Which ever newspaper you may have in your hand on the morning of 17th January 2009, you will find the big coverage of the American Pilot saving passengers and crew members. Of course a heroic act to be appreciated by Bush and President Elect Obama.

On 16th of January 2009, the former fighter pilot Chesley B Sullenberger III saved 155 passengers and crew by safe landing the Air Bus 320 in to the Hudson River in US after he reported 2 bird hits. This would have been a tough time for the families of those 155 if Sullenberger had not shown so much of courage to do this.

The very next day there was a similar kind of incident that could have resulted in a loss of 46 precious lives in India. A Guwahati-bound plane carrying 46 passengers and crew members landed at Kolkata airport on 17th January 2009, after one of its engines caught fire. The pilot noticed the portside engine emitting smoke soon after takeoff and switched it off, before contacting the Kolkata ATC to land safely.

This is also one of the great heroic stories that should have been (worth being… rather!) covered broadly in the news papers and electronic media, I believe. But the irony is that Indian media considers anything Indian as substandard to be published. They make stories of American affairs with great enthusiasm and excitement but forget the news from India, the soil where they run their business.

One bomb blast in Afghanistan killing 4 people (not to be forgotten, 2 American soldiers) comes flashing on all so called national channels. But when there are serial blasts in Assam they keep telecasting gossips of entertainment industry. All the news channels have become mockery to the system that holds up the responsibility of reaching all homes with precise news and not all masala stuff.

Every Rajdeep Sardesai, Pranoy Roy & Barkha Dutta (I do not know names of newspaper editors though…) should think on this…

Thoughts?

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