A Slice of Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has of late sparked hullabaloo in media circle post her recent telecasting of two-episode Next Chapter, based upon her experience gathered from the sojourn visit to India this January. Though the talk-show to some extent has put India in poor light from cultural point of view, what's more outrageous than Oprah's understanding about Indian culture and tradition is Indians' inherent barometric intolerance culture, so thin-skinned than a whimper of whisper can create patches of rashes almost instantly. Barring certain vituperative remarks such as “I heard some Indian people eat with their hands still?” the episode attempts to decipher the glaring contrasts of India. From slums of Mumbai to incredible Taj Mahal, each talking point has touched the conscious deliberation of Oprah.

Whether a bunch of people live under the same roof in a cubicle size room in Mumbai slum or majority of Indians still eat with their hands, the narrative purely reflects Oprah's typical story-telling style. And bringing the ground reality to public scrutiny has moved many into tears especially in Oprah's talk-shows. However, as a renowned television anchor Oprah has unwittingly exposed her pseudo-intellectual underbelly, a syndrome that has infected many prime time anchors in India as well. The pith of problem here is not what's packaged, but the real issue is much deeper. An anchor can't be a master of all trades what's otherwise popularly projected by media. Every anchor has limitation of understanding the real problem. Even a layman can put better perspectives on a contemporary problem than a great anchor. 

Making superficial comments on five-thousand-year old Indian culture is the most bizarre thing that can be least expected from Oprah, but the reality is sitting at 100,000 feet height and facetiously explaining the ground zero is equally derisive. Irrespective of her multi-billion media empire and huge experience in talk-shows, she has a vulnerable side as well - Oprah lives on the surface of human wisdom. There is much underneath. Subtle and profound. She must explore, analyze, and then express. Probably she can then become the most adorable anchor, beyond the cobweb of seductive statistics that she currently grandstands.