All of us must be well aware of the Lead India campaign started by the Times Of India group. Yet a brief overview in their own words.
I think this is just another talent hunt program and is not going to help India politics or democracy in any way. The very reach of this program is limited to literate English speaking class of Indians. That could be hardly 10% of the total voting population. The real aam aadmi who decides the governments and hence the policies that govern us is far from basic primary education, leave alone English newspaper or television medium. As I have written in my earlier post real politics will still be nothing but manipulating numbers. As atanu says in his post here, untill basic education is given to each and every Indian citizen, it is stupid to expect rational thinking and unbiased opinion from him/her.
All that this contest will do is provide limelight to a bunch of opportunistic small time socialites, bring dinner table discussion on national television and increase the revenue of mobile companies through premium priced SMS and call services.
I think this is just another talent hunt program and is not going to help India politics or democracy in any way. The very reach of this program is limited to literate English speaking class of Indians. That could be hardly 10% of the total voting population. The real aam aadmi who decides the governments and hence the policies that govern us is far from basic primary education, leave alone English newspaper or television medium. As I have written in my earlier post real politics will still be nothing but manipulating numbers. As atanu says in his post here, untill basic education is given to each and every Indian citizen, it is stupid to expect rational thinking and unbiased opinion from him/her.
All that this contest will do is provide limelight to a bunch of opportunistic small time socialites, bring dinner table discussion on national television and increase the revenue of mobile companies through premium priced SMS and call services.
Comments
Back to blogosphere so soon?? :P
Anyways .. I agree with your opinion here. When the campaign first started I saw it as something worthwhile. I thought TOI really wants to do something for the country. But, in the end its just a way of increasing revenue through premium voting services.
However, there's no denying the fact that it does provide a platform for atleast the educated middle-class Indians to pitch in to politics. Its a wake up call for that class of Indians which is least interested in politics.. (and which may also have the least turn-out percentage at the polls.. if you know what I mean).
Its upto us to take the positives from the Times Lead India campaign.. it may not end up as TOI envisaged (or painted).. but it has played its role in motivating several educated middle class Indians.
What say?
I am coming from a totally different direction here. What TOI is doing is more like adjusting the headlights when the engine is seized. The engine of Indian Democracy is the uneducated, underprivileged rural Indian. He is the number that makes our governement. What is TOI achieving (other than profits) by 'motivating' the educated. You think the educated dont know the value of their votes? If they dont, they ain't no educated. They are merely the headlights, essential but not cenessary for the country to run as it is running now.
My point is 'educate every freaking Indian born'. Or at least try to. The politicians will never want to do that because then they cant manipulate the lives of the numbers and come to power.
However, I am very concerned about the overall approach of making a “tamasha” out of this whole process of identifying leadership.
Is this something in our culture, to make a competition out of everything?
Why do we want to know who is the “best” leader in the “times of india - lead india contest”? OK so after a lot of tamasha they will declare one leader to be the “best” - so what? How does it help solve our intractable problems?
Do you think Gandhiji would have even qualified within your top 25 - by your metrics?
Why is it that you feel today’s leadership needs to be “glib” or “smooth” when answering questions posed by so called judges?
We need people who can act..we have enough who can “talk”…if you need the ones that can talk, go to the nearest political party.
And I believe the top “leaders” will get a budget of 50 lacs or a 100 lacs to implement their pet project!
Wow, and do you know the Govt’s budget for the social sector alone is 64000 crores?
So you expect that a paltry 50 or 100 lacs will make a dent, when 64000 crores does not budge the social indices of India?
Sorry to say, but unless TOI can justify the reason to make this into a tamasha, their overall motives seem suspect. It looks more like building buzz and furthering their brand identity by spending few hundred lacs…and actually getting a lot more via advertisement revenues and SMS charges, from Indians who get duped by this scheme.
Ultimately the poor Indians, the malnutrished Indians, the suicidal farmers, will stay where they are, while tamasha goes on…and a few leaders bask in the glow and get one more line to add in their resume.
agree to the T...
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