Did you see NDTV India last night? Yes, it was the story of one
Sarvesh who died due to medical negligence last night in AIIMS. This
was the NDTV exclusive aired for more than three hours continously and
without any sensitivity towards the belated; inviting sms's at 6388
whether AIIMS doctors are responsible for this death or the health
minister Ambumani Ramdoss.

It reminded me of the question which we faced in the exams of IIMC a
long time ago: Is objectivity a myth? We were surely taught in the
marxist realm that objectivity is certainly a myth. Everyone has his
or her stand and one cannot rise from him/herself in the news making
or any other trade. We wrote more than two pages describing why
objectivity is a myth but achieving the goals close to objectivity is
a piece of good journalism. Now, how this applies to the death
coverage of Sarvesh?

The correspondent Dipti Sachdeva and the anchor Krantisambhav
(impossible name!) were indulged in a personal talk on the screen and
see the cruelty of the coverage, Dipti said that no one here is having
sympathy towards this dead body, his elder brother doesn't have enough
money to arrange for his funeral. Police has allowed to take the body
back but it's been three hours since the death, body is lying in the
corridors of the best medical institute of India and no one cares.

So, I send a message at 6388 as follows: Are bhai, at least you people
arrange for his funeral or ask for monetary assistance from your
viewers. Don't be so cruel! And lo, my message never appeared on the
bottom scroll as I was expecting. Then I thought of calling Mr. Dibang
at 11.45 p.m. but thought I am nowhere compared to his stature, why
should he listen to my words when he took my interview last month and
didn't call me next time? So I dropped the idea and contemplated on
the fate of that body, the correspondent, the anchor and the channel's
objective attitude.

See, it's not required to become an activist to be a good journalist.
But it requires basic faith in the celebration of a life and the
tragedy of a death, whether it be of Sarvesh or Ramdas or Ramesh or
any common/uncommon man. Just want to cite an incident at this point.
One of my friends Tripta Arya is in Sahara Samay national news
channel. She is a very good reporter, not seen through the eyes of
objectivity but the basic faith in the celebrations and tragedies of
life. She did a story on the two girls of western U.P. who were
admitted in Safdarjung hospital as some goons had thrown acid on their
face. Their faces were comletely devastated. The parents had no money
to continue the surgery and medical assistance. The story got
repeatedly aired on the channel for the whole day, reporter asked for
monetary assistance from the viewers itself. Anchor and the panel
producer too were of the same thought. Till evening, she was able to
collect more than Rs.50,000 for the girls. Is this not journalism? The
money not only came from Delhi but from gulf countries also where the
viewership of this channel is largest.

If Dipti would have done this, she also would have proved to be a good
reporter. If this idea never striked in her mind, then she had no
right of accusing the people who were watching the live PTC of the
death of Sarvesh. Is she not included in those people who were just
making their nights sensational? If she has given any assistance
personally from her end, she must clarify.

This incident relates to a larger question of the social
responsibility of mass media in this country where people die on roads
daily due to the negligence, not only of doctors but of the whole
society. Media is not just for telling what is happenning or what has
happened, it is also for changing the scenario as and when required.

At last, I personally request on behalf of all the Sarvesh's in this
country to the journalists to at least show some sensitivity towards
these type of news coverage. Neros will always remain in this society
but at least collectively try that we never get counted in the Nero's
guests after our deaths. And no one will come forward for us at that
time when our bodies will be lying in some lone corridor of some
politicised hospital of great India. Remember that great poem of
Brecht!

Abhishek Srivastava
9350352421