Last night, I lazily rolled on my back as my father surfed these three channels with the luxury of knowing that my I didn't have to rise early to go to school the next day when I let out a shriek. "Times Now" I observed, had my favourite anchor, Mr. Arnab Goswami grilling Mr. Mani Shankar Iyer among a panel of others. A classic, certainly. I implored my father to stop switching the channels.
As an avid follower of political developments, I had developed a liking to certain politicians and no political parties.
While the most intellectual were the lawyer folk, the Jaitleys and the Sibals and the Chidambarams, personally the sharp-tongued spokespersons were my favourite.
The exile of Shashi Tharoor from the main Congress framework deeply disappointed me for he was one who didn't fear to voice his opinion over his own party-men and also used the net to air his views, a sign of modernity.
Mani Shankar Iyer, rather like him but more conscious of the hierarchy in his party, was another outspoken general, a man who would say "Absolute Bullshit" instead of saying "I respect his opinion but I think he has got it wrong." Brash, is what I'm driving at.
Though Ravi Shankar Prasad and the above mentioned Iyer may share the Shankar in the name, they share hardly anything else. An out an out BJP man, Prasad is the main focal point of all news-room discussions, perhaps because he is a part of the opposition. The kind of chap who will wait for the applause (if any) to subside and continue and jab his finger violently at the camera while coming close to concluding his point. And after every punch line, he gives a knowing smile, sure that he has caught his opponent in the net.
And then there's every politicians biggest enemy, the newsroom anchor, be it Burkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai or Arnab Goswami. Although Burkha Dutt had always had a special place in my heart (which she lost after Niira Radia tapes were released), Arnab Goswami always stole the show.
Where Burkha would say, "Sir yes sir, but in a sense......" full of respect and poise, Mr. Goswami would just shrug his shoulder and say "You've got your facts all wrong". Brash diplomacy, if there is such a thing.
But then, my dream has never come true. A newsroom discussion hosted by Mr. Goswami with the Shankar's as his guests. I've never really seen Mr. Iyer stretched while Jayanthi Nataraj has come close to doing like-wise to Mr. Prasad.
Mr. Iyer is rarely present on these shows, though he was prominent when Kalmadi accused him of causing the delay in CWG building construction after he said in characteristic style that he would "get the hell out of Delhi" during the CWG. Mr.Prasad on the other hand frequently encounters Burkha Dutt and Arnab Goswami, somehow never making a fool of himself or his party. But then, he always has a certain Manish Tiwari (not sure about the name), a most lacklustre spokesperson if there ever was, to deal with. Never a match for the Prasad.
And then there's Chandan Mitra, another BJP man with a characteristic style. He will sit silent, speak only if spoken to, which he does in a methodical manner, and the second he sees this flaw in a Congress compatriot, he comes up with a flawless, nonreturnable one-liner and laughs his face off, knowing he has won. "Charisma" is the word.
These discussions however never lead anywhere, usually causing Goswami to hastily and diplomatically, yet brashly, in his own style, tell the spokespersons to shut up and close the show, before everyone has had their chance.