Views On News 22 august 2016

VIEWSONNEWSAUGUST 22, 2016 `50
THE CRITICAL EYE
www.viewsonnewsonline.com
War of the Anchors
By Sucheta Dasgupta 14
Dalits Fight Back
By Kalyani Shankar 30
Too Many Clichés
By Mahima Chowdhary
44
Geeks to
Saviors
By Karan Kaushik
53
Excerpts from
Saeed Naqvi’s
New Book 22
ALSO
AneditortakesontheRajasthanchiefministeroveradstohispaperdryingup.
Thepublicationallegesvendettafollowingexposésofhergovernment
By Meha Mathur 10
RajevsThePatrika

S
OMETIMES, it is accidental and some-
times it happens in retrospect. Some-
times, it is a mere coincidence that the
journalist is a newsmaker himself. But should the
seeker of news be like a star of reality TV? Should
he actively seek to become news himself?
This issue, which reviews and analyses vari-
ous events in the world of news and media,
brings to the fore one such instance when two
big names of television media made big news—
but for the wrong reasons. They sparked a war
on social media between their fans and critics
when one of them cocked
a snook at the other over
her reporting of the latest
Kashmir deaths and un-
rest. What was worse; he
called for a gag on inde-
pendent journalism, con-
struing their factual
reportage as “bias” in
favor of Pakistan and the
ISI. Although no names
were taken, the journalist
at the receiving end did not
take these aspersions
lightly and blogged her ob-
jections, triggering a huge
response. As media wat-
chers, we strongly criticize
personality cults in journal-
ism as well as the prevalent practice of holding
TRPs and circulation figures as the be-all-and-
end-all of all journalistic efforts. We also believe
that underestimating the viewership does not pay
dividends in the long run. Engaging in jingoism
and lowering the level of discourse to tailor one’s
offerings to suit the tastes of the lowest common
denominator will lead to the audience rebelling
and becoming disenchanted sooner rather than
later. In many cases such as this one, what has
now kicked in is the law of diminishing returns.
The rich and enchanting history of Islam is
the subject of a three-part series by Al Jazeera
TV, reviewed by Meha Mathur, and it takes the
reader right back to the world of Caliphs—the
Ummayads, Fatimids and Abbasids of the 10th
century. Titled Caliph, it explores the politics and
culture of various Caliphates in an attempt to ex-
plain the genesis of the Islamic State. Caliph does
not touch upon the Shariat, the Hadith and the
crux of what Islam has to say vis-à-vis other re-
ligions. Its interpretation of Islam is primarily
through the conduct of its Caliphs—which is
largely in the political realm. It’s for Muslims to
draw the right inferences from their Caliphs’ acts
and to apply them to the needs of the 21st cen-
tury, says Mathur.
In terms of importance of research and qual-
ity of insight, eminent journalist Saeed Naqvi’s
Being The Other: Muslim in India is a valuable
book. VON presents an extract wherein the author
When Journalists
Become the News
EDITOR’SNOTE
4 VIEWS ON NEWS August 22, 2016

sheds light on the US motives of fighting the Gulf
war and its role in nurturing jihad in Afghanistan.
The entire build-up to the first war on Iraq was
swallowed by the Indian media hook, line and
sinker, notes the author, ruefully, observing how
in so doing, no questions were asked. Interest-
ingly, Muslim contact with India and the West
began in the same year—711 CE. It was in that
year that Ummayad general Muhammad bin
Qasim’s probe into India took place. Tariq ibn
Ziyad, another general of the same Caliphate,
crossed over to Europe through what is now
known as the Strait of Gibraltar in the same year.
The Ummayads maintained a tolerant and multi-
cultural atmosphere that respected and protected
minorities, encouraged science and the arts and
invited scholars from all over to come and serve
the Caliph.
Until a few years ago, the complaint that
today’s generation is selfish and career-driven
was a common refrain. Not so any longer. Young
writer Karan Kaushik has spotted a heartening
trend among youngsters who are making use of
information technology and the social media to
make positive contributions to their environment
and to help out those in need. Teen geeks as they
are, they have now donned the mantle of savior.
Way to go, fellas!
Engaging in jingoism and lowering the level
of discourse to suit the tastes of the lowest
common denominator will lead to the
audience rebelling and becoming
disenchanted sooner rather than later.
WELL-RESEARCHED
A grab from Caliph
5VIEWS ON NEWS August 22, 2016

C O NLEDE
CONTROVERSY
War of the Anchors
Editor
Rajshri Rai
Managing Editor
Ramesh Menon
Deputy Managing Editor
Shobha John
Executive Editor
Ajith Pillai
Bureau Chiefs
Neeta Kolhatkar, Mumbai
Naveen Nair, Chennai
B N Tamta, Dehradun
Principal Correspondent
Harendra Chowdhary, Mathura
Reporters
Alok Singh, Allahabad
Gaurav Sharma, Varanasi
Associate Editors
Meha Mathur, Sucheta Dasgupta
Deputy Editor
Prabir Biswas
Staff Writer
Usha Rani Das
Senior Sub-Editor
Shailaja Paramathma
Sub-Editor
Tithi Mukherjee
Art Director
Anthony Lawrence
Deputy Art Editor
Amitava Sen
Sr. Visualizer
Rajender Kumar
Graphic Designers
Ram Lagan,
Photographer
Anil Shakya
Photo Researcher/News Coordinator
Kh Manglembi Devi
Production
Pawan Kumar
Convergence Manager
Mohul Ghosh
Technical Executive (Social Media)
Sonu Kumar Sharma
Technical Executive
Anubhav Tyagi
For advertising & subscription queries
r.stiwari@yahoo.com
VOLUME.IX ISSUE. 22
Chief Editorial Advisor
Inderjit Badhwar
CFO
Anand Raj Singh
VP (HR & General Administration)
Lokesh C Sharma
Circulation Manager
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10
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Big names in the television media—Arnab Goswami and Barkha
Dutt—clashed publicly over the meaning of nationalism and
journalistic ethics. SUCHETA DASGUPTA
RajasthanPatrikavs CMWhy did the Vasundhara Raje dispensation in Rajasthan stop adver-
tising in the newspaper? Its editor alleges that a string of exposés
against the government invited its ire. MEHA MATHUR
14
BOOK EXTRACT
22
In this excerpt from BeingTheOther, Saeed Naqvi sheds light on the
suspicious attitude of the security establishment in India and theWest
vis-à-vis Muslims
Muslims under Fire

T E N T S
R E G U L A R S
Edit..................................................4
Quotes.............................................8
TMM................................................9
National........................................ 19
International ................................. 29
Webcrawler......................................37
Vonderful English......................... 43
Breaking News............................. 46
Design Review.................................48 Cover design: Anthony Lawrence
SOCIAL MEDIA
TV REVIEW
ISIS Genesis
30
38
44
53
As the radical outfit mercilessly kills
followers of other faiths, AlJazeera’s
three-part series attempts to explain the
ideology that drives the terrorist group.
MEHA MATHUR
OldWine in
New Bottle
For once, the doyen ofTamil cinema
plays a character which is as old as he is
in real life, but the storyline is all over
the place and his aging swag fails to lift
the movie. MAHIMA CHAUDHARY
FILM REVIEW
No one expected it but the community
mobilized itself on a scale unseen in sev-
eral decades and has emerged as a politi-
cal gamechanger. Anandiben in Gujarat is
the first casualty. KALYANI SHANKAR
Dalits Fight Back
POLITICS
Teenagers are making use of infor-
mation technology and online
platforms to bring about positive
change in the environment and
society. KARAN KAUSHIK
Geeks to
Saviors
VIEWS ON NEWS August 22, 2016 7
GOVERNANCE
50
The Dalits have consolidated
themselves, emerging as a threat
to the BJP. SUCHETA DASGUPTA
and MAHIMA CHAUDHARY
The Una
Aftermath34
According to Mint, when it comes to town
planning, the state is present where it is
unnecessary and absent where it needs to
be. This has undercut the growth of Millen-
nium City as well as other urban centers
Gurgaon
Syndrome
EDITORS’ PICK

U O T E S
Anand Mahindra,
industrialist
Like all Indians,love the poetry of
monsoon, but after a grey-skied
week,admit I enjoyed a 'sun-
shower' this morning
Rajdeep Sardesai,
eminent journalist
Some people always throw stones in
your path: you can use them to
make a wall or a bridge! Be a bridge
builder!
Shobhaa De, columnist
Narendra Modi.Thank you for
strongly condemning Gau-rakshaks.
Had you spoken earlier, several lives
would've been spared.
Barkha Dutt, senior
journalist
No Pellet guns for arsonists in
Haryana, Peace accord in Nagaland -
so why different rules for Kashmir?
Anupam Kher, actor
Don't go through a problem twice.
Once by thinking about it and once
by going through it.:)
Karan Johar, director
Friendship...the phenomenon that
allows you to love someone uncon-
ditionally without the pressures and
drama of sexual dynamics....
Ileana D'Cruz , actor
I'm appalled at the audacity of some
journalists...why do an interview of
30mins with me when u're just
going to write whatever u want
to???
Shekhar Kapur, actor-
director
Lessons of Life : Meditation is not
something u sit down n do. Constant
awareness is meditation. In being
constantly alive lies meditation.
You know we have a treaty with
Japan, where if Japan is
attacked, we have to use the full
force and might of the United
States. If we’re attacked, Japan
doesn’t have to do anything.
They can sit home and watch
Sony television, OK?
—Republican candidate Donald Trump,
at a campaign event in Iowa
Aaajkal ke naujawano ke lifestyle (the lifestyle of
today’s youngsters) is impressed by western
concepts, and that is not congenial to good
atmosphere. I think members of the family should
also keep a watch on their young boys and girls.
—West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on the
death of teenager Aabesh Dasgupta in Kolkata,
in The Times of India
It makes me angry that people are
running shops in the name of cow
protection. Most of them are anti-social
elements hiding behind the mask of
cow protection.
—Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the
inauguration of the NTPC super thermal power
project Medak, Telangana
No previous government had abandoned
rationalism and reason to the extent that this
government has. I can’t imagine even (Atal
Bihari) Vajpayee saying that Lord
Ganesh shows that we knew
transplants and plastic surgery,
or introducing the issue of
flying vehicles at the Science
Congress.
—Historian Irfan Habib, In The Hindu

