Open Letter to Arnab Goswami
Dear Arnab,
I am shattered. Devastated. I can’t even begin to explain how disappointed i am after spending an hour reading this atrocious article that just seems like a vindictive piece out to malign you.
In short, it says that you are a maniac who doesn’t understand anything but TRPs and would go to any extent to win the race with the other channels; that your skill lies not in journalism but in creating controversies and providing entertainment via dumbed down, rhetorical news; that you are a horrible, vindictive boss whose people hate you, calling you nicknames such as Dementor.
The Goswami experience has left everyone, including those who resisted him, a little unsure. One former editor reached for fantasy to describe his effect. “I used to call him the Dementor because you see him and all your happiness gets sucked out. It’s like there’s a chill in the air and everything sad and bad and negative in your life comes out.”
The former high-ranking editor, who worked closely with Goswami for years, said, “You’re dealing with an individual who is deeply complex, unstable, and absolutely vindictive. A brute of a human being. A complete philistine.”
Arnab, what is this? There are so many questions in my head, which is buzzing from the trauma. I wish there was a mike i could thrust in your face like one of your reporters, asking you if you had any comment on the allegations. Or if one of your journalists would thrust a mike in my face asking me how I felt.
Arnab, you have no idea how much this means to me. All these years, i have longed for the day when you would, on prime TV, announce your real superhero identity, and fly off to stop a group of terrorists trying to wage battle against India. You could well be India’s answer to Ironman.
This changes everything, Arnab. This changes everything. The nation demands answers. We need to know what this is.
I feel like that child who is informed a day before Christmas that there is no Santa Claus, that it’s all a hoax. I wish there was a camera in front of me, so i could stare into it with a blank, desperate expression that showed the pain i am feeling right now, the way you do when confronted with corrupt politicians who don’t listen to you.
Arnab, you wouldn’t know how much of an inspiration you’ve been. You’ve shot more people point-blank (with your words) than the most kick-ass encounter specialist anywhere in India. You’ve silenced people who have the power to put behind bars anyone who even dares dream something derogatory against them. It’s so cute to see them go ‘Arnab, Arnab, let me complete at least’ while you show them their place. Fills my heart with joy every time you do that.
You, Arnab, are the enforcer of our democratic process.
I am so inspired that I have modeled my life after you. At work, i run meetings like your panel discussions. People feel happy if they can even speak a word in one of my meetings, leave alone win a point. If they start talking, i just talk at the same time, but in a louder voice, which proves that i win the argument. I may sometimes make up facts as i go along, relying on my loud, anguish-filled voice to make people lose focus and agree to my agenda, but big deal. And you know what the amazing thing is? It works, and i can only thank you for it.
People have role models like Dhoni, Gandhi, Sunny Leone etc. For me, it’s always been you. That navy blue suit, the tie, with its Windsor knot, the specs, the nicely parted hair. You’ve been like that good, patriotic boy i would have married if i were a girl. You’ll be happy to know that i have already planned of dressing up my boy as Arnab Goswami when he is old enough for fancy dress competitions.
It clearly doesn’t help to hear the kind of things people have been attributed as saying against you.
“He humiliates you,” the output editor said. “It’s not just about picking holes. He’s the editor. He’s supposed to pick holes. But to humiliate a person, to demean the person, to bring the person down, to almost terrorise the person in such a way that your self-esteem hits rock bottom?”
The Newshour’s guests say they accept invitations to the show expecting a discussion, only to find themselves cornered and painted in stark terms and, if they persist with nuance, ignored. The activist and academic Madhu Kishwar, a frequent but exasperated guest, penned a widely-circulated open letter to Goswami, complaining that “panelists are expected to simply come and lend further strength to the anchor’s delusion that one hour of Newshour will rid India of all its ills”. The senior manager explained Goswami’s approach. “He feels TV is about drama. You have to stir something up or the audience will be lost. He sees his role as livening things up.”
Hardly role-model stuff.
I am willing to give you the benefit of doubt though. They’re all probably just jealous of your success, or maybe they aren’t as convincing in debates as you are (who am i kidding. Nobody can come close). I’ll take the article with a pinch of salt, just like i take Balika Vadhu, your news reports, and every match the our cricket team wins (or loses).
Maybe you’re just playing the bad boy like Shahrukh Khan in Chak De India, to unite the entire team against you. And it worked well, didn’t it? The girls won the World Cup. You’re on top of the TRP charts. The mark of a great coach is to achieve results, by hook or by being a mad maniac who inspires dread in the hearts of everyone in the mad conquest of TRP charts.
Let the haters hate, Arnab. They can go to hell. Or watch one of the lame-ass competitor channels who haven’t discovered the importance of background music, fancy animation and size 200 font headlines scrolling in four lines across our TV screens.
All i know is that with you up and about, i can sleep at night knowing that India is safe from terror, corruption or any kind of evil. You’re our deterrent against bad things. But i am human after all, and a bit confused that if someone took the trouble of writing an article longer than the Indian constitution against you, there might be some truth in it?
Only you can clear the air now. Perhaps by inviting yourself on News Hour and grilling yourself to Paneer Tikka tenderness.
The nation needs some answers, Arnab. And the nation needs them NOW.
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My husband too is a die-hard Arnab fan. And he was similarly ‘heart-broken’ when I sent him the link to the said post! He hasn’t spoken to me since!!
This report has almost destroyed my marriage!!! Now let me do some damage control and send him link to your post :)
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Puja – glad to be of help :P
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I am a die hard fan of him. Dogs bark when the elephant is walking on its way. We dont care. Show me one person who can kill the corrupted persons with words, in point block way. THAT…..IS…….ARNAB…….we r proud of u.
