The Media Earthquake of the Decade - Update 2

It just had to come, didn't it? Of course it did. The backlash against the Jang Group - Times of India Group collaboration, that is.

First there were the comments on our blog post, which started off as a fair enough critique of the language and sins of omission of the joint editorial, until they descended into the usual "Hindi title, Indian poet" crapola. (Surprisingly, no one's actually yet commented on how the Urdu word 'Amn' has been transliterated into it's Punjabi equivalent 'Aman'.)

But how could Madame Mazari be far behind. Here's The Nation's editorial in today's paper, directly attacking the project (getting back at The News running Arif Nizami's columns perhaps?). I thought I might as well reproduce it in full below, for your reading convenience of course..

A farcical peace

Published: January 2, 2010

ONCE more a new propaganda offensive has been launched by segments of Indian civil society, including its media, in the shape of a "hope for peace". That it is propaganda is evident from the fact that it has come at a time when the Indian military is sending threatening messages to Pakistan with its new war strategies. Bolstering this renewed hostility, the Indian Home Minister Chidambaram has launched a vitriolic tirade against Pakistan and its so-called "terror structure". Ironically, this vitriol has come when the whole Kasab case is unravelling. Even worse, this "peace" offensive is designed once again to sidestep the real conflicts of Kashmir, water and arms build-ups by the Indians along the Pakistan border. By recalling the Sufi and other poets of the subcontinent, the effort is to divert people from these very real political issues without which there can actually be no real peace and stability in this region. It is interesting to note also that while all the major poets of the subcontinent have been recalled in the "peace" context, Iqbal, who is linked closely with the idea of a Muslim homeland that came to be Pakistan, has been ignored. Surely such an omission could hardly be accidental?

That some in Pakistan have joined this new propaganda offensive is not surprising given the genuine desire for peace within Pakistan. Unfortunately, these Pakistanis need to take their blinkers off and see the reality of the Indian position. There is no myth about India's continuing hostility towards Pakistan - at least amongst its leadership. Unless the mindset of the ruling elite in India alters there can be no lasting peace because the present leadership is carrying on in the tradition of earlier Indian rulers who have sought to evade conflict resolution and focus on conflict management. Perhaps it would serve a more useful purpose if the Indian civil society and media that seek peace were to first seek to alter their ruling elite's mindset so that occupation of Kashmir can end and India can learn to abide by the Indus Waters Treaty. There is also India's backtracking on the Siachin draft agreement of 1989. Perhaps the Indian "peace" activists can influence their state to stopping its aid and arms flows to militants in Pakistan.

Ooh, looks like things are just heating up. Zaid Hamid can't be far behind.

The Media Earthquake of the Decade - Update 1

So, we can confirm that the Jang Group - Times of India Group collaboration, set to be launched January 1st, will be titled "Amn Ki Asha" (The Desire for Peace). Of course, there is some ironic humour to be had in finding Jang promoting Amn, but that is, perhaps, besides the point.

The title is derived from a poem written by noted filmmaker and lyricist Gulzar especially for the occasion and the launch of the collaboration will feature the simultaneous broadcast of a video shot around a recitation of the poem. The recitation will be by none other than the 'Big B' himself, i.e. Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

Here is what the Press Trust of India (PTI) has already divulged about the upcoming project, derived mainly it seems from Bachchan's blog (obviously, he is not being bound to the kind of secrecy that is being practised on this side of the border).

Amitabh Bachchan to promote India-Pakistan peace

Updated on Monday, December 28, 2009, 18:29 IST

Mumbai: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is collaborating with a media house for a peace campaign to better ties between India and Pakistan.

"Their media and our media will through the medium initiate cross over efforts to hold hands, to exchange views and ideas of how to extend our understanding with each other, to build bridges when all else is falling apart," Big B wrote on his blog.

Bachchan will be seen rendering some lines written by noted lyricist Gulzar in a video as a part of the campaign.

The video depicts a casual atmosphere of a wayside tea stall and thoughts related to our early lives lived in smaller towns.

"The idea of lets get together, unfold a `duree` bring on the `dholak` and sing the songs of community singing. Of flying kites from the roof tops of our homes and inviting each other for a game of `kabaddi`," he added.

The 67-year-old actor hailed the commonness between two countries and advocated a need to build confidence and faith in each other.

"We are now two different countries, India and Pakistan, but our cultures match, as do our food and living habits and our speech. We have been in dispute and rancor on many an occasion and continue to be so, but how wonderful for the media of both the nations to want to start this unique move in building each others confidence and faith in the other," Bachchan wrote.

