Hi All,
I have made it a point to avoid television (Though I do watch dance shows, Chutti TV). In fact I have even stopped viewing songs on TV. One reason being I hate to watch some XYZ person droning on and on and on about useless things. But I do download and watch episodes of Naruto (Japanese Animation) almost everyday.
But there's one show which is not overtly emotional like other talk shows in Tamil. I am of course talking about VIJAY's Neeya Naana. Though it is a debate the host, Gopinath ensures that the discussion doesn't up as a heated argument. (Probably the arguments are edited. But for a channel that seems to advocate controversy, editing sections to avoid conflicts of interest doesn’t sound true). This week the topic of discussion was - "People of the state of TN vs. People of other states" (continuation from last week's episode) It is a very touchy subject. Every person invariably roots for his home state. It is only natural that they do so especially when a person is questioned about ethics and integrity, it is highly unlikely that they will be entirely truthful.
I reserve my judgments and hopefully the blog readers too reserve their judgments as I don't want to change this post to turn into a political case.
What I felt while seeing the show was just this
1) Should a controversial topic such as this be discussed openly and be aired. Will it not hurt the sentiments of groups of people?
2) Few were hostile and admitted their distrust of people from other states. India's strength lies in its ability to embrace different culture. Aren't we weakening the foundations by advocating open hostility towards certain sections of people because of our own prejudices?
3) Personal experience doesn't warrant group behavior. I do agree that society moulds a person's belief, character and customs. But a person’s individual nature is far apart from these generalizations and shouldn't be used as a biasing factor.
In the end Gopinath wrapped the show saying that "hopefully this show breaks the barriers and have made people to be more forthright in their opinion". I hope this happens and my cynicism vaporizes into puffs of smoke. While I do agree that being open about one’s opinion is a good trait and is commendable when followed in nurturing interpersonal relations I fervently believe that generalizations such as "people from XYZ state are not trustworthy" ends up creating distrust and disrespect. (Let the cynic in me die)
To wind up the post, I agree with the statement made by Gopinath that all people as Indians must transcend the barriers and appreciate each others culture. We are striving hard to promote Italian, Spanish and other foreign cultures. We can take little time and effort to study our neighboring state and the rest of India. Let us learn to appreciate each other better.
CIAO.
8 comments:
Yep I agree. I too personally don't like such topics being aired!
That said, in Neeya Naana, I loved fews topics on 'Superstitious beliefs', 'Astrology' etc., More than all I love the way Gopinath drives the show and the way he presents stuffs.
Yes, the "Astrology" episode was really good. Gopinath is one the very few sensible talk show host in Tamil Nadu.
Thanks for dropping by..
Vijay TV's Neeya Naana (நீயா? நானா?) commands a unique pride amongst the various similar television debate shows for a variety of reasons:
1) An efficient anchor to command and control the show making it progress streamlined with the topic.
2) Careful choice of topics
3) Timely choice of topics
just came across this post. I think that there is no harm in discussing or airing controversial topics as long as the anchor is able to maintain decorum during the discussions. I must say that Gopinath does the job rather well. Even in the episode you mention, he handled issues quite well and managed not to sound offensive about any culture or state. Refusing to discuss sensitive or controversial issues does more to complicate than to solve a problem. We can put our prejudices aside only by discussing them, and trying to understand the viewpoint of the other.
@ Amrutha
Thanks for dropping by.
I do agree and respect your viewpoint that issues can be resolved only through discussions. My only concern is that, by airing such topics we might pave way for future controversies and quite possibly future Raj Thackerays. I agree that I am being cautions but better to play safe than be sorry. I feel that biased criticism can wreak more havoc than anything else. I would be more than happy if I am proved wrong and people really reach a consensus through such discussions.
Our 'ends' are the same,just that we employ different 'means'.
Again thanks for dropping by.
I like the way Gopinath takes the show. He make the people to come up with their emotions.
I just feel, the program might convey more meaning to the spectators, if he collects the actual statistics related to the topics on discussion through Star Vijay.
I feel some topics in Neeya Naana really touches you. I like the way Gopinath handles the crowd and I really appreciate his abilitiy to read people so well just by looking at their face. He must be doing a lot of research to present what he does in every episode. But beyond all that, in a show like that common sense is so vital and he has that abundant.
However I do agree some topics are controversial and uninteresting. The success of the show also depends on the strong arguments each side poses other (more) than the "Gopinath" factor.
It is but sure is not easy to be amidst vocieferous crowd and still drive a point across within a stipulated time. Kudos to the great job done Gopi & team!
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