Vinod Mehta, the Editorial Chairman (read, retired but on extension) of OUTLOOK has of-late, been coming under heavy beating from the readers of the outlook. The most sacked editor is now heckled further for being outspoken !!??!!!
Excerpts of “DELHI diary”:
An End Worn and Shiny
Is there a bums-on-seats prize? Starting Saturday right through till Tuesday, I sat in one studio close to 30 hours. With Arnab Goswami as the ringmaster at the Noida Times Now headquarters, a group of us self-styled pundits began a marathon poll analysis on the five state elections, especially UP. The extraordinary thing is that we had nothing concrete to debate, except on the morning of March 6 when the actual results came in. We had loo-breaks, kabab-breaks, leg-stretch breaks, otherwise in four- and five-hour sessions we blabbered non-stop. Scenarios (some quite bizarre) were conjured up breathlessly. Mayawati’s record was dissected threadbare. Rahul Gandhi’s performance and ‘what if’ speculations came under vigorous scrutiny. Akhilesh Yadav’s cycle wanderings provoked Freudian interpretation. Hot air, more hot air and even more hot air was generously tossed around, till the TV studio felt almost like a sauna.
What did we have to go on? Exit polls (always a dodgy exercise) constituted our sole ammunition. If a politician from a political party which had not done well according to the exit polls appeared on the screen, he or she in response to our most astute and forensic probing—based on the aforementioned exit polls—would simply say, “I can’t answer because I don’t agree with your exit polls.” A howl would go up from us ‘experts’. “But supposing they are true,” we would hit back. Still, the losing politician would insist on not giving any answers. “We will win 200 seats,” maintained Digvijay Singh on Sunday evening. And so the charade went on.
I hope Arnab sends me a fat cheque for all the quality wind I contributed to the panel discussions. And, of course, to compensate me for the many pairs of trousers whose bottoms got worn out on the Times Now studio chairs. Read full column on : http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?280166
Here are some comments on his recent opp-back-coverpage column “DELHI diary”:
“Thus, one can say good-bye to any reform agenda.”
Is Vinod Mehta really this stupid or he just pretends to be stupid?? What reform agenda? The govt had a solid majority in 2009 and had enormous good will till the end of 2010 when 2G broke in a big way. What reform agenda was carried out in that one and half period? Zero.
So to lament about reform agenda now is extremely naive and stupid.
GANESAN, NJ, USA
And, of course, to compensate me for the many pairs of trousers whose bottoms got worn out on the Times Now studio chairs.
How many pairs of trousers did you wear out in 30 hours? Unless the frequent ‘Kebab Breaks’ ended up producing the other type of ‘hot air’ that can affect trousers? In retrospect, since you endured hot air of every kind, verbal diahorrea and Arnab Goswami for 30 long hours, I guess you deserve that payment after all.
G.NATRAJAN, HYDERABAD, INDIA
I guess you deserve that payment after all
But Arnab had to suffer him for 30 hours too. That’s Vinod’s payment.
WHATS INANAME
SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATES
This time around , Mr. Vinod Mehta , you except a fat cheque. Fair enough, since you have to endure the steam bath for as much as 30 hrs. Now that you have let the cat out of the bag , you better tell us how much is the standard pay cheque for your normal appearances . And who pays Suhel Seth ? The channels or Niira Radia’s clients ?
Poor Pankaj ! He did not know what he is getting in to . Wait till he is told to tweet ‘ they din’t tell me ‘ or ‘I never knew’ or ‘its them, not me’.
Foreign Lords better not mess around with our own naughty Lord Krishna. If he start messing around with stolen sarees, those of us devout hindus will not spare him anywhichway.
MANISH BANERJEE, KOLKATA, INDIA
(i) Bottoms Up could have been a sub-title for ‘An End Worn & Shiny’
(ii) Your description makes one interpret DYNASTY as Die-nasty!
(iii) So we have a lotus like Pankaj (Pachauri) in the backwaters of the PMO..
HARSH RAI PURI, BHOPAL, INDIA
The column answers a question that has tantalised me for a long time : Do the worthies we see on the panel discussions on TV actually get paid or, like us humble posters, is the pleasure confined to seeing our views projected on a larger canvas ?
ASHOK LAL, MUMBAI, INDIA
Do the worthies we see on the panel discussions on TV actually get paid
The answer, as Mr. Vinod Mehta now confirms, is in the affirmative. No more questions , Ashok Lal. Questions like if all of the payments are in the white , or what portions paid in the black , if TDS or service tax applicable etc would be insensitive. After all in this case Vinod Mehta suffered that fool gladly for thirty long hours.
MANISH BANERJEE, KOLKATA, INDIA
That means more fireworks in this forum!
But I hope no one says that he should not be writing it, like some stuck pigs were saying just yesterday about Satanic Verses.
WHATS INANAME
SAN FRANCISCO, UNITED STATE
And like a naive chap, I used to think that all the ‘pay’ that the journalists got, was free use of the media for propaganda on their own views ( anti-male, pro-reservation, etc. ) on the ways of the world!
Maybe it is time for us, ‘mere’ commentators ( who are only allowed to write what Outlook wants us to write ), to ask VM for a big fat pay cheque too?
MALE UNBLOCKED
CHENNAI, INDIA
Mr. Mehta, I appreciate your candid confession as to what you and other experts did in the 100-hours-100 per cent election coverage on the Times Now channel (Delhi Diary, Mar 19). Take care of your posterior that is in for some wear and tear now as you’re the editorial chairman of Outlook. Should I send you a cushion?
C. G. RISHIKESH
CHENNAI, INDIA
media laundry- @Dhobitalao 