An open letter to NDTV’s Dr.Prannoy Roy Date – 21st February, 2011 From: Khader Basha Syed Maryland, USA Dear Dr. Roy, In absence of your contact information, I am taking the liberty to write to you through this open letter. I have been an admirer of you and your reporting skills starting from ‘Election Coverage’ in 1984, World This Week to current NDTV’s 24x7 news coverage. No day passes without watching NDTV’s coverage whether be it is Buck Stops here, Left, Right and center, Big Fight and We the people. I am one of those Election Crazy Indian Citizens living overseas would remain awake whole night on May 22, 2009 to watch NDTV’s election coverage. I watch shows anchored by you with much interest. Recently I happened to watch your “NDTV Indian of the Year Awards 2011” honoring eminent personalities from different walks of life. I must admit here that I was most disappointed at the show and the audience it had attracted. I have no information on who was invited and what criterion was followed. At the same token you are to liberty to invite who you wish.

But on principle, looking at the audience, it was only consisting of elite and who’s who of Delhi and elite’s of India. It seems there is no place of ‘Real’ Indians on such occasions. If the show was to celebrate ‘INDIA’ shouldn’t ‘INDIANS’ be part of that story? It is like ‘India Growth’ story. Everybody grew in past 10-20 years except those whose name the growth story is told about.

My question to you is why that is the ordinary Indian who toils night and day on roads, on pavements, in farms and fields, in hinterlands, in factories, in your own office who serves you Tea/Coffee every day to you your staff is not part of this show? Aren’t they deserve a chance to be among the august audience in your program shows and award nights? Aren’t they part of Indian growth story? May be not?

If you think there is none out there, check this out Babar Ali from Murshidabad in West Bengal’s desire to learn amid the direst poverty. At 16 years old, Babar Ali must be the youngest headmaster in the world. He's a teenager who is in charge of teaching hundreds of students in his family's backyard, where he runs classes for poor children from his village. None of Indian Channels has time to cover such ordinary souls, because there are no TRPs for such reporting. These are the real heroes of growing India.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8299780.stm

I can clearly see that there is subtle shift in your channel’s reporting and there is a visible change in direction in run up to 2014 elections. You are clearly positioning your channel in the way political winds are going to blow in coming months and years until 2014.

Like every other news channels, news like IPL and Cricket, takes precedence even if the news pertains to a boy killed in Kashmir or Economic embargo in North East. IPL news sells so instantly that your news anchors/producers doesn’t hesitate to grab IPL sound bites, even if they are in midst of a news reporting on some human miseries. Seems IPL news is more important than news about these ordinary souls.

Even on scams, the preferences and political compulsions is very apparent. While it carries endless shows and program to go over the PM’s recent interactions, analyzing each and every word he has spoken, but certainly doesn’t have the courage and guts to find the loot that is going on in mining area. According to Karnataka Lok Ayukta Justice Shri. Santosh Hegde, the loot is so much that, government gets paid only Rs.100/-per ton of iron ore, where as it is sold for Rs.10,000/-per ton. That is for legal mining and declared exports. India exported about 110 Million tons of iron ore previous year. That is about Rs. 1, 10,000 Crores (One Lakh Ten Thousand Crores) per year. Just for 2000-10 period alone the loot is about Rs. 11, 00, 00 Crores (Eleven Lakh Crores). No wonder how small petty traders now have become mining barons and tycoons. There must be some reason why this loot is not being investigated / reported by media including your channel.

Mr. Roy, as you asserted in the award show, I am also proud to be citizen of India and I have the hope that all that negativity we see and get to be seen will be overcome and new enlightened India emerges.

Sincerely,

Khader B Syed Maryland, USA