Media Monitoring
TMM Survey
...Crime and controversies, from Bulandshahr rape case to Assam violence,
from Olympics selection controversies to objectionable statements
Focus was on...
Cricketor
Olympics,
whatgrabbed
moremedia
attention?
Mediacoverageofcontroversialstatements
bypoliticalleaders
CoverageofGSTBill,Anandiben’sresignation
andRajnath’sPakistanvisit
CoverageofBulandshahar
gangrapeinelectronicmedia
(inpercentage)
CoverageofKokrajharattack
onvariousTVchannels
(inpercentage)
0.45%
0.70%
0.29%
0.46%
0.30%
0.23%
0.30%
0.23%
0.38%
0.30% 0.30%0.30%
0.23%
0.18%
0.15%0.15% 0.15%0.15%
0.23%0.23%
Aaj Tak ABP
News
India TV IBN 7 NDTV
India
India
Today
Times
Now
Aaj Tak ABP
News
India TV IBN 7 NDTV
India
India
Today
Times
Now
1.80%
0.90%
0.45%
0.70%
0.38%
0.45%
0.75%
0.30%
1.35%
0.38% 0.38% 0.38%
0.90%
0.45% 0.45% 0.45%
0.24%0.15%
2.80%
0.69%
0.45%
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
2.50%
3.00%
0.00%
0.10%
0.20%
0.30%
0.40%
0.50%
0.60%
0.70%
0.80%
0.90%
1.00%
Aaj Tak
ABP News
India TV
IBN 7
NDTV India
India Today
Times Now
ABP News
India TV
IBN 7
NDTV India
India Today
Times Now
Aaj Tak
0.00%0.50%
1.00%1.50%2.00%2.50%3.00%3.50%
4.00%4.50%
4.05%
2.25%
2.25%
2.80%
0.90%
2.70%
0.70%
Ramdas Athwale
on Mayawati
Sharad Yadav’s contro-
versial Statement
Mehbooba State-
ment on Kashmir
Anandiben Patel’s
resignation
Rajnath Singh’s visit to
PakistanNarsingh Yadav Olympic
selection controversy
Virat Kohli’s Test match century
GST Bill
0.00%
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.50%
3.00%
2.00%
0.10%
0.20%
0.30%
0.40%
0.50%
0.60%
0.70%
0.80%
Aaj tak ABP
News
India TV IBN 7 NDTV
India
India
Today
Times
Now
0.90%0.90%
0.60% 0.60%
0.30% 0.23%
0.08%
0.70%
2.25%
0.90%
0.90% 0.90%
1.13%
0.70%
0.90%
1.35% 1.35% 1.35% 1.35%
2.80%
0.60%
1.14%

Lede
Clampdown on Press Freedom
E will sell our silver
but won’t compro-
mise,” seems to be
the stern message
from Rajasthan Pa-
trika to the Vasund-
hara Raje government in Rajasthan. The leading
Hindi daily of the state claims it is being tar-
geted for exposing the corrupt practices of Raje
and her enthusiasm to promote her son
Dushyant Singh. So much so that Rajasthan
and several state governments (where the
BJP is in power), have stopped giving ads to
the newspaper.
In fact, it has been eight months since the
Rajasthan government released an ad in the Pa-
trika, a daily established in 1956 which has a
presence in eight states with 35 print editions.
Newspaper
VsCM
Rajasthan Patrika’s
chief editor reveals
that his newspaper
has been denied
government ads
for exposing the
Vasundhara Raje
government
BY MEHA MATHUR
W“
COURAGE UNDER FIRE
A screen grab of the
Rajasthan Patrika website
showing chief editor Gulab
Kothari who has issued a
stern message to the
Rajasthan government

It also has major editions in Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh, both NDA-ruled states which
have discontinued advertising in all publica-
tions of the group.
This discriminatory situation recently led
chief editor Gulab Kothari to post an angry ar-
ticle on his blog and in the newspaper in which
he promised readers that the publication will
continue undeterred. He reiterated that the Ra-
jasthan Patrika would remain committed to its
task and will continue to expose the wrongdo-
ings of the Raje government.
To quote from Kothari’s note to readers: “We
shall continue our fight with the support and
patronage of our loyal readers and survive these
next two-and-a-half years by disposing of some
property, if need be. But the question here is,
will BJP retain power in the next election if the
present atmosphere continues?”
TRAIL OF CORRUPTION
That Raje has been in the thick of controversies
and dogged by corruption cases ever since she
came to power in December 2013 is well
known. In particular, her devotion towards her
son Dushyant Singh (MP from Jhalawar-Baran),
has received much media attention. Kothari
calls it “Dhritarashtra’s love”. He writes: “The
chief minister’s blind love for her son is the hot
topic of discussion in the BJP. She wanted to see
Dushyant Singh in the central ministry but
Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned him
down outright. Now she has dreams to see him
as the next CM of Rajasthan. However, before
that she must first think of whether she will
be able to even win the next elections from
her constituency.”
There are several contentious issues involv-
ing the Raje family that have been the focus of
political attention. The takeover of Dholpur
House palace by Dushyant Singh and disgraced
IPL Czar Lalit Modi and its conversion into a
luxury estate is one of them. (The property is
owned by the family of Raje’s estranged husband
who claims it has been handed over to the gov-
ernment and is not privately owned). Then
questions have been raised on the purchase of
an Agusta Westland helicopter by the Rajasthan
government during Raje’s tenure in 2005. Her
alleged support for Lalit Modi’s UK immigra-
tion bid hogged national news two years ago.
These are among other issues that the Rajasthan
Patrika reported along with other national
media which riled the CM.
Though some compromise has been worked
out with Narendra Modi who was initially upset
with Raje, Kothari maintains there are still
Raje’s devotion to her son Dushyant Singh
(MP from Jhalawar-Baran), has got much
media attention. Though a compromise
has been worked out with Modi, Kothari
maintains there are misgivings.
BODY OF EVIDENCE
A sample of headlines from
news reports published in
Rajasthan Patrika on the
scams, scandals and
sundry inefficiencies of
the state government

The Press Club of India, IndiaWomen's Press Corps
and the Editors Guild held a protest meet on August
10 against the muzzling of RajasthanPatrika and
Outlookmagazine.
The meeting also focused on the recent attacks on
mediapersons in Kerala, the murder of journalists in Bihar,
Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and attempts at ban-
ning the media in Jammu & Kashmir.
The agenda of the meeting was to discuss combative
measures against such moves by the system.
Jyoti Malhotra, president, South AsiaWomen's Associ-
ation, India Chapter said:“We must use social media to
put forward our views.Facebookand Twitterare very ef-
fective. Social media connects us with like-minded people
and organizations.We, as communicators, need to use so-
cial media for our needs.”
“Our editors bend backward in front of circulation
managers today. If you see the background of our owners,
they are criminals, black money holders, politicians
who've used foul means to earn money. If we journalists
misgivings: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
certainly made some kind of compromise with
them (mother and son) but nonetheless the
sword still is dangling above their heads. Our
Chief Minister is sure that BJP will not make her
the CM again… She is therefore saving the skin
of every corrupt bureaucrat. In the past two-and
-a-half years many dubious middlemen of na-
tional and personal level have sprung up in the
state. Some of these brokers are behind bars
today… The way anti-corruption agencies of the
state are nabbing people, it appears that there is
nothing else but looting, plundering and total
anarchy and corruption here. When Rajasthan
Patrika highlights these, then the government's
ego is hurt.”
AD FREEZE
Kothari recounts the government clampdown
on his newspaper. “Angered by our news, the
BJP governments, one after the other or rather
in a planned systematic manner stopped all gov-
ernment advertisements to us. Chhattisgarh
government targeted Patrika in the very begin-
ning… Rajasthan has gone absolutely ballistic.
It’s been almost eight months since they stopped
advertisements to Rajasthan Patrika. One ad
agency from Mumbai informed us that it had
got a call from the CM’s office to stop the ad-
vertisements. BJP MP from Rajasthan Ra-
Media protests muzzling
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara
Raje and her son Dushyant
have been in the news for
their involvement in various
graft cases ever since she
came to power in 2013
Lede
Clampdown on Press Freedom

jyavardhan Singh Rathore is minister of state for
I&B. What can’t be achieved through him?”
Government ads being a major revenue
source for media houses, any squeeze has a crip-
pling effect. Governments are known to clamp
down in this fashion if a newspaper/channel
takes an unfavorable stand vis-à-vis those
in power.
Last February, the Kolkata High Court ruled
against the Trinamool government for denying
ads to CPI-M mouthpiece Ganashakti. It ob-
served that “Political affiliation per se would not
disentitle a newspaper from publishing itself.
The nature of ownership of a newspaper cannot
be criteria to deny advertisement by a govern-
ment”. Ganashakti had knocked at the court in
2012 alleging that the West Bengal government
had refused to give it any ads. And finance min-
ister Arun Jaitley has alleged that the AAP gov-
ernment in Delhi is also giving ads only to
friendly media houses, while those critical of his
government are being denied them.
Kothari reminds readers that the Patrika was
not denied advertising even during the Emer-
gency. He points out that “…during the dark
days of the Emergency the Patrika was thought
to be anti-Congress and the then information
and broadcasting minister Vidyacharan Shukla
made threatening calls to the newspaper. The
Collectorate office did everything in its power to
maintain censorship but even in those dark days
government advertisements were not denied.
POLITICAL MINEFIELD
The Congress has been quick to capitalize on the
issue. In the Lok Sabha, Congress MP from MP
Kanti Lal Bhuria demanded a discussion on the
issue. He wished to know the circumstances that
led to the pulling out of ads. Former Rajasthan
CM Ashok Gehlot said this was an attack, not
just on one media house, but on the entire
media. He said during Congress rule, despite all
criticism, there was never a curb on advertising.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said the
government wants to rule by terror and these
curbs amount to murder of democracy.
But other political parties have also criti-
cized this. Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh
said if we surround ourselves with just syco-
phants, we won’t be able to distinguish between
right from wrong. It’s important to have critics
close to us. Sitaram Yechury of CPI-M warned
that no government should use ads as weapons
to silence critics.
are not united, we are going to fall like a pack of cards and
we have fallen today.Trade unionism has been murdered,”
addedVijay Kranti from Doordarshan.
However, Sabina Inderjit, vice-president, Indian Jour-
nalists Union, disagreed with Kranti. "I don't think that
unions have totally lost it.We need to blame ourselves for
losing objectivity.We need to have laws to get that sense
of security as a journalist and what gave us that was the
Working Journalists Act.", she said adding that protests
alone is not enough and action should go beyond that.
—ByKaranKaushik
LIP SERVICE
The Press Club and Editors
Guild held a protest meet
against attacks on media
freedom but are verbal
expressions of intent enough
to address the problem?

Controversy
Journalism & Nationalism
T was not a personality contest. It
was sparked off, in fact, by an open
breach of journalistic ethics. But
what followed was even more un-
precedented. Over the last week of
July and the first week of August, at least three of
India’s top television journalists and news anchors
were actually seen engaged in hot battle over how
to report the latest unrest in Kashmir, while being
booed at and cheered on by their respective crit-
ics and supporters. Solipsistic as the world of the
media is, it was a surreal spectacle.
It all began on the night of July 26, Kargil
Divas. During his prime time show Newshour, its
redoubtable host, Times Now’s Arnab Goswami
questioned the right of the “pseudo-liberals” to
“comment, speak or write one word on the Kargil
bravehearts”. Without naming names, he claimed
a section of media is “vilifying” and “abusing” the
Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir. He called
for a trial of the “pro-Pakistan doves”—“I don’t
Big names in the television
media—Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep
Sardesai and Arnab Goswami—
clashed publicly over the
meaning of nationalism and
journalistic ethics. Fortunately, it
was not hard for the viewer to see
who was in the wrong
By Sucheta Dasgupta
War of the
Anchors
I

