Veteran journalist P. Sainath has said that the nation is in a crisis. And this crisis is not limited to just the rural area. It has become a national crisis at various areas such as agriculture, education, economy, job creation etc.
He was delivering the endowment lecture on the topic ‘Indian democracy at the post-liberalization and post-truth era’ at Media Manthan 2020 organized by the PG department of journalism and mass communication at St Aloysius College (Autonomous).
Mr Sainath said that the many policies adopted in the 90s led to India becoming unusually unequal. Referring to the speech Ambedkar had made at the Constituent Assembly while handing over the draft of the Constitution, Mr Sainath said, “Ambedkar had warned about the weakness of Indian democracy that liberty without equality allows the supremacy of a few over the multitude. Liberty, equality and fraternity must be kept together as we cannot have one without the other.”
Mr Sainath stated that the agrarian crisis was no longer about the loss of productivity, employment or about farmer suicide; it was a societal, civilizational crisis. Commenting on the lopsided policies such as cow-slaughter ban, he explained how cow slaughter ban had adversely affected many industries due to their interdependency. While Muslims who slaughtered cows were rendered helpless, the cattle traders who were mostly OBCs lost their earnings as the cattle prices crashed. An important industry like Kolhapur sandals industry in Maharashtra went bankrupt as a result of the cow slaughter ban in Maharashtra. He said the policymakers had no idea how the rural industries were interconnected. Demonetisation too devastated the rural economy as 98 percent of rural transactions happen through cash.
Mr Sainath also spoke about the crisis of inequality which affects the Dalits and the Adivasis far more than anyone else as 90 percent of the rural households take home less than Rs 10,000/- per month. “Women are yet another group whose labour is never counted in the gross domestic product. Women and girls globally do unpaid work which amounts to about 12.5 billion working hours per year. Monetarily speaking, this is worth 10.8 trillion dollars,” Mr Sainath added.
Speaking about the crisis of jobs Mr Sainath said that major companies were laying off employees just to create more profits for the investors and the adoption of artificial intelligence in the industry would further destroy millions of jobs.
Rector of St Aloysius College Institutions Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ, Principal Dr (Fr) Praveen Martis SJ, HOD of Journalism and Mass Communication department Dr (Fr) Melwyn Pinto SJ were present.
‘Veerappan and Vijay Mallya’s business models are interesting!’
Addressing the gathering during his endowment lecture on Friday, Mr Sainath made an interesting comment on the so called ‘revenue model’. “Whenever I visit IIMs and IITs for lectures on my PARI project, the students there ask me what my revenue model for my project is. I tell them that I do not have a revenue model. In fact, journalism does not begin with a revenue model. Gandhiji, Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh were all great journalists. But they did not have a revenue model,” Mr Sainath said.
On a lighter note, he said that the best revenue model that he liked was that of forest brigand Veerappan and liquor baron Vijay Mallya. “Veerappan ruled the forest for forty years and from the top ministers to the villagers he could dictate terms and liver royally. Similarly, Mallya’s revenue model was to steal the banks and run away abroad and live like a king,” Mr Sainath added.
Journalism is not and can never be a business. It is a calling, he opined. While newspaper can be a business, television can be a business, journalism per se cannot be reduced to a business. “Unfortunately today, journalists are recruited on a contract basis and they have no bargaining power; and there are no unions to fight for their cause. Hence, they are at the mercy of the corporate media houses for their survival and are made to write stories that cannot be called journalism,” Mr Sainath said.
Answering a question as to the pressures he faced as a journalist, he said that external pressures from the government or others could be very well handled. It is the internal pressures from once own media house that journalists find it difficult to manage.
Comments
Ahmd
What are u teaching vedas to them. they are not following vedas, because they are worshiping Devils.
Ganapathi's father Shiva, Could not recognize his own son Ganapathi, How will he Recognise u.
master plan of MELVIN.. he need post in BJP.. tiz move is very danger to christian community please dont believe MELWIN and RSS ....
OMG...Christian Hindu Bhai Bhai....Hum Saath Saath Hain..Dear Father's And Sister's Dont forget Church attack incident that took place in Mangalore. These are the same people who beat innocent Nuns, Womens and Children. MIND IT.
why don't Chaddis go to churches and masjid..???? why don't they show unity..????. Chaddis wants other religion people to live like their slaves. (vinashakala vipareetha buddi)
This is not communal harmony ....this is an act of cowardness .....
