News Garam

I often wonder what goes behind the scenes of compiling news items which appear to assault us from all sides in these days of information revolution. Who decides what is newsworthy and what’s the readership to whom the news is to be catered for ? A general scan of the electronic and print media gives an idea of the wide spectrum of such news items in these days when there is a compelling need to snatch the attention from the mouse pointers of the surfers who peek into the internet in between ‘breaks’ at work or such other pursuits.
Like many others, as I was surfing, some random news items that caught my attention one of which is ‘Pamela spends a million on her undies. Undeniably, the combination of all the words in this simple sentence , Pamela – million – undies, is enough for the brain to send a lightning signal to click the link and read more. Why ? Simply for curiosity’s sake; the same curiosity that killed the cat. Was the subject in question ever renowned for her modest appearance that warranted such investment. If she wore as little as Sonia Gandhi speaks, then where were all the money spent ? Is it a case of Emperor’s new clothes and she paid for exposing the Eve in her ?I remained as baffled as ever, but like many things in life, I just moved on; till I stumbled into the next that left me more confused than ever – ‘Shoes that transform into sandals’ . After the bizarre Crocs, which look like a plastic blob being shot by a country gun ‘Made in Chambal’ am I supposed to wear this hideously mutated footwear that can be unzipped and worn in a way more suitable to a scene from Harry Potter ? The footwear are a German invention and suspecting a general affliction of innovativeness in the German air, I should probably point out this ingenious design to Amma and other lady politicians who cover up such fears capes more suited to those inclined to renounce the world and opt for the confines of a monastery. Unlike the others, this can probably be a news item that can find many more interested takers in the form of some bosom budies of ladies in power.
Some news items focus on useful bits of information which I can use for tactical advantage in any verbal duel that may arise between me and members of those from Mars – Ten things that make blokes cry. I can’t agree more with Item 4; its as genuine as the example cited. But interesting..hmm…nothing for the wife that moves these guys to tears. Point to be noted.
I can probably go on and on, but there enough newsbytes there to make one an accumulator of some odd bits of information that I may end up never using in my life, but still, I waver, ponder and read them just the same.
I remember those days of yore when the newspaper swished into our mornings to be relished with a cup of tea with news items that were as dry as Sushma Swaraj’s sense of humour but yet we would all clamour to be the first one to read it – mostly the TV programmes and Phantom comic strips. The news items would be random – five point programmes, inauguration of a railway gate, and such others; mostly centering around the politicians who were the flavour of the day. But yet, nostalgia compels me to view it with a kaleidoscopic image of a more innocent age – an age when I recall my Dad exclaiming out aloud that Kishore Da is no more. On his birthday today, I like many of his fans, am grateful that he came into our lives and filled it with melodious memories and he lives on through his evergreen songs.