care if some of those people are in the media.
Bring them to trial, too”. In effect, he called for a
gag on journalists, equating them to criminals, if
they did not follow the official, pro-Establishment
line—by conceding in their writings the Kash-
miri’s right to self-determination and India’s de-
nial of the promised plebiscite or by doing their
job of reporting the Army excesses in the Valley.
Many who witnessed it said Goswami’s invec-
tive had been directed at his rival and one-time
NDTV colleague, Barkha Dutt. If so, he had met
his match. On July 27, Dutt wrote a Facebook
post, berating Goswami for his “brazen and cow-
ardly hypocrisy” and his silence on the PDP-BJP
government’s alliance agreement that commits it
to talks with the Hurriyat and Islamabad as well
as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s own Pakistan
outreach program. Wondering if his behavior was
“chamchagiri”, she rejected his “misrepresenta-
tion” of journalists as ISI agents and terror sym-
pathizers, fit to be tried and punished. Indeed,
Dutt had stood out for her own coverage of the
Kargil war in 1999. But what made her post
polemical and entertaining were her final words:
“I hope I will always be someone whose journal-
ism you loathe, because trust me, the feeling is so
utterly mutual that it would kill me to be on the
same side of any issue as you.” It got 22k likes,
9.5k comments and 5.5k shares!
Not all responses, however, were in Dutt’s fa-
vor. Some were quite abrasive, reminding her of
her links to the Niira Radia tapes controversy and
making references to JuD chief Hafiz Saeed’s
mention of her in a video statement as evidence
of the claim that she is “anti-national”, even going
so far as to call her a “presstitute”. Dutt chose to
reply to the second accusation. She updated her
NDTV blog the next day where she wrote that
while she had already “expressed her repulsion”
at a terrorist misusing her name to “further his
own vile agenda”, the fact that Goswami’s cohorts
on Twitter chose to validate his calculated
The debate
has provided
an opportune
moment
for media
researchers
to explore
what has
gone wrong
with news
presentation
by the Indian
media.
LORDS OF BEDLAM
Arnab Goswami and Barkha
Dutt’s public mudslinging
had the entire journalist
community participating in
the debate

rantings actually “said a lot about them”. “This is
about our fundamental right to report freely and
honestly without being conveniently misrepre-
sented as terror sympathizers or enemies of the
Indian Army. Above all, it's about an unprece-
dented moment in India's media history, wherein
a leading journalist has actually called upon the
government to put other journalists on trial for
their nuanced, multi-dimensional reportage on
Kashmir,” she said. This post received 31k Face-
book shares.
Missing in this slugfest so far had been India
Today TV anchor Rajdeep Sardesai—once the
face of the recently-renamed CNN-News18. He
now decided he wanted some attention. To achi-
eve this end, he published a rambling piece on
India’s premier digital news website, Scroll.in,
titled “Why I will not speak on the Arnab-Barkha
‘war’”. In it, he sanctimoniously declares: “I don't
wish to be a TRP crusader and poster boy of tab-
loid journalism, who seamlessly becomes a Right-
wing troll by passing judgment and abusing all
those who express alternate opinions. Neither do
I claim to be standing on the pulpit of self-right-
eousness by asserting moral “superiority” over
anyone else. I wish to be a journalist who looks
for nuance instead of noise, complexity instead of
chaos, samvad (dialogue) instead of rhetoric.” He
goes on to expatiate about “hate” and “bigotry”,
about how he did not “want to take sides” but
“would take a stand” “based on respect for the
rule of law and individual liberties”, and then
laments about how that makes him a “dinosaur
in today’s media eco-system” and how he is like
Michelle Obama in his quest for “hope” and
“compassion”. Finally, in the post-script, he writes,
During his prime time show “Newshour”,
its redoubtable host, Times Now’s Arnab
Goswami questioned the right of the
“pseudo-liberals” to “comment, speak or
write one word on the Kargil bravehearts”.
Controversy

while still fussing and apologizing
about how “decency” stops him
“from saying more”, that Goswami
has “let down the Indian media and
chipped away at its freedoms”. Not
unexpectedly, media-watchers were
nonplussed. The Quint came out and
asked the question: “Rajdeep Sarde-
sai is on Barkha Dutt’s side: Why
won’t he say so?” “When an editor
asks for the media to be put on trial,
silence is complicity,” Dutt, herself,
tweeted to Sardesai upon reading his
take. Sardesai later tried to justify his
mystifying evasiveness as an attempt
to prevent further acrimony: “Maybe, I just like
to see myself as a nice guy who doesn’t wish to see
more unpleasantness around him.” Of course,
readers are free to exercise their own judgment,
particularly on this one.
Dutt’s NDTV colleague Ravish Kumar and
ABP’s Abhisar Sharma have, however, stood up
for her as well as for the rights of journalists and
citizens to practise nuance and dissent, and for
press freedom.
And then there were some who backed Dutt
in the current argument, but with a caveat. “The
path away from Arnab cannot lead us back to
Barkha Dutt,” Hartosh Singh Bal had written in
February at the height of the Kanhaiya Kumar-
Umar Khalid furore in JNU. “The danger of the
current liberal consensus is that it seeks to speak
against a new establishment without looking
within. The compromises and corruption that lib-
erals participated in during the UPA’s rule are
what led us to Modi in the first place,” he had then
said. During the online debate on Twitter and
Facebook, a section of respondents echoed his
sentiment. They also criticized the personality
cult that has taken over the Indian media.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, for
instance, expressed his disappointment on the
sludge and trivia that has replaced serious
Rajdeep Sardesai,
India Today
anchor,
said he did not
want to take sides
but would take a
stand based on
respect for the
rule of law and
individual
liberties.
Ravish Kumar
NDTV anchor,
stood up for
Dutt as well as
for the rights of
journalists and
citizens to
practise nuance
and dissent,
and for press
freedom.
DEFINING NATIONALISM
From Sardesai to Kumar, and
from Bal to Krishnan, every-
one tried to word it as per
their understanding

journalism today. “When mass media abdi-
cates its responsibility, when the provider of the
news seeks to become the news and, therefore,
needs to act provocatively to attract attention (the
very act he/she should be filtering out), we are
[living] in dangerous times," Bhogle said in a
Facebook post.
The debate has provided an opportune mo-
ment for media researchers to explore what has
gone wrong with news presentation by the Indian
media. Emergent voices lay part of the blame for
this TRP and personality-driven journalism
prevalent today on the viewer as well. As colum-
nist Simantini Krishnan writes in the online news
magazine, The Wire, “The mainstay of English
news channels is India’s post-liberalization,
“The compromises
and corruption
that liberals
participated in
during the UPA’s
rule are what led
us to Modi in the
first place.”
—Hartosh Singh
Bal, political editor
of Caravan magazine
“In Western demo-
cracies, the appeal
of technocracy has
considerably
diminished because
of its tryst with
fascism in the
course of the 20th
century.”
—Simantini Krishnan,
freelance journalist
ALL ARE SHAREHOLDERS
Responsible journalism and
criteria that set the agenda
for public discourse go
hand in hand
techno-managerial, English-speaking elite, who
not only command advertising revenue, but also
set the agenda for public discourse. They are a
product of a system of higher education that is
geared towards the building of marketable skills.
The Indian elite pursues this goal to the exclusion
of nurturing critical faculties in young adults, un-
like its Western counterparts who are schooled in
the values of liberal university education.”
As English is not the language of just the elite
in the West, the media there has no compulsion
to cater solely to this demographic. Their own ed-
ucated classes have also learnt to accommodate
dissent and know the importance of factoring in
the interests of the lower classes in policy per-
spectives. In contrast, the Indian media continues
to espouse a “technocratic ideology that purports
to uphold a ‘neutral, value-free, scientific and
rational worldview’, hence negating the very
grounds for socio-political conflict”. Thus, ignor-
ing caste violence, persecution of tribals and
minorities, distress of farmers and political
discontent of the marginalized is a logical de-
nouement. Unfortunately, this news model has
spawned its clones and it is they who rule the
world of Indian media. They cater to the “lowest
common denominator in the Indian elite’s polit-
ical and moral universe”. Since they are the opin-
ion-makers, the national discourse remains
locked at the level they choose to keep it. It is a
vicious circle.
Controversy

EDIA-GO-ROUND
On July 24, two leading English dailies,
The Indian Express and The Times of
India reported on how, in Aligarh, Hindu
families are packing their bags because
they are worried about the “honor” of their
women and are considering a Kairana-like
“exodus” (BJP politician Hukum Singh
claimed in June that 346 Hindus had left
Kairana in UP owing to threats from
Muslim criminals).
Within hours of these two reports, sev-
eral news portals including Zee News and
Firstpost, among others, also pub-
lished the rehashed version of the re-
port calling it an “exodus” but without
bothering to check the facts.
The incident relates to the sexual
harassment of a 19-year-old newly
married Hindu woman by a group of
Muslim men which has been portrayed as
“an organized conspiracy against the Hin-
dus in the area.” Police have arrested the
accused involved in harassing the woman.
About eight families led by Aligarh
mayor, Shakuntala Bharti of the BJP, went
to the District Magistrate to petition the ad-
ministration to buy their houses and shops.
Some of them put banners outside their
homes announcing that they are for sale.
The Ministry of Information Technology
is expected to issue orders to internet
service providers to block access to
websites showing “substantial” pirated
content. As many as 73 websites which
were Illegally streaming pirated videos of
cricket matches are set to be banned
soon. A judgment by the Delhi High Court
has held that banning of specific URLs is
not always an adequate measure to
stop privacy.
The judgment was issued on a review
plea filed by Star India Pvt Ltd, which ap-
proached the Delhi High Court in 2014
against websites which were
illegally uploading videos and updates of
the 2014 Australia cricket series.
The Delhi High Court bench of Justices
Pradeep Nandrajog and AK Pathak
remarked: “Outlaw websites are including
in rank piracy, and prima facie the
stringent measure to block the
websites as a whole is justified
because blocking a URL may not suffice
due to the ease with which a URL can
be changed.”
The media in Odisha did a de-
cent job by exposing the
malaise of casting couch in the
state’s entertainment industry.
But it compromised with journal-
istic ethics by asking inappropri-
ate questions. While interviewing
a victim, a reporter from Kanak
News forgot how a woman
should be interviewed without
compromising on her dignity.
Asking uncomfortable questions
to gain sensational quotes was
totally uncalled for. The channel
went to the extent of asking a
victim why all the producers
“wanted to sleep with her when
there are so many women in the
industry”. It’s time that
such media channels
practice self-regulation
and set high standards of
professionalism, than
being in a hurry to
somehow grab people’s
attention.
TV reports too insensitive
—Compiled by Sucheta Dasgupta
The media has grossly
misreported and sen-
sationalized the death of
a teenager, who along
with others, went for
lunch at author Amit
Chaudhuri’s house in
Kolkata. The diseased was
injured and died on the way
to hospital after a scuffle.
Media termed the death as
murder without verifying the
facts. It shifted its focus from
the death to how rich kids are
spoiling middle class kids
since most of the teens at the
party came from influential
families. It became more of a
debate on morality and social
values than the pursuit of
truth. The probe was delayed.
Although the mother of the
diseased speculated murder,
police reports suggested it
was an accident.
Aligarh: False story of exodus
Ban on websites
for pirated content soon
Teen’s death in Kolkata
misreported

