Orissa Matters

SARATHI SCANDAL // Ten Questions the Television Channels are Afraid of Answering

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Orissa was subjected to massive blackout of all information in the television channels for minimum five days as they were schizophrenically engaged in sharpening mass mania against suspected sexual offense of a fellow called Sarathi Baba, considered by gullible people as an incarnation of God.

On August 9, well known young intellectual and thinker, socio-cultural activist Sahasranshu Mohapatra addressed an OPEN LETTER to the Television Channels and their pampered panelists designating them as “Demigods” of Orissa who are well equipped to raise any noise they like at any time on any issue of their preference. As a citizen with the right not to be overwhelmed with anarchic use of media power, he has asked ten questions to the “Demigods” in his “open letter”.

The Television Channels and the persons he has named in his open letter posted in social media are yet to answer him.

I consider it a correct step of a bright young man whom everybody who knows him takes as a conscience keeper of the society.

Let the channels and the panelists named by him come forward with appropriate answers, if they have any, to the questions raised

His ‘Open Letter’ is reproduced below:

Dear Demigods of Orissa,

The flag bearers of morality in private (yes private because you set moral standards for personal lives of individuals as well) and public life, after the relentless coverage of the ‪#‎Sarathisaga‬ since last five days I am writing this OPEN LETTER to you all out of fear, concern and frustration as a concerned Oriya.

My fear is you might tomorrow get hold of a photograph or a video clip of me hanging around with a woman (May be someone enjoying high status in public life) and then set high moral standards, a moral code of conduct for me and when I fail to meet that (which obviously I will fail) you will hound and destroy my life as you have done in the case of the girl concerned (sorry the mysterious girl, as per your words) in ‪#‎Sarathisaga‬.

I hope Mr Satya Nayak of Zee Kalinga, Mr Manoranjan Mishra of Kanak TV, Mr Ardhendu Das of Prameya News7, Chief Editor of MBC TV, Mr Navin Das of Nirbhay and Chief Editor of Pragativadi – you all would answer the following questions. I have few questions for the Orissa Union of Journalists (OUJ) also, so mentioning Mr Prasanna Mohanty.

I have mentioned all these names because I follow you all closely for my daily peg of news.

I follow OTV but not mentioning it for obvious reasons.

I don’t watch Prameya News7 but can’t avoid as all the questions begin with the Prameya’s relentless “90 hours coverage that has made a newly launched channel No 1” (by their own admission).

Here are the questions:

1. What was the issue here in ‪#‎Sarathisaga‬- moral turpitude, illegality and some kind of criminal act or sexcapade involving Sarathi Baba?

2. If it’s about morality yes you can question the lifestyle and living of a religious preacher who calls himself an incarnation of the god. But who gave you the right to question the morality of the girl and set moral standards for her? Does an adult girl need your consent where should she travel, who should she be staying with in a hotel?

3. If it’s about travelling to Hyderabad and staying in a Hotel with an adult girl under which law of this country it’s a criminal act? At the same time if there was criminality by hounding the girl and making her identity public have you not assassinated her character and cast aspersions on her conduct? Are you not further victimizing a victim of the crime (as you call it not the law)?

4. If it’s about sexcapade, has the girl concerned lodged an FIR or a police complaint regarding this? In the absence of a formal police complaint how does this case qualify for such relentless coverage?

5. Hope you all know under section 228A of IPC making public the identity of a rape victim is a punishable offence. Also the SC guidelines on sexual harassment victims don’t allow revealing the identity of the victim. Have you all not committed a crime by making the concerned girl’s identity public and showing her photographs, hounding her family for bytes?

6. Be it ‘Mahaprabhab’, ‘Explosive Exclusives’ or ‘Relentless coverage for 90 hours’ now Sarathi Baba has been sent to police remand. He has been charged for cheating, forgery, promoting superstition, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy among other charges. What is new in it? Tell me one charge that we all were not aware of earlier or nobody had alleged about such criminal act in the past? Why you all were silent then and now firing from the shoulder of a Dalit girl?

7. Is the objectivity of the newly launched news channel Prameya News 7 full proof? When you are setting high moral standards for all, should not the channel’s morality or that of the organization running the channel be put to public scrutiny?

8. The Orissa Union of Journalists strongly reacted to the police atrocity in Kendrapada because media persons were also not spared. But does not the OUJ agree with the fact that the media houses with their brazenness and shameless coverage of a non-issue created a vitiating circumstance that gave opportunity to the Orissa police to unleash its brutality?

9. When with your irresponsible behavior you create a circumstance that can make anyone vulnerable and create a volatile situation why do you complain if you at all become a collateral damage? Will OUJ take ‪#‎Sarathisaga‬ as a test case and set up guidelines for the media houses in Orissa, at least for its members? Remind you NBA learnt its lesson after 26/11 coverage.

