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In a time when Titans like Tata are pulling out advertisements showing Hindu-Muslim marriage because of bullying by fanatics Bajaj and Parle are setting really soothing examples, that all tycoons can’t be bullied, some of them still think of India as a country where every religion can thrive together and they are not ready to give up on that hope!
When one Western company after another was pulling out their ads from Facebook charging it with manipulation and spread of hatred I wondered if any Indian company will ever do it and like a snob I said Naah! All they care about is their money and they will never antagonize anyone who can cause them potential damage.
Thank you for proving me wrong Bajaj and Parle.
They pulled out their advertisements from three channels stating that they are spreading hatred. Anyone who watches news channels will most probably believe what I do [the reason why I don’t watch news any more, and read them without trusting them, I always double-check ones that make me feel that they are fake] that they are ready to do anything to make their channel sell!
Let it be instigating people against Pakistan [without any proof], framing an actress for murdering her lover [without any proof], or convincing people that Muslim terrorists are deliberately spreading covid-19 [without any proof]! These are just three examples that have been falsified one after the other with time.
These people simply spread hate most probably because it works as magnet attract frustrated people, the no. of which is rising because of so many reasons –unemployment, uncertainty of job / salary, covid-19 generated frustrations. And because of the last reason many of us have too much time to kill, so they start their own storms in tea-cups after hearing these provocative speeches in these channels to further spread the ripple of these hate speeches [not news] further.
I don’t watch news but I recently started watching some freelance news channels that analyze these news items and express their views, they often showed clips of these hate speeches packaged in the garb of news! Belted out by anchors who appeared to be acting on a theater stage not reading a news that may affect the entire nation, throwing their hands, jumping from side to side, screaming at the top of their lungs [don’t they have microphones?] boy how I missed Salma Sultan and her contemporaries who read news in softest voice, without any theatrics! Honestly! These soft speaking men and women [like Vinod Dua] were quite a role-model for wannabe limelight huggers.
Anyone can make the crude guess that the news-readers of current time have joined the profession for money and limelight, limelight is given by their own channel that in turn pays them from the money they earn from advertisers, so they do everything to keep people watching and advertisers advertise.
To stop them from spreading lies and provocative speeches people can act and so can advertisers, by showing that they disapprove their corrupting people and they won’t be showing their advertisements in such channels! People can stop watching those channels and say openly why they don’t watch those channels. Word of mouth is a very powerful weapon. Look at the social sites how it spreads like wild fire, even if it is untrue, baseless!
I hope and pray Bajaj and Parle are leaders of India waking up against disunity, against splitting the country to pieces and factions.
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I hoped this to be a great beginning, but sadly no other corporates followed suite. As of date only Parle & Bajaj remain the brands refusing to advertise in toxic media channels.
As rightly pointed out by the author – these corporate houses must be appreciated and encouraged.
Also it is a shame that there is no restriction on Indian media channels on peddling with fake news – as long as they serve the purpose of the existing regime (whoever that is).
Thanks Amit. Glad that our point of view matches.
A very well articulated and written article, Sharmistha. It’s so true how the social climate is degrading by the day and doctoring of news, peddling and fake allegations. So sad how the whole thing is whittling to politics and hounding of an actress while we ignore real issues.
Thanks Vishal. If we dont do anything soon we will be sitting in caves, wearing animal skin.
It’s good to see everyone is not for sale.
We are about to become Nazi Germany.
We want secular India back.
True Indians.