BUNDELKHAND
FREE FOOD GRAINS TILL SEPTEMBER
The UP government is distributing free foodgrains to Bundelkhand's poor from June through
September this year, in light of the prevailing, severe drought conditions in the state. The orders,
issued by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, will make 14.15 lakh family card holders eligible for free
foodgrains under the National Food Security Act in Bundelkhand region. This would cost the state
government additional expense of `9.2 crore. Under the provisions of the National Food Security
Act-2013, every Antyodaya card holder is to get 35 kg foodgrain and family card holder five kg
per unit per month. For this, the beneficiaries are to get wheat at `2 per kg and rice at `3 per kg.
Keeping in mind the prevailing situation in Bundelkhand, the CM has directed officers to ensure
that foodgrains are provided free of cost.
To provide succor to the poorest of the poor in drought hit areas, Uttar Pradesh government has
included four more districts flanking Bundelkhand region for the disbursal of free ration. Now
apart from the 7 districts of Bundelkhand and another Kanpur City district, poor families covered
under the 'Antyodaya' scheme in 4 more districts would qualify for receiving the monthly quota
of free food packets provided by the state as drought relief.
Meanwhile, the government has suspended land revenue recovery in the districts affected with
natural disasters, including floods, hailstorms etc, which had caused havoc with agricultural
crops over the last year.
parameters namely: traffic, civic infrastructure,
educational institutes, environment, heritage,
affordable housing, public grievance, social
security and public awareness. The Land Area
for hi tech township would be 1500 Acres or
more with a Minimum Investment of `750
Crore. The Project Period for developing would
be 5 Years.
High-tech townships are coming up near
Kanpur and Allahabad, to give an entire new
dimension to development of these two cities.
The Trans-Ganga Hi-Tech City in Unnao, a few
kilometres from Kanpur,is expected to generate
investment worth more than `10,000 crore in
the fields of health, education, manufacturing
and housing. The Saraswati Hi-Tech City in
Naini near Allahabad is an ambitious project
in which investment in industrial, health,
educational and housing sectors is expected.
The IT City near Lucknow is expected to
change the profile of the state capital as it
will emerge as a major IT hub in the country.
A prominent IT company HCL Limited is the
developer for this city and upon completion it
will generate director employment for 25,000
people, whereas indirectly 50,000 people will
be benefited.
SAMAJWADI AWAS YOJNA
Housing is an essential human necessity of
any civilized society. With the development
of urbanization, cities have been growing
terrifyingly in the last few decades, which have
resulted in random development of metropolitan
areas as well as sharp accommodation
shortage. Samajwadi Awas Yojana is the most
popular and affordable government scheme
which is launched for urban areas for fulfilling
the needs of Houses in very affordable price for
different categories of people.
Uttar Pradesh government aims to construct
three lakh houses by 2016. The Samajwadi
Awas Yojna will benefit medium income group
and the houses constructed under the scheme
will cost between `15 lakh to `30 lakh.
The government has decided to fix ceiling on
per square feet rate of the apartments. It will
not exceed `3,000 square feet in national
capital region, `2,800 per square feet in
metro and `2,500 in other cities. Further
concessions would include rebate in the
stamp duty and single window clearance.
Government has also framed bylaws for
land use conversion. Under this a separate
infrastructure fund would be created in
which people will know that it will be used for
development. Also government has decided
to relax provisions under hi-tech township
scheme. Later on the scheme could be
implemented in rural areas as well.

SAEED NAQVI sheds light on
the attitude of the
establishment in India and the
West vis-à-vis Muslims
Book Excerpt
HE history of Western con-
flict is largely the story of
conflict between the three
Semitic or Abrahamic reli-
gions: Christianity, Islam and
Judaism. In the West, this conflict reached its
peak with the Crusades in the eleventh century.
But in India the story was different. Since the ad-
vent of Islam in India 1,200 years ago, the domi-
nant narrative has been one of social and cultural
accommodation, and occasionally, even mutual
admiration.
It is an amazing coincidence that Muslim con-
tact with India and the West began in the same
year—711 CE. It was in this year that Muhammad
bin Qasim’s probe into India took place. He was
a young general in the Umayyad’s army. Another
general with the Caliphate, Tariq ibn Ziyad, cro-
ssed the narrow strip of ocean between Morocco
and the tip of Spain. He anchored by the giant
rock which he called Jabal al Tariq (the Rock of
Tariq). The British renamed it Gibraltar. North of
Gibraltar, through Spain and Portugal, the entire
Iberian Peninsula came under Muslim rule. This
lasted nearly 800 years until Columbus set sail for
the New World in 1492.
Being the Other
T
Global
Error:
The
War on
Terror

tening to ‘Dama dum mast Qalandar’. With the
coming of the Sufis, the tone of Islam’s interaction
with Hinduism became softer.
T
he Christian-Muslim face-off was pro-
ceeding differently. When Pope Urban II
ordered the First Crusade against the
Muslims in 1095, one of his milder directives was
‘to exterminate this vile race from our lands’. Of
course, the Crusaders turned upon the Jews in-
stead with much greater ferocity.
By contrast, Islam’s experience with the Hindu
civilization was wholesome and led to the greatest
multicultural edifice the world has known. The
pity is that today this great edifice is being chi-
pped away by electoral politics. The war on terror
is aggravating an already dismal situation. Parti-
tion and what it brought in its train has been
a body blow to this history or cultural enmeshing.
Also harmful has been organized Christian and
Muslim proselytization. Whatever the iniqui-
ties of the caste system, conversions should not
have had official sanction in a society where
During the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate,
Andalusia’s capital, Cordoba, became the biggest
and ‘most dazzling city in Western Europe’ in the
tenth century, when London and Paris were small
towns. Jewish, Muslim and Christian philoso-
phers met in the city square. It became a renow-
ned intellectual centre. It had more hamams
(steam baths) for its population of about 200,000
than even some of the later and bigger Ottoman
cities. This, at a time, when there was a taboo on
bathing in Europe. Composer Mozart had died at
thirty-six because of this taboo.
At the other end, Muhammad bin Qasim’s
probe which landed him in Sindh signalled the
Arab world’s continued interest in India. Before
Islam, there had been thousands of years of trade
relations between the two, punctuated by acts of
piracy, to loot and to control the shipping lanes.
Qasim’s invasion was harsh and differed vastly
from later arrivals who formed the Delhi Sul-
tanate (1206-1526) and built the Qutub Minar in
the first city of Delhi in Mehrauli. Qasim returned
to Arabia after an extended and unfriendly explo-
ration of three years. He ne-
ver made India his home
unlike the founders of the
Delhi Sultanate and the
Mughals. That is the begin-
ning of the story of Muslims
in India. During the Mughal
period, India’s GDP was 25
per cent of the world’s collec-
tive GDP. By 1900, under the
British, it had plummeted to
1.6 per cent.
A much more benign ar-
rival, one that initiated great
cultural commerce, was that
of the Sufi saint Shahbaz
Qalandar, in the early twelfth
century, also in Sindh. To this
day people across the sub-
continent go into a trance lis-
LIVE COVERAGE
The 1991 Gulf War, or
Operation Desert Storm, was
perhaps the first one to be
extensively telecast

conversion is taboo.
By the time P.V. Narasimha Rao became
prime minister in June 1991, the Soviet Union
had been officially declared dead. There was no
alternative for New Delhi except to lurch towards
the US, which had at this stage quite suddenly be-
come the sole superpower. This ‘lurch’ made
practical sense but it also came with costs. An-
other event occurred at this time: the Gulf War or
Operation Desert Storm was launched almost as
a celebration of victory. Peter Arnett of CNN
brought the war live from the terrace of the
Al Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad to the world’s draw-
ing rooms. For the first time in history, a war was
televised live.
This was an epoch-making event in the his-
tory of broadcasting. India being a recipient of
these images had willy-nilly accepted the Western
narrative. The televised war on terror, the weekly
discovery of Muslim terrorists, was custom-made
for media trials. This proceeded to divide Muslim
and non-Muslim worlds and to boost communal
temperatures. The atmosphere was already filled
with Islamophobia on the eve of 9/11 when two
passenger planes flew into New York’s twin tow-
ers. The retaliatory bombardment of Afghanistan
transformed the war on terror into a war without
end. By participating in this war... the Indian
establishment proceeded to alienate its own Mus-
lim population.
India was keen to be seen in the senior league,
fighting global terror. In the process, we exagger-
ated our own subplot that was focused on Pak-
istan, Kashmir and Indian Muslims. The war on
terror resulted in loss of life, of course. But it has
Book Excerpt
Being the Other
We should be
guiding them
(the West) after
a thousand
years of living
with Muslims.
But we are
being separated
to fight a war
initiated by the
West for its own
reasons.
DUBIOUS MOTIVES
(Top) What provoked Saddam
Hussain to occupy Kuwait
needs to be probed
(Above) US President George
W Bush with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh in New
Delhi in 2006. There were
protests by Muslim groups
against Bush on the occasion

out the Soviets from Kabul in 1989, an event
which was a precursor to the collapse of the
Soviet Union. All this was not without costs, in-
cluding to the US. The spare jihadi reservoir
exported militancy to Kashmir, Egypt, Algeria
and eventually to New York on 9/11. Zbigniew
Brzezinski’s remark to an interviewer in January
1998 will be remembered for its callousness. The
priority, he said, was to defeat the Soviet Union
and not worry about ‘some stirred up Muslims’.
Well, the ‘stirred up’ Muslims are plaguing the
world today.
Ironically, Pakistan which set up vast facili-
ties—hundreds of madrasas to train jihadists to
fight the Soviets in Afghanistan—was in
done much worse; it has separated people who
have lived together for centuries. This Hindu—
Muslim separation of the mind is deeper than
anything preceding it. Muslims and non-Muslims
have been parcelled into hostile camps. And the
control on the levers of this war is America’s
which, alas, has no experience of Muslims. We
should be guiding them; we have known Muslims
since Islam’s founding. After a thousand years of
living together, a people are being separated
to fight a war initiated by the West for its own
reasons.
I
ndian independence coincided with the be-
ginning of the Cold War. Since 1947, India
followed a policy of non-alignment or
equidistance from the Soviet and Western blocs.
But, in effect, New Delhi leaned towards Moscow
for a number of reasons: socialism as a credo
seemed attractive to a poor nation attempting to
set right the ravages of colonialism; Russia
stepped in to offer a helping hand from time to
time; it was geographically closer, and so on.
Pakistan, on the other hand, had remained the
West’s ally since 1947 because that was the pre-
determined trajectory it was supposed to follow.
Narendra Singh Sarila’s The Shadow of the Great
Game: The Untold Story of India’s Partition ex-
plores the role played by Pakistan as one assigned
to it by imperial powers. After the discovery of oil
on an industrial scale in the Gulf, which the West
was thirsty for, it needed a major Muslim country
as a ‘pliable’ ally, and Pakistan more or less chose
itself for historical as well as geopolitical reasons.
So Pakistan was nursed along in every possible
way since Indian non-alignment was declared
‘immoral’ by John Foster Dulles who served as
Secretary of State under US President Dwight D.
Eisenhower. Even Pakistan’s nuclear programme
was silently tolerated.
Pakistan paid its dues by allowing the US and
the Saudis to help create the Mujahideen in
Afghanistan. These Islamic militants would drive
DIFFERENTIALTREATMENT
The alleged Hindu
perpetrators of
Malegaon blasts
(below) and Ajmer
blasts (bottom) were
treated sympathetically

