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Asymmetric Warfare - the next step

  We just witnessed a recent attack on an IAF base by drones. We were lucky that no lives or any other valuable assets were lost except a broken roof of a building. The fact remains that the drones came, dropped their arsenal, and went back, undetected, unchallenged. The fact that they selected a military target but yet missed any vital asset may be ineptitude, incidental, or maybe a warning by the adversary that they can reach us whenever and wherever they wish.  This incident triggered a plethora of articles and opinions in the print and electronic media on what should be done to prevent such attacks in the future. But then, who needs reminding? The system already knows what needs to be done, because they are indeed being done during national events, like the Republic Day parade. So I can well see the smirk on the decision maker's faces. But to play up to the galleries, a lot of actions will now be put out on the media to show how well we are reacting to this latest threat. ...

The Indian TV News Media

I think my generation has seen the biggest revolution in mass communication technologies in India.  I was born in an era when there was this huge valve set radio, to which the whole family tuned in for the 9 PM news. We also synchronised our watches and clocks with the beeps when the clock struck nine. It started like "This is All India Radio. The News. Read by Lotika Ratnam." It was a 15 min broadcast, that covered all important events of the day. Six decades later I still recall names like Surojit Sen, Devaki Nandan Pandey, Pamela Singh, Melville de Mellow, etc. They were household names and they were legendary, never controversial. Then came the age of the television. Though technically it started in India in 1959, it actually came to the masses from the late seventies and early eighties. It brought in a different culture in a news broadcast. We not only heard the news but we saw the news. The newsreaders not only gave out news but also made a style statement with their im...