Mr Ranganath Bharadwaj
We want to hear the most important things from the best people when it comes to news & media. I take pride in knowing that I sat down with Ranganath Bharadwaj, Kannada TV’s most beloved anchor and investigative journalist. I wanted to get his opinion about India’s independence and media’s involvement in it and boy was I in for a treat! Here is an excerpt from the interview:
Naresh: What role did media play in our independence struggle?
Mr Bharadwaj: There are so many contributions by the media but let me start off by saying that media was not at all strong in those days. If there was electronic media back then, perhaps we could have got our independence much earlier. The major Indian media houses in the 1940s were owned by well-known freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak & Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji said that the media can either give people complete light or complete darkness and in this case it was the light.
The people had nothing else to rely on except for these newspapers. They wanted to believe they could be free from the shackles of the British and this is what urged them on. The messages that the freedom fighters gave out in their newspapers reached millions of Indians. This caused unity at a crucial time in the 1940s. The fact that certain so-called ‘controversial’ newspapers were written and printed without the knowledge of the British is what made media a dangerous in-tangible weapon. After having read a lot about media’s role in our Independence, it is safe to say that media played one of the biggest parts for our Independence if not the biggest.
Naresh: Let me be very honest here. I know about Honey Singh & Rakhi Sawant but I don’t know the name of one single freedom fighter that is alive. I’m sure this is the case with most of the youth in this generation. Don’t you think this is media’s fault?
Mr Bharadwaj: I thought we agreed that you would go easy on me! Actually we do have freedom fighters like Doraiswamy sir on our shows. But I agree with what you are implying. I completely agree that freedom fighters are not ‘hot news’ and they would not improve the TRPs of a news channel. Let’s hope at least during August and January, the people who fought to secure our freedom are showcased by the media and felicitated and by God do they deserve it!
Naresh: What role did media play in our independence struggle?
Mr Bharadwaj: There are so many contributions by the media but let me start off by saying that media was not at all strong in those days. If there was electronic media back then, perhaps we could have got our independence much earlier. The major Indian media houses in the 1940s were owned by well-known freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak & Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji said that the media can either give people complete light or complete darkness and in this case it was the light.
The people had nothing else to rely on except for these newspapers. They wanted to believe they could be free from the shackles of the British and this is what urged them on. The messages that the freedom fighters gave out in their newspapers reached millions of Indians. This caused unity at a crucial time in the 1940s. The fact that certain so-called ‘controversial’ newspapers were written and printed without the knowledge of the British is what made media a dangerous in-tangible weapon. After having read a lot about media’s role in our Independence, it is safe to say that media played one of the biggest parts for our Independence if not the biggest.
Naresh: Let me be very honest here. I know about Honey Singh & Rakhi Sawant but I don’t know the name of one single freedom fighter that is alive. I’m sure this is the case with most of the youth in this generation. Don’t you think this is media’s fault?
Mr Bharadwaj: I thought we agreed that you would go easy on me! Actually we do have freedom fighters like Doraiswamy sir on our shows. But I agree with what you are implying. I completely agree that freedom fighters are not ‘hot news’ and they would not improve the TRPs of a news channel. Let’s hope at least during August and January, the people who fought to secure our freedom are showcased by the media and felicitated and by God do they deserve it!
In Conversation With Mr Bharadwaj
Naresh: As a
prominent T.V personality, what are the major challenges you face?
Mr Bharadwaj: To be frank, every day is a challenge for me. In fact, you will find many journalists who say the same thing. When you are in this industry, anything can happen. In the morning you get a promotion and in the evening you find out the chief guest has dropped out of a major show in the last moment. What would you do in that situation? I once had tuberculosis and had applied for a day off and it got approved. Luck was not on my side and a co-worker had to attend to an emergency family issue and I ended up being on T.V from 6 AM to 10 PM since it was the election results day.
There are always challenges when it comes to different authoritative people. As you might know, the TV channel I work for currently is very public-issue oriented and we try to tackle and help the public with their particular issues. This requires us to be bold and demand justice where it is needed. During this course, we might get into a few tussles and might make a couple of enemies. Handling the people who you don’t have a good relationship with will then be your biggest problem. It is very difficult to handle the pressure but you will definitely learn to deal with these challenges with experience.
Naresh: Wow. Alright, one final question! Tell us how you celebrate your independence day.
Mr Bharadwaj: My Independence days have become a yearly routine! Every year, I make it a point to hoist a flag either in my own house or attend a flag hoisting ceremony in the neighborhood with my family. There isn’t a single year I haven’t done this! Without family, my independence day would not be the same. I look at my family as the people who gave my personal freedom and that was all I required.
Naresh: Sir, thank you so much for your valuable insight. It really enhanced my respect for not only you but also for your TV Channel for all the things they have done to our society. Thank you!
Mr Bharadwaj: To be frank, every day is a challenge for me. In fact, you will find many journalists who say the same thing. When you are in this industry, anything can happen. In the morning you get a promotion and in the evening you find out the chief guest has dropped out of a major show in the last moment. What would you do in that situation? I once had tuberculosis and had applied for a day off and it got approved. Luck was not on my side and a co-worker had to attend to an emergency family issue and I ended up being on T.V from 6 AM to 10 PM since it was the election results day.
There are always challenges when it comes to different authoritative people. As you might know, the TV channel I work for currently is very public-issue oriented and we try to tackle and help the public with their particular issues. This requires us to be bold and demand justice where it is needed. During this course, we might get into a few tussles and might make a couple of enemies. Handling the people who you don’t have a good relationship with will then be your biggest problem. It is very difficult to handle the pressure but you will definitely learn to deal with these challenges with experience.
Naresh: Wow. Alright, one final question! Tell us how you celebrate your independence day.
Mr Bharadwaj: My Independence days have become a yearly routine! Every year, I make it a point to hoist a flag either in my own house or attend a flag hoisting ceremony in the neighborhood with my family. There isn’t a single year I haven’t done this! Without family, my independence day would not be the same. I look at my family as the people who gave my personal freedom and that was all I required.
Naresh: Sir, thank you so much for your valuable insight. It really enhanced my respect for not only you but also for your TV Channel for all the things they have done to our society. Thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment