This section is used to represent the vox populi of the people or to be more precise, of the readers. The readers’ mails used to share the space with the au fait members of our society who held eminent posts in government offices or are those who are supposed to carry the ex cathedra in the field of English literature in our country.
This particular section of columnists, to speak by the book, used to cut the Gordian knotn and deliver articles that presented new ideas, proposed socio-economic solutions and suggestions on a sine qua non. But such articles have become the things of yore. Nowadays, with celebrity writers donning the editorial circuit, the editorial column is mostly used to launch a smear campaign on the existing politburo or on our foreign policies and if not anything else on our nation’s blue-eyed boy Abhinav Bindra quoting his victory in Olympic as a pyrrhic victory just because of the fact that he does’nt represent the BPL (below poverty line) members of our population. But is that inevitable to become a nation’s hero? I simply don’t understand the simple fact as to for which mistakes of his Bindra is getting this public whipping by some people who claim to be the carte blanche not only on the literary scene of India but also on the celebrity journalism of our country.
Last Sunday, I read Mrs Shobha De’s weekly column stating what change this lad’s victory in Olympics has brought about in our country’s condition. She had exemplified this by showing a poor wretched girl excitedly selling newspapers, claiming that it contains Bindra’s victory story.
Mrs De quotes this poor girl’s excitement as reducto ad absurdum since Bindra’s victory is not going to change the wretched girl’s condition. But did it mean to? It seems this lady has put Bindra in the high and dry and has mistaken him for the financial redeemer of our country. I would like to ask one question to her- as to what extent did her last book’s release has improved our nation’s condition? Rather if she at all knows what turmoil the nation is through in the recent days. This lady, more or less repeats examples in her columns and as a matter of factly decided to pin someone against the wall on charges irrespective of what the person or persons have done.
Following her footsteps is another columnist, who claims that Bindra is certainly going to corrupt himself by appearing in every other advertisement and will be in no time the face of beau monde and she has decided to put the onus probandi of her claim to the infra dig assumption about the Gold winner’s personality that he is no doubt an ugly customer and a rich spoilt brat. She went further stating that its only a matter of a fact that he is born in a poor country like ours but nowhere does his economic condition relate him to our country. I would like to ask , in our country is it a sin to be born with a silver spoon? If he is rich and if this columnist thinks that this is the only reason of his winning the gold, can’t our sports officials take a cue from that and try to improve the practicing conditions of our sportsmen instead of putting all their eggs in one basket, i.e., cricket.
Dei gratia, why can’t we remember the age old proverb :
Mens sana in corpora sana
And stop being a wet blanket by blowing hot and cold on just anything under the sun that too sans souci. But if these people start doing that, they cease to be the haute coutre of the country as they cease to become the “different” crowd. This is a virtual death of their eglaritatrian character which is however not acceptable.
Hence we are going to get such editorial per diem.
