News Editors Reviving Colonial Hangover

By: Subhadeep Bhattacharjee

Browse through any of the mainstream dailies in India or watch an hour long news program and you are bound to be served with the hot recipe – the marriage of William Arthur Philip Louis or Prince William and Kate Middleton. This seems to be the most sought after and important story for most of our media honchos. From what would they wear on their wedding day to who are included in the guest list, most of us in India already know it all. The marriage is supposed to be one of the biggest since the marriage of William’s parents Prince Charles and late Princess Diana. Corruption, Elections and IPL – all seem to have taken a back seat till the royal couple walk down the aisle.

Obamas missing the list of invitees, the prince of Bahrain declining the royal invitation, what are the protocols to be followed by the guests during the marriage – we are being bombarded day in and day out. What for? Is it the most important thing that concerns our lives or will we learn to have some self-respect for ourselves and not bow down to the white man. I wonder if Rahul Gandhi’s marriage if and when it takes place will have the same kind of craze in India let alone the entire world. It this marriage more important than the Lok Pal bill? Or the elections happening in five Indian states.

Being the marriage of one of the most powerful dynasties in the world this has gathered the imagination of millions of people in the world. We in India are not too far behind thanks to people who decide what news we read and watch. The colonial hangover is so much so in the minds of our editors that it seems the marriage is taking place in the third Delhi Durbar and Prince William would be the next ‘Emperor of India’ much like his great grandfather George VI. Come on guys the title was abolished 63 years ago by the Britons themselves. For heaven’s sake let these guys get married and live a happy life, they do deserve some privacy as a young couple.