The surgence of Star News seems to have done one good thing atleast as far as AajTak's concerned. It made AajTak look like a credible news channel. Not that AajTak has started getting its news right or that its reporters actually know what they are talking about. But Star has allowed news to hit such a low that even AajTak seems measured and responsible.

Case in point road repairs in Mumbai close to Chitra Cinema. I take the road everyday. And if you live in Bombay you'll know what I mean. It's right where the Dadar flyover meets Chitra Cinema at that thoughtlessly located traffic light. The point where the road, badly in need of repair, is being concretised. Traffic on any given day piles up across the flyover and even more so due to the re-surfacing work. But lo-behold when Star finds out about it. It's suddenly a national calamity. The BMC is slowing down traffic with its stupid road project. A reporter pops up on location, multiple windows surface, showing you the same 20 meters from different angles. And it's all the fault of the BMC, which had nothing to do with the work to begin with. It was work being done under the MUTP by the MMRDA.

If the authority had not done its job, you could flog them. But how can you fault them for doing their job just because it causes some delays to commuters. Like they could possibly take the road elsewhere to repair it!

Case in point 2: Kunjilal and his prediction of death. A man in the middle of no where predicts he's going to die. On a particular day and a particular time. Not one, not two but three supposedly responsible national news channels decide to beam out of his village, from the very temple he says he will breathe his last.

Everyone including Kunjilal's neighbour's dog that's lost its bark is interviewed. The Star and AajTak reporters duel on-air as to who will get the first interview with Kunjilal who's sitting in a little hole of a temple dedicated to goodness-knows-who.

Till 3pm the headlines read Kunjilal the saint... or a variation thereof... Suddenly at 4pm... the headline changes.. "dhongi baba ka parda fash"

Jesus!

My constant worry is how does one battle such non-issues. That's when I thank my stars and say thank god I no longer work for a hindi news channel.