On media and the state of our country
Every time I look around, I see a nation drowning in its own corruption and decay. The media, far from being a tool for awakening or reform, has long succumbed to the greed of money and power. They willingly become the pawns of politicians and the wealthy elite, leaving us to watch our country spiral further into chaos.
While it is true that independent journalists fight to expose the truth, the overwhelming majority of mainstream media have sold their souls. They have turned into agents of division, deliberately inciting hatred and reinforcing the status quo. Every broadcast is a calculated move to keep the public fragmented and disillusioned.
I saw a recent post by News18 TV, where a truck driver was forced to remove their Bhagwa jhanda (saffron flag). On the surface, it was framed as a matter of religious expression; while in reality, it was an attempt to amplify a narrative of fear and communal tension, to convince the ever-growing hateful population of India that their religion is in danger. While the media fixates on such distractions, the country suffers from daily tragedies: for example, an average of 83 rape cases reported every day, and a justice system that all too often turns a blind eye to the suffering of women. Indian courts have asked rape victims to marry their rapists or tie them Rakhi! These aren’t isolated incidents; they are symptoms of a broken system that refuses to acknowledge its own failures.
Our society is mired in despair: politicians and their cronies hoard resources, leaving the majority to suffer under polluted skies, contaminated rivers, unemployment, lack of women safety, rising hatred and ignorance. The promise of democracy seems like a cruel joke when every day brings more evidence that we’re too far gone.
I refuse to sugarcoat it: India is not on a path to redemption. The forces of greed and apathy have entrenched themselves so deeply that any hope for meaningful change feels like a distant, almost laughable dream. The media’s failure to address the issues that matter, i.e. real injustice, environmental collapse, and social decay, only cements this grim reality.