Here’s another gem from the oh-so-secular SpIndian Express straight off the editor’s desk. The pattern is the same. Speak as little about terrorists as possible but damn the curious monster called “communalism,”which incidentally always means Hindu Communalism.
The piece asks, “What is Sacred?” And inadvertently answers: nothing. To its credit, it talks tough about terrorists: just. Nothing beyond. No names taken, least of all the words Islam, Islamic or even Muslim appears not once in the entire piece–shudder, shudder and cringe.
It instead–and predictably–takes occasion to damn the usual suspect: VHP. One can overlook it, we’re used to it. But look what it says in the same breath:
From a UP minister’s open call to murder—endorsed by the state government—to the VHP’s description of the Varanasi attack as being a “war against the nation,” such rhetoric only plays into the hands of those who have blood on them.
So, the rulebook of Journalism of Courage equates a fundamentalist, criminal UP Minister to the VHP. Which again is predictable. The secular media’s bias withstanding, the VHP has never got coverage for its tons of social welfare activities. In a world of pure imagination, let’s say an Islamic body that’s the equivalent of VHP exists and let’s call it VIP or Vishwa Islamic Parishad. Let’s also assume it has contributed to several social betterment causes. The secular media would’ve gone on an endless orgasm praising it. Unfortunately, the only VIP organizations we know of regularly butcher people. I of course don’t mean there are no well-meaning Islamic organizations but then I was only speaking hypothetically. All the good the VHP is doing is never reported, which is consistent with secularism and which is what gives the media the ammunition to equate it with the said Fundamentalist Minister. VHP’s schools and other institutions for tribals is branded as regressive while conversion sprees of the selfsame tribals is never reported. If said conversion methods get out of hand and (violent) reaction follows, it is reported as either the fault of the tribals or links are found to some Hindu body behind such reaction.
Forgive the digression.
VHP’s description is entirely accurate: the attack is an attack on the nation. In fact, this very edit says so. Here, the words:
Varanasi itself is India in microcosm. Its chroniclers call it the living text of Hinduism, and various faiths and reform movements have been accommodated in its sacred geography. To strike violence in Varanasi is to put all of India on alert, to put the idea of India to the test.
Is what VHP says any different from the previous paragraph? But Indian Secularist discourse isn’t built on logic. And more insidiously:
Terror and terrorists, as we have been made tragically aware of, do not discriminate. Innocent, defenceless men, women and children at a wedding at the Sankatmochan temple, student artists drawing sketches at the cantonment railway station, mathematicians at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Diwali and Id shoppers in New Delhi markets—all of us are terror’s targets regardless of which party we vote for, which God we pray to.
Right. Then how come we don’t see incidents where Delhi’s Jama Masjid… why, any Mosque has been the target of a terrorist attack so far? But the Jouralism of Courage’s Logic 101 states terrorists don’t discriminate. And so it is.
What is sacred, indeed? Varanasi the heart of, and melting point of Infidelity certainly isn’t. We have the Indian Express’ word for it.
Tags: Commentary, Indian Politics, Media Watch, Pseudo Secularism Hall of Shame, Society & Culture, Terrorism & Pakistan
On 03.09.06 varnam says:
50 people in Delhi, 20 in Varanasi and God knows how many more to come. The Indian Blogosphere comments on this mass murder: Die #$* Infidels!, Terrorists attack Varanasi, Caught in the cross-fire, Bomb blasts in Hindu holy city,What the Varanasi attack really is
On 03.10.06 Anon says:
The reason why most journalists engage in pseudo-secularism is actually more sinister than a “desire” to be tolerant. I’d say it is because they have no choice. Otherwise, they’d get immediately branded, hounded, thrown off the gravy train. One needs to properly characterize, and attack this underlying bullyism.
—7*6
On 03.10.06 Anon says:
Sandeep: Sorry for the anon comment above; and the off-topic comment here; but signing as seven_times_six is getting flagged off as spam. This is sacriligeous considering I hold the answer to the question of life universe and everything.
— 7*6
On 03.10.06 Parimal Gupta says:
Here comes another one from the Spinner. Seems to me that Varanasi has shaken Shekhar Gupta more than anything else. From day one he is making noises of a different kind. He has not shed a single tear on the tragedy itself. Rather he and his team is coming up with one article after another to ensure that it drives home the point that even now BJP is more dangerous than the jehadis themselves. Shekhar Gupta is clearly worried that for his favourite leader [read Sonia Antanio] the ground is sleeping under the feet. The desperation is evident from the third consecutive editorial Shekhar has dedicated to BJP bashing.
But in a way it is a good sign. The “secularists” are feeling the heat. How long are they going to defend the undefendable?
Why that , i recently read an article by the elitist-liberal Vir Sanghvi that suggested to me the first signs of BJP revival. Obviously these jholawalas are not comfortable with BJP coming to power. They are making the mandatory noises to divert attention from real issue. While Shekhar’s favourite party is making jokes on Hanuman even in this hour of tragedy [which Shekhar put on the headlines the first day to rub more salt on the Hindu wounds] the media in general seems clueless on how to defend their favourite plank. So they are just using the age-old tactics of offence [against BJP] before defending the jehadis. Talk of pre-emptive strike , eh!
Check this [makes you puke with nausea] editorial.
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=89254
On 03.10.06 doubtinggaurav says:
Sandeep
6*7 is right, your spam blocker is blocking all the wisdom of mine.
And worse it stops me from peddling my site.
Is it the work of Hindu fundamentalists
Regards
On 03.10.06 terror in delhi 10/29 says:
physical security in public places - the media is gunning at the wrong issues. And after all this, they innocuously wonder if they are under attack from the ‘establishment’. Well, they are certainly underattack from the Army of Davids , well we don’t have the size yet, but we are hopeful of getting there.
On 03.10.06 Sandeep says:
7*6 and gaurav,
Please be patient, my tech guru is working on implementing a brand new anti spam system that’ll get rid of the problems you face in commenting here.
Sorry about that.
On 03.10.06 DesiPundit » Blasts In Varanasi: Media Duplicity? says:
[...] Update: Sandeep has one more post on similiar lines [...]
On 03.10.06 BangaloreGuy says:
ah, and I thot I was the only victim of the spam-block
On 03.11.06 Niketan says:
Hello Sandeep
Well said. I checked out the media reports and some ‘progressive’ blogs. Many of them have completely omitted this. Is the rest of India becoming another Kashmir? Terrorist killings becoming regular business?
Others are mouthing the same inanities and focusing on the VHP and Advani’s reactions to the explosion. (Ref: India Uncut)
The reactions have been moderate and there is no hate message against the muslims even though it is critical about the govt as it rightly should be.
Point to note: Where were these worthies when the left parties held protests against George Bush along with extremist fundamentalist organisations?
On 03.14.06 Anirban says:
I have always felt a large section of English-educated Hindus are a masochistic lot; and unfortunately these are the people who are the opinion-makers in India.
On 03.17.06 Something like life says:
here. A brief post by Nitin. A must read by Greatbong, and when I say must it means must. Expectedly usual bunch of secularists are either silent or coming up with this. Another Update: Sandeep hasexpressed his frustation with the “secular media”. The priest of secularism has spoken. The message, “While India needs to take all possible steps to hunt down the terrorists and to secure our people, we must understand the likely nature of these provocations and not create an excuse for