The last fortnight saw a mix of current news in the Marathi media. But Team India’s stupendous victory in the Twenty20 World Cup dominated the newsprint.
MUMBAI: The last fortnight saw a mix of current news in the Marathi media. But Team India’s stupendous victory in the Twenty20 World Cup dominated the newsprint.
The nuke deal managed to not only divide the UPA, but also the Marathi media. While papers like Loksatta, Lokmat and to some extent Maharashtra Times, supported the N-deal, Samna chose to toe the anti-line.
The Ram Sethu controversy had a similar fate. Samna led the anti-brigade. Being the Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece, it defended the legacy of Lord Ram.
That aside, the elephant God was revered in the news across all local and state papers. Most columnists and edits spoke of the growing popularity of Ganeshotsav. They also dealt with the politicisation of the festival.
Sakal, however, begged to differ and concentrated instead on news that induced tears - the rise in onion prices. The newspaper went on to reveal that post Ganeshotsav onion prices went on an upward spiral. Priced at Rs20 per kg before the festival, they increased to Rs25 per kg.
Issues concerning farmers, BT Cotton, sugarcane were, as always, given top priority. And just as Mumbai readied to bid adieu to Ganesha, the country witnessed the historic T20 win in South Africa. Subsequently, newspapers captured the euphoria that permeated all and sundry.
The Marathi edit pieces were the first to highlight the small-town factor in the young Indian team. The resurgent national pride and patriotism was primarily due to the involvement of younger players like Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Joginder Sharma and other cricketers from small towns, the Marathi media pundits wrote.
Besides, they also spoke of how cricket was the new unifying factor. Maharashtra Times captured the youthful spirit of the Indian team. The blue boys got exhaustive coverage for the win as well symbolising small town India’s potential to fulfill their dreams.
On the political pitch, the Loksatta and Lokmat were critical of the NCP for hijacking the sports event.
Maharashtra Times and Loksatta highlighted the disparity in sports as cricketers received Rs80 lakh, while hockey players who won the Asia Cup were given only Rs2 lakh. Sakal, on the other hand, focussed on the T20 win and Pawar’s role in getting the new team.
The Darjeeling hills too came alive with the sound of music with Prashant Tamang becoming the Indian Idol. The papers didn’t miss another chance to highlight the talent in the small towns of India.
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