+2 Pass-out a bureau chief at CNN-IBN!?

"..I don't feel like sympathising with the rest of the people in old city. Whether they are Hindus or Muslims, they deserve to live in curfew for the reason that they don't want to change themselves. They are least bothered about the image of the city they live in."

"I sometimes suspect that both the communities in the old city are suffering from some kind of psychological disorder. They always find one or the other reason to fight against each other. "

"they are certainly suffering from mental disorder of 'religious intolerance' and need immediate treatment. Yes, all of them need treatment. "

Shaik Ahmed Ali, the bureau chief of CNN-IBN in Hyderabad is a revelation. Above are the gems he produced in his latest article on the curfew in Hyderabad a month ago. As we see, he is busy judging people rather than analyzing what possibly went wrong. Heck, he is not even reporting! None of his posts shows he actually tried to get to the bottom of the topics he was writing on by speaking to anyone - there are no quotes of the people he spoke to. Maybe he just sits at his desk and writes, that people in the city suffer from psychological disorders!

Mr Ali's case reminds us about the quality of Journalism we have today even while our nation is confronted with myriad complex problems. He is the chief reporter in a state which is confronting an unprecedented crisis, the solution for which can redefine not just the political and social identity of the many states in this country but can redefine the identity of this nation into something more complex than just a union of linguistic states. And we have Mr Ali, for a leading news network in India, to report this with absolutely no insight into things political, social or economical but loads of sweeping statements from his empty head.

Prior to his piece on Curfew, Mr Ali produced these frivolous pieces -

Why Women's Reservation Bill is Anti-Muslim?

The anatomy of Telangana agitation

Political Mafia is ruling Hyderabad

I will remember YSR, forever

When I read these, I was wondering what qualifies him as a journalist. And then a journalist friend chipped in with these words about Mr Ali's background-

"I have read this blog. It is completly immature and unprofessional.

This man was a boy when he started working for APTimes way back in 1996-97. He is an old city guy and not well educated. He just completed Class 12 and did not do any further education. Generally he used to be put on crime and old city beats. These are the beats which are generally given to young journalists from Muslim community. Later on, this fellow was hired by CNN-IBN. It was a complete surprise to me as he did not have good formal education.

Somebody told me some complaints were lodged against him with the CNN-IBN management. But i do not know how he continues to work for the channel. His understanding of politics is very pathetic and he is not very well informed about the dynamics of the Andhra politics. His world-view does not rise above the gallies of the old city. This man should not have been allowed to write as he pleases for such an esteemed channel as the CNN-IBN headed by people like Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagarika Ghose."

So there we get it. A +2 guy with no formal studies writing now for CNN-IBN! There are countless gems in all his articles like those in his blogpost about curfew. In an earlier post about the Telangana agitation, he said - 'The demand for Telangana may be genuine and justified, but, I believe, the present agitation is surely not genuine or at least, not everyone associated with the movement is genuine.' One more judgmental statement from his Mr. Shaik, the genuine journalist.

Prasthanam: A delight to watch

Deva Katta seems to have a fascination for human complexities, in a Shakespearean way. And just like the bard's plays, Deva Katta's 'Prasthanam' (Journey) too leaves a grain within us, that comes back at you the morning after you watch this drama. In his debut 'Vennela', he made us walk through the transformation of Sharvanand's character from a hero type to a anti-hero type. He portrays the frailties of human mind and so the plot always look larger than sum total of characters in such stories.

I loved Deva Katta debut and I was curious how he would follow it up when I heard about this second movie. He only got better and Prasthanam is a delight to watch. It is as realistic and dramatic Telugu movies can get without boring the viewers. As in Vennela, Prasthanam has its strength in layered characterizations, story and dialogues. And that is where Sai Kumar shows what a dynamic actor he is to play multi-layered characters. He subtle action does not conceal that he is a volcano with its inside waiting to explode, and quite rightly so.

The movie is set in Gannavaram and Vijayawada and has a political backdrop. The dialogues make the movie real with its portrayal of politics, contracts, drugs etc and the exploration of human ambition, greed and relationships elevate the movie into a plane unseen in Telugu movies. The casting is good. Sharwanand does well. After Vennela and Gamyam, this is yet another movie he can be proud of. Even small characters leave their mark because they are well-written for.

