"We shouldn't become lackeys of the establishment." Vinod Dua gave this memorable speech while receiving the 2017 RedInk Lifetime Achievement Award. The veteran journalist died on Saturday.
: Mumbai Press Club
: Mumbai Press Club
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00:00The biggest thing is that we don't want to become a courtier, we don't want to become a government.
00:04Even if we are told that there is a crow in the sky,
00:08and I am told that you are a traitor.
00:12So people get, many of us fall into the trap of that vicarious sense of power,
00:16just because we have access and proximity to the powers that be.
00:21We also think that we are powerful.
00:24You must have seen that I needed some assistance in climbing the stairs.
00:28Actually, I have hurt my knees.
00:31I refused to bend, I was trying to crawl.
00:42In the process, I hurt my knees, otherwise I am fine.
00:45I will say two things quickly.
00:48In the beginning, we have to look within, looking inwards.
00:52And secondly, we have to look at the situation for the media.
00:57First of all, I always give the example of Harsha Bhogle.
01:03Harsha Bhogle understands cricket very well.
01:06Whether it is a 20-over match, 50-over match, or a test match.
01:13He is aware of every nuance and aspect of cricket.
01:16He analyses it very well.
01:18Now if he says that he will play, he may be a disaster.
01:23In the same way, we understand the game according to our capabilities and capabilities.
01:31Now if we say that we will play, it is not necessary that we can prove to be politicians.
01:39So it is important for us to keep a distance from politicians.
01:46We should be able to take what we need from them, but we should not go near them.
01:57Secondly, there is something called a vicarious sense of power.
02:03I remember when Rajesh Pilate was alive,
02:09and there was going to be a cultural reawakening rally of the BJP.
02:13He called the Punjab Police.
02:15This was in 1992.
02:18I called them to my studio.
02:20The interview was over.
02:21They came out.
02:22My entire team was there.
02:23There were 35-40 people.
02:24To show them that Vinod will like it,
02:27Mr. Pilate put his hand on my shoulder and said,
02:30Vinod, you tell me, how should I handle this?
02:33I shook his hand very politely.
02:36I said, look, if I was a fool, I would have told you how to handle it.
02:40This is your job.
02:43You have experts.
02:44You may have felt that I will like it.
02:47Many of us fall into the trap of that vicarious sense of power
02:51just because we have access and proximity to the powers that be.
02:56We also think that we are powerful.
03:00In the early days of television news channels, especially Hindi channels,
03:03you must have seen all those programs.
03:07Bhoot Bhootni, Naag Naagin, Tomato Mein Hanuman.
03:14Veer Sanghvi had said somewhere and I had read that
03:18this is not news.
03:20This is reality entertainment television.
03:23If people like it, let them watch it.
03:25But change their licenses from news channels
03:28to reality entertainment television channels.
03:31The biggest thing is that we don't want to be courtiers.
03:33We don't want to be government officials.
03:35I remember a small part of Dushyant Kumar's poem.
03:39Don't say that there are dark clouds looming in the sky.
03:43Don't say that there are dark clouds looming in the sky.
03:46This is someone's personal criticism.
03:50Don't say that there are dark clouds looming in the sky.
03:54This amounts to criticizing personally.
03:57This amounts to a personal criticism of somebody.
04:00Don't say that there are dark clouds looming in the sky.
04:04Don't say that you are a traitor.
04:11To escape this environment, we need strength.
04:15We need courage.