26/11: THE BITSIAN REACTION
Of terror, gunmen and lensmen
Shyam Krishnan, 2000 EEE
As the horrific events of 26/11 unfolded, Indians stood sleepless and helpless in front of their television. As the tyranny unleashed in Mumbai, the media sprang up to convey, communicate and channelize public angst to the world around. Shyam explores how today’s media are shaping the Indian civil society.
As I answered the phone on a quiet Sunday evening following the horrific terror attacks in Mumbai, I heard a high-pitched voice in the background interspersed with some pleasantries from my friend Ram.
I asked him what was on TV - and expectedly, it was one of the many debate shows on one of the very many media channels that are now thriving in a media-hungry and tech-savvy Indian setting. While Ram and I were discussing the attacks, the dialogue did swerve towards the media coverage...
Condemnation in a time of terror
Dilip D’Souza, 1964 EEE
"All I want to hear from all of us is categorical condemnation!"
As I'm sure happened on innumerable different discussion groups, my BITS batch has had a vigorous back and forth about the attacks on Bombay. At one point, one batch mate sent out a note that started like this: "All I want to hear from all of us is categorical condemnation..."
I vow to remember
Rahul Misra, 2000 Civil & Computer Science
“Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
This morning, one of my friends had a splitting stomach ache (a mild case of food poisoning) and I drove him to the nearby hospital. At the entrance, about 50 meters from the entrance to the Emergency Ward, we were stopped because the car needed to be screened by the security guards. At any other time, we would have been extremely happy to see how meticulous they were. But right then, in a snail-paced queue, when the pain seemed to increase exponentially every passing moment, my friend lost it. I’ve never heard him shout that loud. In response, the security guard’s response was a shrug of utter helplessness...