Mumbai once again has witnessed acts of terrorism. The blasts on 11th July swallowed more than two hundred lives. Agony and pain is left behind with the much talked about resilience of Mumbaikars.
Mourning might remain in the lives of those who have lost a loved one and days to come might not be the end of trauma and their struggle. But the news value of the appalling assault on the human life has already started loosing its news value in media.
The victims and the next to kin may or may not get all the required assistance but the news of new Friday releases and the latest Bollywood gossips including the celebrity interviews and their reaction on the aftermath of the tragic incident has once again become the latest catch. Come Monday exactly six days after the blast that rocked the financial capital of the country the page 3 parties have once again begun rocking. The late night slots on the news channels have once again started getting back to normalcy. The pain still remains as stated by one of the national news channel journalist while covering a late night party, ?the pain and trauma of the Mumbai blasts is clearly visible here. The dressing code of the party was therefore black as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives in the blasts?. Not only this the drinks for the all night bash were only served after keeping a minute silence (of which one cannot be sure as commercials sneaked in).
Time and again the commercial factor seem to have over power all humanitarian grounds. Soft drinks and burgers can come calling in between anything, anywhere. It can be during the live telecast of cremation ceremony to any big catastrophe.
The latest is the ?candle light? contribution. As we know one English channel has announced that the number of e-candles lighted on its web site will be the amount the channel will provide for the relief of the people affected from the blasts. The approach seems to be very modest but the catch behind this shows the other way. Every time you want to light a candle you have to register in the blog with details regarding your name and e-mail address etc. you may visit the site again and again to help the victims with an additional Re 1. To create few lakhs the site will have to be logged on a few lakh times. By the time few lakhs have been created for the victims the site will create many millions by cashing in its popularity. Smart moves make smart money. However, it is still not clear that the money raised will go where and how? Only few can come with an idea to make money from human toll. Truly everything for money! ¿What ever it takes¿.
Ajay Shukla
Hindustan Times
25 Ashok Marg
LUCKNOW 226001
+91-522-2207767
19 July, 2006