The Hinduphobia that the mainstream media engages in is no secret. It is known that the media continuously attacks Hindu traditions and tries to spread negativity around Hindu festivals while giving other religions a free pass even when the latter is extremely toxic. ‘Save Water’ campaigns during Holi, ‘Crackerless Diwali’ and other such campaigns have become the mainstay of Hindu festivals while others are not subjected to such negativity. One media network which has been particularly guilty of this is NDTV.
On the occasion of Eid-al-Adha or Bakri-Eid, NDTV posted a tweet where it reported on the fact that Muslims had gathered on the rooftop of a house in Coimbatore to offer prayers. There was obviously no social distancing observed by the faithfuls. The images shared did not portray them wearing any masks either. Amidst the Coronavirus crisis, this could lead to further spread of the disease.
NDTV, however, chose not to comment on the matter. The stance of the network was quite different when a public gathering at a Temple was concerned. The NDTV sermonised how the devotees were not practising social distancing and masks were lacking. The objective was, quite clearly, to hold the gathering at a Hindu Temple responsible for the spread of the Coronavirus.
Thus, while NDTV tried to blame a Hindu Temple festival for the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus citing a lack of social distancing and masks, it refrained from making similar comments on public gatherings for Eid. The concerted attacks on Hindu traditions and festivals while giving other religions a free pass has, of course, become the hallmark of secularism in India.
In the past, we have observed how the mainstream media which spreads negativity continuously during Diwali suddenly finds itself in a cheerful mood during Christmas. During Diwali, they preach that ‘high calorie’ food should be avoided while for Christmas, they share plum-cake recipes because ‘What is any festival without food?’
It is similar to the kind of activism PETA engages in. While it goes out of its way to initiate an anti-leather campaign during Rakshabandhan, insinuating in a bizarre fashion that the Hindu festival has something to do somehow with the use of leather, it develops cold feet when it comes to advocating the prevention of animal slaughter during Eid. It only goes on to demonstrate that activists only seek to make a name for themselves by attacking a soft target while taking great care to keep themselves away from any serious trouble.
