Sunday, November 07, 2010

Obama's Indian Visit - The English Channels - and India's Children of Tomorrow


With the arrival of Obama in India, the English national channels blocked out everything else. It appeared as though the whole country ground to a halt with the arrival of the American President.


Then Obama made his first speech at the Taj – and BJP reacted. Obama didn’t utter the P word (Pakistan). When he spoke of 26/11, he didn’t put the blame at Pakistan’s door. Then the party felt it had overreacted – and retracted. Rudi began to make ahem – ahem sounds and said that he didn’t mean this but he meant that! Maybe the party leadership must have told him that to resist the euphoria might be a mistake. BJP might come to power in the next parliamentary election and Obama might still be around in the White House – so let’s keep him happy sort of a thing. Anyway, what is interesting is that BJP recanted.

But the Channels approach was really really interesting.

NDTV’s Barkha Dutt was as usual trying to project an image of total neutrality, but was actually egging on the expert commentators to come out with tangy statements. But none really obliged. The P word issue had actually begun to look silly.

TIMES NOW took the cake. Arnab in his usual style went hammer and tong after Obama. He pointed out how Clinton during his visit ‘gifted’ India with a condemnatory remark on Pakistan, and Obama should have taken at least a ‘baby step’ in that direction.

Arnab, you are incorrigible!

CNN IBN’s Sagarika Ghose concluded her efforts to sensationalise the absence of the P word with a sensible remark that one should understand that Obama is tight rope walking in south East Asia, and so we should tone down our rhetoric.

HEADLINES TODAY was thoroughly immature. Was totally displeased about Obama’s deafening silence about Pakistan.

Among the participants, i could agree with that outspoken bureaucrat turned politician Mani Shankar Iyer. Why should we expect Obama to say anything about Pakistan, he asked. We know Pak is behind the attack, and it is a bilateral problem. Why drag America into it? He was dismissive in his language and body language about this avoidable storm in the tea cup,and made the BJP and the media look silly.
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While the inane politicians and stale media made fools of themselves, Young India did us proud. No slavishness, no applause at the slightest compliment about India that dropped from the lips of the US President (unlike the CEOs the day before). The young crowd at St. Xavier’s carried themselves with utmost confidence, and dealt with the President of the United States on equal terms.

When Obama declared that India has risen, there was no thunderous applause. It was as though we don’t need anyone to tell us that. We know. The response of the young girl who stood behind Obama epitomises the attitude of young India. Obama’s acknowledgement that India has risen elicited from her an approving nod accompanied by a poised smile.

About Obama's dialogue with the students at St. Xavier's - guess when Michelle Obama asked the young men and women to field tough questions to her husband, she didn’t think they’d take her so seriously.

For it was young India that forced him to utter the P word.

What’s your take on jihad, was the first question?

Why don’t you declare Pakistan a terror state? asked another.

Of course, Obama handled the questions well and the youth were impressed.

The young India, a sample of which Obama met at St. Xavier’s, is ushering in an India set free from the colonial hangover.

The schriszophrenic India has been cured.

I get a gut feeling India is safe in the hands of this healthy generation.

11 comments:

  1. Well, looks like Obama is everywhere! And hope to God you're right...that India is in safe hands :)

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  2. I don't understand..if Obama did not utter the P word. Let him alone. Why would he spoil his relations with that country. India doesn't need him to say anything. We know what the truth is. We should pay more attention to major issues and stop crying over these petty things.

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  3. Hi theresiamma,yeppeee....he finally said the'p'word today!and we all know in what sense.he is so diplomatic!anyways media coverage of mr and mrs obama's dance was nice.Mrs obama is such a trained dancer :)

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  4. Your analysis of the visual medias coverage is spot on. Headlines Today is perhaps the worst symbol of sickness in journalism and reporting. Barkha Dutt the least said the better.

    Why must we look impatiently and longingly at Obama to utter the 'P' word?
    Are we unsure of our own investigations and leads that point inexorably to Pakistan? This is serf mentality.

    We bend and stoop to please, and in the bargain we demean ourself and crawl on our fours like beaten animals,without an iota of self respect. Look at the way we played host to George Bush ( Junior)- the person responsible for mass murder and can only be rivaled by Adolf Hitler.Obama may be a man with good intentions and a eagerness to change the world for good. All we need is to respect that and play host.