December 2001 forced to wage war in Afgha-
nistan against terrorists and their support struc-
tures responsible for 9/11. It was a tough call for
Pakistan. It was being called upon to fight.
W
ith the collapse of the Soviet Union
in 1990-1991, the terms of engage-
ment, both external and internal,
changed. Having won the Cold War, the West had
to reorder its game plan. British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher gave the first clue about the
changed play. On a visit to Finland, journalists
asked her if Britain needed her nuclear deterrent
now that the Soviet Union was beaten. ‘We still
have a problem in the Middle East,’ was her reply.
American strategists like Zbigniew Brzezinski
searched for a new role for NATO now that the
principal target of the alliance, the Soviet Union,
was gone. The German and Japanese economies
were booming. Would they come up trumps in
the new global power distribution? The word
‘Axis’ reared its head in the minds of the allies. To
forestall such outcomes, a coalition of the willing
was forged after Saddam Hussein’s dubious occu-
pation of Kuwait. There was a view that US Am-
bassador April Gillespie in her last meeting with
Saddam Hussein had virtually set him up—she
signalled that the US would not react. Operation
Desert Storm was launched in January 1991.
The entire build-up to the first war on Iraq
was swallowed by the Indian media hook line and
sinker. What provoked Saddam Hussein to oc-
cupy Kuwait? No questions were asked in India.
Exactly a decade after the US defeated the So-
viet Union, the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers
in New York took place in September 2001 and
George W. Bush formally announced America’s
‘global war on terror’. The US was now the sole
superpower and the sole superpower was now out
to consolidate its hegemony. US Vice President
Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defence Donald
Rumsfeld, President of the World Bank Paul Wol-
fowitz, plus a powerful grouping called the neo-
conservatives were aiming at full spectrum
dominance. The Taliban, which had accorded
hospitality to Osama bin Laden, the mastermind
behind the 9/11 attacks, was hammered out of
power with logistical help from Pakistan. In the
process of being hammered, some Taliban and Al
Qaeda fighters found sanctuary among cousins
in Pakistan, where many of them had, in any case,
been trained by the ISI to fight the Soviets.
A
fter 9/11, US-India coordination deep-
ened. Hindu-Muslim differences coin-
cidentally became wider. When
President George W Bush visited New Delhi in
March 2006, he was billed to address a joint ses-
sion of Parliament. A massive protest by Muslims
at Delhi’s Ram Lila grounds forced the govern-
ment to cancel the event. The Bush-led war on
terror cast the US President as the enemy in the
minds of Indian Muslims. With the rest of India
he was among the most popular US presidents
ever. This contradiction became one more fault
line in the deepening communal divide.
Since the post 9/11 war on terror, every fake
encounter or atrocity committed by militant
groups has been laid at the doorstep of the coun-
try’s Muslim community. This, despite the fact
Book Excerpt
Being the Other
The Indian
media should
shoulder a
fair amount of
blame (due to
bias as well as
incompetent
reporting)
for the
enthusiasm
with which
terrorism has
been blamed
on Muslims.
CALL FOR JUSTICE
Jamia Millia Islamia students
and teachers demand justice
for Muslim youth arrested in
Batla House encounter
in 2008

that most Muslims have no association with
groups like the Indian Mujahideen (IM). The for-
mer Union Minister for Minority Affairs in the
UPA government, Rehman Khan, was categori-
cal. ‘Most Muslims believe IM does not exist.’
The Indian media should shoulder a fair
amount of blame (due to bias as well as incompe-
tent reporting) for the enthusiasm with which
terrorism has been blamed on Muslims. But the
activities of the intelligence and security agencies
are even more responsible for vilifying the Mus-
lim community and aggravating the communal
divide. It has been found that nearly 90 per cent
of those held for suspected terrorist activity are
never charged or convicted. It is also interesting
that Hindu extremist groups who have been
charged with acts of terror like the Malegaon
blasts (September 2006) or the bombing of the
Ajmer dargah (October 2007), to name just a
couple, by and large are treated more sympathe-
tically than their Muslim counterparts by the au-
thorities, the media, and the population at large.
In sum, the global war on terror has become
the newest platform on which to build Hindu
nationalism. It is no accident that thousands of
angry Indian Muslim men are routinely picked
up on charges of being suspected jihadis. The
Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity Association (JTSA),
Delhi, compiled a report in 2012 entitled
‘Framed, Damned, Acquitted: Dossiers of a Very
Special Cell’. From hundreds of judgments in the
various courts of India, the association picked up
sixteen instances where cases against alleged ter-
rorists were dismissed by the courts on various
counts, including a complete lack of evidence.
Those arrested were charged with being agents of
various terrorist organizations and charged with
‘heinous’ crimes ranging from war against the
state and conspiring, planning and attempting to
organize terrorist strikes and bomb attacks in the
country. The courts dismissed these cases because
the charges turned out to be fabricated. Accord-
ing to the JTSA report, every accused in these
THE ENDGAME
(Left) Osama Bin Laden
was the mastermind
behind 9/11
(Below) A powerful
group that included
US Vice President
Dick Cheney took
centerstage following
9/11
Following the 9/11 attacks in September
2001, George W Bush formally announced
America’s “global war on terror”. The US
was now the sole superpower, which was
out to consolidate its hegemony.

cases was acquitted ‘not simply for want of evi-
dence, but because evidence was tampered with,
and the police story was found to be unreliable
and [incredible]
The report also pointed out that there was
only a 30 per cent rate of conviction in suspected
‘terrorist’ cases because unverified secret infor-
mation led the police to the accused. Independent
witnesses rarely joined in the ‘crackdown’ and pri-
vate vehicles were used in operations so there
were no logs to prove that the police did conduct
a raid on a particular place. Also, the time when
a suspect was picked up was much earlier than
when he or she was shown on record as arrested.
Take the case of forty-five-year-old Sayyed
Liyaqat Shah. He was declared innocent in Janu-
ary 2015 by the National Investigation Agency
(NIA), the nodal agency that investigates terror-
ism cases. All charges against him were dropped.
Shah’s ordeal began in March 2013 when he,
accompanied by his wife and teenaged daughter,
was arrested at the Indo-Nepalese border and
charged with plotting attacks on targets in Delhi
during the Holi festival. The suspected ‘terrorist’
and his family were returning from Pakistan-
occupied Kashmir (PoK) under the Rehabilita-
tion and Surrender Policy initiated by the J&K
government in 2010....
Prospective returnees and their families are
subjected to an intensive check by RAW, IB and
the J&K police before clearance is given. Shah was
cleared by these agencies but was arrested by the
Delhi police at Sunauli check post, an entry point
on the Indo-Nepalese border. The police case was
that he was proceeding to Delhi to collect an AK-
56 rifle, two magazines with sixty rounds, hand
grenades and maps from a guesthouse in Old
Delhi. According to the police, Shah was directed
there by his handler in Pakistan and the arms
were to be used in the attacks that were to follow.
After the case was investigated by the NIA, it fell
apart. The arms, it was revealed, were planted in
the guesthouse by a police informer who was ab-
sconding. The entire case was cooked up. Shah
had been framed.
Why do the police target innocents? Appar-
ently, specialist squads created to fight terror have
to show results. There are rewards, by way of
medals and promotions, for officers who effect
arrests.... Also thrown in are trips overseas for of-
ficers who bust terror modules and save Indian
cities from potential terrorist strikes.
Suspects, we learn from the JTSA report, are
picked up by the Special Cell, incarcerated, tor-
tured, taken to court and returned to their cells
without ever being charged or convicted. Years of
their lives are thus lived in captivity. The men
whose cases have been written about in this re-
port were all acquitted between 1992 and 2012.
Yet they suffered grievously. When they returned
home their world had changed. Many parents had
died of grief and the lives of families and children
were ruined.
The waiting period for undertrials could be
years—ten, fifteen, twenty—depending on their
luck. Finally, when the case is heard, the judge
often announces the acquittal of the accused be-
cause the grounds are flimsy, and clearly con-
cocted. Acquittal does accord physical freedom
but the lost years, and the normalcy of everyday
life, cannot be reclaimed.
Book Excerpt
Being the Other
BEING THE OTHER:THE
MUSLIM IN INDIA
BySaeedNaqvi
Publisher:Aleph
`599;Pages:239
INTRINSICTO INDIAN CULTURE
The Muslim community has
enriched Indian culture and
society over the last one
millenium

S THE WORLD TURNS
Republican Presidential nomi-
nee Donald Trump attacked
media house CNN, calling it “Clin-
ton News Network” and said that
The New York Times was “really
dishonest” for allegedly favoring
his Democratic rival Hillary Clin-
ton. He accused CNN of giving
“inaccurate information”, and de-
clared he will not appear on their
shows until they “straighten up”,
reports The Hindu. Trump
claimed that media outlets are
very tough on him, except for
Fox News. He said: “Fox has at
least been fair.” Extolling Twitter,
he said he would continue to
tweet when “they (media houses)
write falsely, or say something
totally false.”
Trump lashes out
at CNN,NYT
Social media users in Thailand
understand that the informa-
tion obtained on these platforms
may not be accurate, but still feel
that it’s beneficial. These were the
findings of a survey conducted by
Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, in
which 1,196 people were asked
to compile their opinions on use
of social media in Thai society.
Even though, 75.08 percent said
that information obtained via so-
cial media may not be accurate,
51.67 percent said the advan-
tages outnumbered the disadvan-
tages. Some other data that the
poll brought forth: 77.59 percent
said one must be careful when
posting an opinion;
73.83 percent said
one must practice
discretion upon
receiving informa-
tion; and 59.93 per-
cent said one must
establish the credi-
bility of an item be-
fore forwarding it.
Leading French media outlets like Le
Monde, BFM-TV and Radio Eu-
rope-1 have pledged to stop publish-
ing the names and images of
attackers who are linked to the Islamic
State group. This is to prevent turning
the attackers “into heroes” and to
avoid “possible posthumous glorify-
ing effects.” This decision came
about as part of a wider French de-
bate about how the news media might
be contributing to the extremist threat.
In January 2015, BFM-TV was ac-
cused by six survivors during a
deadly attack on a Jewish supermar-
ket in Paris for endangering their lives
by revealing the location of their
hideout live on air.
French media houses cautious
—Compiled by Shailaja Paramathma
Thai people rate social media
Three news agencies, 16
television channels, 23
radio stations, 45 daily
newspapers, 15 magazines
and 29 publishing houses in
Turkey have been ordered to
shut down, according to a
government decree. The de-
cree came into place as the
Turkish government
widened its crack-
down in the wake of
a failed coup at-
tempt earlier this
month.
The decree,
which was pub-
lished in the official gazette,
came down heavily on
Zaman Newspaper, Samany-
olu News Channel and
Cihan News Agency, which
have previously been
accused of supporting
the movement of
Fethullah Gulen.
Clamp down on media

