An unprecedented war is going in the newsrooms of electronic media these days. For the first time in recent history they are questioning the rival channels who have been promoting superstitious programmes being sponsored by various Babas and their ‘devotees’. Except for NDTV, most of the channels broadcast these programmes and have no issue with their superfluous nature of content.

Yesterday, I was on a panel discussion being broadcasted live on the ‘miraculous’ Nirmal Baba and his vast business empire. The question was whether the Baba was really speaking of ‘Dharma’ or was he something else masquerading as a spiritual Baba. The issue of media ethics automatically came in the discussion as people questioned it much before anything related to Baba could be discussed. A caller asked,’ ‘Is it not a double standard of media when it shows Baba’s ‘samagam’ or congregation in the morning and question the same thing in the evening through their news and panel discussions?  

As usual the media actually evade these issues in the guise that ‘advertised’ contents are not developed by them and therefore do not really represent their policy. Now, they also justify their positions suggesting that people are free to switch to the other news programmes if they do not like it. Frankly, they can’t really run away from the accountability of a valid content and should be liable for all the contents that they broadcast. In fact, they should be held more liable for the advertised programmes as they have taken money for that. A sponsored programme need to be shown with great care as there are hundreds of Babas and so called Gurus who claims to have miraculous supernatural powers. Therefore to promote their hidden agenda through the powerful visual media these Babas are ready to shell more money to show their promotional programme and make billion by ‘providing’ people instant ‘solutions’ to their problems.

Media is not just a profitable business world but has important social responsibility too. Therefore, you cannot sale everything for profit but will have to be accountable to people of India. Will they be confident in showing a porn film on their news channel or prime time show if that is well paid? Who knows it might happen after some years and media will find some explanation for that too. The sponsored programmes should not look like a news item. And for that Media must develop news ethics. They cannot promote superstition and blind faith because it exists in our society. It is important for them to demystify it as suggested by Press Council of India chief Justice Katju.  In fact each sponsored programme should put a warning in bold scrolling that ‘ The channel has not verified the claims made by the Baba in his programmes hence you are requested to do so before you put your hard earn money to get your problems resolved on the basis of these claims’.

The fight for sanity and rationalism will not end with one particular Baba known as Nirmal Baba. There are hundreds of others who are minting money on the ignorance of people. It is also important to understand as why all the media has turned against Nirmal Baba? Why they conspicuous silence over others. Each of them has wealth worth billions of rupees. At the end they are promoting the hidden agenda of Hindutva.  We must give credit to social networking sites for instigating a huge debate on the issue compelling the media to take up the issue.

I am often asked this question as why people flock to these Babas. My answer to them is that we are living in miserable times where a majority of people are illiterate and living in poverty. The middle class seems to have developed no social responsibility and has aggravated its own problems with increasing lust, jealousy among colleagues and false sense of pride. We might have grown monetarily but in terms of ethics, knowledge and values; we remain highly uncivilized and deeply parochial. Nobody has time for others hence for our own problems we look for immediate solutions and therefore are trapped by these Babas who claim to possess supernatural powers. Frankly, people want to get their problems resolved. While other Babas pretend to give ‘knowledge’ to people, Nirmal Baba had no such pretentions as he knew clearly that people were not interested in his ‘gyan’ i.e. knowledge but his ‘miracles’.

Normally, a number of roadside magicians also do the miracles but always remain on the margins of life as they do not have fixed celebrity guest list, neither have they our responsible channels to glorify their magic hence they languish as unknown human being fighting for their lives. Sadly, the beautiful art of magic is dying in India and is slowly replaced by these new age ‘magicians’ who sits on TV and can speak English and work on computers too so that the middle classes may find it easier to link with them. The growth of the thugs and cheats as so called miracle mongers has happened because of the legitimacy that the modern communication system provided to them.

With enormous social chaos already exiting in our society, none of these Babas or supernatural Godmen ever pondered over to wage a war against social evils in our society such as child labour, gender disparity, caste system, untouchability, violence against women, hunger and poverty. If they really care for human being and claim to have done ‘sacrifice’ then why do they need wealth of billions of rupees to invest that on hotel business and elsewhere? Why don’t they say that all their wealth should be used for removing poverty, hunger malnutrition or helping women in distress in our society?

It is time that we all ponder over it. We cannot allow our people suffer in the miseries and live in darkness and isolation because of these new age gurus. In the public interest we need media which does not look for profit alone but be accountable in promoting scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry as envisaged in Article 51A of our constitution under fundamental duties.

(The writer is a full time Human Rights Activist)