One hardly gets any news these days from reading Newspapers. TV and net have replaced them as source of news. The local Newspaper is mostly use by me to do Jumble and Crossword puzzles, a great exercise for the brain. The other thing I look forward to are the sale papers and coupons in them, which come handy in saving a few bucks. The Newspaper is heavily loaded with local news, like how Mr. Joe Fart fared at the local church, with major international events given a pass, unless it involves America or Americans.
For the news from India, I mostly rely on social media and links provided gives me an inking of things back home. Whatever once in a blue moon I visited the website of tabloid Times of India, I completely stopped going there since it serialized lurid sexual escapades of some Indrani Mukherjee, which I care the least. But the fact that it is carried on multiple media outlets, tells me Indrani is the new "Savita Bhabi" of the Indian Middle class.
The newspaper reports from my state of Odisha, can be funny and outright entertaining. I find a few newsworthy and wish could drag and drop to my Trash/Recycle Bucket. Can't stop mentioning certain eye catching news I stumble upon, SARAPANCHA KU NISTUKA MADA (The village Sarpanch or head has been thoroughly thrashed), UTAKTA JANATA BHANDA BABAJI RA DAADHI KAATI DELE(irate mob cut the beard of fake Baba) and so on. But not so funny like, SAANA BHAIRA TANGIA CHOTA RE BADA BHAIRA MRUTYU (Younger brother kills the elder one by axe). The one which hurts me a lot is JAUTUKA PAI BADHU NIRYATANA/HATYA (Bride tortured or killed for Dowry). Such news are mostly from coastal Odisha. It makes me wonder if the coastal Odisha folks are champion Dowry takers and harassers, compared to their Western Orissa cousins.
Once I remember reading, BHUBANESWAR RASTARE FERRARI, BENTLY GAADI (Ferrari and Bentlies ply on Bhubaneswar road), proclaiming the arrival of novieu rich in once a sleepy city. What fun is riding a Ferrari in BBSR where the crawling traffic can hardly make you go over 30 kmph(20 mph). If you are intrepid enough to exceed that speed limit, I would tersely remind you of your dependents and the last payment of Life Insurance policy. Yet to many, this is a symbol of Odisha's progress.
The one news I found the ultimate in hypocracy, 500 TANKA LANCHA NEI PEON ARREST (Peon arrested for taking Rs.500 bribe). A classic case of an Oriya saying .. HAATHI GALI JIBA..PIMPUDI JAI PARIBANI.( Elephant can escape but Ant gets caught), meaning is self explanatory. We studied in Math and Physics during our school/college days, that when a number tends to get too small we ignore it considering it as zero. And those who are familiar with corruption in India, a bribary of Rs.500 is so small these days, it better get unnoticed and unreported by media. They should rather focus their energy on catching bigger fishes, which they don't for obvious reasons. Let the poor peon enjoy his share of 500.
No comments:
Post a Comment