ensures

Recently came across a news item. Believe me!!! Reading a book review right on the first page with a banner headline “Twist of Fate”.  No unfortunately, the intention of this news was not to promote literary awareness. It was a self serving attempt which I am sure flopped miserably.

Two anomalies here, firstly (maybe my mindset and an immediate need of a paradigm shift) book review on the first page, Funny isn’t it? A newspaper I thought was primarily meant to herald the current events and then all the other secondary objectives. The author being reviewed was not so glamorous to warrant a first page review – some columnist of Financial Times who cut loose with his hackneyed view of India. Proud of being an Indian, actually. Because anything India and Indian seem to sell these days in his part of the world. All these is beside the point. Wondering what this editor of this daily was thinking of achieving. Puts up a big picture of a Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar (to be fair to this editor and the correspondent, this one-book-wonder of an author indeed had written a few lines on this leader) But dedicating about a quarter of front page for a photograph which had no relation to the review nor to the book  under review is unfathomable. Hey!!! C’mon I need to thank these guys for this wonderful collector item of a picture instead of cribbing about it, shouldn’t I?

Then the contents which were virtual blasphemy was purely for commercial reasons. This author was on a self acclamation spree, projecting a towering personality – RSS chief calling him to speak about an article no one even heard of (forget reading), Sri Sri getting upset. This guy was a big joke and a CLOWN,  a nice gift to all of us during this festive season.

So huge is the popularity of this great man, Sri Sri that all over the world, He Sells too and this Newspaper Circulation Manager earned his two penny performance incentive. Sri Sri’s good deed of the day to these motley crowd in the newsroom 

This newspaper tom-toms that it achieved highest growth in circulation in such a short time which  I understand even a small, little known, round the corner Magazine surpassed (yes guessed it right – it publishes  nothing but titillating stuff). This newspaper was a creditable second comparatively hmmm…

Wondering what happened to those days when news were just that…news – not something cooked up to sell the ad space and the newspaper.  Also giving more than due importance to the words of advise from some dimwitted white-skinner is a indication of the intellectual impotence of this Editor. This American One book wonder had no takers in the US so found the next best target market and we go head over heels to bring him on to the front page. (Last I heard, even the toilet papers with pictures of this author stank before use)

Well Done, Mr. Editor, keep it up, You are required to keep the country’s flag flying higher and higher