Barkha jee…pull up your socks and stop the gabble ! { Come on….don’t say, “ I wear none”}

Barkha jee…pull up your socks and stop the gabble !
{ Come on….don’t say, “ I wear none”}

Inspite of Shoaib Q’s reminder, I missed the telecast as I had to complete an important errand. But he was gracious to remind me that the repeat telecast was round the corner. It was 15 minutes and I was over 15 kms away! I juggled the steering as I went perilously near a side walk. Later I just about managed to avoid a screaming jaywalker as a horn hungry Lumina almost pierced my already weakened ear drums! I stepped on the gas and relived some memories of when caution was thrown to the wind when behind the steering! I did not want to miss the programme!
Panel discussions are normally always very exciting and one learns a lot from the wisdom of the panel. But there is always an exception. Barkha Dutt in We the People telecast on the 7th of March was a huge disappointment. The panel is an indication of the possible quality of the discussion. And the panel she chose was pathetic and a loose collection of people who had really nothing much in common. Soha Ali Khan and Kabeer Khan, almost anonymous persons who would find little claim to name or fame of any kind. I do not wish to sound harsh but the fact remains that they were total misfits. By the way, pardon my ignorance, but who is Kabeer Khan?
Now let me ask Barkha. What was the show all about? What exactly were we debating or discussing? Was there a basic theme? Muslims? Islam? Stereotypes? Hijab? Muslim Leadership?
Now let us review the panel. Eight members on the panel. Out of these, five were from the film fraternity. Now, if the issue was Islam or Muslims, them I really wonder what Karan Johan and the likes were doing there? From what I could understand, the issue was dealing with Muslims and their image. And Alyque Padamsee, a panel member, confessed on stage that he did away with his religion when he was 18! And yet, he pretended to profess profound and abstruse philosophy on religion! Soha had little idea if she was actually a Muslim. She groped on many an occasion but found it difficult to state unequivocally that she was a Muslim. Sharmila Tagore has been a great Ma. Her daughter , dressed in some outlandish and humongous boots, tried her best to sound like a “know all” but in vain. Karan Johar was like fish out of water. He would make some strange gurgling sounds and though faint, I interpreted them as My Name is Khan, which we all know is not. But then he was referring to the much flouted Shahrukh Khan starrer. But what was he doing here? And that brings me to the other panel member-Shahrukh Khan. Though again, not the most suitable member to debate religion, he did make some very honest and serious efforts. And Barkha is probably angling for a debut on the celluloid! Why I got this feeling? Well, she was ensuring that the Khan was getting the maximum frame and exposure! The two members who were seriously qualified to discuss the topic were reminding me of Akshay Kumar. Why? Well, both suffered heavily at the hands of the editor! Minimum exposure to the most qualified speakers! That, I am afraid, does not speak very highly of Barkha Dutt. She , either by design or by default, ensured that both Dr. Zakir Naik and Maulana Madni, who could make the difference, were derailed. They were totally stifled. For some stranger reason, Najeeb, the one from the Jamia Millia was ill at ease with himself! On most occasions he was on the look out for some pot shots at Dr Zakir Naik. Perhaps, the skull cap and the flowing beard of Dr.Naik made him see red! I pity Jamia.
All in all, a very pathetic show and a massive disappointment for all those who had great expectations from the Warrior Journalist Barkha. Poor selection of panel and poor time allocation. Even the audience was throttled. Questions asked by them were never answered!
Barkha should remember that discussions on religion are serious matters and deserve an appropriate panel to debate intellectually and fearlessly. What happens when Jaspal Bhatty tries to analyze the Union Budget? Or when Shakti Kapoor assesses our national nuclear programme? Need I say more? And Barkha should have had more intelligent and relevant questions rather than asking insipid ones opinion on Osama Bin Laden!
I rate Barkha as an excellent anchor. But to err is human and this is the second major goof up by Barkha Dutt. The first being the one which was sent out live just after 26/11 where she allowed Simi the freedom of expression which impinged upon the basic rights of us Indians.
And all the dare devil driving only to watch Soha dangling her boots , hear Kabeer talk gibberish whilst Shahrukh and Karan promote MNIK? And additional claptrap and twaddle provided by Woodey Allen look alike, Alyque Padamsee ?