Mockery of press: Stores defining new address of fourth estate

Sunday, June 24, 2012

(Brand name has been blurred to protect manufacturer’s identity)
This weird and grainy photograph has been clicked in a prominent retail store located somewhere in a Delhi suburb. A quick glimpse on the snap can compel you to ask about what’s so strange in it? But a serious gaze can easily let you know the reason of posting this outlandish thing on World Wide Web. Yup, you are right these sleepers are ‘splendidly adorned’ with a newspaper template.

In straightforward terms – this is one of the perils related with extreme commercialisation. Marketers and product manufacturers are so burdened under pressure of sales that they haven’t spared the sanctity of a newspaper and above all introduced its ‘nifty’ address under the foot of shopaholics.

From time immortal, Indian masses used to worship Saraswati as a knowledge deity since she represents universal, divine, eternal, true knowledge and perfection of the sciences and the scriptures and believes that she pervades in each and every piece of paper. In a nation where religion and ritual rites come first than anything else, how anyone can make a mockery of an edifying thing like a newspaper?

Is this how a globalised civilisation used to reward press for its incessant efforts to enlighten the society from truth which may remain buried under the plethora of files in absence of a watchdog?

Although selling footwear festooned in a newspaper style is much better than killing a veteran scribe in a metropolitan city which obscured goons in this country are so fond of.

Recent acts of gunning down journalists in and around India attest vulnerability of media persons in this region but when learned people themselves ridiculing the institutions like press, how one can expect anything good from these oafs.

In words of Thomas Jefferson, let me remind this to every member of well cultured but ‘untamed’ herd of masses, “The only security of all is in a free press.”
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Anonymous
14 May 2012 at 04:51 delete

government should ban such products

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14 May 2012 at 21:05 delete

sleepers - ‘splendidly adorned’ with newspaper template...good write-up..the article allude that these products meant to allure the custemers and and its an allegoric fact that it's an elfish act to defile our anterior and valuable culture and civilization .. Somehow it showcases the impact of globalistaion and probably the consequence of the liberalisation policy implimented by Indian govt in 1990-91... whatever the argument but it must be banne a it alike a sheer mockery of press as well as our moral and rituls..

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Anonymous
19 May 2012 at 18:52 delete

i think government requires a frequent measures to stop these nonsense which is a potential threat for the fourth pillar of democracy

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