So the Indian Telegraph didn’t publish Asif and Jyoti’s piece on border killings. This made me think, how are they reporting the PM’s trip over there?
I looked up the top four English language newspapers in India. Collectively they have a daily circulation of nearly 7 million. What they print is a reflection of what matters in India. And what matters is clearly not anything — water, trade, border — we care about.
The images of the websites of these newspapers as of this morning Bangladesh time are over the fold. The Times of India and the Hindustan Times, two North India dailies, don’t seem to even mention that the Bangladeshi PM is visiting. The Hindu mentions that the PM is grateful for the asylum India granted her after the tragedy of 15 August. The Deccan Chronicle shows that she received a peace prize.
I’ll leave it to Jyoti to discuss who gained what, but as far as I can tell from the Indian newspapers, no one over there really cares.
Here’s an excerpt from an op-ed published in the Hindustan Times, with an estimated daily readership of almost 7 million, and the 2nd largest English language daily. Is it really true that from the media, the impression is “no one over there really cares”
India needs to walk the extra mile and, if necessary, provide unilateral trade concessions, already hinted at by the finance minister. But any concession or policy announcements must not be allowed to get tangled in bureaucratic red tape, leading to broken promises — India’s offer of half a million tonnes of rice during cyclone Sidr being a case in point.
India has already agreed to provide transit facilities to Bangladesh for trade with Nepal and Bhutan; it now needs to resolve undemarcated land and maritime boundaries rather than letting the issue fester. To address its main security concerns, India must be prepared to bear some economic loss — a small price to pay in the long run. What’s important here is to send the right political signals.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Turning-a-new-corner/H1-Article1-496715.aspx
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jyoti Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
7 mil people read the editorial? Of course things could be different in India.
I’ll go with Tiktiki. If the news was important, it would be in the front page.
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kgazi Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
As usual, the Hindustan Times Op-ed again discusses ONLY “pro-Indian interests” – ie transit, electricity and rice. It does not mention issues that adversely affect BD, like BSF murders, Tipaimukh, trafficking of women, and garment duties.
More than ‘India does not care’, India does not want to inform Indians how they adversely affect their neighboring countries.
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Udayan Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
The most use generated by the pages this editorial (and the countless other pieces that have appeared in the media about the BD trip over the past 3 days and the week leading up to it) may be to wrap up bhel puri in the bazaar tomorrow for all I know.
The point is, there are in fact people in India and in the Indian media talking about these issues, and most importantly, much of this is for the very first time.
Perhaps not all of the issues are getting the airing they deserve or that Bangladeshis would like – I haven’t seen any discussion of the BSF issue, for instance, But given where public discussion on Bangladesh in the Indian media was even a year ago (supporter and source of terror, unabated immigration, support for Indian separatists etc), and given where it is now (need for border demarcation, preferential if not unilateral trade concessions that India must make, the mutual beenfits of loans for infrastructure development, the need to address perception of “big brother” in all interaction, and acknowledgement of previous broken promises) I think there is a lot to celebrate.
Yesterday, several newspapers prominently covered an image of Hasina embracing Sonia Gandhi. Zee News had their meeting as the main story for the news loop for an hour of while I was watching. Granted, this doesn’t suggest deep dissecting of grave issues. But given that most Indians watching or reading these items probably don’t know who Sheikh Hasina is, the message and the implications – subtle and explicit – shouldn’t be underestimated.
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jyoti Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Okay, so only a few used to care, and overwhelmingly had a negative impression. Now a few more care, and there is better perception. Yeah, that’s probably not inaccurate.
I guess I should participate less in this discussion and write up that post mortem.
tiktiki Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
According to wiki, Hindustan Times is the 4th largest English paper, not 2nd. But more importantly, you link to their editorial (and Times of India also has an editorial) , whereas my post is about what’s considered news. The Bangladeshi PM’s visit, the agreements signed, the joint communique — these are self-evidently not as important a news as, say, China jailing 21 Indian diamond marchents.
