Tag: Media

Anxiety Today

The evening news is blaring and Arnab Goswami is shouting in his trademark manner – Why?! We need that question answered! – but his face is incongruously impassive. (His indignation seems superficial – is there a weariness to his hysteria?) Now the panelists are screaming like a pack of rabid hyenas. News tickers below the picture – 2 of them! – scrolling relentless headlines of chaos and tragedy from...
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The Difficulty of being Rahul Gandhi

I am watching Rahul Gandhi’s interview with Arnab Goswami. It’s an emotional experience. At times I find myself angered on Rahul’s behalf, and want to protect him from the big bad interviewer. But Arnab seems to be holding back – compared to his usual aggressive bombast, he is gentler with the young Gandhi, displaying rare flashes of empathy. Could Arnab actually become a psychotherapist? I...
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Sticks and Stones: Facebook Suicide

India has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, perhaps the highest in the 20 – 35 age group. But our laws on suicide are archaic and frankly, ridiculous. In India, a person who attempts suicide is a criminal – according to section 309, “Whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offense, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend...
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