Yellow is the word…

I was reading an article in DNA, 1st May Edition when an article, “not aptly” titled “9-year-old molested in rape capital” caught my eye. It seems that Many newspapers in Mumbai seem to badmouth the capital city. Being a Delhiite, I couldn’t stand this any longer and hence I wrote a letter to the journalist who wrote this article. Which is as follows:

 

Dear Mr. Gyan Varma,

 

I saw your article “9-year-old molested in rape capital” on page number 9 of DNA, Thursday, May 1 (today’s) edition. I would like to start my review with a certain fact.

 

The crime that has been covered so passionately in the said article was committed in “Ghaziabad” which happens to be a part of Uttar Pradesh, hence not in Delhi. Distance between Delhi and Ghaziabad is 42 kms.

 

Before I write further, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 26 year old citizen, who’s spent the first 23 years of his life in New Delhi, which is the same city you have highlighted as the “rape capital” of India. I have been living in Mumbai for 3 years and I like it here despite its MANY shortcomings. I have gone back to Delhi many times during my time in Mumbai and am in sync with whatever happens in Delhi and my family also keeps me up to date about any development in the capital city. I am an avid reader of Hindustan Times, which means I read the newspaper daily. However sometimes I do buy editions of other publications like Times of India and DNA. When I bought today’s DNA issue, I went about reading each article in the paper till your article caught my attention. The title was really catchy I must say. However, it really tipped the balance this time. I have witnessed/observed this pattern in Mumbai news publications that there’s a lot of “Delhi Bashing” involved. Articles titled “Delhi’s shame…., Delhi’s downfall…., Capital city’s dark side……, Crime hits a new high in Delhi…..” etc. have appeared time and again in various reputed Mumbai dailies. You begin your article by saying “The rape capital of the country added another ignominious chapter to its annals…….” . Is Delhi the only city with an inherent ignominy that Mumbai publications seem to point out? I have no problems from Mumbai and I have never indulged in bad mouthing Mumbai in any respect, but I think its time that someone stood up for the capital city that’s no less than Mumbai in any respect. Since we are talking about an ignominy, which means dishonorable or disgraceful conduct in quality or action, let’s do a comparative analysis.

 

Unlike Mumbai, Delhi accepts people from all across the nation and doesn’t have hypocritical extremist groups strutting about trying to push out outsiders, or making ridiculous requests like 80% reservation for locals in MNCs (even though these people in question don’t know how to spell the word “grammar”, let alone know what significance it holds in the English language). The same groups fuss over stuff like cheerleaders costumes in the IPL, or banning something as vital as sex education in schools, because it’s against Indian Culture.

Now, if we come to the transport system, I don’t even need to compare it with the Delhi Metro Railway system, or for the wide and broad road network.

Mumbai politicians and leaders fret about Dance Bars where these people should be concentrating on so many other issues that Mumbai is facing right now.

Finally, let’s talk about the central topic of your article. If we talk about sexual harassment in Mumbai, then it’s either at par with Delhi or probably more. I haven’t seen a single case of rape, molestation or harassment being reported in Mumbai Newspapers whereas a single case in Delhi is assigned to a journalist like yourself so that it can be highlighted to show what a bad place Delhi is. I am not saying that one shouldn’t report such crimes, but Delhi is not the only place where this happens. Thousands of crimes go unnoticed in Mumbai, my girlfriend has been harassed while traveling by local trains so many times and so many of my other female friends (many of them Maharashtrians) go through the same, while none of this happens in a Delhi metro train, which can also be proven by the fact that there are no separate compartments for men and women in a Delhi Metro. In a state where a minority extremist group calls the shots, these issues don’t seem to get noticed by the the public eye, but I think its time the newspapers reported what’s what without sensationalizing the facts.

 

If a crime happens in Ghaziabad which is 42 kms away from Delhi, you start calling Delhi the rape capital of India. Delhi is and will be one of the most beautifully maintained cities in the world, whereas Mumbai doesn’t hold a candle in comparison. My point is that journalists in Mumbai and outside Mumbai should stop badmouthing Delhi. Many of my Mumbaikar friends have a really bad impression of Delhi without even visiting the place! This I believe is a phenomenon strongly propagated and aggravated by articles such as the one in question. I am not saying what you wrote was libel, but it was journalism yellow enough to amount to libel. Before it’s too late, I think the Mumbai Newspapers should start staying up with a city that never sleeps!

 

Warm Regards

 

Anand Bhaskar

 

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