Hafta letters: Immigration and ‘urban Naxal’ stereotypes, interview requests

Mohit

I feel like our dear Anand sir could learn a thing or two from Neerja ma’am about how to explain political stuff. No offence to him – on legal topics he’s a champ, the leading lawyer at our Newslaundry. But the moment the topic turns to Nitish Kumar, Anand sir suddenly becomes a total fanboy. Not the usual Newslaundry sharpness we’re used to!

And seriously, it’s sad that our country is still so poor that something like a Rs 10,000 handout can decide elections. After 20 years in power, leaders can still win just by handing out cash. Everything seems to be a fixed match.

***

S Sengupta

NL Hafta is the reason I am an NL subscriber. Bold and excellent work! Keep it up! 

I had sent my letter before, but it was not addressed. So I repeat my letter: In Hafta 556, there was a comment on Indians working abroad as “going and taking the easy route”. While the journalist might be well informed from friends and colleagues abroad, this statement has bias, sweeping generalisation, and a misrepresentation of the many struggles that an immigrant has to face abroad, irrespective of skill level or profession. Whether in India or abroad, one must work hard and navigate all odds to achieve excellence and success. It is not ‘easy’; in fact, it can be really hard to build a new life and career abroad from scratch! 

***

Vishankha Bhatnagar 

Abhinandan, 

NL Hafta with chai is my sacred slow-Saturday ritual. This week you had my absolute favourite – Rahul Pandita. And you said something that made me realise why I like him so much: the man has lived through one of worst horrors – being forcibly turned into an immigrant – and still manages to say, “Let’s not be absolutist.” 

Also, tiny request: can we please hear more from Shardool? I know you have to steer the show and land the plane, but Shardool and Atul Chaurasiya are my comfort characters – calm, sharp, and blissfully unaware of how funny they are. Give them more mic time before we start a petition.

And one last request – yes, I know we’ve been marinating in Bihar elections for two whole weeks, but I think we need a big-picture reflection. Would love an analysis episode where Sreenivasan and Atul step back, zoom out, and tell us what all this actually means. Basically… less heat, more wisdom. Perhaps a 30-minute segment on “jungle raj”, it’s relevance to the results.

*** 

Rushi 

In a recent Awful and Awesome episode, the hosts discussed a viral Vogue article. Apparently Manisha had suggested that they review it. The review was a big mystery as the hosts found the article mid. But I just wanted to explain for my generation why it went viral. These days, anything goes viral if the right-wing wants to make a fuss…they didn’t read this article; just the headline was taken up. Apparently they started sharing the article saying: look the Left and the feminists have made it uncool for women to have boyfriends. The Left is anti-men. That’s the whole point.

***

RMA 

Regarding the discussion on Maoism, while the larger point about upper caste leadership seeking to represent Adivasis and appropriating Adivasi struggles against marginalisation is well-taken, I wanted to comment on the casual referencing of academics like Bela Bhatia and Nandini Sundar as “leadership”. It is not only misleading, it possibly also exaggerates the role they play in this context. 

As Manisha had pointed out in Charcha, most of us do not know much about the Naxal issue and such casual name-dropping risks confirming BJP’s propaganda – that there exists a class of “urban Naxals” that is just as dangerous. I wish someone had pushed back.

And Manisha, I hope Modi’s Ramnath Goenka speech, where he shared “his thoughts on courage, independence and India's enduring democratic spirit” finds special mention in the Ramnath Roenka Awards.

***

Soumya

Great work during Bihar elections. Loved Basant’s reports. I have two requests:

- Ex CJI Justice B R Gavai is now giving interviews. Please request Vasu to take his interview.

- I request the entire panel to present their views on the new labour codes.

If the government can hike print ad rates by 26 percent, we can drop our subscription prices by 26 percent. Grab the offer and power journalism that doesn’t depend on advertisers.