Politics
Dalit Uprising
In politics, fortunes change in a
minute. This was evident in
poll-bound UP and Gujarat last
week. The BJP has been making
all-out efforts to come back to
power in UP after 12 years and
retain Gujarat. The BSP, which has been languish-
ing after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, got a boost by
a single utterance of BJP state vice-president
Dayashankar Singh recently. He hurt Dalit pride
by calling BSP leader Mayawati something akin
to a prostitute. This and Dalit atrocities elsewhere
have revived and spurred Dalit assertion every-
where. Added to that are vigilante groups like cow
protection committees which are allegedly com-
mitting atrocities on Dalits in Gujarat. The first
victim of the Dalit uprising in Gujarat was
Anandiben Patel who has quit.
ATROCITIES ON DALITS
It is clear that Dalit politics will pick up in the
coming months in view of the ensuing elections
in big states like UP and Punjab where Dalits
and Muslims hold the key. There will also
be a corresponding Dalit uprising despite
almost all parties taking up the Dalit cause
by paying lip service to them.
Unfortunately, even after 69 years of Inde-
pendence, Dalits continue to bear the brunt of vi-
olence and humiliation.
As per data from the National Crime Detec-
The Revolt of 2016
After years of suppression, Dalits are fighting back.While Gujarat
CM Anandiben was the first casualty of their anger, next year’s
polls in UP will prove the final clincher
BY KALYANI SHANKAR
I
GETTING READY
BSP chief
Mayawati

tion Bureau, 49,064 cases were re-
ported against Dalits in 2014 as
compared to 39,409 the previous
year, an increase of 19 percent. So
why have violent incidents
against Dalits increased rather
than decreased over the years in
spite of constitutional protection
and legal safeguards? An asser-
tion of Dalit rights, whether in
terms of identity politics (in UP)
or class politics (Bihar and
Andhra Pradesh), leads to such a
backlash. The new Dalit demands
equality and equal opportunity. Education and
exposure make them want a share of the power.
Mayawati was smart enough to seize the
Dayashankar moment and raised the issue inside
and outside parliament. Her only difficulty will
be to sustain this “Dalit pride” issue until the UP
polls, scheduled for early next year. BSP strate-
gists have already begun rolling out a plan
wherein the party would revive Dalit honor
under the garb of this issue. After all, UP leads in
crimes against Dalits (8,075 in 2014), followed by
Rajasthan (8,028).
Neither Dayashankar nor the BJP expected
such a backlash from his irresponsible statement.
Mayawati, the tallest Dalit leader, claims: "People
see me not just as Behen (sister) but as Devi (god-
dess)." She did not waste a single moment to at-
tack the BJP, alleging that a “Dalit ke beti” has
been insulted.
“The country will not forgive the BJP for the
statement. The BJP has the audacity to make such
a comment even as Dalits are protesting in
Gujarat over the atrocities… I am referred to as
behenji (sister) all over the country... I preferred
not to marry and remain a single woman because
I wanted to serve the country and its underpriv-
ileged people,” a hurt but furious Mayawati told
the Rajya Sabha in a passionate speech recently
even as the opposition applauded her.
She warned the BJP: “What that BJP leader
(Dayashankar Singh) has said, he said it not to me
but to his sister and his daughter because people
treat me like their daughter and sister... people
will come on the streets." And so they did in Luc-
know and other cities in UP as well as other
states. She successfully played on the fears of Dal-
its that upper caste people (read BJP) were trying
to suppress them.
BJP STUMPED
The BJP, which has been wooing Dalits assidu-
ously for some years, was taken unawares when
the tornado hit it. Despite expelling Dayashankar
Singh, it did not work as the damage had already
been done. Mayawati had completely outma-
noeuvred the BJP, and established her supremacy.
She got a boost when Mamata Banerjee, Jay-
alalitha and Naveen Patnaik, the chief ministers
of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Odisha respec-
tively, condemned Singh.
Mayawati has taken a lead in the current Dalit
assertion, while in Gujarat and elsewhere, there
is no leadership at the local level. Other Dalit
leaders like Ram Vilas Paswan, Ramdas Athawale
and Uditraj have made muted statements.
This is a change from the 2014 general polls
when Mayawati’s support base gravitated towards
the BJP. In 2007 when the BSP got an absolute
“I am referred
to as behenji
(sister) all over
the country... I
preferred not to
marry and
remain a single
woman because
I wanted to
serve the
country and its
underprivileged
people.”
—Mayawati, in
the Rajya Sabha
SHOWING SOLIDARITY
Bharatiya Dalit Panther
activists protest against
attacks on Dalits at Una

majority in UP, the party’s vote share stood at 30
percent – the highest since it was formed in 1984.
It came down to 27 percent in the 2009 Lok Sabha
polls, further reduced to 25 percent in the 2012
assembly elections and was about 19 percent in
the 2014 general elections. No wonder the BSP
supremo is trying to re-build a new coalition be-
tween the Dalits and the Muslims in the state. The
BSP has always projected itself as a secular party
and Muslims did vote for her earlier.
MUSLIMS & DALITS
Mayawati’s new strategy is to unite the 22 percent
block of Dalits and then woo the 14 percent Mus-
lims, a section that feels victimized by the same
politics as Dalits. Instead of directly asking them
to switch loyalties, Maya wants to subtly send a
message to create doubts in the minds of Muslims
about what she calls a nexus between the SP and
the BJP. It is to be seen whether this strategy will
work in UP.
Also, although she has been working for the
2017 assembly polls since 2014, she had been
weakened after senior BSP leaders such as former
general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya and one
of the founding members, RK Chaudhary, de-
serted her recently. More were on the point of
leaving. This trend might be reversed if the Dalits
and Muslims see her as a winning leader.
The present Dalit assertion began as early as
last year after the Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s
suicide in Hyderabad when ABVP, BJP’s student
wing, was blamed for it. The government was on
a back foot as the issue became political with Left
parties and the Congress jumping in. Mayawati
accused the Modi government of being anti-Dalit
in parliament and outside. What annoyed the
Dalits was the fact that the government tried to
play down the incident and Rohit’s Dalit identity.
Post-Vemula, BJP chief Amit Shah met other
RSS senior leaders and gave a final shape to woo
the Dalits as part of their damage-control exer-
cise. For some years, the RSS has been working
on Dalits at both the social and the political levels
as part of its Hindu consolidation project. While
the BSP followed the bottom-up formula, the
BJP-RSS followed a top-down policy. They
planned a concerted outreach program.
POLITICAL STORM
It was at this point that the Dayashankar incident
took place. Even before that, a storm was building
up when Dadar’s famous Ambedkar Bhavan in
Mumbai was demolished overnight on June 24,
2016, sparking outrage. This was followed by the
political storm in Gujarat, the home state of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi where some vig-
ilante groups thrashed seven Dalit youths in Una.
This resulted in various political party leaders in-
cluding Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi
making a political pilgrimage to Una. Dalit asser-
tion in Gujarat has now become more violent
even without a strong leader. The protests have
spread across the state and Muslims have joined
hands with them in spreading the agitation. The
immediate fallout was the exit of Anandiben.
These ugly incidents have come as a jolt to
Modi’s personal efforts of wooing Dalits. Modi re-
The first victim of Dalit uprising was
Anandiben Patel (left) who has quit. The
BJP was also forced to expel Dayashankar
Singh (right) for his anti-Dalit remark.
Politics
Dalit Uprising

sorted to this for two reasons. In the 2014 polls,
one in four Dalits voted for the party and one in
three voted for the NDA. Almost 15 percent of
the BJP’s Lok Sabha strength consists of a block
of Dalit MPs elected from reserved seats. This
gain for the BJP came at the expense of the Con-
gress and the BSP. This was also attributed to pre-
2014 poll alliances with Dalit leaders like Paswan
in Bihar, Athawale in Maharashtra and the induc-
tion of Uditraj in Delhi. Athawale was rewarded
with a ministerial berth last month. Secondly, the
BJP thought that Mayawati’s popularity was de-
clining and wanted to move in. Before the
Dayashankar incident, reports from UP had pre-
dicted an upswing for the BJP.
Modi too has taken on the mantle of being an
Ambedkar bakth. In this connection, he organ-
ized a Samvidah Yatra on Amebdkar’s 125th birth
anniversary in April 2015 and laid the foundation
stone for an Ambedkar memorial at Indu mill in
Mukbau. A two-day parliament session was or-
ganized in November to remember Ambedkar.
The Maharashtra government bought the house
in which Ambedkar stayed in London while
studying and the central government announced
that it would develop five places connected with
Ambedkar as “Panchteerth (Five holy places.)” In
February this year, Modi offered prayers at the
Ravidas temple in Shir Govardhan in Varanasi on
Ravidas Jayanti and also joined in a community
feast. In May, Amit Shah took a customary holy
dip in Shipra River in Ujjain along with religious
leaders of Dalit communities at Simhasth
Kumbh. Above all, Modi recently inducted five
Dalit leaders among the 19 new ministers. And
though the BJP has been able to stake claims to
the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel,
in the case of Dalits, despite all the above pro-
grams, there is a backlash due to the atrocities
committed on them.
Dalits as a vote-bank are attractive to all po-
litical parties. There was a time when the Con-
gress attracted Dalits and Muslims into its fold.
But it’s been a long time since both moved away.
Upward mobility by gaining acceptance looks far
more tangible rather than the abstract and rather
utopian idea of annihilating caste. Dalits have
mostly converted to Christianity and some have
moved to Islam. They think that accruing polit-
ical power can be a successful option. This was
how Mayawati came to power. She is right when
she says: "We should treat the problems of
Dalits above politics. Instead of making Dalits a
weapon of politics, we should work on resolving
their issues."
Unfortunately on the ground, it is the Dalit
vote-bank which matters. The obvious ways to
ensure that the lot of Dalits is improved is
through education, rise in economic status and
transforming their often pathetic conditions.
Otherwise, the Dalit uprising will only be-
come stronger.
THE CASTE CARD
(Above) Mother of
Rohit Vemula,
Radhika
Vemula, with Youth
Congress workers
staging a protest
against anti-Dalit
atrocities at Jantar
Mantar in New Delhi
(Left) Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
paying homage to
Babasaheb
BR Ambedkar in
Mumbai

The state is absent where it is needed and present where it need not be
VON publishes in each issue
the best written commentary
on any subject.The following
editorial from the Mint has
been picked by our team of
editors and reproduced for
our readers as the best during
this fortnight
TheGurgaonsyndrome
inIndianurbanization
N many ways, Gurgaon is the ex-
emplar of economist Edward
Glaeser’s contention that cities are
the ideal form of modern civiliza-
tion. It has grown organically due
to economic imperatives and incentives; has fol-
lowed the vertical growth model that Glaeser be-
lieves is necessary for achieving the urban density
best suited to creative and financial collaboration;
and displays the benefits of that collaboration
achieving critical mass. But it is also, as the chaos
created last week by the monsoon shows, a warn-
ing of what happens when the state abandons its
role of shaping and enabling that growth.
This failure has undercut the Millennium City
growth story from its inception. Two decades
after its creation by the Haryana government in
1979, its boom started with General Electric (GE)
INO LET-UP
Traffic snarlups at the
Millennium City have
become a daily
phenomenon
Editors’ Pick

opening an office in 1997. Where GE led, others
followed. All this, however, happened without ad-
equate local government. There was no municipal
body, with the state-level Haryana Urban Devel-
opment Authority (HUDA) expected to build the
connective infrastructure. This meant the lack of
any semblance of planning—not helped by
malfeasance where private developers were able
to push projects through without adequate devel-
opment plans.
LOPSIDED PLANNING
The state of Gurgaon today reflects this. From se-
curity and electricity to water and transport, the
private sector must fill in for the state’s deficien-
cies. Commercial and residential complexes are
oases connected by decrepit urban infrastructure.
Sewage disposal, a major issue, becomes a health
hazard every time flooding of the kind that was
seen last week occurs. There are also negative en-
vironmental consequences. The lack of adequate
water supply infrastructure means that over
30,000 borewells have been dug, resulting in a
rapidly receding water table. According to a Re-
source Optimization Initiative study, Gurgaon
will have 48 litres per capita per day by 2020; the
international standard is 130 litres.
Gurgaon might be one of the most visible ex-
amples of the shortfalls in Indian urbanization,
but it is hardly alone. Bengaluru is currently in
the midst of monsoon-created chaos as well—its
transport infrastructure is terrible at the best of
times—and Mumbai’s potential has been tram-
melled for decades by its lacking infrastructure
and byzantine land market. Some common
threads run through the issues these and other
Indian cities face.
Firstly, urban planning in India is a strange
mix of not enough planning and too much of it.
On the one hand, several cities have no holistic
20-year or 40-year guidelines at all. When such
plans are created, as in Mumbai and New Delhi,
the process is so protracted that the end result is
irrelevant. On the other, urban planning contin-
ues to be based on the UK’s Town and Country
Planning Act of 1947 with an emphasis on land-
use zoning and all the rigidity that comes with it;
witness the floor space index constraints that
have contributed to distorting Mumbai’s land
market. This is contrary to current global best
practices: flexible planning with local governance
bodies accommodating market forces and seeing
land use and urban transportation as comple-
mentary, simultaneous processes.
Urban local bodies lack both accountability
and authority. The lack of an effective
mayoral system is keenly felt in
metropolitan regions. Devolution of urban
financing is another aspect of this.