10. Was this story needed such a relentless coverage round the clock for five days? Could this story have been presented in a better way without recklessness and brazenness? Is it such a big issue that is Orissa confronted with today? Will OUJ ask its members to introspect and also take steps to prescribe a set of code of conduct like all the demigods set it for all others?

I am a kid before all the demigods mentioned above. I’ve grown up watching and reading you. If this is the standard you set for us kids, then think what kind of future are you all going to create?

Hope you all will answer the above questions. After all the demigods have the power to make or break (sorry destroy) anything and everything, at least in Orissa.

Please answer my questions, so that I don’t live in fear and apprehension. With your permission may I hang out with a woman (who could be a public figure), yes if at all that meets the moral standards set by you all.

Regards,
A kid in Media block who follows you all for his daily peg of news.

EPILOGUE

I fully stand with Sri Sahasranshu Mohapatra with the following observation:

Rightwing political hoodlums have engaged the named media personnel/channels to test to what extent propaganda through them may mislead the public.

Mediacracy is threatening democracy in a menacing manner. We are to take note of this nuisance.

SAD NEWS TO SHARE// PROF. GANESWAR MISHRA NO MORE

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Prof. Ganeswar Mishra, former Professor in English, Utkal University is no more.

The eminent author, thinker, founder editor of Prameya, a man of immense patience, of unfathomable friendship, of deep concern for the society, a man of matchless strength to overcome debacles is lost to Orissa. He passed away this early morning leaving family members. innumerable admirers, friends and relations to mourn.

Author of 30 books in English including 25 research papers mostly on Aspects of Translation, Indian and Commonwealth Literature published in India and abroad, he had written 50 books in Oriya spread over all major areas of literature like Novels, Features, Translations, Travelogues, Book Reviews, Essays and Poems. Many of his Oriya works have been translated into English and several Indian languages.

He was Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholar, University of Kent (U.K.) from 1974 to 78; Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow, University of London (U.K.), 1983-84; British Council visitor to U.K. in 1989. Very many award winners in the field of literature, he was awarded with Senior Fellowship in Literature by the Government of India for 1992-94. Professor of English, Utkal University (1986-2002) he was President of Orissa Sahitya Akademi from 2005 to 2007, during which period, he headed the Project Committee of Oriya Bhasa Pratisthan. he had earned his Ph.D. in English and American Literature from University of Kent (U.K.) in 1978; yet he was a Praveen in Hindi from Hindi Rastrabhasha Parishad.

“MRUTYURNASTITI” (There is no death) has said Sanatsujata in Mahabharata. “DEATH IS DEATHLESS” has said Buddha.

I hope, Sriman Sandeep Mishra, the worthy son of this illustrious father, will appreciate this ancient wisdom and convince his entire family to feel Prof. Mishra as omnipresent hereafter always.

I stand in silence in his honor.

Long live Prof. Mishra in our hearts, live for ever.

Poet Aroop in his own voice

Sri Umakant Raut (Aroop) is a known poet of Orissa whose poems are addressed to awareness on problems of the people.

This poem, captioned Sarinahin Yuddha, Sarinahin (War has not ended, not ended) is sung by the poet.

In this poem he has come down heavily on the politicians and bureaucrats, who have derailed democracy and made majority of population dependent on mercy of the rulers.

What sort of rule they have given, when for existence in power, sycophants are pampered, vote-shepherds are cultivated, exchequer exhausted on them and on self-projection-propaganda? he has asked.

He has cried for victims of maladministration – teachers, contract workers et al – who very often gather on the Gandhi Marg with the hope that the government would pay attention to their grievances, but in response get tortured by the police. As long as the maladies are not removed, he shall continue to write such poems, he has declared.

Hear him in his voice:

Eastern Media’s Kanak TV projects Gigolo, generates hatred for women

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Male residents of Bhubaneswar, who are wealthy and elite, would hereafter look their wives at askance, as Kanak TV of Eastern Media Ltd has made it clear to its audience that rich women starved of orgasm are engaging gigolos in absence of their husbands in thirst for sex.

Gigolo is a satyr of younger age whom older woman hire for robust intercourse. The young man interviewed by Kanak Tv on August 1 disclosed that middle-aged wives of rich and wealthy men, top ranking officers, politicians are his usual clients who pay him Rs.4000/- to Rs. 8000/- per service and he usually gets 15 to 20 such engagements per month. He reveals that, through internet and code signals the ladies hankering for sex hire him. In his initial state, he was using a green colored band to signal his availability as a gigolo in Bhubaneswar’s elite points and as ladies in search of a gigolo were waiting in their cars in the elite points, one of them was approaching him and on settlement of the price, was picking him up. Now, he being a known face in the “trade”, the green band is not necessary. His telephone number is available with his clients and engagement is being finalized through the phone, he told the interviewer. His name is Rahul, as one understands from the Tv talk.

