"My assets are my integrity & commitment to journalism"
Among the well-known names covering the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections is senior journalist Abhigyan Prakash. Here, he shares his experience of reporting from the ground
During the recently concluded almost two-month long electioneering, we saw several big names in news television stepping out of the studios and joining the milling crowds on the streets to get a pulse and feel of the mood of the people. With the elections now over and a new government at the helm, it is now time for cool, dispassionate discourse and share the campaign tales of these media persons.
One such media person is Abhigyan Prakash, senior journalist, political analyst and columnist. Prakash extensively toured three big states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, stopping over at Lucknow, Surat, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai, among other centres, reporting from the ground what he saw and felt, how people in rural areas reacted and how they perceived the winds of change.
In conversation with exchange4media, Prakash shares his experience of covering the elections from the ground, people’s demand for a change and more...
Media has been accused of helping project and polish the image of certain leaders. Comment.
Yes, these questions are often raised. Be it the Anna movement or the Kejriwal campaign, media has been accused of promoting them. The reality is that media does its work and focuses on what should be projected and when. Those in the public eye will naturally be seen more often on TV, because they make news and are in demand.
While reporting from the ground, you had showed villages without basic amenities such as electricity, and the anger of the people. As a journalist and as an individual, do you also feel angry and concerned over the neglect by government bodies of the vast rural hinterland of India?
Wherever I went, be it cities or villages, I always asked people whether they were aware of government policies for their welfare and how they stood to benefit from them. I wanted to show whether the tax payers’ money was being properly utilised and the expected returns accrued or not. So many political parties claim in their advertisements how their schemes have benefitted the youth, women or the minorities and how they had worked for special attention groups. But when you go down to the grassroots, the stark reality of non-performance and non-governance hits you in the face.
My reports have now generated a lot of feedback from businesses, the industry and the NGOs active in the field. So many activists have written to me.
What, in your opinion, is the crux of the problem, why are people so disenchanted or angry with politicians in general?
People are becoming more aware of their rights and are able to see through the games that politicians play. Promises are easy to make, but at some stage these promises need to be fulfilled as well. People are angry because the whole administrative system reeks of corrupt practices. Tall claims are not matched by performance. The yawning gaps are there for all to see.
On a personal note, you are rarely seen at the Press Club or other social gatherings. Why is it so?
No particular reason for that, I just don’t feel like it. I am more busy with my work and prefer to do my journalism sincerely. And I am particularly proud of the fact that while a number of media celebs have been under a cloud or the scanner, no one has pointed an accusing finger at me. My assets are my integrity and commitment to journalism.
