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
Please watch PK Movie, you will understand what does PK means... Cheddis alwz see Pakistan in their dream, its your fault for not using your mind to recognize the cheddi deception. Till when will you submit to the cheddi's lies and follow & support their evil agenda..
Use your intellect and be honest. We all clearly see their Lies and deception. Never think they will not be accountable...
DONT BE A WATCHMAN OF BJP AND RSS
Mr.Raheem, You have the right to join any political party. But please do not misquote Quran & Hadees for your benefit. i watched many debates in local channels , you were misquoted some ayath & Hadees about Go Hatya & Conversion. Political position is temporary but atleast show little bit ethics in your life. Do not justify Kalladka Bhat Hate speech /Soolibele about madrasa.
People are ready to release their families for their personal benefits. This guy doesnt even know what is Hajj Subsidy. He was claiming in one of his speech that \Muslim are receiving subsidy which was supported during AB Vajipaye govt time\" and muslims should support BJP. My dear, there is provision of subsidy to all religion if they are travelling abroad as pilgrim. Search it. Dont be so cheap to claim against own religion. Shame on you."
Dear brother Rahim uchil,
Congratulations for getting new responsibility. Hope to see some positive results this time from saffron party towards muslims. Take those comments as challenge and do something good for community. Hope to see you in more and more good positions. Wish you all the best.
Rahim, Uchila, you give answer in Mashara OR jahannam.....who bothers ???? your answer proves that you do not have guts to face the people........ Some one compared you to abbas naqvi and shanawaz hussain...... they married to young Hindu women .
If possible, do one more thing, work for the cancellation of Haj Subsidy..... Owaisi is struggling to put this in Modis Bheja, but it is not going.... try your best and tell the Muslims, that Allah do not need the haj from us with the begging from Indian govt.
Congratulations brother.
Masha Allah. Congrats Rahim Uchil. You are doing good job. BJP is far better than Congress and Rahim Uchil is far better than all Congress leaders from the coastal. He is a pious Muslim and a die hard fan of internationally acclaimed scholar Shaikh AP Abubakar Musliyar.
My message to Rahim sir: Dont care wahhabis and salafis. Our prophet has said muslims will be divided into 73 sects and only one will enter jannah. Who knows that sect might be the one which is with BJP!
Good answer brother Rahim Uchil. Dont care about jealousy people. We are all with you. In fact this news portal has more Wahhabi commentors. Just dont care them. Let them keep blaming. As Rohan sir rightly said, you may one day become a minister. Then those who are blaming you now, will be at ur threshold for your permission to bring their zakir naik to mangaluru. hahaha.
Bjp and RSS is behind minorities and daliths, they are doing every efforts to curb these two relegion. Their paid servants are asking our leaders head for lacs of rupees. So any one who go behind these RSS is not our men. He is against our relegion and against us.
I really dont understand why some people are so much narrow minded. he has given some responsibility. Muslims must congratulate him and try to take maximum benefits from his position. Who knows after next election he may also become a minister.
Anyways. All the best Mr Uchil. Go ahead and do good for the society and also for your community.
Just reward for defending communal news paper which published article against Islam and our prophet. He losing religion/people for Duniya's political career.
Mr PK (Comment No.8)
Your name also suggests that u r a pakistani fan. by the way Mr Rahim Uchil is appointed as BJP Minority Morcha vice president. And you are advising him to do the works of Mukri Morcha vice president! thats very funny!
Dear raheem uchil, may allah guide you to understand islam...aameen
Before answering to all the above questions you need to prepare yourself here in this world.
Congrats Rahim Bhai. You are one of a very few nationalist Muslim. We are all proud of you. Hope you will change the fate of ur community and teach them nationalism.
His life style fits into BJP which is built on corrupt foundation. The man never hesitates to do anything crime for personal benefits. This is the quality against the Islamic values.
EFFECT OF DIGITAL INDIAAAA.....
Dear Uchil,
Now that cheddis have given you the certificate for your commitment. from president to vice president.
Atleast save them from falling into the fire.
Tell them : Idol worship is wrong, its also mentioned in vedas (na tasya pratima asti - there is no image of God)
Tell them : There is no god worthy of Worship except ALLAH and Muhammad pbuh is the final messenger of ALLAH.
Tell them : Every deed in this life will be accounted and will be judged for an enternal life of heaven or hell.
Tell them Good deed will take you to heaven
Tell them if anybody did evil... ask forgiveness with God and promise never to commit again. & also ask forgiveness with the person they committed crime.
Tell them :
Dont hoist pakistan flag and blame muslims
Dont create JNU and doctored videos
Dont keep news anchors who decieve public with Lies.
Dont create unrest with false love jehad
Dont create face book page in the name of Muslim identity
Dont catch innocent MUSLIMs and DALITS & torture.
Dont Make bombs, they were already caught many times while doing it.
Dont kill humans for cows. it doesnt look better when we see international news.
Govts are not permanent, tomorrow it may be out of power.. People already know now who is a leader and who is a deciever.. Y dont YOU recognize it?
Another Naqvi or Shanwaz he too will be fit in nothing
Poor Chap what a pity.
I will give answers in mahshara.. In sha Allah
Clearly Cheddis are barking against Muslims and Dalits... and this Cheddi chela blind to see it...
Cheddis are very cunning in deceiving the people including their own cheddi members.
U have already become a weapon for cheddis to fight our own BROTHERS in faith.
They use dalit members to attack innocent which we now know .... whats their fate (Some spending their life in prison and some are on the run to the courts and some even in hideouts)
Only ALLAH knows Whats your intention by joining the haters of Muslims who opening deceive public about the peaceful religion.
Head Master of the school where there is only one master in the entire school.
Congrats Rahim Yachil, Engage Praising R.S.S an BD Goons acts and following kalladka Bhat, you will be prosperous future in National level.
Congratulations Master Rahim, For Saffron Terrorist team Have to Have a good Speaker like you Uchilas keep it up so far you doing great work for Saffron Criminals, you criminals forgotten about Master Chaddi Anwar Manippady, he might have seen this message sure he will do like before how he left our great National party Congiieee!!!!! look like nowadays barking dog never bites.
any way master uchil you lucky man become a member of Yeddianna group.
BJP needs such muslims who are ready to sell themselves for the sake of money and seat though their own people are suffering from this hate mongers of BJP.
I hope this man was there in the sangh parivar processions who attacked Muslims and ransacked their propertities plus places of worship.
Dear Rahim, i could not understand what will be your fate on the Day of Judgement for your injustice to your own people You are supporting the terrorists who are after Muslims. shame on you.
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