I am not going any further to the obnoxious details of the interview that has generated a lot of hatred for women of elite class having the capacity to pay so sumptuously for being bedded by younger men behind back of their husbands.

But if this phenomenon is a reality of Bhubaneswar, what service Kanak Tv has given to the public by telecasting this interview and by repeatedly telecasting it, is a matter that calls for serious cogitation.

Is it a deliberate attempt of the rich to denigrate the women in public eyes?

If not, Kanak TV and Rahul should disclose the names of these women, as otherwise, every elite, educated woman of Bhubaneswar may be looked at with suspicion, with grapevines saying, who knows whether or not she belongs to the world of gigolos!

If they do not disclose, Police must initiate penal action against Kanak Tv for playing mischief with the dignity of Bhubaneswar.

If Kanak Tv cooperates, the gigolos starting from Rahul and the ladies he names must be prosecuted against as illegally operating male prostitutes and their clients.

The Kanak Tv interviewer and the owner/operator thereof must also be forced to divulge how the interviewed gigolo was first located, contacted and brought to the studio.

For societal peace and tranquility this nuisance needs be dealt with as sternly as possible.

Watch below the video and come to your own conclusion.

Modern Media’s Body Selling Mentality in full Display in Sambad: Whither our Journalism?

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

A tainted leader of Orissa’s ruling party, which is home to many corrupt fellows, died. Till his death, he could not establish that he was not a punishable offender.

He was Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s blue-eyed-boy, his cabinet colleague, his guide and his top preference for the Upper House of India’s Parliament.

Therefore, he was the leader of the BJD wing in Rajya Sabha. He was Kalpataru Das.

But, as is said, “Time and Tide wait for none”, the Time enjoys its own freedom to act as it likes. It sometimes randomly beams light into the dark sanctuary of criminals and they get exposed.

This happened to Kalpataru. He was earlier noted for many acts of corruption. But his latest nefarious involvement in land and housing scams as well as in chit fund got unexpectedly exposed in August-September last year. He had to resign from BJD leadership in the Rajya Sabha on September 12, 2014 and the BJD “supremo” had to “appoint” superb user of hockey stick Dillip Tirkey in his place, though, despite this, he continued in Rajya Sabha to the full enjoyment of privileges of the Parliament.

Till death, as is noted above, he could not establish that he was not a felonious offender.

Orissa’s mainstream media house “Eastern Media Ltd”, the owner of which Sri Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, who aspires to lead the political State, was a major carrier of information on Kalpataru’s three exposed offenses noted above in its flagship ‘The Sambad’. But, it was not limited to that. In course of updating, it had raised the question as to why his earlier offenses are not being investigated into for penal prosecution.

Body selling of newspapers has become so much the practice under houses that publish newspapers for money, not for guarding the democracy as its sentinel, that the same newspaper ‘The Sambad’ of the same “Eastern Media Ltd” of the same Soumya Ranjan Patnaik has forced upon the people of Orissa the same Kalpataru Das as “Yuga Purusa” (the best person of our time). Whither our journalism?

Prostitutes sell their bodies for money, now newspapers do. What a magic of plutocracy! What a shame! What a degradation for money!

Newspapers are owned by business houses guided by avarice. People who bear the cost of production and because of whose support ads come, revenue multiples, media owners fetch profit, have no control over the contents.

How the people will take it?

I find the feeling of the people in a poem written instantly by former Banker Tusarkant Satapathy who, post retirement, has emerged a social activist and an accomplished columnist.

Here is this poem:

We will appreciate if Eastern Media reacts.

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seems to have developed a wrong notion that governance of Orissa in Oriya depends upon his mercy. His press-note of December 17 and full page display advertisement in major broadsheets of today force us to arrive at this apprehension.

In his December 17 press note it was declared that he had held a meeting with the five members of the ministerial committee on that day for the purpose of “strictly implementing the Orissa Official Language Act, 1954 in official and non-official level” to facilitate which a website has been floated by the government. In the full page multi-color advertisement in broadsheet dailies today, this is intriguingly missing.

The advertisement is designed to tell the people that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has taken historical steps to save and develop Oriya language, and has enumerated the steps he has taken. This is blatant lie. Neither he nor his government has executed any single item claimed to be “historical” in the official advertisement. The entire advertisement is nothing but false propaganda. What a shame it is, that, the people of Orissa are taken for granted by their Chief Minister! Read more →