported, and then the system should just take over, follow the due process and bring them to justice.

The USA Today also carried an item, tucked away on the inside bottom somewhere, about an ex Mayor being jailed, when he pleaded guilty on 2 counts of felony and one of misdemeanor, for crimes like pinching a lady colleagues bottom when he was Mayor, but such news did not find space on the first page.

Here, if the media ignores, then perhaps, many culprits like them will manage to bend the law and either get away scot-free or face punishment disproportionately low compared to the enormity of their crime. In the past, the media did ignore. TV news used to be only Doordarshan (government) and news papers few, making it simpler for the government to gag it. But today, that option is not so simple for the government, as the an active social media cannot be gagged so simply.

If it would not be for media gaze, Bal Thackeray would ensure that Sanjay Datta is not be incarcerated for wrongful possession of arms.

If it would not be media gaze, the Janlokpal would never see the light of the day.

Media does drum up public opinion and in a democracy public opinion is the only weapon that governments care for. While I don’t believe in regulating the media, the media must self regulate and guide the mood of the nation than imbue it in negativism.

The high pitched debates of Arnab and Rahul Kanwal should be focusing on positive subjects also like why Indian Defence systems cannot be spruced up to the best in the world or why the Mars mission could not have been launched 5 years ago, or what went in making the Mangalyana a success. How a doctor, fighting against odds is providing medical aid to Dengue victims in some god forsaken village of Andhra Pradesh. But today, the debate is about all that is murky and morbid.