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.
Shyamprasad Shastry(48), a resident of Badekkila of Kedila Village near Mani, and an office bearer of Vivekananda Vidyavardka Sangha, Puttur, had allegedly committed suicide by shooting self with a gun in August 2014.
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If Mr.Bhat arrested then it will be in Guinnus Book of records!! Congress Government have no guts to do it!! Mr. Bhat a well known figure in creating communal tension involving directly / indirectly in various types of crimes in our district since 35 years!!! but no Government so far not even able to file an FIR against him!! This is very sad news for peace loving people of this district. In this case also CID is helpless.
Do anybody have the guts to touch this chaddi? Hope atleast this time.
Put him behind the bars. Law is equal to all.
No one can touch bhat, even congRSS goverment cannot touch him because all are wearing his chaddi.
Not god call father or baap, shame on you yaar study history of that rowdy bhat, do you know he is barking about cow but he is selling cow from your mother land sulliya asram,
Arrest this insect of mangalore Before he spread the virus
he will get punishment for his mistake,. but why people are so much interested in his life,
Prabhakar Bhat is Like Poojary, No hold for tongue. creating non sense in the society
kalladka bhat dont have any work to go behind this rape case?
Manohar! This is the problem with you guys.. If he says one word against Minorities then he is god for you.. grow up buddy! Before making him god try to understand what type of god he is? Good or bad!
No guts to congress arrest bhat, its 100% sure.. this congress only cheating minoties name of bhat and RSS. they are also blindly supporting Congress.. Above 70% of congress leaders touched with RSS. then how they are arrest
This person actually divides the community with his poisonous speech causing hatred among people.
It is individuals choice how he/she wants to live.
How can he impose Hindutwa on others who has his own principles.
There is a limit for toleration and patience, one day when the limit exceeds, then automatically faces the consequence.
If the law can not protect, then it needs to protect the law and do the justice to all.
Manohar ,
There are many faces who are sheep in front & Fox from behind.. Which u guys are unable to recognize... Go and ask with the Victim. If u personally did not met them. then Dont judge and give certificate of Honesty... A honest person will never give hate speeches..
Now behind Harish Murder ???? who sponsored ??? who is giving bike , car, money and legal protection to Bhajrang dal Boys???
If brain map Mr. Bhat ..... all these stories will come out.
He is the paid goonda from RSS. Its the closing time of bhatta.
Manohar, Bhatta is a stray animal......
will congi govt show guts to teach him lesson? i dont think so bcz most congi leaders are in touch with him
Guilty Must be Punished.
Such dual personality person cant fool people for long
Bhat bajrangi clean bowled....jail term not less then 10 years.....all the best....
The Great RSS!!!!
sabko pap yek din bugathna hoga.
Put him in jail forever, he s one and only person who creates communal dispute in the society.
THU THO GAYA BHAT ISS BAAR...
Must be a trap by congress, Kalladka Bhat is a prominent personality. goons are trying to defame some innocents
Great Personality of Tulu Nadu, This s the Fake news, he s like god to us, he cant make this .
Bhat is a murderer, This type of goons must be sent to pakistan.
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