The point here is not whether India should or shouldn’t care about us. The point is also not what Sheikh Hasina has or hasn’t achieved. The point is, this trip is not news. No one cares.
And when you read an AL supporters claim that this trip is a great success, and BNP crying desh bikri, and Jyoti or Asif’s post mortem, remember that across the border, this is a non-event.
(I should have mentioned, it is news in Kolkata, Ananda Bazar has many photos and interesting tidbits. But who cares about Kolkata anyway?)
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Udayan Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindustan_Times
Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2008, revealed that HT has a readership of (6.6 million) placing them as the second most-widely read English Newspaper in India after Times of India.
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naeem Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Tiktiki & Jyoti
I find Udayan’s analysis compelling on this point– there is not as much interest as we wish, but there is more than there was before. And that in itself is a positive trend given that there is no way forward except with better bilateral relationship between India & Bangladesh. The past model of continual antagonism hasn’t helped either country, but certainly has harmed Bangladesh more as the smaller nation.
kgazi Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Naeem, continual antagonism was apparent in the past, because India always demands a give-give-give policy, or even a give & take policy, and never a take-take policy, and Khaleda was NOT willing to deal with that. As long as Hasina continues to follow Indias give-give-give policy, then ‘realtionships’ will be good. But there’s a limit to how long Hasina can continue to give-give-give to India.
Now if Hasina was as generous to Khaleda also, as she is to Manmohan, then a “new realtionship would USHER” in AL-BNP relations too. Our internal democracy relations are MUCH MORE important, desperately in need, to Bangladesh, than external relations with a give-give-give policy to India.
Why are you so concerned? Hindustan Times, for example, has gone from a serious newspaper to a titillating tabloid for a while now. I am a virgin, says Celina Jaitley. Salman and the Kaif girl going strong. Big B steals steals SRK’s lunch. MKM (whoever) kisses PKPu (whoever). You seem to be groveling for attention from a Bollywoodified middle-class mass. Just scan all the items in the online page of HT and the Times. Why are you yearning so much for a tabloid attention when realizations are happening at the state level?
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tiktiki Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Akash my man, as a democracy, Indian state is directly responsive to what the ‘Bollywoodified middle-class mass’ cares about. Hence the concern.
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Anoop Reply:
February 8th, 2010 at 3:14 am
How many Americans know of the ground breaking nuclear deal US made with India??? Does that mean US doesn’t care about India’s interest? Do we care that we have US media’s attention or not?? hell no.. As long as it doesn’t come in the way of our development it shouldn’t matter.. Does Indian media not covering Bangladeshi PM’s visit affect the deals that India and Bangladesh have made for mutual benefit? No.. End result is what matters..
Govt of India is responsible is the point of contact for Bengali Govt. Media is a different sort of a player in this scenario. Not the most important player.
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Essentially – we give India Transit then. Without any preparation – just like that huh? Like a bolt from blue we read this news today…..wow… PM – Keep it up. Banglar manush will pay back in kind. For this – right or wrong move – right way or wrong way depending how you view it.
No discussion in our parliament even amongst the Govt party – whether to give it or not? Wow. I am sad today. Not because we gave it to India – but because the way we gave it. Keep it up Hasina Apa. Bhaier vote ta – thaklo amar kache. 4 bochor por dekha hobe abar.
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I dont know which is a sadder news today – the earthquake in Haiti, or the UNPLANNED and un-discussed donation of Chittagong & Mongla ports to India by Hasina.
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Is the peace prize the much talked about ‘laddu’?
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As usual, Syed Abul Maqsud writes a well researched piece.
http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2010-01-19/news/35928
I don’t agree with everything he says (Indo-Bangla relation in the second half of Zia government was very cordial), but on the main point of how the trip played in the Indian media, particularly West Bengal media, he is more accurate than either the hoi hoi party or hai hai party.
I wish we had a few more pundits who did some research before writing/talking.
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