The negatives are the long duration, the unnecessary songs and insufficient background score. The movie could have been edited shorter and made more engrossing. Mahesh Shankar could have elevated the movie with a better score.

And finally, the title is in line with literary bent of the movie and it makes me wonder Sri Sri's 'Mahaprasthanam' influence. Ironically, among today's directors, Shekhar Kammula, Krish and Deva Katta seem to have the literary touch in dialogues/songs and all three are US returned film school products. What a refreshing phenomenon. Hope to see more of the works of these sensible filmmakers which in turn may inspire many more newcomers to charter new paths for Telugu movies.

TELANGANA IX: EPW goes on the Telangana trail

The globally reputed independent social science journal Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) came up with another insightful article on the multiple dimensions of the Telangana movement - On the Telangana Trail. The journal which every week brings together academics, researchers, policy makers, independent thinkers, members of non-governmental organisations and political activists for debates straddling economics, politics, sociology, culture, environment and numerous other disciplines has recently started what it calls "Special Issues", which deal with subjects of contemporary interest. And this article is one such Special Issue.

The article starts by questioning 'What is Telangana? Why does it stir such powerful sentiments?' and then the writers, Kalpana Kannabiran being one of the 5 from different NGOs, go on to find answers and record their conversations with 'a cross section of people on their participation and their aspirations – people across political formations and social backgrounds'. They meet small farmers, pastoralists, intellectuals, coal miners, schoolteachers, weavers, traders and dhobis; Muslim, adivasi, dalit and student leaders; They attended meetings in adivasi hamlets, in working class urban neighborhoods and they visited shibirams (tents) across the region and spoke to people on relay hunger strikes. They conclude 'We see quite clearly the emergence of a new politics that is committed to deliberating over the meanings of democracy and direct action. People’s demand for Telangana elaborates a complex set of arguments in relation to investment, employment, education, land, water, and resources. But more importantly it has to do with self-rule, dignity and self-respect, which are the fundamental premises of the Telangana movement. The separate state is seen as only the first step towards democratization.'

Earlier this year, EPW published 2 other articles - 'The Historical Context of Andhra and Telangana, 1949-56' by Mr. Gautam Pingle and The Movement for Telangana: Myth and Reality by Rama S Melkote, E Revathi, and others. Mr Pingle is Director, Centre for policy and governance Administrative Staff College of India and his article is very rare in the sense it examines the role of caste and other social equations that, in the first place, forced the Telangana merger in the 1950s and how they now get unsettled. Some of this content was later republished in Indian Express as 'Caste and the politics of merger'. The second article discussed threadbare widely-publicized perceptions of the people's movement.

In light of these interesting pieces, it would surprise us how less informative or analytical the mainstream vernacular and national press has been about the the basis of the Telangana struggle. How many articles/programs were produced in at least AP about the reasons behind the the initial merger of Telangana, the present demand for demerger and the consequences if or not the demand is met? At least, It was the most basic of duties of the journalists to at least report happenings as they were during the last few months of struggle, pre and post December 9 announcement. Even while the issue was making national headlines, disrupting life in AP, mainstream national media did not initiate any debate on the real/perceived grievances of Telangana, obviously because of, on one hand, the ignorance/prejudice of the reporters while on the other the networks did not go beyond '15 minutes of fame' type news.

Photo Courtesy: REUTERS/Krishnendu Halder

My posts on Telangana:

TELANGANA VIII: My letter to Sri Krishna Committee (SKC) - A case for demerger of Telangana

TELANGANA VII: Grossly discriminated against: Prof Bhalchandra Mungekar

TELANGANA VI: Why Telugu news channels bar coverage?

TELANGANA V: Plutocrats unleash terror over OU students

TELANGANA IV: Shri Krishna committee a crude joke

TELANGANA III: A case of Tyranny of Majority

TELANGANA II: Statehood at Midnight

TELANGANA I: Telangana Movement and the Plutocracy: The Gathering Storm