Arnab Goswami's Super Primetime Debate

                                                  (The Theatre of the Absurd)

Once upon a time, he was a journalist. Today, he epitomizes the Super Prime-time Debate on Times-now. Ex political party spokespersons who learnt to combat him, and very few seasoned dignitaries know him as Mr. Arnab Goswami. If you watched him over the  week, you would still be undecided about who he is-an analyst, an investigator, a judge, a commissioner, an  inquisitor, or really Haldir, the 'Hidden Hero'. 

You may be right to think he plays many roles. He painstakinly prepares the script with a line from the many news items of the day, for example what the elected chief minister of the new state of Telengana said or what the Chief Minister of the flood ravaged state of Jammu and Kashmir had not said.

 He picks the Dramatis Personae, the guests on his panel,  with special care. He goes for a rookie spokesperson or a functionary of an ally of the ruling party in the state, an activist or a retired diplomat; his opening remarks must surprise and disturb them simultaneously. As a result, they rant non stop, as did past party spokespersons, Manish Tewari, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Smriti Irani or stutter and tie themselves up in knots. On both occasions, Arnab transforms into a noegenesis, one who has acquired new knowledge from observation and experience, and from inferring relationships between known things.

When Arnab needs a breather, he just needs to nudge his Consultant cum Strategic Affairs Expert, Maroof Raza or political editor Navika Kumar, to butt in, for they are always ready with a list of synonyms, antonyms, twin words, cliches which they use effectively to convey the same point in half a dozen ways, especially to guests from Pakistan. This act provides the bright sparks and reignites Arnab's enthusiasm. (One misses Boria Majumdar, Sports Expert at Times Now)

Then all you get to hear is an amalgamation of sounds and very little dialogue. Arnab almost always remembers his Symbolic Movements, a wave of the report just accessed by Times now or a threat to open up the phone lines to the public.  The viewer is convinced but often teased and puzzled.  Arnab always asks a question because the whole nation wants to know the answer. He breaks into Hindi with practiced ease, lest his detractors accuse him of a lack of patriotism.He acknowledges the presence of his viewers by informing his guests, time and again, the whole nation is watching you tonight. 

With no resolution at the end, the esteemed invited guests find themselves in  Zugzwang-a position in which any move will only result in loss or severe disadvantage. Then Arnab delivers his verbal knock-out punch by varying the pitch, pace and  volume of his vocal chords. He may choose to joke, babble, negotiate, cajole, ridicule, jeer, rant, bully; and this takes him to his next avatar, that of an ultracrepidarian-a person who gives opinions and advice on matters outside of one's knowledge.  

He orders the party spokesperson to go to the nearest police station and lodge an FIR against his leader, He asks Party spokespersons to promulgate and announce party policies on the spot. He wants them to speak frankly and revile the actions of their leaders, he even wags a finger at his guests while asking them not to do so. He manages to upstage them all. He is quick and bright. He unmasks them -the ambitious, the devious, the sociable, the  industrious, the clowns and the puppets.

After this, I have little energy left to pick up the threads of the daily soap so I have stopped watching them. And along with the nation, I continue to watch the prime time debate anchored by Mr. Arnab Goswami.