Opinions Tamil Nadu

How Thanthi TV Bent Over Backwards To Peddle Dravidianist Canards And Demonize Deebavali

November 13, 2023
Hydra

On the morning of Deebavali, Thanthi TV shared a video link on their X handle titled, “Is Deebavali A Tamil Festival?“.

The 2-minute video talks about how the festival is celebrated across the country. The reporter says, “Let us see the differences between North India and South India in the celebration of Deebavali. Deebavali means the festival of lights, arranging lights in an array. Deebavali, which originated in North India, later spread to many South Indian states. There is no mention of Deebavali in Sangam-era literature. Deebavali, which is celebrated for five days in North India, is celebrated only for a day in Tamil Nadu. Deebavali in North India is associated with Ramayana. Rama, who killed Ravana and rescued Sita, returned to Ayodhya with Lakshmana, Sita, and Hanuman after 14 years of exile – this day is celebrated as Deebavali in North India. Ramayana mentions that many types of lamps were lit in all the houses to celebrate the return of Rama to Ayodhya.” The video goes on to describe how the festival is celebrated across the country. 

The agenda appears to be transparent: an attempt to depict Diwali solely as a North Indian festival, distancing it from the cultural heritage of South India especially the Tamil region. The assertion that “Diwali is not referenced in Sangam Literature” is conveniently inserted, dismissing the rich tapestry of references in Sangam Literature, which includes narratives from Ram to Krishna to Shiva’s Tripurantakaya story and references to the Vedas. It raises the question of selective scrutiny, as other festivals like Pongal also lack direct mentions in Sangam Literature. Does this omission diminish their status as Tamil festivals? Would Thanthi TV be kind enough to research the instances of mention of Ramzan in Puranaanoru and Christmas in Kurunthogai, asks a netizen. Would they be inclined to delve into the historical evolution of these festivals in the Tamil-speaking region, providing a comprehensive understanding of how and why they are celebrated in the local culture?

While the caption and the thumbnail of each news item sound controversial, the content is absolutely damp squib. Here are some other examples of Thanthi TV’s social media sensationalizing of trivial issues. 

Aggrandizing Style Reporting By Thanthi TV

In this post on AQI post-Deebavali cracker bursting, the caption terrifies the reader. It says, “Crackers – Increased air pollution in Chennai, Air pollution in various places in Tamil Nadu due to crackers burst on Diwali. Air quality index is above 170 in most parts of Chennai”

One would wonder if such a level of reporting was done during New Year firecrackers bursting or during Christmas.

“Scientific Cleaning” By Corporation

The day after Deebavali is bound to be a messy one since loads of crackers were burst the previous day. The caption for this report reads, “Fireworks waste piled up in Chennai – Corporation takes science into its hands”

Now one wonders what scientific method was employed by the sanitary workers. Drum roll – none! Well, the reporter updates the news desk only about the number of workers involved, the amount of garbage piled up, and details about the previous year in Chennai. Again sensationalizing a non-existent news.

However, in this report, a few extra details about the number of vehicles deployed to clear garbage are mentioned. The only extra point on “science” is that they are segregating the waste separately. Science wins!

“Timely” Action?

The caption for this post reads, “Timely action on Diwali – case after case #diwali2023” to indicate that cases were filed against Hindus celebrating the festival by bursting crackers “outside” of the prescribed hours. Thanthi TV fails yet again to prove that it is an unbiased news agency when it comes to reporting about the state government’s overreaching use of powers. 

In this report on the “sudden/immediate (adhiradi) action taken by the police, the reporter mentions the “Special Force” that has been constituted for monitoring the city if they defy Supreme Court rules. The caption reads, “People burst crackers in violation of the rules. Immediate action taken by the police..!”

As usual, the caption just sensationalizes a trivial news update.

They failed to report how the police harassed Chennai residents while monitoring whether citizens followed Supreme Court rules. Instead, they are all praise for the police department.

As per a latest report, over 2000 cases have been filed across Tamil Nadu for bursting crackers outside of the stipulated time, for bursting high decibel crackers and unauthorized selling.

On Smog

Thanthi TV cannot hide its concern for the environment which seems to appear only during Deebavali. Here’s another sensational news caption. “Chennai has turned into a smog… an important alert has been released”, it said.