Secondly, the devolution of urban governance
envisaged by the 74th constitutional amendment
never really took place. Urban local bodies
(ULBs) lack both accountability and authority.
The lack of an effective mayoral system is partic-
ularly keenly felt in metropolitan regions. Devo-
lution of urban financing is another aspect of this.
Central schemes like the Jawaharlal Nehru Na-
tional Urban Renewal Mission are ad hoc meas-
ures and run contrary to the principle of
sustainable devolution. There are several other
avenues innovative planning could explore—
from monetizing state land assets to user charges
for urban infrastructure such as road networks in
prime areas.
Urban governance bodies also function
within a tangle of overlapping jurisdictions. In
Gurgaon, for instance, HUDA, the Municipal
Corporation of Gurgaon, the Public Works De-
partment, other government bodies and private
developers all play in the same sandpit. The end
result isn’t pretty.
According to the 2011 census, a little over 31
percent of the national population resides in
urban areas; this is expected to grow to 40 percent
by 2030. The increase in pressure on urban infra-
structure will mean a corresponding growth in
the consequences of these urban governance
shortfalls. Glaeser is far from the first to speak of
urbanization’s centrality to development and
growth. From Jane Jacobs onwards, this has been
an economic axiom. But if India is to exploit this,
it must address its many, often contradictory
problems where the state abandons its necessary
roles and has a presence in areas that would be
better served by its absence.
MINDLESS PLANNING
The urban planning
and construction work
are not at par with the
avilable resources
Gurgaon might be one of the most visible
examples of the shortfalls in urbanization,
but it is hardly alone. Bengaluru is in the
midst of monsoon-created chaos as well—
its transport infrastructure is terrible.
Editors’ Pick

Yes, you read that right. The fastest man on
earth Usain Bolt recently lost a race but won
many hearts. It wasn’t an official competition
that the sprinter from Jamaica was up for. Bolt
lost to young Alex who is a cancer survivor. The
video of the race went viral on YouTube. This
cute gesture from Bolt was for Make a Wish
Foundation. The organization works towards ful-
filling dreams of young people who are fighting
life threaten-
ing diseases.
This is defi-
nitely one
race that the
athlete didn’t
regret losing.
Web Crawler What Went Viral
Smriti Irani sure knows how to
strike a chord with the youth
using social media. Just a few
days into her new office, the
minister was working overtime.
Irani started off with a handloom
campaign on social media to pro-
mote handloom and surprisingly
got a great response. People
posted their pictures adorning
traditional Indian wear from differ-
ent states. The move was a suc-
cess as everyone from politi-
cians to cricketers showed sup-
port. #IWearHandloom trended
on Twitter. Now that was one
good move to promote our coun-
try’s heritage and culture and
support millions of weavers and
their families.
Thumbs up for handloom
—by Karan Kaushik
West Bengal is
soon to be re-
named as Bengal in
English and either
Bongo or Bangla in
Bengali. The moment
this news broke, Ben-
galis took to Twitter.
While some felt that
Bengalis could now be
officially known as
Bongs, others felt that
Bingos Mad angles
would be the new offi-
cial food of the state.
Someone even com-
pared the name Bongo
to a shack in Goa.
Singer and BJP MP
Babul Supriyo said that
the state can’t be
named Bongo as it is a
term used for a musical
instrument. Anyway,
what’s in a name? A
rosoglla by any other
name would still be
as tempting.
Name
Game
Little did Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad know that
her idea to invite men for supporting women’s
right in her country would garner this massive a sup-
port on the net. Like other Islamic countries, Iran has
a law that requires women to cover their heads with
Hijab before stepping out of their homes. Masih
started a social media campaign to protest against
this orthodox rule. #MeninHijab trended on Twitter
and Facebook, and saw Iranian men sharing pictures
of themselves wearing hijabs. The journalist had ear-
lier launched a web-
site which allows
Iranian women to
share their photos
sans hijab. Way to
go lady!
When Usain Bolt
lost a race
Iranian men in
Hijab
Beverage manufacturer Paper
Boat has found a novel way
to use social media for promoting
its brand. The company is giving
Indians, especially those who
grew up in the nineties, a dose of
nostalgia with wonderful illustra-
tions on the romance and excite-
ment of traveling on Indian rail.
The simple yet insightful illustra-
tions took the netizens by a
storm. From the excitement of
getting the top berth to feasting
on aaloo-poori to bewilderment
at how a coolie handles so much
luggage, the illustrations capture
a whole range of wow moments.
Paper Boat has got an over-
whelming response from Face-
book users. While most thanked
the brand for reminding them of
their childhood, some appre-
ciated their Illustrators for the
colorful artwork.
The comments saw people
sharing their own memories from
rail journeys.
Paper Boat nostalgia

TV Review
Caliph
HE brutality that the Is-
lamic State has inflicted
upon those who do not ad-
here to its world view has
done much harm to Islam.
In 2014, IS forces butchered
male Yazidis and enslaved their women. Their
occupation of the world heritage site of Palmyra
and the execution of senior octogenarian archae-
ologist Khaled al-Assad who had striven to pre-
serve the site clearly showed the IS’s narrow
understanding of Islam. Any individual or com-
munity that does not conform to that interpre-
tation gets killed.
The Islamic State strives to rebuild the
Caliphate, which ceased to exist in 1924. It an-
nounced Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as its new
Caliph and aims to bring back to its fold the ter-
ritories that the Caliphate once ruled along
the Mediterranean.
While Islam did spread as a result of con-
quests, was violence the prevailing characteristic
As the IS mercilessly kills
followers of other faiths,
Al Jazeera’s three-part
series attempts to explain
the religion and the
institution of the Caliphate
BY MEHA MATHUR
A Peek into
Caliphate
T

of the Caliphate? Al Jazeera, through its three-
part series titled Caliph, strives to clear the mis-
conceptions. For example: When Islamic armies
conquered much of West Asia and reached
Jerusalem, the second Caliph, Omar, made an
unusual gesture to the Christian population. He
refused to enter their church, saying that if he
entered it to offer namaz there, it would set a
trend; his Muslim brethren would continue to
do that, and the church would pass out of Chris-
tians’ hands.
Omar offered his prayers outside the church
and a mosque came up on the spot later. A copy
of the pledge that Omar made to the Christians
is on display at the mosque. It reads: “This is an
assurance of peace and protection given by the
servant of Allah… for their lives, property,
church and crosses as well as the sick and the
healthy and all its religious community.” It was a
large-hearted gesture that the city could be
shared by all communities.
Earlier, Omar’s predecessor and the first
Caliph, Abu Bakr, had set the agenda of expan-
sion, challenging the mighty Sassanids of Persia
and Byzantines of the Eastern Roman Empire.
But his instructions were not to destroy and not
to hurt women, elderly and people at places of
worship. “It’s as if he was writing the Geneva
Convention,” says Saleh AzZanadiqa, Professor
MATTERS OF FAITH
(Clockwise from facing page)
A grab from Al Jazeera; an
overview of Medina; a map
of the Three Caliphates in
the mid-tenth century

of Islamic History, University of Jordan.
Caliph means successor, deputy. While it was
difficult to come close to the spiritual and polit-
ical authority that Mohammad had, the need for
a Caliph—a successor—arose upon his death in
632 because it was vital that Islam should grow.
For that, a leader was needed, says Georges
Corm, Lebanese economist and historian.
GENESIS OF CALIPHS
As the series brings forth, much of the history of
Islam is about succession struggles, clan loyalties
and human frailties. Upon Mohammad’s death,
the first dispute that arose was regarding his suc-
cessor. Would it be one of his clan members who
had made the arduous journey from Mecca to
Medina when Mohammad’s tribes in Mecca had
turned against him? Or would it be citizens in
Medina (called the al-Ansar, the supporters),
who, after all, had welcomed him to their city?
Clan sentiments prevailed as Abu Bakr, a close
associate and father of Mohammad’s youngest
wife Aisha, was proclaimed the first Caliph.
But then, why was Abu Bakr chosen over
Mohammad’s dear disciple, Ali? Ali was married
to Fatimah, daughter of Mohammad and his eld-
est wife, Khadijah. Devoted to Mohammad and
his cause, he had ably assisted Mohammad in
spreading the word of Allah. Just three months
before his death, Mohammad had made the fol-
lowing proclamation:
O People
Of whom-so-ever
I had been Master
Ali here is to be his Master
O Allah
Be a supporter of who ever supports him
And an enemy of who ever opposes him
And divert the truth to Ali
It’s difficult to interpret this proclamation in
any other way than Mohammad declaring his
successor. But for centuries, Sunnis and Shias
TV Review
Caliph
While Islam
spread as a
result of
conquests,
was violence
the prevailing
characteristic
of the
Caliphate? Al
Jazeera series
strives to
clear the mis-
conceptions.

