Dr. Kundan Aryal

INDIA is the nation where constitutional provision guarantees media freedom. However, as the rational media personalities even in India observe, in the context of foreign relations, especially in dealing with the neighbours' wisdom of the media has been questioned time and again. India shares land borders with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. However, during the seven decades in the aftermath of independence from British Empire it has been exchanging not only the fires, even has been waged the full-fledged wars intermittently with two neighbours on the pretext of border disputes. It has almost failed to console these seven bordering neighbours in seven decades. It has still such disputes with harmless neighbours like Nepal.
Indian news media, with the history of nearly two-and-a-half hundreds years, have been undergone through different phases, from authoritarian imperial rule to the democratic governance. Even in the late 1930s, the Indian newspapers such as Janata from Patana, Bihar were the platforms for the expression of agony against Rana rulers of Nepal. Great martyr Dasharath Chand, by using a pseudonym, had exposed the despotic rulers though the Janata weekly of the socialist Rambriksha Benipuri. In the global context, Indian media were seen in solidarity with the antiapartheid movement of South Africa and the various national impendence movements in different parts of the world.
Hostile media
The juxtaposition to their earlier global stance, with the demise of an era of the patriotic journalists of the quit India movement generation, Indian media, mostly the TV channels, later started to become hostile towards Nepal. A loud and visible section of Indian media is not in line with the legacies of Indian media from the era when they were in the tireless struggle for social justice and independence. They do not reflect the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, non-violence and peaceful coexistence. Gandhi was not only the tallest figure of Indian democracy but a practicing journalist, who had immensely contributed to the development Indian journalism.
Today, it would be a matter of study whether it is an appropriate to use term ‘media capture’ to denote the performance of Indian media. Indian critical thinkers and journalists observe that the media system in India is now revolved around the state power. In the case of the relation with the neighbouring countries the choreographed attacks used to be first communicated in a briefing by the government senior officials. It is said in India that the South Block, Delhi's Ministry of External Affairs along with the Ministry of Defense officials share a few details aimed at creating spin and entertain no questions.
Thereafter, a handful of lapdog media begins to supply the doctored messages. The media, especially the Hindi language TV channels propagate the unconfirmed details eventually leaked by their highly placed sources. Those doctored materials used to be poured out all day from the networks and even newspapers and online portals. Consequently, the India TV channels and some of the newspapers have been gaining a jingoist image. It is a general perception here in Nepal that they do not question those in power, rather happily go along with the official narratives about the neighbouring countries.
It is difficult to conclude that the entire Indian media have forgotten to advocate nonviolent communication as tirelessly pursued by Gandhi. However, it is unfortunate that the voices of reasonable and wise intellectuals who are in favour of peaceful dialogue with the neighbours are not heard in the channels. It is even more unfortunate that the rational intellectuals who are in opposition to the armchair jingoism that routinely takes over public discourse in India and fuelling tension in the region are muted in these channels. Now, the patriotic Indian intellectuals need to break the spiral of silence and come forward without fearing of the tags of anti-national or traitors. History of the world has proved that over time, the jingoism and unrestrained violent rhetoric are most dangerous to national pride.
It has been proved that jingoistic eruptions distract from the crux of the issue. The jingoist Indian TV channels are jeopardising the world's largest democracy. Indian intellectuals, who are rational, are raising the issues on different occasions. They have been observing that the Indian news channels are unable to evaluate the issues relating to foreign relations. However, the media's general psyche to demonstrate the strongest patriotic credentials along with the increasingly scrutinised and controlled media environment has been interrupting the way for the rational discourse. Consequently, most of the Indian news channels serve as public relations machines for the ruling elite. By serving in this manner they have ignored Nepal's evidence-based claims.
Ideally, media needs not buy the government's world view in every issue either domestic or foreign. Although the general public of South Asia, beyond the Indian borders, respect the act of Indian media to harbour nationalistic feelings, they also expect reciprocity. The people of Nepal also wish to see professional commitment always be to the news presented in Indian media outlets. It is contradictory to the liberal school of journalism to be sounded like blind cheerleaders of the government. The sponsored media environment does mean lack of vibrancy.
Orchestra for hegemony
Before losing the complete trust of the millions of people from neighbouring nations, Indian media needs to review their biased performance. If the things go unchanged, the people would start to perceive that the entire Indian media landscape collaborates with the hegemonic ruling class to espouse and dominate the particular narratives. In the current case, amid the historical facts and shreds of evidence the Indian ruling class is not even ready to listen to Nepal. It has been imposing its own narrative that Kalapani area including Limpiydhura and Lipulekh does not belong to Nepal. Despite being a media of a democratic country, the Indian TV channels are being placed as the orchestra for the hegemony.

(Dr. Aryal is associated with the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Tribhuvan University)