The Hindu : New Delhi News : Mumbai keeps audiences glued to television

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Saturday, Nov 29, 2008
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New Delhi

Mumbai keeps audiences glued to television

Staff Reporter

Many office-goers surf the net also for the latest news

Photo: AP

Live coverage: Passengers watching news on huge TV screens inside a waiting hall at Delhi airport on Friday.

NEW DELHI: Even as terror acts were unfolding in Mumbai, Delhiites were glued to their television sets closely following each development in the drama which stretched well into the second day on Friday since the crisis erupted on Wednesday night.

Thirty-two-year-old marketing professional Mehak Srivastava said: “I was up till 5 a.m. on Wednesday night as I just couldn’t take my eyes off from the live coverage on various news channels. I have never seen such an unprecedented terrorist attack in our country. Being sleep-deprived, I felt very tired and exhausted for the rest of my day in office and found it very hard to concentrate on my work.”

Twenty-four-year-old office-goer Avinash Mehta said: “I think it was not just homemakers who were watching the coverage, but people in offices too had their eyeballs trained on television sets installed at their work places and they were all united in praying for the safety of all those trapped inside the Oberoi and Taj hotels as well as inside Nariman House. Some people at work were also surfing news websites for latest updates on the crisis.”

Homemakers and office-goers aside, people on the streets and in the markets too couldn’t stop themselves from crowding around giant TV screens in some markets to watch the events as and when they unfolded before their shocked eyes.

Some people also complained of distress after long hours of watching the news coverage. Call centre employee Shuchi Sharma said: “My mother has been very disturbed and stressed after following the news since it broke on Wednesday night. Last night she even insisted that I sleep with her in her room as she was very worried.”

However, offering a different take on the effects of prolonged viewing of the crisis in Mumbai, noted psychiatrist Samir Parikh said: “Instead of talking about the ill-effects of staying glued to the news coverage from Mumbai one has to realise that reality is something that needs to be seen so that we can understand it, accept it and react to it. Moreover, such episodes need to be seen not only in our country but also worldwide to fully realise the extent of the damage incurred. If we do not expose ourselves to reality then we would be escaping from it. We rather feel distressed than not be exposed to the coverage as we have to see that we are one country and show our empathy and responsibility for which we have to experience reality and express it.”

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