Communal Harmony does not mean worshiping another God or another god of any other religion ...Harmony means give and take respect and love each other. and do respect all religion ....
DOnt misuse Communal Harmony
Guys in movies u have watched khans dancing , praising In front of Hindu Gods....but It doesnt Mean They worship or Believe...its a Part of Movie To entertain.....this Is Also same Its Part to Maintain harmony....plz take Things In different Angles....
Prem ...Jesus never Denied When His Follower Called him God.
VIREN #6
Muslims are NOT ABUSING but telling the TRUTH.
Vedas says NA TASYA PRATImA ASTI which means there is no image of God... it also says God is one ...
Muslims are telling that what VEDAS says is right and we ask U guys to PONDER on Y VEDAS says the following
*NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI (S upanishad 4:19)
*They enter Darkness those who worship natural things, They sink deeper in DARKNESS those who worship Sambhuti (Created things) - Yajurveda 40.09
*God is one without a secong (Chondogya 6:02 1)
*Of that God there is no image primita (YV 32:3)
* All those whose intelligence has been STOLEN by material desires, they worship many Gods - Bhagwat Gita 7:20
READ to understand ...
Remove your hatred and use your intellect to know the reality of IDOL Worship.
You pray Ganapati and throw him in the sea at the end of the day....pity on you guys....I have seen people take drinks and dance behind it...no God fearing...no honesty....no devotion at all...looking for creating problems around....very bad....
They could have gone and prayed some other temples but not in RSS HQ....shame on them....they are scared of.....Muslims would not do this type of shirks....
Dear Vimala... #7
It is better to obey God (Who says worship him alone) rather than disobeying cheddis who want people to bow down to idols.
U will never recognise the devils trap in worshiping many man made created objects UNLESS U READ the manual from God...
QURAN challenges human being to create a book like that or a verse similar to it.
If U not read, then please read it and use your intellect to know what God says about the CREATION and life of this World... Please
Recognise YOUR CREATOR and worship him alone... it will be better for our life and hereafter.
Here some Zakir Naik Bhakts are trying to preach their religion. I request the moderator to remove the unnecessary out of the topic comments.
You have done a good job by posting a news report that spread the message of unity. But, some readers trying to create communal disturbance.
God Created man with intellectual power which we need to use it.
Stones are created lifeless by God
When we dont use our intelligence, We bow down to lifeless objects instead of God himself.
Its a great injustice done by human being to God..
God created U and U worship the STONES.
People should know who is their CREATOR rather than bowing down to lifeless object which cannot benefit nor harm the intelligent mankind... which blessed with life itself.
if U R TRUTHFUL in searching God ... He will guide u, if u are HONEST.
Dont fall trap to LIARS and AGGRESSORS of our Society.. God's help comes when we stand with the TRUTH....
Ok Ok.. I fully agree that these are peace loving people. By the way where were they when true Indians were fighting for the freedom of the nation? Both of them were with ......?
This is the spirit of truth. It attracts people of all faiths. Hats off the Christian nuns and fathers for their open minded gesture. Muslims should learn from Christians how to live in a multi cultural society.
As rightly pointed out by V Nagraj ji, these nuns and priests have proved their honesty. Can the peace loving Hindu community expect same gesture from one umma gang? Or they will continue to abuse all Hindu gods as per the teaching of their scripture ?
I think they did not woship Ganapati. They just offered a saree and took prasadam. Actual worship takes place in the heart and it cannot be seen by anyone. This is just a harmony visit.
If God cannot recognise his own son... Then how will he recognise his creation ....
If God cannot replace his son's head , Then how can we depend on him for our blessings.
Something is wrong.. either cheddis are against NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI or those who worship idols are ignorant about God...
Please search for TRUTH.. God guides those who are HONEST from their heart..
No need to Fear cheddis and sell your souls to cheddis..
Worship the Creator and not his creation...
Jesus never said worship me but the father.... (God).
Na Tasya Pratima Asti - There is no image of God.. (What U worship in the form of idol cannot be god as per Vedas)
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