GUEST COLUMN
S.SHANKAR MENON: THE FOREIGN EYE

The new information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley has polished spectacles that like him are as transparent as much as they reflect a striking angle. His call for public opinion on putting Prasar Bharati together is as open minded as his answer to critics after he asked historian Romilla Thapar to leave the Prasar Bharati board. "When a Marxist comes in no one asks, " Jaitley pointed out, "So why should you when one leaves? "

Indiantelevision.com has already spread the word that Arun Jaitley wants an opinion among other points of foreign equity participation in Indian networks. For someone like me, and there are bound to be more than a few who are both anxious democrats and wary fascists the answer has to be a very cautious NO. At least for the time being.

What if ABC comes in and commissions a series of programmes on some of our acknowledge sores--- caste systems, human rights, municipal inaction, political corruption, marginalisation of the minorities, thin spread of our literacy programmes, bureaucratic malaise, killing of Sikh in New Delhi, 1983, riots in Mumbai post Babri Masjid and many such. Say a six part documentary with a climax to each episode.

When even post-partition films are looked upon with great suspicion 50 years down the line, these will titillate the arm chair liberal, but cause havoc to a democracy finding its uncertain feet when systems all around lead to ostensibly, economic progress without fundamental freedom.

What if Amnesty International were commissioned to do TV programmes on their pet peeves? Louis Malle who showed a few slums half a century ago may be barely tolerated today. As long as we linger over our imperfections ourselves, our sovereignty is not touched. The moment someone makes us see ourselves as they see us, censorship questions will surface. The rural urban divide, the rich-poor divide and a thousand other divides will broaden and stand naked an exposed.

Which we cannot afford to let happen right now. The riots of the last few days in Cannnore in Kerala merits a minor headline or two in the print media, shots of a few smashed houses on TV, mention of a few killed and the bland voice-over "That authorities the situation is under control." An indepth expose by the foreign eye will show the ruthless bloody clash of ideologies between the BJP and the Communists. This will hopefully be papered over if not distributed all over the country to cause even more havoc in places as remote as West Bengal.

From Itanagar to Ernakulam, the diversity in India needs to be nitched to together with stitch and time as our Global Village demands. Our inheritance of history now being carefully put together 50 years after nationhood is still very thin at the seams. States want to burst apart, sections of population ask for special treatment, the economy strikes a balance between political greed and private opportunism.

The foreign eye will see all this in splendid technicolour rather than the subtle shades of gray that these nuances demand as of now. No Indian-owned private channel is going to rock the boat. A foreign eye may hone in with dilated pupils and high viewership ratings for its news and features based on sensation.

Once, as in all such matters, a step is taken ahead without thinking about all this, it is difficult to take two steps back. The Westminster model of democracy and the BBC attitude of alert candour is too much of a luxury for India now. Without calling it a fascist frown, our TV needs us to look at ourselves within our own cultural parameters. Otherwise, it will be yet another "Passage to India" with what happened at the Marabar Caves a perpetual question mark - did the rape actually take place?

Entertainment, yes. Quiz shows, yes. Particularly the giving away of toasters to expectant mothers and rocking chairs to retired civil servants growing roses and knowledgeable on the Bermuda Triangle. Even Star TV's attempts at a stray nipple or two seen on midnight movies had Rupert Murdoch and his local lord Rathikanth Basu running between magistrates in Bhatinda and Gurdaspur.

Sport? A resounding yes. But hold back on what happens in the cricket control board. Stick to better shots of tennis and commentary that does not seem to come out of then nose or sideways through the ears.

Facts are sacred. Comment cannot be left to agnostics. The foreign eye can light on our chambers for amusement rather than instruction. Jaitley having asked his people may have all the wrong telling him what to do. Disregard, Mr Minister, and press on regardless.

On matters pertaining to cross holdings of equity by the major players, creation of monopolies is nauseating even in the gilded halls of Amercian capitalism. The interlinking of company directorship was done away with when democratic socialism began to cut its teeth and Nehru poured out medicine in our years of growth. Eventually out of a whole range of channels, only a few will survive. The process itself is vital for our TV to develop. Multi-spread of equity will strangle the new at birth and even if one or two escape to grow to full-fledged glory (as happens now to a whole range of web sites) the consolidation that will happen will be a product of the market and not be forced up on it. Every person with an idea and a vision for a TV channel must be given a chance. To squeeze him out would be to reverse the process of liberalisation.

In short - keep the foreign eye out, at least for now. Also, ask the likes of Subhash Chandra and Kalanithi Maran to mark out their already huge turf and stick to cultivating their own splendorous gardens.

S.Shankar Menon
The author is executive chairman indiantelevision.com