MOURNING,
AND THE MEDIA¿S BIAS
By Meena Kandasamy
Recently, Chandra Bhan Prasad wrote
an excellent article pointing out the absence of dalit journalists. He lamented
that from a population of over 205 dalits there was not a single dalit with an
accreditation card in the mainstream media. He
vehemently emphasized that "the Indian media is still a prisoner of the
chatur-varna world view". The truth of this reality is being reinforced
everyday. Politics and casteist bias in the national media not only dictate
what should be reported, but also what must not be reported. Ignoring dalit
writings and activism seems to be an unwritten rule in today¿s upper-caste
dominated press. And the obscure media coverage extended to Vasant Moon¿s death
on April 1, 2002 is just another example of the dalits being given inferior
treatment. Nevertheless, it highlights the carelessness with which the media
treats the dalits.
Vasant Moon was a staunch follower of Dr. Ambedkar
and a noted dalit activist. He was the Editor of the twenty collected volumes
of "Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches", which was
published by the Education Department of the Maharashtra Government. All
through his life, he worked with the single goal of compiling and editing the
works of Babasaheb and with his meticulous hard work, he immortalized Dr.
Ambedkar. If there are millions of ambedkarites in the world today, it is only
because of the untiring efforts of Vasant Moon. His autobiography ¿Vasti¿ was the
first dalit autobiography published in India. Last month, its English
translation by Gail Omvedt, titled "Growing up Untouchable in India"
was released. Vasant Moon also played a great role in the sourcing of dalit
literature. It is a fact that any research on the dalit movement could never
have been complete but for the help extended by him. He must be remembered
because he gave permanence to our history and heritage.
But, Vasant Moon was not given the fancy government
honors; the quintessential string of Padma awards that so easily and
automatically come in rapid succession to adorn the upper-caste privileged.
Although his services were fully appropriated by the Indian government, any
kind of genuine official recognition was absent. With his death, he left behind
a nation terribly in debt.
A great ambedkarite like Vasant Moon deserved the
national English media¿s genuine attention, which was clearly absent. The media
has been on the wrong side with respect to his case. Let us not deny this for
the sake of refuting. Instead, let us remind ourselves of the hyperbole that we
lavish on upper-caste authors, men and women whose popularity far outlives
their book-sales. Let us renew our memories and feel the sponsored elation the
media experiences when sycophants of those in power are heaped with awards and
laurels. Alternatively, let us deal with dreary deaths. And the disparity
therein. We don¿t need comprehensive research to draw parallels and understand
why the demise of a prominent dalit intellectual could not command even a
single line in two widely circulated national newspapers in India. This willful
laxity was despite UNI reporting the sad incident.
I am not in a furious frenzy for the reason that Vasant W. Moon was not accorded a fitting obituary by the national media. Dalit activists all over the world will revere him forever. I am grieved by the sorrow and helplessness of a prophetic truth that Dr. Ambedkar wrote in 1945, - " The Untouchables have no Press". The statement sounds powerfully authentic and accurate even today. When the mainstream media refuses to publish dalit-related news, it sends a clear signal that they aim to practice a modified version of untouchability. It indefensibly acknowledges that they seek to endorse and perpetually nurture the hierarchy the caste system provides.