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Haha..nice!
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Isn’t the Calender Shoots kingfisher calender girls……..Pron websites………….nude photo shoots including all the Bollywood actresses…. Advertisements…. nudity in Indian cinema……… disgraceful item songs………..costumes…….inviting sunny leony to Indian Cinema giving her work permit was like a student doing class 12th after her M.com…….giving media coverage to Poonam Pandey’s getting nude announcements………Paoli Dam’s pron scenes ……..media coverage to Bhatt gang (the biggest disgrace to Indian cinema) etc….aren’t they responsible for these shameful acts in India?
this incident reminds me of the murder of Junko Furuta………………i am feeling ashamed of being an Indian …..y a man is never punished to be hanged till death when he makes some once life worst than death
RAISE YOUR VOICES……..ITS HIGH TIME NOW………..
CRIME NEVER PAYS……… NEGLECTING A CRIME IS ITSELF A CRIME.
STAND FOR YOUR DAUGHTERS & SISTERS.
regards
a citizen of a morally dead country
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I’m sure there’s no Language thats ever come up with a word to describe or explain how or why we put up with this quirk. There first ought to be a parliamentary debate on about Arnab Goswami and a vote on whether a life (in jail or a zoo) sentence on him would boost or not boost India’s development.
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The man has been a phenomenon in an otherwise cozy & seemingly co-opted “mutual win-win” equation bearing relationship between those in public-life & news-networks. Its evident given the “not-so-private” dislike expressed by others from the fraternity. It isnt least surprising that usage of terms – “noise”, “nakra”, etc are used to describe his shows/channel approach. When Dr. Prannoy Roy started off in those days bringing some freshness in an otherwise dull and dubbed (to speak in-praise of the Govt of the day just as the feudal royal kingdoms used to have “praisers” in the durbar to sing eternal praise of the lordship/royalty) DD News era; it was path-breaking. There were some people who felt uncomfortable then just as some do today. When you notice the “rendezvous” type “cheesy” interview on prime-time national television with ‘a victim of random rhetorical utterance of a CM aspirant terming the so-called victim as “a 50 crore girlfriend”‘, its all right. Nevermind, the deliberate intent to mislead public by claiming a discussion “LIVE” when in-fact it was pre-recorded, its all okay.. no much noise needed please. Push it under the carpet! When a journo follows a neta into fodder yard et al, ask seemingly never-ending (literal terms – never ending line with complicated sentences) questions while cautioning the respondents with “fierce head-nodding”, “jumping the seat”, “uncouth” and clammer for air-time, its all okay… no problem there!! But, this new lad, loud no-doubt, irritating at-times – yes, (but arent they all?), is all of a sudden a threat to the fraternity and TV news journalism’s practice and ethics..? And yes, not to forget, The Editor of a national English newspaper claiming on TV that his 4 letter c word could be construed as being cool, calm, and not coup is okay to “walk and talk and dance”. :-) World’s a stage.. no dearth of naatakbaazi!!
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Arnab Goswami is the best , with real guts. we need people like him. Great job, Arnab Sir, keep continuing the good work..
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Arnab u r doing a great job. Keep it up.
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Well, this article forced me to see arnab’s debates. After watching his program, I laughed my heart out. Your article seems to be full of truth and only truth. Poor guest, those whom he invites to prove his point correct like Koran bedi, harish salve, etc. Keeps looking at camera for 80% of the program duration without speaking and just giving facial expression of their great sufferings of constipation and the persons he calls to grill just keeps saying Arnab, Arnab,… And 1 minute, 1 minute,…. Before they gets their 1 minute their trial, prosecution, judgement and punishment is done. But I must say Arnab is great entertainer. :) nation wants to know ;)
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At least this man has huts and courage to bring out the truth .We love watching the energy and enthusiasm which he displays on all his shows.Arnab keep up the good work.
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I love the pro-arnab comments here :)
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the best thing about this man(Arnab) is he is bold,he is not coward thats the quality i think he has inherit from his family, his father was from army and his grandfather was freedom fighter ,he is a person who thinks beyond himself he always think what is best for his county and always tries to depoliticizing the issues which any politician tries to politicize.
i think we as a citizen of india must support this man because its our responsibility as a citizen of india to support someone who speaks for the interest of this county , i think this person doing far more classier job than the fictional character in the movie nayak.
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Long live Arnab! What a man, what a fighter, what a true Indian!!
You make me proud of you. You make me proud of being Indian.
I only wish I were another Arnab Goswami myself.
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Yeh, like him, be most of the time driven by your emotions and the rest of the time by your bowels particularly when shuffling with Pakistani comrades as he was doing last night.
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We are so much proud of Arnab, keep going. You make us proud.
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As a audience, i have always appreciated Arnab than others but Arnab please let others speak too.
You are a very good anchor and have the guts to ask point blank questions and not like others who either do a cameo on godra victims by showing their crocodile tears or some one who threatnes bloogers for their remarks on “shoddy journalism”
Hats off to you Arnab for showing the truth and face of our politicians.
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I like it when Arnab sinks his teeth into the criminals or those on the side of criminals. My favorite is when he does his thing to this permanent fixture, this hapless masochist Sanjay Jha – “Arnab, Arnab, i hear my own echo”, “Arnab, Arnab allow me to speak”.
The poor guy in order to buy some time, blurts “Arnab, Arnab, can I take that question?” – when Arnab looks at him mockingly like – saala, take that question if you can…
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