I am sick of castigating the news channels. How much will I do. Still I can't help as the Mass Hysteria over Lord Ganesha and other idols sipping milk is spreading fast once again in this country.
It happened ten years ago (September 1995) when there was hardly any impact of electronic media but newspapers did cover it well. Now it is the era of 24 hr live channels that have no qualms about letting people go crazy over superstitions.
For the last couple of days it was the dargaah at Mahim in Mumbai where the water had turned sweet and people were flocking to it. It was perhaps some chemical phenomenon either due to heavy rains or some affluent dischaged in the water that the sourness of sea water went down and water tasted 'sweet' (read normal, not sour). But the media lapped it up. Now it is back to deities/idol's sipping milk all over the country and scenes of pepole from Bareilly to Bandra crying about the miracle relayed live. Callers to channels saying 'Yes it is happening' and 'When Saint of our Muslim brothers can turn water sweet, why can't our Gods drink milk'.
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