The Perks Of Being Born In An Influential Family!

India is a country that has come a long way ever since independence, a country that has innumerable technicians, doctors, scientists and creative brains that can lead it to progress. Yet, we remain in a country that treats different people differently, where people from influential families have a different set of laws to follow, unlike the common man and the downtrodden ones.

There are countless perks of being born into an influential family in India apart from having the luxury of going to school/college in expensive cars every day and chilling out in the centralized air conditioning in the house when the world burns in the sun outside during summers. Read them out below (sarcasm intended)!

1. You can drive a car even before you turn 18!

This is what a top cop’s son in Kerala has taught us! The teenager had been caught on camera driving his father’s SUV who is an IG in Kerala. And, guess what, the car he was seen driving was actually an official car of his father. Wow, if only we all could get that liberty, to drive expensive cars on roads, even without qualifying the minimum driving age!

2. You can kill someone with your car and get away with it!

We aren’t so alien to this one, are we? We have all seen the acquittal of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan from the hit and run case of 2002. The court, with its judgment, literally meant that the car was not driven by anybody. We wonder how it climbed onto the footpath and killed and injured people then! But, no worries dude! Salman Khan is influential and that’s enough to set him free, nay? And, do you remember Akash Ambani ramming his Aston Martin into another car and killing innocents?

3. You can shoot someone and get away with it!

I guess you know who I am talking about! How can we forget the popular Jessica Lal case that shook the entire nation? Manu Sharma, born in a wealthy and influential family, thought that it was okay to shoot a bartender who had refused to serve him drinks after the bar had closed late at night. Only after the media intervened and took things in hands that Manu Sharma was declared guilty and sentenced.

4. You can thrash people, bribe cops and walk free!

Oh yes, this one is especially for our beloved and well behaved politicians. Come elections and you will see newspapers flooded with news of thrashings and attacks by one political group to other. But, have you ever thought why these attackers never get punished? Why political party leaders do not stay behind bars after they ignite people to protest violently? Because hey, they are INFLUENTIAL!

5. You are above the law!

While we have been taught by our school textbooks that the law is above everyone else and it does not discriminate against people based on any grounds, the reality might be a little different! The wealthy and the influential ones seem to be above the law for they are acquitted of every other crime they commit.

It is high time people take a stand against the wrongdoings of others, no matter how influential and wealthy the person standing in front of them is. Yes, the battle would be difficult, no wonder, but, if these influential ones continue to be acquitted, there will be a time when laws would really be different for people, based on their caste, religion, wealth and social status!

Does Our Media Tell Us The Complete Truth?

There have been numerous debates among people on social platforms lately on diverse issues. Whether it is a fatal crime or rape case, violence in the country and across the world or the comments made on it by prominent people, everyone nowadays has an opinion to share and express with the world. But, how do we form our opinions? Ever thought of it seriously?

I am a Journalism graduate and we had a subject known as ‘Journalism and Public Opinion’ during our course. This is where I first thought about my own opinions seriously and realized the truth behind it. Yes, our opinions are largely based on our media, the content that it shows us. Referred to as the fourth pillar of the society, the media has a huge relevance to play in our day to day life and influence and shape our opinions on diverse issues. In fact, all our opinions of different subjects and matters happening across the world originate from the media or from the content that the media puts in front of us, in particular.

If the media reports a man to have molested a woman, the man is cursed by every single person in the country. No one ever tries to understand the man’s point of view or even find out the truth behind the news. Immediately posts go viral on social media and criticism starts pouring him. But, none of us, even for a second, considers the other side of the story. Does anyone think that he might not be a molester or a rapist and the media must have mistaken him to be one? No!

A classic example for this is the Jasleen Kaur case that took place in August. The young girl had alleged a man named Sarvjeet Singh to have eve-teased her at a traffic signal in Delhi and immediately the social media was brimming with posts criticizing the young man and shouting insults for him. Not for a single moment did anyone consider him to be innocent or find out the truth. Even people who did not know Jasleen and Sarvjeet in person made an opinion about them based on what the media showed them. The media accused Sarvjeet of eve-teasing and so did the entire country. Only later was it found out that Sarvjeet was innocent and Jasleen had created the entire fuss to gain popularity.

