Was I the only one who had an absurd level of sneaking admiration reserved for Dhoni this week ?  What a rock star! He managed to outwit the media in possibly his most important moment? How does someone of this level of celebrity engineer such a momentous occasion with such panache and firmly draw the line? Dhoni getting married is ..... NEWS! And yet, he kept the press completely at bay!

The fact that it did not degenerate into a circus complete with details of the menu and flower arrangements made me respect him even more than I already do! (No “exclusives” here) The stray shots of a ghodi pretty much summed up the  breaking news around what remained a very private ceremony. I respect the fact that he did not capitalise on a huge press opportunity and kept it under wraps. Clearly, for some, marriage is  a sacred occasion and its inherent privacy is sacro sanct.

Sadly, the tamasha aspect of breaking news needs to be curtailed. What’s  worrying  is the increasing trivialising of the so called National News? How can everything from a ghodi to people dying in the firing line of   Kashmir become equal fodder approached with the same zeal? In fact more often  NOT with the same zeal. Sensationalism reigns supreme?

Bizarre how in two very different situations, almost  identical questions are asked.  The all time  favourite is always “How do you feel?” My mental  answer sometimes is “Forget me , HOW DO YOU FEEL?” Is it just me? I have an immense respect for good journalism, it empowers and informs but so much gets lost in translation! A very dear journalist friend (completely passionate about her profession) once said to me in despair, “A story is something someone somewhere does not want printed...For everything else there are  press releases!”

My view is nowhere near so cynical. ‘Curiouser and curiouser’...Let’s wander into the land of  relevant issues.