When Modi Moves, the Media Forgets to Think
Politics today is no longer about running a country. That is old-fashioned. Almost prehistoric. Today it is about running the attention span of a country—and that, my friend, is far more difficult. There is an old saying about ignoring barking dogs on the road so you reach your destination. A noble thought. But I often wonder—who is keeping the dogs hungry, and who is enjoying the noise? Take Bengal. Election season. A convoy moves like a well-fed serpent. Suddenly it halts. A jhalmuri stall appears. Now, in any sane world, this is called “break time.” In modern India, it is called “breaking news.” Within seconds, cameras arrive with the enthusiasm of relatives at a wedding buffet. A simple street snack—puffed rice, a bit of spice, a squeeze of lime—gets promoted to the status of national interest. The stall is still selling ₹10 snacks. But television has already priced it in crores. And the media, dear reader, behaves like a man who has just discovered fire and insists on burning ever...