have fought over whether Mohammad wanted
Ali to be his successor. The majority Sunni pop-
ulation has chosen not to read any meaning re-
garding his successor in this proclamation.
The series glosses over the role of Aisha in
denying Ali that title for long. But another
source—After the Prophet, a book by Lesley Ha-
zleton—describes how, as Mohammad lay on his
death bed, Aisha ensured that Ali was kept out
of any succession plan. Ali finally took over as
the fourth Caliph (the first four Caliphs being
called Rashidul or “The Rightly Guided
Caliphs”) but was killed in 661 by those who
were dissatisfied with his leadership.
In fact, jealousies, enmity and one-upman-
ship, besides contradictory notions of leadership,
caused much bloodbath and intrigue, including
the Karbala episode when Ali’s son Hussain and
his followers were killed.
Dissensions within rival groups finally
led to three separate Caliphates by the mid
10th century.
The Quraysh clan, in which Mohammad was
born, was subdivided into the Hashemites (Mo-
hammad’s line) and Umayyads. Umayyads, who
were bitter that the birth of a prophet had in-
creased the importance of Hashemites, got
antagonized and established their own
Caliphate. Their spread was westward and they
consolidated their hold in Spain. A line of Fa-
timids, proclaiming allegiance to Fatima (Mo-
hammad’s daughter, spread in Egypt and much
of North Africa). Abbasids, who were also from
the broader lineage as Mohammad and Ali, es-
tablished their hold over West Asia.
OF CONQUESTS AND CULTURE
The audacious victory march of Caliphs, their
taking on the mighty empires of the times, the
westward move to Europe, and the capture
of Constantinople (Istanbul, which was consid-
ered the biggest prize catch for Islam), are all
FAITH VERSUS IS
(From L to R) Muslims at a
mosquer; Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, the new Caliph
appointed by the IS

narrated through elaborate maps and images in
the series. Scholars of Islam have been inter-
viewed extensively to trace the history of
Caliphate. These include Amira Bennison,
reader in the history and culture of Maghrib at
the University of Cambridge; John Tolan, pro-
fessor of history at University of Nantes; Konrad
Hirschler, faculty, School of Oriental and
African Studies, University of London; and,
Fathi al-Bahri from the Tunisian National Insti-
tute for Heritage, among others.
But the spread of Islam was not only about
conquests, military moves and garrison towns.
The second part of the series describes the cul-
tural flowering under Abbasids. Abbasids pro-
vided much stability in the region, and under
them, Baghdad emerged as a center of trade, cul-
tural growth and scientific quest, and
contributed in large measure to the European
Renaissance.
In the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks, who
called themselves Sultans, laid claim to the title
of Caliph. With this, the title of Caliph also
slipped from the Arabs for the first time. After
the World War, it was the Muslims in Turkey, in-
spired by nationalistic ideology, who terminated
the title of Caliph and abolished the Sultanate.
Thus, considerations other than religion have
played a role in the institution of the Caliphate.
Today, a majority of Muslims share the dis-
gust and anguish of others at the violence per-
petrated by the IS. In trying to revive the
Caliphate, does the IS have a broad-based sup-
port of Muslims? Caliph claims that Baghdadi
doesn’t have broad-based consensus to hold on
to the title.
Caliph does not touch upon the Shariat, the
Hadith and the crux of what Islam has to say vis-
à-vis other religions, diversity and peaceful co-
existence. Its interpretation of Islam is primarily
through the conduct of its Caliphs—largely in
the political realm. It’s for Muslims to draw right
inferences from their Caliphs’ acts and to apply
them to the needs of the 21st century.
WINDS OF CHANGE
Ottoman
sultan and Caliph
Abdul Hamid, who was
deposed in 1909
TV Review
Caliph

PINK PHRASESSTONE THE CROWS!
AMERICANSPEAK MORE FOREIGN WORDS
English is one of modern India’s 22 official languages, and is widely learnt as the second language in
most countries. Enjoy it and avoid falling into some common error traps. BY MAHESHTRIVEDI
Italian,Portuguese,RussianandSpanishwordshavealso
contributedtoEnglishvocabulary:
ITALIAN: Fresco, grotto, motto, volcano, graffito, incognito,
virtuoso, pasta, pizza, plaza, trattoria, arcade, cello, balcony,
colonel, ballot, concert, bandit, confetti, bravo, brigand, bronze,
ditto, bust, domino, cameo, duet, fiasco, caprice, gazette, gela-
tine, caricature, infantry, carnival, influenza, cartoon, lava,
casino, macaroni, malaria, manifesto, spaghetti, opera,
squadron, tarantula, terra-cotta, traffic and umbrella.
SPANISH: Aficionado, cask, alligator, cigar, armada, cockroach,
armadillo, bravado, fiesta, cafeteria, flotilla, canyon, macho,
ranch, marijuana, mascara, sherry, mosquito, siesta, stampede,
Negro, tornado and vanilla.
PORTUGUESE: Albatross, cobra, albino, dodo, caste, mandarin,
marmalade and pagoda.
RUSSIAN: Samovar, troika, tundra, taiga and vodka.
Dank — Excellent
Up the pole — Pregnant
Rocked to sleep — Dead
Uncle nab — Police officer
Have a spaz — Be angry
Laundry queen = Black woman
Wrecked — Drunk
French tackle — Lips
Without a paddle — In a very bad situation
Have gravy on one’s grits —To be rich
Pink slip — Sack order
Pink elephants — Drunken hallucinations
Pink of perfection — Best of condition
Pink dollar — Money spent by gays
Pink-collar Jobs — Jobs done by women
Inkie finger — Smallest finger
In the pink — In good health
Strike me pink! — I am surprised!
Tickled pink —Very amused
DID YOU KNOW?
Playwright, NOT -write
Quadruped, NOT Quadra-
Septuagenarian, NOT Septa-
Quandary, NOT Quandry or Quandery
Remembrance, NOT –berance
Cipher, NOT Cypher
Confectionery, NOT –nary
Moneyed, NOT monied
Skulduggery, NOT Skull-
Nincompoop, NOT Nim-
NEGATIVE IS OK
Inadvertent
Ruthless
Immaculate
Disgust
Antihistamine
Indomitable
Innocuous
Impeccable
Implacable
Analgesia
Antibiotic
Unconscionable
Disconsolate
Incorrigible
Inevitable
Strangely,somewordsarerarelyusedintheirpositiveform.
Herearesome:
Lodestone — Magnetic stone
Gemstone — Precious stone
Free stone — A stone that cuts easily
Shingle — Small pebbles
Flagstone — A large flat piece of stone
Tablet — A small flat stone slab
Grindstone — A stone for sharpening metal
Calculus — A stone formed in kidney
Philosopher’s stone — A stone turning base metals into gold

Film Review
Kabali
Stale Wine
and ClichesFor once,Thalaiva is his real age
in the role, but this is regular
commercial Indian cinema with
nothing new and his ageing swag
fails to lift the film
BY MAHIMA CHOWDHARY
ABALI has nothing new to
offer and, sadly, the film has
underutilized both Ra-
jinikanth and Radhika Apte.
However, contrary to the
usual, Rajini is finally seen playing his age in the
film. Kabali is a don with a conscience. He kills
people as if he is chopping vegetables. Nonethe-
K

less, he is a good guy!
The film is set in Malaysia and the plot is fore-
seeable; it is the good gangster against the bad
guys called the Taitalis (meaning 43) Gang. It is
helmed by Tony Lee (played by Taiwanese actor
Winston Chao) and the gang, comprising Vijay
Singh, Lokesh and Shiva, in descending order of
power. They are at war against Kabali.
It starts when Kabali is young; he is against
oppression of Indians and raises a voice against
being underpaid as compared to his Chinese
counterparts.
Voila! He succeeds and is spotted by Ram
Prasad, another gangster with a conscience. This
marks Kabali’s entry to “gangsterism”.
In a climactic gang war, Kabali loses his preg-
nant wife and is sent to jail for 25 years.
His release from jail is where the film opens;
it’s a dramatic scene with Kabali reading My Fa-
ther Balaiah in his cell. The film doesn’t outrightly
state if Kabali is a Dalit but if you happen to know
about the book, you might think along those
lines. Director Ranjith, in his previous film,
Madras (2014), attempted to give a background
of Dalit representation in Tollywood, and it is
worth noting that many of his crew belong to the
community.
Apart from this Dalit subtext, it is hard to find
anything that puts your brain in motion. The
tried and tested effortless Rajini swag seems to be
rusted now. There are punches like “Kala hu par
takatwala hu,” that only Rajini can deliver. The
onus of dragging the screenplay seems to be solely
on his shoulders, which makes the film weak.
The bad guys break into a fight every now and
then, the villain in his red and pink suits cannot
match up to Kabali, and the intensity of the en-
mity between the protagonist and the antagonists
is not shown very seriously so the audience will
find it hard to relate to. Kabali kills his age-old
arch rivals with zero effort, single-handedly,
which makes the fight look comic. The bad guys
smoke and do drugs with women in their arms –
the film is full of clichéd imagery.
As for the acting, Rajini has his usual unflap-
pable swag. Radhika Apte is a great actress, she
does justice to the role but you’ll want more of
her. The leading couple’s daughter, Yogi (played
by Dhansika), kills people for money, defeats
dozens of men alone, but in the end, is toppled by
Lee, because Rajini has to be the hero, right?
Watch the film for dhoom-dhadaka and typi-
cal South Indian-style action. Don’t look for logic
or even a story. Kabali is just old wine in a new
bottle. Watch it for the love of Rajinikanth and his
dapper style which can give any young hero a run
for his money. Sadly, there is no other reason for
you to spend your time or money on Kabali.
KABALI
Director:PARanjith
Starring:Rajinikanth,Radhika
Apte,Dhansika,WinstonChao
Watch the film for dhoom-dhadaka and
typical South Indian-style action. Don’t
look for logic or even a story. Kabali is
just old wine in a new bottle.

NEWSDATE NEWS CHANNEL TIME
22/7/16
23/7/16
23/7/16
IAF plane goes missing. Enroute from
Chennai to Port Blair.Twenty-two people
on board.
Firing at a shopping center in Munich,
Germany. Nine people reported dead.
Breakthrough in Samachar Apartment
murder case.Twenty-five year old
woman arrested. Claims she was lured by
the promise of job and raped. 10:29 AM
22/7/16
FIR against Bhupinder Singh Huda in a
land allotment case.
9:26 AM 10:00 AM
1:20 PM
Three-year-old child falls in a borewell in
Gwalior. Rescue operation underway.
Suspected ISIS member arrested from
Kalyan in Maharashtra. Joint operation of
Maharashtra ATS and Kerala Police.
11:38 AM
Seven school children die in Bhadohi, UP,
as van collides with train.Twelve chil-
dren serious.
9:19 AM9:17 AM
NarsinghYadav’s Rio still stands a chance.
Room-mate SandeepYadav also tests
positive for doping.Wrestling Federations
says sabotage can’t be ruled out. 10:18 AM 10:20 AM
23/7/16
23/7/16
25/7/16
25/7/16
10:35 AM 10:53 AM 11:00 AM
12:01 PM 12:08 PM
7:25 AM7:18 AM
9:19 AM
10:29 AM
10:36 AM
11:36 AM
10:15 AM
10:29 AM
1:22 PM
7:20 AM
10:28 AM
1:39 PM
9:50 AM
1:40 PM
7:20 AM
10:45 AM
10:18 AM
9:21 AM

Here are some of the major news items aired on television
channels, recorded by our unique 24x7 dedicated media
monitoring unit that scrutinizes more than 130 TV channels in
different Indian languages and looks at who breaks the news first.
DATE NEWS CHANNEL TIME
NEWS
25/7/16
31/7/16
Salman Khan acquitted in Chinkara case.
4:19 PM
30/7/16
31/7/16
Six killed in road accident on Mumbai-
Pune highway. All college students.
Mahmood Farooqui of PeepliLive fame
convicted of raping an American citizen.
AAP MLA Sharad Chauhan arrested in
party activist Soni’s suicide case.
Building collapse in Mumbai.Twenty-two
people rescued. Rescue work hampered
by rain.
Former CMs not entitled to govt
bungalows, rules SC. Orders them to
vacate accommodations in two months.
9:00 AM
26/7/16
Shot Put player Inderjeet Singh tests
positive for doping. Had qualified for Rio.
Alleges he is being framed.
11:12 AM 11:20 AM
9:21 AM
10:36 AM
2:00 PM
5:04 PM 5:08 PM
11:03 AM 11:04 AM
2:03 PM
1/8/16
9:01 AM
10:38 AM
11:02 AM 11:03 AM
Anandiben posts on FB she is quitting.
Next gen should get a chance, writes
Gujarat CM. 5:02 PM
26/7/16
1/8/16
10:38 AM
9:24 AM
4:20 PM4:20 PM 4:20 PM
12:44 AM 12:45 AM
9:01 AM
2:05 PM 2:07 PM
5:00 PM
9:05 AM
10:37 AM
9:23 AM 9:32 AM

Views On News 22 august 2016

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