    As you said the young India showed a lot of poise and elegance in their conduct at St Xavier's Mumbai. They had their feet firmly on the ground and displayed through their attitude, hope for a bright future for the country. But they have to move further and further away from the muck culture of the contemporary politicians, moralist society and sleaze.

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  5. What can Obama say. The attack on India was with full knowledge of USA. Headley who was a double agent must have kept the USA informed. The terrorist who were travelling for so many hours in the sea and were constantly in touch with their mentor throgh sattelite phones must have been picked up by US intelligence. they did not give any specific details to India but only vague warning. Americans have only their interest in mind. fortunately our younger indians understand it much better than so called experts in the media.

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  6. "I get a gut feeling India is safe in the hands of this healthy generation."

    You said it....

    nd hopefully the media will get back to serious business like the CWG, flat scam and also Pakistan...

    One cannot depend on US or Obama or even our media to take this nation forward.. they all have their own agendas.

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  7. Twenty-six years after the Bhopal gas leak catastrophe, there has been no clean-up, no acceptance of executive accountability, only pathetic amounts of relief and compensation doled out to the families of the victims.Warren Anderson, chief executive of Union Carbide at the time of the catastrophe, resides in the U.S. in violation of bail conditions. He refused to face charges in India; and the U.S. baulked at official Indian efforts.But Obama acted with determination and purpose in holding BP accountable in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster, forcing the petroleum company to commit $20 billion toward meeting clean-up costs and providing compensation immediately.When B.P spilled oil & killed 11 lives the same Obama said that he will choke BP to pay for all the expenses, even future expenses.When an American company killed 20000+Indian lives & inflict 300000 more with lifelong diseases because of its callous precautions which will be transpired from generations to generations, it has become clear that Indian lives are cheaper & expendable.
    What kind of standards does he keep? He should have been offered a reception in Bhopal,not at the Taj where life goes on in seven star comfort,when thousands are rotting in the miseries of the Bhopal Tragedy,for which his country is responsible.

    Zardari is no one in Pakistan.The whole country despises him.But America and Obama have embraced him.I have a colloeague who is Pakistani. Whenever I ask him about life in Pakistn,he would say.."Pleae give us a good dog and take Zardari!".And he is Obama's big pal in fighting terorism!. A criminal facing three or four cases in different parts of the world,is respected as a President by Obama,who is talking about freedom, liberty and democrisy.. Nauseating.

    America has never offered us any thing,except some petty jobs to Indians,because they need them.I dont know what reasons we have to make a big celebration of his visit.What are these children going to learn from him other than how to say lies?.The lip sympathy extended by Obama to India on terrorism will remain a mere formality if we fail to get an assurance from him that Pakistan will be reined in.

    No healing or cure has happened by Obama's visit.If so, you better decorate him with a honorary doctorate as well!

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  8. I wouldn't agree with you on the St.Xaviers part. Why do we see Obama as a stern dad and asking him to discipline the naughty P...



    I found the session at Xaviers to be very tame and crowd looked overawed. And the statement that students made him speak about P!!! Strange he would have said it anyway in Delhi..

    Btw where there any discussions on the US take on protectionism!!!

    I totally agree with Dr.Antony

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  9. "Then the party felt it had overreacted – and retracted. Rudi began to make ahem – ahem sounds and said that he didn’t mean this but he meant that! Maybe the party leadership must have told him that to resist the euphoria might be a mistake. BJP might come to power in the next parliamentary election and Obama might still be around in the White House – so let’s keep him happy sort of a thing. Anyway, what is interesting is that BJP recanted."

    Got any valid source for this??

    "TIMES NOW took the cake. Arnab in his usual style went hammer and tong after Obama. ........
    Arnab, you are incorrigible!"

    "Among the participants, i could agree with that outspoken bureaucrat turned politician Mani Shankar Iyer."

    Of course, its not surprising to know your feelings for mani.

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  10. Are we unsure of our own investigations and leads that point inexorably to Pakistan? This is serf mentality but this is good Thanks MA....................

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