Akanksha
Hi Shardul,
In Hafta 540, during the recommendations section, you mentioned feeling tired of society – how the critters seem more important than humans and our endless conflicts. I’m really sorry you are feeling this way. I’ve felt similarly too, especially when everything around feels overwhelming and out of control.
It’s a little unsettling when a journalist I admire starts to feel this way. It makes me sad to see you lose hope in humanity.
So, I’d like to recommend a break. A quiet, less-travelled island in the Andamans or a small village in Spiti always helps me hit reset and realign with my purpose.
Really hope you feel better soon.
Kumuda
Fanmail for Jayashree.
Jayashree, you were amazing as the host of the hafta episode the other week and I hope you can host more often. I really really appreciate your insights and your clarity of thought. All of your recommendations are A+ too. Thank you!!
Prachee
Hi NL Hafta Team, I completely agree that the reporting on the Meghalaya murder case was appalling. I want to draw your attention to another aspect of the story.
Initially, social media and news channels were flooded with prejudices against the people of the region, ranging from criminal tendencies to cannibalism. Many of us from the North East were desperately hoping that the Meghalaya police and the people of Sohra would be able to prove them wrong.
Jayashree mentioned that the Bangladesh theory gained currency because of the possibility of pointing fingers at the Muslim man. I think another stereotype that had emerged this time was that of the uncivilised tribal, and the border people who can't be trusted because they can collude with people across the border.
Mohit
The recent plane crash is tragic, but the public’s obsession with every irrelevant detail – crew photos, final moments – is unsettling. The media isn’t solely to blame; they just feed a voyeuristic demand.
My brother, a pilot, who flew the same aircraft for years, now carries invisible scars. Does anyone ask how this affects active pilots or their families? Will the government offer real mental health support or operational relief? Our pilots fly under immense stress, yet no one addresses these. If people truly cared, they’d question why major airports are surrounded by residential areas. Corporations quickly announce compensation – everyone knows they profit effortlessly off the skies. If they truly care, they should offer support quietly and focus on improving pilot welfare and work culture. Meanwhile, influencers and “experts” milk the tragedy for views. In the end, pilots are blamed, the public forgets, and nothing changes. Please, stop turning tragedies into public entertainment.
Kezia
Crime is an interesting topic for different platforms to cover. But we are going wrong because we have allowed news channels to run amok as judge and jury rather than the fourth pillar of democracy. For example, in the highly popular Gabby Petito missing person case (in the US), there were enough elements in the media to tell the public not to harass the family of the boyfriend who had killed her. We do not have anybody to question that here because we have been primed to crave the kind of drama we saw unfold - news channels nowadays remind me of the K-serials of old. Ekta Kapoor has moved on, so must they.
The harassment of Raj's mother reminds me of Lady Diana being chased by paparazzi. I know these reporters have their overlords to answer to, but what they did was enough to get them arrested.
Muru
Hi NL. Seriously shocked that Raman recommended Andrew Huberman! The guy's a grifter masquerading as a neuroscientist. Sure, he's got Stanford credentials, but he's basically become a supplement-hawking influencer who cherry-picks questionable studies to sell overpriced pills with zero evidence behind them.
His mechanistic bias has turned him into a quack who oversells everything. Ask any actual neuroscientist – he's got no real reputation in the research community. I'm literally a neuroscientist, and we roll our eyes at this dude.
That's ignoring his incredibly toxic personal life. Want better health influencers? Try Liverdoc or Rohin Francis (Medlife Crisis) – actual practising doctors who don't peddle snake oil.
To anyone inspired by Huberman: you don't need some problematic bro-scientist telling you to feel and sleep better. You already know this stuff; find a mirror.
Cian Anthony DLima
Hi everyone,
Air India plane crash:
I agree with the point made by the panel about publishing the names of the crew and staff of the Air India flight. I was really upset that such private information like years of experience and number of hours of flight experience. I was thinking to myself about the narrative India Today was trying to achieve by constantly putting these names and later the pictures of the crew on news flash.
Thank You
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