The Times Of India group plans to launch the campaign from January 1.

Some eyebrows may be raised by the involvement of Bachchan, who despite his recent pronouncements calling for Indo-Pak friendship, has not only acted in decidedly rabid anti-Pakistan films such as Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo and Deewaar:Let's Bring the Heroes Home, but also has a very cordial relationship with Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. But that may be splitting hairs - after all there is no bigger iconic figure in Indian cinema (whatever one may think of his films), he has acted in over 180 films, and his politics have never been that of Bal Thackeray's, whose goonda-istic control over Bombay is a reality the people in the entertainment industry there must live with. Furthermore, even if the criticism of Bachchan is not discounted, it's a good thing in my book if he changes course.

In any case, the funniest tangential bit about this piece of news is that Express TV ran a full news report about it - obviously taking the PTI story as a source - probably without realizing that their rival Jang Group was involved. (Note please that the PTI story makes it sound as if the Times of India Group is doing this on its own!) Generally, you never hear of events involving another media group featured on a rival's channels or in their publications (and this is most true of the Jang Group!). And given the diversification of the business interests of media owners, this is becoming really farcical. So, even if done unintentionally, perhaps one should give kudos to the Express TV management. The collaboration certainly deserves to be taken as big news.

As we mentioned earlier, the launch will also feature a joint front-page editorial in both group's publications, setting out the mission statement for the collaboration. In addition, we are also likely to see a survey, conducted on both sides of the border, of the populace's opinions on a number of issues related to relations between the testy neighbours.

Let's see what else is in store.

The Media Earthquake of the Decade

Something very secretive is afoot in the media on both sides of Wahga / Munabao and it promises to be HUGE. It would seem that the two largest media groups of both Pakistan and India are about to stage a major splash by joining hands in the new year.

Yes, you heard that right. The Times of India Group and the Jang Group - neither exactly known for their sustained efforts to promote rational dialogue on Indo-Pak matters - are gearing up to launch a far-reaching collaboration on January 1st, 2010. The Times Group which runs the highest circulation English newspaper in the world (I'm not making this up, you can check this up here), the Times Now TV channel (the top-ranked English news channel), The Economic Times (India's largest financial daily), the tabloid Mirror (published separately from 6 cities), the Hindi language Navbharat Times, the Marathi Maharashtra Times and the glamour and entertainment channel ZOOm, will be entering into some sort of "intensive partnership" with the Jang Group, which runs the highest circulation Urdu newspaper in the world (had to balance things somewhat), The News, the weeklies Mag and Akhbar-e-Jahan, the eveningers Awam and Daily News and of course Geo, Geo News, Aag and Geo Super.

What exactly this collaboration will entail, I must admit I do not yet exactly know, since it is still a closely guarded secret. But from the reports filtering in from both sides of the border, it will definitely involve shared content, shared resources and jointly organized events, apparently to encourage debate over the outstanding issues between the two countries and to foster an environment in which lowering of tensions and political rapprochement is possible. All this is set to be launched with a bang with a simultaneously published mission statement and other emotive festivities on the first day of the new year.

The stated intentions seem very noble and this collaboration could actually turn out to be a game-changer for India Pakistan relations if everything works out as planned. Media activists on both sides have long demanded greater access for each other's media and journalists, and a greater understanding of each other's points of view cannot be a bad thing in the long run.

However, a number of nagging questions still lurk in my mind:

1) Can Pakistan's establishment, seemingly so intent on scuttling any attempts by Zardari / PPP to bring India and Pakistan closer, accept this?

2) Can the Indian establishment and media put aside its patronizing tone and hostility towards Pakistan long enough for something like this to have a chance of succeeding?

3) How will the Jang Group - currently engaged in a tense and destructive stand-off with the government - reconcile its promotion of growing business ties with India when it has often beat up on politicians such as Zardari for attempting to do the same?

4) How will Times Group and the Jang Group reconcile their often hawkish stands vis a vis Indo-Pak relations with their newfound bonhomie?

5) How exactly would the collaboration between the Times of India (with a circulation exceeding 3.4 million and a distinct focus on Bollywood catfights) and The News (with a circulation of, um, slightly less and a distinct focus on Ansar Abbasi) actually work to both's benefit?

6) How the hell did Dawn get left behind? Something like this seems right up its alley.

Arnab Goswami (left) on his version of Capital Talk

7) Will Geo's Hamid Mir and Times Now's Arnab Goswami - surely the blustering mirrors of each other in tone and physique - square off in a wrestling match to the death?


Watch this space for more details. And remember, you heard it first right here.