IndiaPost Live is a great concept, executed fairly well, but poorly received. A friend of mine from journalism college works there and has been kind enough to have me on their discussion shows. You can watch video clips below.
This year, the Pakistani band Laal was banned for their controversial stance, their name meaning “red”, referring to socialist politics. During the mass protests known as the Lawyers’ Movement, which demanded the country’s ousted chief justice be restored to the Supreme Court. The band joined the campaign and providing a soundtrack to the movement. Since then, they have faced multiple bans that have attempt to thwart their online presence.
I was asked to talk about freedom of expression in music, and, given my background in journalism and being on the receiving end of censorship of my music, I felt like I had a worthy two cents to share (adjusted to ego inflation).
IndiaPost Live will likely shut down soon, as it hasn’t really picked up steam, though it surely deserves to. They do not resort to sensationalism, which is force majeure in Indian media, which is why I respect them. This may be one of their last discussions as such, and, suitably, it is on the legalization of marijuana in India. Once again, I pitched my two cents, giving some cultural background to marijuana in the region.
I hope a news-site such as Republic Square will follow this model of discussion surrounding current events and add more depth into the news industry of Sri Lanka. I would definitely be very vocal through such a medium.
