India has made history with two Academy Awards this year. Both the best original song for ‘Naatu Naatu’ and the best short documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ has done wonders all across the globe. People cannot get away from the hook step from Naatu Naatu and the portrayal of the selfless nature-human bond in the Kartiki Gonsalves documentary leaves everyone awestruck.
On one hand, the world accepted these achievements which have their roots in the Bharatiya culture but on the other side news organisations like BBC could digest it. They began their propaganda against India by not featuring our achievements in their video.
On March 13, the BBC published a story from their official website with the heading, “Oscars winners at the 95th Academy Awards – full list”. In this story, they attacked a one-minute ten-second video with the caption, “The must-see moments from the Oscars this year”.
The video features everyone from best actress Michelle Yeoh, Harrison Ford as best film presenter, Jonathan Wang, producer EEAAO, Ke Huy Quan as best supporting actor, Daniel Kwan as best original screenplay, Jamie Lee Curtis as best supporting actress, Daniel Scheinest as best director, Brendan Fraser as best actor, Rihanna as the best song nominee and Lady Gaga as best song nominee. But there is no mention for the best original song ‘Naatu Naatu’ or the best short film documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’.
The BBC which is known for its anti-India propaganda does this intentionally. Here is the response of Indian’s on social media:
A user with a verified Twitter account wrote, “pioneers of selective journalism”
A user wrote, “BBC and UK wont do because RRR showed all the atrocities and loot as bad image of UK. The didn’t even considered RRR or the song for the Nomination in their Premiere Awards.”
Another user wrote, “Modi is not the target. These BBC goons hijacked by cultural terrorists are after Hindus and Hindu Way Of Life and the Royal family supports this”
Users showed their ager stating that RRR portrays the colonial loot done by the Britishers and that is why they have not featured the song in their video. Well, BBC has not done this for the first time.
In January this year, BBC released the documentary film titled “India: The Modi Question,” which features the Gujarat riots of 2002. The film caused controversy for alluding to the leadership of Modi as chief minister during the riots while disregarding the clean chit given by the Supreme Court.
The Ministry of External Affairs had termed it a “propaganda piece”, saying it reflected a “colonial mindset”.
There is a history of BBC propaganda reportage against India, here is a list:
BBC penned the Goa liberation movement with communal colour in 1961
Goa’s separation from the Portuguese in December 1961 was reported by BBC through a communal lens. According to a BBC news report from December 23, only the Hindu people celebrated the Portuguese’s departure, and Christians had no part to play in the freedom effort. The actuality has been entirely different, and Christians in Goa, like Hindus, have been at the vanguard of the freedom battle. Characteristically the BBC constantly termed the liberation of Goa as an “attack” or “invasion” by India.”
Biased reporting of the second Indo-Pak war of 1965
Parallel to this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted multiple instances of “strong anti-Indian bias” in the BBC’s reports in 1965, when armed war broke out between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. One of these was the BBC newsreel report that described Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s statement in front of the Security Council on September 22, 1965, as a “very emotional speech” that had a profound effect on the delegates. It was also described as “the most stunning and impactful speech of its kind in the Council’s history” by the correspondent.
Indira Gandhi banned BBC in 1970
It is important to keep in mind that the “lowest ebb” in the relationship between India and the BBC was the broadcaster’s 2-year suspension by the government under Indira Gandhi, even as Congress leads the uproar against the IT surveys at the BBC office. Two incredibly repulsive documentaries that revealed India’s poverty were rejected to be taken down by the BBC. The two documentaries were Calcutta and Phantom India made by French filmmaker Louis Malle.
BBC Documentary India’s Daughter based on Nirbhaya Rape Case was banned in 2015
In spite of India’s objections, BBC broadcast the contentious film “India’s Daughter,” which is based on the Nirbhaya rape case. Exclusive access was granted to the case’s defendants to the filmmaker. According to reports, the movie portrayed India as a hotbed of crimes against women, harming India’s reputation abroad.
There are enough evidence that how the colonial mindset is invading the vernacular space now. The government of India should keep an eye on their activities as they tend to run their propaganda against India by keeping the ‘anti-India’ sentimentent alive.
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