Rajiv Tyagi’s Death Made Me Exclaim, “Indian Media, Please Get Your Act Together!”

A wider debate and dialogue has ensued on the roles and responsibilities of the India Media after the untimely and tragic demise of Rajiv Tyagi. A fierce, promising and pioneering leader and spokesperson of the Congress party in all his great self and esteem. A regular on many television debates, putting his facts and figures in the public domain assertively, by being a vocal critic of the high handedness of the ruling regime. Many a time, during heated moments of frictions with anchors, he used derogatory terms.

Is It Time That We Do Away With Toxic TV Debates?

Rajiv Tyagi had the ability and approach to take the media head-on. Presently, media houses and corporations have become indifferent, unfair and partial up against those daring to question the status quo of the present ruling cliques.

In such a scenario, the truth becomes a casualty, fuelling misinformation, and leading to a battle of perceptions as post-truth starts taking us all in its tight control. Thus, populism and rhetorics have preferably settled as companions of convenience rather than a choice for exciting and entertaining our faculties of impressions and imaginations, as we instil the greatness of prowess, purpose, and pride.

India is no exception; the last few years have witnessed a hostile change in the dynamics of altering power functioning of different state apparatus and agencies.

Lacking independence and autonomy as their very existence create a deep suspicion in our minds. Anyways, our media won’t take the labour to focus and highlight upon their own insufficiency; for running and managing their TRPs instead placing their faith in contentious contents enhancing their prospective viewership.

It was for this fact a debate between Rajiv Tyagi and Sambit Patra of the BJP on the Bengaluru clashes followed on a private news channel where the latter passed lewd and humiliating comments against Rajiv Tyagi sparking a quick rush in the minds and hearts of the people for arriving at conclusions.

Minutes later, news of Rajiv Tyagi’s demise began doing rounds on news channels and social media. I also got to know of his passing away from a Facebook post unable to believe at first sight. Social Media began flooding with rest in peace messages describing Tyagi as a compassionate, caring and sensitive person, who always stood up for the ideology of Congress with all his humility and humanness.

I would like to know why we had to create such a situation where an eminent person of his supreme and stature was made to pay for his life as we are unnecessarily being dragged into this sort of sensationalism doing us disrepute. Media reforms were called for in the face of regulatory checks and curbs on its free and fair functioning. Measures were adopted by the Press Trust of India but mainly on paper.

We need to sit back and think on liberating the Media from its current state of being. It is high time for our news broadcasters and corporations to train their resources and focus on the themes mattering the most to ordinary living individuals. Indian Media, please get your act together!