Lost Journalism

THE NATION WANTS TO KNOW!!!! What’s important for INDIAN MEDIA!?- TRUTH OR TRP.
Congratulations after seven long decades of independence, we have finally raised our voices. But that’s not the end, our voices need Right Words and Right Platforms, and therefore it’s Time when Indian Media take charge as the FACE of the Biggest Democracy of the World.
There are 4 pillars of democracy:
1. Judiciary
2. Executive
3. Legislature
4. Media
This fourth pillar-Media, makes sure that there is transparency and ethical functioning in all other 3 systems.
Highest power has been vested to the citizens of India for country’s betterment, followed by media. Media has the power to question government, to make people aware of surroundings, to fight against injustice, to work for uplift of society and what not. The shocking fact is that this great power is either being misused or unutilized!
Media was developed to fight for citizens and their human rights. But, today news channels are fighting for the sake of TRP and huge profits. They just want to attract viewers and get highest TRP. Oftentimes, news channels manipulate news or just show partial news.
• Example, In 2015, Patidar riots in Gujarat, drew attention of entire country. In one of the riots in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, the Patidar members attacked police stations and set them on fire which resulted in many injuries to many policemen. As a reaction, police force started beating them. And there comes the media… Media focused on how policemen ill-treated Patidar members. They showed how cruel our police department is! But they didn’t cover how many policemen were injured, severely injured. Everyone started blaming police department. Those policemen were on their duty and performing it. The fault was of Patidar members who were irresponsible citizens fighting for some stupid reservations even at the cost of our protectors. Was it really necessary to show news in this way? What if instead of police station your house was set on fire and instead of police it was you or your family member?
There are times when media gets obsessed with celebrities. They would do anything and everything to know who is dating or getting divorced or got pregnant. They will hunt down what Taimur and Yash played at a party. But hardly anyone will get to the roots of any scam or will show us hell situations of farmers or arm forces. They don’t show us how families of farmers or arm forces are managing to live. Even if any news channel shows us productive news, then it won’t get TRP or high number of viewers because we, the citizens, are more interested in knowing what Misha Kapoor is doing nowadays rather than knowing, would there be bright future of children of arm forces.
Even when serious crime news are shown, the victim is focused and disturbed by asking futile questions. For example, if there is any news on rape, then the victim is focused on main screen but the criminal is shown on side bars. And then the non sense debate of shouting and blaming what was girl wearing or doing at that time will start!!
Probably, every citizen currently knows about Priya Prakash Varrier but hardly 10% people would know about recent helicopter crash. Two Wing Commanders of the Indian Air Force were killed after a microlight helicopter crashed in Assam’s Majuli Island on 15th February, 2018. This crash was due to technical reasons. This shows how vulnerable our defense department is and it is very dangerous. This is where media is absent.
Moreover, only negative news are given importance by media. Positive ones are neglected. Media shows us just the negative side of society making people pessimist. They show crimes and bad deeds on screen and exaggerate one single bad thing which depletes society’s trust. Rather, they can even focus on positive side of society such as social helpers or innovators. However, even here we, the citizens, does not want to know about the development of society but we are more eager to know who is the winner of Big Boss.
Even in the newspapers, many times winning or losing of Indian cricket team becomes headlines. It’s good that we encourage them to play better for country. But headlines are just about cricket. If other Indian sports team wins any title then they are simply places in sports column.
Always remember that we, the citizens, have highest power to do best or worst for the country. It’s not just media. If the citizens start viewing real news then, that will encourage every media to show real and productive news. Or even, if all media altogether starts showing real news then citizens may initiate taking interest in development of country.

