There are some people, who demand a high regard from you. They prove it again and again, with their conduct, their passions, and their talents, and you succumb and consider them your ideals. That is how a following is born. That is how stars are born.
And when your ideal makes a mistake, it is hard to forget. It is hard to denounce them, but it is hard to forget. Karan Thapar was one of my ideals. And he too proved that he is just a human.
The event being talked about, is an interview taken by Karan of two well very well known activists today, Arvind Kejriwal, and Prashant Bhushan.
If you have seen the interview, you would know what my plight is.
It is the first time that I have seen Karan grow so desperate, and so pathetic! I've seen him tear the shreds off Ram Jethmalani, decimating Chidambram, Montek Singh, Arun Jaitely and many more personalities tirelessly and effortlessly. He made me believe in his demigod abilities of journalism. But his unguided attempt at ruthlessness with Arvind and Prashant Bhushan, finally carried him away with itself. He got so excited middle of the discourse; it was unclear as to what his intention and perspective were. Never before has he taken a stand against his interviewee, leave alone pestering him with the same questions again and again. He did both. I saw his interview with Kapil Sibal, when the Lokpal meetings had failed, and Anna had threatened to protest starting 16th August. He was meticulous, methodical, apprehensive of the replies, creative and quick to quote. He even made Kapil accept that Govt might take action if Anna goes on fast again. That, was an interview.
This, was an argument. He took to debate with them on essential topics. He tried to explain it to them, instead of taking their opinions and trapping them in it. Such a coercing is unimaginable for a man of his repute. It was not an attempt at outlook; it was a justification of his own stance. The way he was interrupting Arvind in every sentence, it seemed he wanted Arvind to parallel his own stream of thoughts, or else be quiet lest he said something else. Quoting Kejriwal from the interview: "Please allow me to speak Karan, please allow me to speak. In your last interview someone counted the words. You spoke 2400 words and I spoke 1600 words(sic)", to which Karan, with not a hint of cunning, replied:"Don't waste time". This was Karan on a backfoot.
Arvind was asking Karan questions, eyeing his eagerness to speak multitudes, and reluctance to hear. The first time I saw the interviewee become the interviewer, and trying to catch the latter in his line of thought. More than once, Arvind and Prashant were saying yes, and Karan was saying no, and the talk stagnated at that point. Again and again he was raising the question of Blackmail. This wasn't shrewdness, it was desperation. We all now know where his loyalties lie. He failed this time. He let person get in the way of impassiveness. He wasn't just.
This wasn't the Karan I know.
I do not support Anna in many of his demands. But I can't think of myself as being more than an individual with an opinion. Perhaps Karan thinks otherwise. The way this interview was conducted, I am sure 6 months from now, I won't remember much of it. But I would remember that once, Karan too failed in his job.
PS: Just read in a newspaper about Baba Nigmanand's death inquiry report. It was pushed to page 7, in an insignificant corner. It took his death to bring his issue to spotlight. And that too died away. Perhaps that is what a common man is worth. If you aren't famous, you can't be heard.
And when your ideal makes a mistake, it is hard to forget. It is hard to denounce them, but it is hard to forget. Karan Thapar was one of my ideals. And he too proved that he is just a human.
The event being talked about, is an interview taken by Karan of two well very well known activists today, Arvind Kejriwal, and Prashant Bhushan.
If you have seen the interview, you would know what my plight is.
It is the first time that I have seen Karan grow so desperate, and so pathetic! I've seen him tear the shreds off Ram Jethmalani, decimating Chidambram, Montek Singh, Arun Jaitely and many more personalities tirelessly and effortlessly. He made me believe in his demigod abilities of journalism. But his unguided attempt at ruthlessness with Arvind and Prashant Bhushan, finally carried him away with itself. He got so excited middle of the discourse; it was unclear as to what his intention and perspective were. Never before has he taken a stand against his interviewee, leave alone pestering him with the same questions again and again. He did both. I saw his interview with Kapil Sibal, when the Lokpal meetings had failed, and Anna had threatened to protest starting 16th August. He was meticulous, methodical, apprehensive of the replies, creative and quick to quote. He even made Kapil accept that Govt might take action if Anna goes on fast again. That, was an interview.
This, was an argument. He took to debate with them on essential topics. He tried to explain it to them, instead of taking their opinions and trapping them in it. Such a coercing is unimaginable for a man of his repute. It was not an attempt at outlook; it was a justification of his own stance. The way he was interrupting Arvind in every sentence, it seemed he wanted Arvind to parallel his own stream of thoughts, or else be quiet lest he said something else. Quoting Kejriwal from the interview: "Please allow me to speak Karan, please allow me to speak. In your last interview someone counted the words. You spoke 2400 words and I spoke 1600 words(sic)", to which Karan, with not a hint of cunning, replied:"Don't waste time". This was Karan on a backfoot.
Arvind was asking Karan questions, eyeing his eagerness to speak multitudes, and reluctance to hear. The first time I saw the interviewee become the interviewer, and trying to catch the latter in his line of thought. More than once, Arvind and Prashant were saying yes, and Karan was saying no, and the talk stagnated at that point. Again and again he was raising the question of Blackmail. This wasn't shrewdness, it was desperation. We all now know where his loyalties lie. He failed this time. He let person get in the way of impassiveness. He wasn't just.
This wasn't the Karan I know.
I do not support Anna in many of his demands. But I can't think of myself as being more than an individual with an opinion. Perhaps Karan thinks otherwise. The way this interview was conducted, I am sure 6 months from now, I won't remember much of it. But I would remember that once, Karan too failed in his job.
PS: Just read in a newspaper about Baba Nigmanand's death inquiry report. It was pushed to page 7, in an insignificant corner. It took his death to bring his issue to spotlight. And that too died away. Perhaps that is what a common man is worth. If you aren't famous, you can't be heard.
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