Book Review
Reviewer: Irfan Tramboo
Book Name: Media: Roop Aur Behroop
Author: Suhail Anjum
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Maktaba Al-Faheem
ISBN: 81-92090-75-1
Pages: 320
Price: 300/- INR
Media: Roop aur Behroob, is written in Urdu by a renowned Urdu journalist Suhail Anjum. As the title suggests, the author has tried to present the secret part of the media: The part which a common man is unaware of. The Media which is supposed to be neutral and offer a helping hand for any nation to work for overall development on each and every front; how that media is working on to manipulate facts and figures. How the media has been covering different events and incidents differently, unaware of actual facts and never trying to dig out what actually the reality is.
The book has discussed how the national media (print and electronic) has always turned a deaf ear towards the problems faced by the Muslim community in India. How they come up from nowhere when a person with a Muslim identity is arrested, involved in any activity (Anti National). The author argues that what happens to the media when it comes to highlight day to day problems of Muslims? Why there is no space in national media for Muslims and why they are being always shown in bad light?
The author criticizes the Hindi press for their coverage when it comes to Muslims. The author states that the Hindi press is on the forefront to flare up the communal violence. The Hindi press played a key role in flaring the Gujarat riots, according to the author.
The author, later in the book focuses on the relevance of Urdu press in India. The author believes that due to the decline of Urdu language in India, the Urdu press is also declining. With that, the Hindi press is taking an undue advantage of writing against Muslims and maligning their image. The author states the case of Azhar-u-Din, when the Hindi press opened a front against him for performing poorly and even wrote editorials against him and demanded his removal as the captain on Indian cricket team.
The reader, by looking at the title of the book may infer that this book is entirely about media, revealing what lies behind the curtain. This book, to a certain extend has succeeded in raising that curtain and then has totally shifted its focus on the current state of Urdu language and the journalism associated with it. At the end it seems that the author has made the title of the book to fade away and the focus shifts to some other thing.
I personally, found the book very fundamental. I don’t think it has discussed anything which is unknown and new. Though, he has pleaded the case of Muslim community very well, when it comes to cover their problems and providing them a space in national media. The book has provided a window for the readers to have a look at the current state of Urdu journalism, which according to the author is breathing its last.
I liked the part of this book, in which the author has talked about the bias of national media (print and electronic) at the time of Gujarat riots. The author has done a phenomenal work of research in reproducing those facts. In addition to it, the author has also talked about SMSs, which have lately become an important part of modern telecommunication, in of the chapters. The author talks about the history of SMS and then, how in contemporary media, it is being used to by big media houses for the building of ‘Public Opinion’.
As stated, this book comes up with the basic and fundamental knowledge of media. Though, it has described well that how the media manipulate facts. How the media is playing a vital role in day to day happenings. This book is not something which has assembled various technicalities of media functioning in the form of a book, but it has effectively shown (not in the last part) that how the media is affecting the lives of common people. Therefore, I would like to recommend this book to the general audience, who want to know what media is all about and how it affects the society, in general and the individual, in particular though its various ‘Operations’.
The book has discussed how the national media (print and electronic) has always turned a deaf ear towards the problems faced by the Muslim community in India. How they come up from nowhere when a person with a Muslim identity is arrested, involved in any activity (Anti National). The author argues that what happens to the media when it comes to highlight day to day problems of Muslims? Why there is no space in national media for Muslims and why they are being always shown in bad light?
The book has discussed how the national media (print and electronic) has always turned a deaf ear towards the problems faced by the Muslim community in India.
The author criticizes the Hindi press for their coverage when it comes to Muslims. The author states that the Hindi press is on the forefront to flare up the communal violence. The Hindi press played a key role in flaring the Gujarat riots, according to the author.
The author, later in the book focuses on the relevance of Urdu press in India. The author believes that due to the decline of Urdu language in India, the Urdu press is also declining. With that, the Hindi press is taking an undue advantage of writing against Muslims and maligning their image. The author states the case of Azhar-u-Din, when the Hindi press opened a front against him for performing poorly and even wrote editorials against him and demanded his removal as the captain on Indian cricket team.
The reader, by looking at the title of the book may infer that this book is entirely about media, revealing what lies behind the curtain. This book, to a certain extend has succeeded in raising that curtain and then has totally shifted its focus on the current state of Urdu language and the journalism associated with it. At the end it seems that the author has made the title of the book to fade away and the focus shifts to some other thing.
The author, later in the book focuses on the relevance of Urdu press in India. The author believes that due to the decline of Urdu language in India, the Urdu press is also declining.The author has touched various spheres of journalism like: Investigative journalism, sting operations. He has lauded Anirudh Behal for his operation ‘Duryodhan’ and the operation ‘Chakravuy’. Though, the author is critical about the sting operations performed by the Indian media. He says that: “The Indian media, at this point of time, is immature enough to carry out any kind of sting operations” It was seen throughout the book that the author is also critical when it comes to the investigative part of media. He says: “For news, media often intrudes into ones privacy and which is unethical in any situation” But he is quick to add that “If it is in the larger interest, then it is fine”
I personally, found the book very fundamental. I don’t think it has discussed anything which is unknown and new. Though, he has pleaded the case of Muslim community very well, when it comes to cover their problems and providing them a space in national media. The book has provided a window for the readers to have a look at the current state of Urdu journalism, which according to the author is breathing its last.
I liked the part of this book, in which the author has talked about the bias of national media (print and electronic) at the time of Gujarat riots. The author has done a phenomenal work of research in reproducing those facts. In addition to it, the author has also talked about SMSs, which have lately become an important part of modern telecommunication, in of the chapters. The author talks about the history of SMS and then, how in contemporary media, it is being used to by big media houses for the building of ‘Public Opinion’.
The book has provided a window for the readers to have a look at the current state of Urdu journalism, which according to the author is breathing its last.If I will get a chance of editing this book, I will edit it the way that it will focus on media only. I will try to make it a kind of a book which will try to reveal unknown dimensions of media: the manipulation. The opinion building, how that’s done, and most importantly, how the individual opinion is shaped by the bombardment of the information.
As stated, this book comes up with the basic and fundamental knowledge of media. Though, it has described well that how the media manipulate facts. How the media is playing a vital role in day to day happenings. This book is not something which has assembled various technicalities of media functioning in the form of a book, but it has effectively shown (not in the last part) that how the media is affecting the lives of common people. Therefore, I would like to recommend this book to the general audience, who want to know what media is all about and how it affects the society, in general and the individual, in particular though its various ‘Operations’.
About the Reviewer
Irfan Tramboo studies Media at Media
Education Research Centre (MERC). With an interest in Literature and
International Relations (IR). Author is also a poet.
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