Let us talk about the GODI. Not the Government Of Democratic India but the ‘un’credible media termed so, in reference to its sensationalist and biased reporting. Since a ‘Godi’, which translates to ‘lap’, is considered the safest place on earth, it reminds me of the days when my ‘pretending to be tired’ daughter would turn to her father, extend her arms and say: “Daddy, I want Godi.”

And her daddy would immediately pick her up in his arms. Even if she was nine years old. But look what we have done! We have taken the most charming word from our Hindi dictionary, tagged it along with a spineless organisation and made it sound like an insult.

There is no place in the world as comforting as a mother’s lap, or father’s arms. And the fourth pillar of the largest democracy in the world should not be linked to it. Even if it behaves like a nine-year-old.

Some even term a mother’s lap as the first primary school. But what happens if the child realises that its rightful place is now being usurped by someone else? What happens when it is suddenly rusticated from this ‘school’ for something it did not even do? Like being shooed off to begin a walk back home drudging suitcases, carrying children and the weight of a tiny virus.

What happens if the ‘kids’ are mercilessly kicked off to go fight for their rights because of some Draconian laws? Or when the Kisans are plucked out from their fields and planted on the streets for months, while people keep contributing to the ‘Who Cares Fund’?

What happens when the Jawan is no longer found on borders but is buried in gallantry and used as a vote bank? Or when the ones who need Health Care the most, are told to go fend for themselves? Fight their own battles? Breathe their own air?

And what happens when the pillar that was supposed to offer you support, is instead flexing its oratory muscles, poisoning everyone’s minds and attacking mercilessly.

But before you can turn elsewhere, you realise that the Media is not alone. All the dependable letters of the English alphabet like the CBI, IT, SC, EC, ED and many others have also become bendable.

All pillars of democracy are expected to stand on their own strong legs and support its citizens. They are not just props but are a distinct part of the Opposition. And the fourth pillar especially has multiple roles to play.

The fourth pillar should become the students, and demand for timely exams, reliable correction methods and more jobs. It should become the writer, poet, activist and help in devising the right tool kits for progress.

It should become the face of the protestors and put in demands for their rights. It should become the satirist, the cartoonist and the stand- up comedian and learn to laugh. It should become the harangued public and enquire about the constantly rising prices.

It should also have the guts to turn around and question the leaders about their ridiculous and bizarre statements. Someone needs to tell this crumbling pillar that dissension is also a form of patriotism. But who will bell this pathetic Vulture?

Definitely not the leaders, because they have more important work to do. Like draining everyone out emotionally day by day by keeping them distracted with multiple events and empty phrases. Or by regularly pumping up our nationalistic fervour with meaningless rhetoric so that the mood of rancour and hostility is constantly kept alive, thus increasing the ‘Us’ Vs ‘Them’ divide.

Now that we no longer have to fight for our Independence, the fourth pillar has an added responsibility. Of trying to conquer their own nation. State by state. Election by election. By hook or by crook.

As idealists, we think that if we keep watching the news the situation will somehow change. But the reality is that only if the situation changes, the news will also change. Malcolm X once said that an irresponsible media will make the criminal look like he’s the victim. And make the victim look like he’s the criminal.

It will have you hating people who are being oppressed. And loving the people who are doing the oppressing. The great visionary called this propaganda tactic a psychological warfare. And he said it years ago.

But let us stop the blame game. The Media and all the ‘letters’ that bend backwards are not the only ones responsible. Just look around you. When you see the Dance of Death, don’t you feel guilty? Don’t you feel that our silence, indifference and neutrality have all become a form of support for the powerful?

There is no logic or science to anything anymore. The air is not only virulent, it has also begun to sound foolish. If you cannot do anything fruitful, the least you can do is to stop attending the Devil’s workshop, unreliable ‘universities’ and forwarding a fake ‘syllabus.’

When you spread poison, remember we are all breathing the same air. We are all in this together. We are all responsible. And. If we continue to graduate from such academies, soon we will all have blood on our hands!

But, amidst all this helplessness and emotional fatigue, you suddenly feel a hand of assurance on your shoulder. You turn around to find that you are not alone. There are indeed some independent social networks with a few responsible journalists, judges, caring citizens and a few sensible writers, all standing like pillars beside you.

They are just a handful. And yet they still have their hearts in the right place. And perhaps it is only because of them that we are still thriving on an otherwise unstable planet. It is perhaps only because of this strong and sturdy ‘column’ that our Democracy and our Constitution is still intact.

This motivating realisation comes as a huge relief. You finally understand that even if all the letters in the alphabet abandon you; even if none of the democratic ‘Pillars’ support you, we can at least lean against each other. We, the sound people, are not alone.

We are ensconced in the eternal wonder of the significance which lies in unity and in diversity. When no one believes in us, we have to believe in each other. Moreover, there is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting up the spirits of those lying in an emotional dump.

Sometimes it is just about who is willing to hold your hand when you need it the most. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr: “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”

Views expressed here are the writer’s own.

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