By Kavya Krishnan
To some, the news can be exciting, interesting and engaging. But not to 72-year-old Vijayalakshmi Krishnan, who calls reading the news the most “discouraging” part of her day.
Having grown up in a conservative family in the interiors of rural Chennai, Viji lacked any exposure to the outside world. “We were never encouraged to ask questions. Nobody even talked about current affairs. Maybe that’s why I never developed an interest in what was happening in the world around me.” But Viji didn’t let her upbringing restrict her. As soon as she completed her higher education, she secured a job in the Indian Overseas Bank, a position she called ‘highly lucrative’. Working in the bank allowed her to rub shoulders with a diverse group of people and expand her worldview.
But the course of Viji’s life would change as soon as she got married. Life was scary as a newlywed and even scarier when her husband made the impulsive decision to abandon his desk job and take up farming. She was totally unprepared for this abrupt change. Her large friend circle was cut down to only a few friends, and even their visits were erratic. But farm life was made easier by her two sons, who kept her company and brought light to an otherwise dark period in her life.
Living remotely didn’t necessarily mean that she knew nothing about the events occurring in the world around her. “My husband was a very well-read man. Often, I’d hear him discussing political issues with my two children,” she recounts.
But her life on the farm is a distant memory. Now, she lives with her younger son, his wife, and their grandkids. Although it’s been difficult dealing with what she calls a ‘generation gap‘, she believes that her grandchildren have been able to teach her many things. The most important of them, she says, is adapting to the ways of the current generation.
Although her grandkids often have passionate discussions and debates about current affairs and political issues, Viji doesn’t partake. “I consider myself news proof,” she said during our conversation. The only tidbits of news she gathers are from her friends, family, and, occasionally, Google. But it wasn’t always this way. Viji used to have subscriptions to several Tamil newspapers. While she didn’t exactly read the news because she was invested in politics or discourse, she thought the Tamil newspapers were a good way to pass her time. When I asked her why she no longer reads them, she said, “All the articles I read were negative and biased. There were only stories about raping and killing. I felt discouraged every time I opened the newspaper.” The perception of news that these Tamil newspapers created still stays with her.
Negativity and the biased stance of certain newspapers aren’t the only problems she has with the news, though. She believes that news has become too “exaggerated and that reporters and journalists often blow issues out of proportion for views and clicks.“
Despite her scepticism of news outlets, Viji still encourages her grandchildren to stay up to date with current affairs and listen to political discourse. “My ideas are dated. My grandchildren might have a different attitude towards the news. I don’t want to discourage them because of my experience with the news.” She feels that by reading the news, her grandchildren will be able to relate to the experiences of others.
As for her experience with fake news, she hasn’t had any! For the most part, at least. “Thankfully, nobody I know has been a victim of fake news. Only those who are gullible actually believe fake news,” she said with a laugh. Viji also said during our conversation that WhatsApp is a ‘breeding ground’ for fake news. “Just yesterday, I received a WhatsApp message saying I won 1 crore rupees. Obviously, I didn’t believe it. But some people do.“
Viji hasn’t completely given up on news, though. When I asked her what’d motivate her to engage with the news, she said that ‘external motivation‘ might push her to pick up the newspaper. She feels that if newspapers were more objective and balanced, she might start reading them once again. “There are already so many bad things happening in the world. I just don’t want to be reminded of them all the time,” which, unfortunately, is a sentiment shared by many.