Menstruation - Part 1 The one with logics and reasons

Ever had periods??? NO?.. Then you don't know that a month has only 25 easy days.. Rest days are quite painful and humiliating. Surprisingly, Indian society don't discuss sensitive issues related to menstruation and pregnancy, still we are the fastest growing population in the world. Even in this Era, it's a bitter fact that some negative thoughts are leaking through some negative minds of our society, it needs to be padded soon.
When a girl child is born in India, she is said to be an avatar of Laxmi Goddess. So I am not wrong if I say that I belong to the country where people worship woman as a Goddess but on the other hand women are humiliated on the name of menstruation.
People tend to follow the old rules blindly. They don’t try to analyse or find out the origin or cause of the rule but just follow them blindly without using their brains. Menstruation is the process of discharging blood from the vagina through uterus. It is also known as period or monthly. It occurs at intervals of about one lunar month from puberty until menopause, except during pregnancy.
Many societies believe that a woman is impure during her period. On that basis, people don’t treat her properly. She is humiliated many times, plus she has to live apart from her family during menstruation. There are many restrictions for her to follow.
Generally, all across the India, there are some common menstruating rules. Example, she cannot enter a temple, she cannot cook or touch the food, she cannot have her food sitting with others, she cannot water the plants, she cannot touch the pickle, she has to live separately from other family members, etc. All these rules are not followed with proper logic and people have taken it all the way wrong. Every rule made up in earlier times has some logic attached to it. Some rules are still effective while some have no meaning to exist but still prevails.
I came across this article where I did find many interesting and positive facts and logics behind these rules:
• There is a temple named Devipuram (dedicated to Devi) in Andhra Pradesh where women are allowed to enter into the temple even when they are menstruating. Shri Amritananda Natha Saraswati (Guruji), founder of this temple gave the reason why menstruating women do not visit temple :
            '' What is pure, we don’t touch. A menstruating woman is so pure that she is worshipped as a goddess. She is a living goddess at that time. The energy of the God or Goddess in the murti (idol) will move to her and that idol becomes lifeless, while the menstruating woman is life. It has nothing to do with a woman being impure.'' It’s entirely opposite of what society believes.
• Before menstruation, a woman gatheres the energy in her in order to prepare for pregnancy. However, when pregnancy does not occur, the energy starts flowing out of the body (during menstruation). While eating, people exhale negative energy and the menstruating woman who is energy sensitive, absorbs those energies. So if she is sitting in a group of people to eat she may or may not absorb the negative energy. And that is the reason why woman don’t eat with others during menstruating. Moreover, they avoid cooking because they need rest due to blood loss.
• At many places, women lives in secluded huts during menstruation. They provide the reason that their own homes are too small for them to maintain privacy, so they live in these huts where they can even rest.
• In Kashmir Hindu Culture, menstruating woman are given special care considering the belief that they become weak due to blood loss. They do not consider them to be impure and rules like, a woman on her period cannot visit temples or cannot work do not apply.
• In Manipur, when a girl bleeds for first time, the cloth in which she bleeds is kept aside safely and is gifted back to her when she gets married. It is believed that the cloth is too powerful thay it can protect the girl and her family from poor health and other ills.
• There is another traditional practice in Manipur, where the girl tastes a drop of first menstrual blood. It is said that this blood is powerful and it helps in maintaining good health.
• On the contrary, in Jarkhand, if people find the blooded cloth of a woman, they consider her as a witch or cursed. Thereafter, she is murdered and all her property is taken away.
• In Karnataka, a Tulu festival named Keddasa is celebrated in the month of January or February for 3 days. It is the beginning of Mother Earth’s fertility cycle which is equal to the female fertility cycle. They don’t disturb Mother Earth and she is given rest for 3 days and no farming is done during those 3 days. On the 4th day, some oil and turmeric is sprinkled on the Earth and the process of sowing seed begin. The same practice prevails in Punjab too.
• In the temples, Bhagwati in Chengannur (Kerala) and Kamakhaya Devi (Assam), it is believed that even the Goddess menstruate and thus, the temple is closed for 3 days. After 3 days, they celebrate the end of menstruation. The menstrual cloth is considered as highly auspicious and is distributed among devotees!!
So if these rules were made taking into mind that a menstruating woman is impure or she is a witch or just to restraint woman kind, then the same would not be done with the Goddess. Menstruation is a natural body cleansing process. It helps woman to maintain good health. There is no need to exaggerate the rules in negative way.
I am not saying that all women should follow all the rules. In fact, women is not untouchable during her period. She is not required to live isolated. She can enter the temple if she wants. She can do any other thing she wishes to. My aim was just to provide logical reasons through this writing.
Women should be treated with respect and her utmost care should be taken during menstruation because women are not impure but are the Goddess.