As our opinions are influenced to a great extent by the media, we now have this subject called ‘Journalism and Public Opinion’ introduced in the academic curriculum for media students. And, to my surprise, I discovered facts that made me lose my faith in media. The media, whether print, electronic or digital, does not give you complete facts in reality! And, when we are living in an era of sensationalism where topics such as crime, violence and sex sell, the media ultimately focuses on making money by publishing news that can get them more readers and viewers. Moral journalism has become far from being a myth and ethics have taken a secondary position.

I had written an article on media earlier (Read: Dear Media, What’s With You?) focusing on how sensational the media of today is! However, let me tell you a fact here, apart from reporting sensational news, the media, in reality, only lets people know half the information. Of course, there are reasons, some good and some bad. Sometimes, the media conceals information such as facts and figures in order to prevent the spread of panic among people. However, sometimes, or many a times I can say, the media conceals information, facts and figures because they are related to the rich and dominant class of people who have a huge role to play in their development and growth.

To quote an example, Akash Ambani, the son of the famous business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, had killed two people with his Aston Martin car about two years ago. But, did any news channel or newspaper report it? No! In fact, the case was covered as much as possible by the media. Most of the time, media covers unpleasant information and facts pertaining to people such as business tycoons and politicians who fund these organizations and help them grow. When Tarun Tejpal was accused of sexually assaulting a female journalist working at his own office, the case was reported by rival media agencies so as to bring Tehelka down. However, what happened to the case later? No one knows! Only when I searched for information on Google did I understand that Tarun Tejpal had been granted bail by the Supreme Court in 2014.

It is a matter of fact that the rich businessmen, media tycoons and politicians in India have been providing funds to the media and, in return, concealing important facts and information about themselves or their own organizations that can spoil their image in the society. So, the news that we see on TV or read in magazines and newspapers today is highly influenced and scrutinized; where there are facts that can destruct the images of these rich barons, the news is altered so that people know only what they are supposed to know. And, we then make an opinion based on this half information that the media gives us.

Of course, the only source of information for a common man is media. But, before making an opinion about someone of judging them, know that the media alters news and does not reveal the complete truth. Think rationally before you make an opinion!

Isn't rash driving and killing a crime?

Every time I step out of my home informing my parents that I am taking our car out, I get hundred instructions to drive slow and safe! It seems rich people do not teach this to their children, assuming they would simply let go off any untoward incident or accidents. This evening I got a message on Whatsapp regarding the recent accident case in Mumbai on the high-profile Peddar Road in which 2 people were killed and 6 injured. The Aston Martin car with Rs.4.5 crore that crashed into an Audi on the road has been proven to be owned by Reliance. Reports also state that the expensive sports car was driven by the Ambani son, Akash Ambani. I had read the news on NDTV the day the accident took place. However, the story was later deleted from the websites of all news channels and newspapers, there were no follow ups made and even the Mumbai police tried to hide the identity of the culprit! I cannot assert that the accident was caused by Akash Ambani himself but  I would like to know why the story was never reported again.

This points out how pure our entire system is! This points out how pure our law enforcement system is! And this points out how true the media is! We have been believing that rash driving and killing someone, drunken driving was a crime. Yes, it certainly is! But not for the high-profile Indians who are rich and owners of some of the prominent news organisations in India. My question is why is only common man liable to law? We have been taught since childhood that no man is superior before law. Then why this discrimination?

A few months back, I was driving my car and accidentally I happened to enter a one way! I was caught that time and my driving license was seized unless I visited the police station and paid the fine. If such a small thing could be fined, why is a murder not considered as a crime? Just because it was committed by someone influential. Does this mean you would be ready to surrender your life to someone who has a lot of money just to walk away with a clean chit?

The Supreme Court has recently passed a judgment stating gay relationships and gay sex is a crime! Do you know what? The Court took away our basic right from us; we do not have the liberty to decide whom to love and spend our life with. If that could be considered a crime, isn't a murder something more grave and important? Why should the common man suffer always? It is not proved anyway that the Ambani son was involved in the murder, but I personally think the case could have been reported further instead of deleting it from anywhere. And our politicians, as usual, who scream on the top of their voices while demanding votes, too kept mum about the issue. And this doesn't surprise me at all! After all what can we expect from these fellows?

After all, a common man is a common man in India and he would be exploited always! The rich have fun always, however!

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