One wonders what alert that would be – on 10 November 2023, AQI was 83, on 11 November 2023, it was 115, and owing to the bursting of crackers it went up to about 170. While we wait for the alert and watch the entire video, there’s none! 

Police Action On Cracker Bursting 

Once again while reporting on police action on Hindus bursting crackers defying SC order, the caption for this news report reads, “Searched and Hunted by the Police – The “Noise” That Entangled The Perpetrators Who Were Showing Off”

In this report, while indirectly praising the police, Thanthi TV tries to belittle the Hindus who defied the time limit ban. The report talks about the number of cases filed by the police based on the time limit defiance, selling crackers, and high-decibel crackers. Once again the caption and the report have nothing in common. 

Chennai “Upside Down” In A Single Day

One might get agitated after reading such a headline, right? Well, this was the caption for this news report. “The state of Chennai turned upside down in a single day… – Eagle view footage #Chennai”

The report talks about the AQI levels from the morning of 13 November 2023. The reporter attributes the smog to the cracker bursting from Saturday 11 November 2023. The reporter went on a hyperbole to claim that pedestrians had to walk carefully owing to the smog. Visibility was poor but this type of reporting is taking it to a very high level of exaggeration. And there was no eagle view footage if you were looking for it, just a reporter mentioning a few things.

Liquor Aficionados Instead Of Drunkards

This report talks about alcohol lovers who lined up in front of TASMAC outlets on Deebavali day. While they demonised the smog due to crackers, they seemed to be happy to report the extra sales for TASMAC. The caption read, “Liquor aficionados ready, 

“Sir, when will you open the shop?”

Liquor lovers are interested in Diwali…”

This caption makes one think liquor is actually a good thing during Deebavali.

Showing Their Love For Non-Veg Food On Hindu Festival Days

Deebavali is a time when people indulge in food a lot. Sweets, savouries, and a good meal. On Deebavali eve, vegetarians cook ‘Vengaaya Sambaar’ (Onion Sambar) and potato onion roast while non-vegetarians cook meat (chicken or mutton curry). However, the following day if it is a full moon day, Tamil Hindus do not eat meat and consume satvik food. Most often, Deebavali falls on Amavasya day (no moon day) and satvik food is consumed as it is a day to pay respects to ancestors. However, Dravidianists love to complain about this as Brahminical imposition and rebel to set up a new normal. Toeing this line is Thanthi TV which seems to have entirely morphed into a Dravidianist mouthpiece.

In this report, the caption reads, “Non-Veg fanatics standing in queues at meat shops..! Is hot hot idli and mutton curry ready?”

Eating non-veg on Deebavali is done only when the Amavasya falls on the day following Deebavali. Hindus in Tamil Nadu religiously avoid meat consumption during the month of Purattasi or Mahalaya Paksha when the ancestors are venerated. However, Dravidianists who do not like to follow any culture or tradition pertaining to Hinduism want to change all that and thus the narrative for it is set this way.

Here’s a collection of the over-exaggerated captions put out by Thanthi TV:

Smog Capital Chennai?

Well, in this news report, the reporter talks about how the smog level is lower when compared to last year. But the caption paints a different picture. It says, “Chennai surrounded by smog – Information Shared By Pollution Control Board”. In fact, the reporter mentions that the AQI levels are 40% lower than last year. However, the channel has to make this an issue and that’s how they do it. 

In this post, they mention that owing to bursting crackers until dawn, the pollution levels shot up. However, as mentioned above, the pollution levels are far less when compared to last year. Chennai being a coastal city need not fear that the smog stays. When a breeze sets in, the smog will clear automatically, and being a rainy season, this is a matter of little concern that even a child would rubbish such a news report. But but Thanthi TV has to exaggerate it. 

Keep The People In Fear – Thanthi TV’s Formula For The Season

In this post put out by Thanthi TV’s X handle it reads, “When Diwali night dawned, Chennai got a shock… From children to adults, there was danger”. One might think what kind of danger befell children and adults, well, nothing. The air quality was bad, that’s all. However, Thanthi TV does not worry about the side effects of the drink fest on Deebavali. 

It becomes a matter of curiosity why Thanthi TV is resorting to such yellow journalism tricks to attract views and engagement on its social media channels. Is the channel lacking on these fronts that it has to resort to such lame tricks to get trolled and abused by irate social media users?

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