| PRESS FREEDOM? Media Ignores McDonald at
Kartarpur On June 20, 2008, when
we reached Corridor Point, some 10 members of the media were waiting for Mr.
McDonald. Mr. McDonald was amused to witness the scene at Indo-Pak border: a
50 feet high watch tower, the barbed fence which ran high voltage current in
it, Indias border force men with weapons and there lay vaste lands of
Pakistan territory, a big herd of cows and buffalos grazing and at the
horizon point was outline of Kartarpur sahib from where Guru Nanak spread
his message of truthful living and love.
McDonalds faces the media.
Spontaneously the angel of peace started
talking."I will work for declaration of this beautiful area into peace
zone." He and his associates and assistants viewed Kartarpur sahib through a
telescope also; for better glimpse. After all the shrine is 3 km away.
The press corpses did not wait any longer
and focussed their guns of lenses on Mr. McDonald. Lo and behold! there
rushed the BSF man, "you can't address press conference here right on the
border." The press retraced their steps. Said Mr. McDonald, "So this
is the Freedom you press enjoy here?" Before the BSF man can defend his
action a TV journalist Mr. R.P.Singh started defending the BSF. R.P.Singh
was a classic example of India's media mindset.
But they soon realised. Not the BSF man
but the media man rushed to the phone line nearby. Obviously he contacted
the BSF officer on phone making him realise what does it means debarring
McDonald from press. 'Permission Granted on phone.' We were thrilled to hear
when an American was telling the importance of Kartarpur Corridor to media
people.
Mr. McDonald joyfully saw the artifacts
especially the mysterious 'third tomb' of Guru Nanak. "I would have loved to
walk over to the remaining two tombs of Guru Nanak which lay in Pakistan,"
said Mr. McDonald. Of course, he was displeased at our failure to trace the
traces of old bridge on river Ravi that was bombarded in 1965 war. He had a
longing to see the 550 year old Guru's garment that lay preserved in Dera
Baba Nanak.
Mr. McDonald was especially happy to learn
that movement for Kartarpur Corridor has all along been a peaceful one: for
the last 8 years.
We all returned to Amritsar with Mr.
McDonald. Next early morning Gurinder Singh Bajwa ringed my phone from
Batala, "Mr.Goraya the press reporting is as usual." Only one Punjabi paper
(Jagbani) covered the event in their local edition which meant only for
Gurdaspur county, which otherwise was an international event. On 22-6-06 the
Doordarshan finished the news in just one or two line. The famous Punjabi
daily Ajit did publish the news with the efforts of their journalist Dr.
Rajinder Singh but also on their local edition.
We didn't tell Mr. McDonald that here in
Punjab the press note we issue first reaches the CID people before it goes
to the editors desk.
A question to all, "IS IT A LOCAL NEWS?"
Copy of the news item that appeared in
Ajit daily in their local edition:-
ÁîðÆÕŠ寺 ÁŶ òëç ò¾ñ¯º ×¹: ÕðåÅðê¹ð ÃÅÇÔì ç¶ çðôé
(Mr. Wadala praying to God almighty for good
health to McDonalds-B.S.G)
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×¹Çð¿çð ÇÃ¿Ø ìÅÜòÅ Áå¶ ÜÃìÆð ÇÃ¿Ø ÜëðòÅñÍ åÃòÆð : ì¶çÆ ÃàÈâÆú
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ÜÃìÆð ÇÃ¿Ø ÜëðòÅñ, Üæ¶: ìÆ ÁËà ׹ðÅÇÂÁÅ, ìÅìŠùÖçÆê ÇÃ¿Ø ì¶çÆ, Üæ¶: ÀÈèî
ÇÃ¿Ø Á¯ñÖ Ãî¶å Ô¯ð ÕÂÆ ÁÅ×È òÆ À¹é·» ç¶ éÅñ Ãé Í
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