What's on my Mind

Author: myhandwrites

  • Why I stopped watching the News?

    Sunday night news, everyone in my family was watching it except for me. I watched news occassionally earlier but only recently have I started despising it. In times of pandemic when everyone is stuck in their homes, news is all we have on television. The soap operas (thankfully) are not being produced anymore. Reality shows are put to a grinding halt. There is no Movie production or release planned for the entire quarter. We have more than 10 news channels to pick from. Each one following coronovirus day and night and counting deaths every minute. There is so much information out there and so many theories that one can write a book out of it (that actually sells).

    But to be honest, I find the news channels polarising. They not just deliver facts but create a sentiment, voice strong opinons and publicise it. Almost all news channels are now backed by a political party and the funding ensures the interests of party are addressed. This is not to say that all news channels are biased but they frame facts such that it influences public sentiments in a certain direction (conveniently ignoring facts which might keep our opinion balanced)

    To give you an instance, few days back, a news channel announced how an Indian Prime Minister is leading the world leaders in formulating the corona strategy. This was monumental for the nation. I was amused. The news was delivered by a foreign lady and that made it seem like this was some world news channel. Upon some research, I discovered the channel was owned by the then government in power. That explained the news. Imagine, the fake pride and respect it induced within the citizens of India who would line up to vote the current ruling party next elections.

    I also saw news showing theories of labs in china that aided spreading the virus. Some call it china virus. Some say this is a biological weapon for world war III. Whether or not the theories stand right, the photos of bats, labs, testubes and sound effects coupled with it are enough to induce anti chinese sentiment.

    And what about Anti Muslim agenda that is already on rise? Surely, after the corona episode, people won’t mind voilence within Muslim communities. The news channels have been buzzing about Jamats and how they are responsible for spreading the virus. It sure can be a story but imagine when you listen to this, all week on over ten news channels, would you remember which category of Muslim population is responsible or would you remember that Muslims in general are responsible? Constant reinforcement of information creates this radical opinion.

    It is bizzare to see how news channel can gather so much content around the pandemic that the only thing to talk about all day is The Pandemic. What happened to the war in Iraq? Why isn’t trump impeached yet? Is climate change still on the agenda? I am curious about all these topics except that I don’t get to choose what I should think about when I am bombarded with corona information all the time.

    20 years ago, we had one channel on the television. It was the channel for everything (not just dedicated to news). News was delivered by a middle aged women in a monotonous tone in half an hour segment. It consisted of concise facts leaving it upto the audience to form their own opinion. No sound effects, no graphical remakes. People were not brainwashed but open to ideas, discussions and other people in general.

    Unfortunately, times have changed now and so had the news. I thought, the only way out of this constantly stirring intolerance is to stop watching the news channels altogether. I thought it better to not have an opinion than have a radical one.

    Now, I scroll through headlines on print media for limited time each day. The silence gives me space to think, choose my interests and form an opinion that is original and somehow my own.

    Its Sunday night again. Today is the Prime Minsiter’s address to the nation. Everyone is watching the news at home except for me. The me will instead read the highlights later tomorrow.

     

    © Copyright 2020. Megha Gupta. All rights reserved.

     

  • My first read in 2019 glued me to books again!

    Back in 2019, that feeling of emptiness kicked in. I had a well paying job, good work life balance, a loving family, good health but I kept wondering if this is it? Will I keep repeating this for the next 50 years of my life? (Thats assuming my life expectancy of 80 yrs or so).

    I was 31 then and wondered if this was what they call mid life crisis. It seemed a bit too early for that. I watched umpteen series on Netflix, changed jobs twice in two years, travelled to a new country almost once a month. I was trying to find some meaning to my life, I think.

    Sometime then, we went to a live comedy show by Kevin Hart. I watched his shows on television (always funny) and he was one of the very few comedians I knew by name. We bought tickets to his show and were not disappointed. I still remember some of his jokes. His strength, what I think is powerful story telling. He makes you imagine every scene to the precise perfection like he envisions. He laughs with you so hard that you feel like he and you are in the same scene.

    It was after this show, that I also heard about his book – I can’t make this up – life lessons kevin hart. I just bought it thinking it would be a funny bedtime read. I didn’t expect any more from it then.

    It didn’t occur to me then that comedians can also write about themselves, about their life and that it has power to inspire someone. Now to be clear, I had no dream of becoming a comedian myself (not that I could. I don’t find humour easy!) but I still found his book inspiring. What I liked most about it is the tone. Its like kevin is sitting next to you and talking to you. Now he is not giving you some bullshit piece of advice but merely telling you what his childhood was like. What did he do before he became a comedian? How he became one? His marriage, kids, life and so on. And that picture he paints with his story is so real and impactful that you feel like you were right there – when he was growing up, when he had no money, when he was rejected for shows (the ones that chase him now) and when he finally made to the grand stage.

    My favourite character from the book is his mother who left no stone unturned to discipline Kevin. He describes her like a military officer in disguise of a Mom. Kevin was downright scared of her. He kept lying to her all his childhood to escape her strict regime. But in the end, it is indeed his mom who grinded those habits in him that could make him committed to his career.

    Whats also interesting to know from kevin is how difficult comedy really is. How every line in a comedy show is scripted, practised several times with multiple audiences before it is staged live. The punches are improvised for timing, the story is personalised to connect. After rigourous rehearsal and re- rehearsal, the comedian puts his show to the final audience (which might/might not laugh as expected). The audience has power to make or break comedian’s career, his hard earned time on stage.

    I finished this book in about a week’s time. I could not help but notice how energetic and optimistic Kevin seems irrespective of his field of work which is so repetitive and exhaustive. He made plenty of bad choices in his life but that does not stop him from making new ones. Infact, he is till exploring.

    After reading this book, I planned to brush up my lost passions. Reading was one of them and so is writing. I did not do either since four years. I have resumed them now. Not to gain anything but strangely, when you practice something you like, that feeling of emptiness suddenly disappears.

    In 2019, I read 24 books. I also bought a journal app for my phone to start writing again. I write most days.

    Thanks! To Kevin! To my first book in 2019!

    Buy your next read here

     

    © Copyright 2020. Megha Gupta. All rights reserved.