Beyond a Mosquito Net

(Frederic Courbet/Panos Pictures, for Fox)

I must admit this picture made me think like none other, atleast in a longtime. Most will recognize the guy in this picture, Ryan Seacrest of American Idol. It brought to my mind so many questions about charity. As can be seen in this photograph, a person from a wealthy nation is giving away mosquito nets to another in one of the impoverished places in our planet.

Malaria being one of the biggest killers in Africa, it is a very practical way of helping these people out. But, for some reason, i felt this was not right. There is a small controversy surrounding this act of philanthropy. You can read this here NYTIMES Story. Notwithstanding FOX network's generosity, there is something wrong with that picture.

This picture represents the current trend of someone who is doing this just for his or her own satisfaction. In this particular case, it is even more insincere, you just have to read the NYTIMES article. For all the highfalutin claims of generosity by FOX i don't buy their case. I might sound cynical but i do believe it was all for publicity. And it was cheap. There is no underlying sympathy, let alone empathy in these acts of generosity. It takes more than just handing out mosquito nets to these people. And the fact that Africa has been kept impoverished inspite of their natural resources tells you the story. The big pharmaceutical companies wouldn't spend their money on coming with a malarial vaccine since it is a third world disease and would spend millions coming up with Viagra shows where their priority is.

Take the picture above. What does Ryan Seacrest know about the problems faced by these people in their everyday life? Why not spend 10 minutes and explain the challenges these people face in FOX and FOX NEWS. This will reach a larger audience which might lead to a change in the priorities of the American Govt. But in this world of instant gratification, if i send 20 bucks to some charity and if possible i get to know that someone got a mosquito net from that money, i feel morally satisfied. I start to think i have done my part for this society, feel a little more self-righteous. Never do I stop to think what should be done to root out this endemic poverty and diseases that plague the African continent. The reason for this rant is the apathy that runs deep in our society. Its like, if you want fame and if you feel a little deficit morally or spiritually, donate some money to africa and if possible squeeze every ounce publicity that you can get out of it. It is in this regard that i have my greatest regard and appreciation for people go out of their way to make a change.

The case of Corporate America is even worse. Why is FOX news not using its reach in washington (we all know who owns it) to influence the policy of the American Government. We all know what is happening in DARFUR, Sudan. I hate it when corporations give out puny amounts in the name of charity and publicize it shamelessly. It is beyond SHAME.

I must at this point appreciate my friends Prasanna and Arul who take sometime out of their lives to do some work on charity and other literacy programs. And if any of you readers want to participate in these programs please contact me or Prasanna.

C Karthikeyan

Cho Seung-Hui of Virginia Tech gunned down 32 people on 4/16: heinous, meaningless and utterly inhuman.The media went berserk. It's fitting if CNN, NY Times and the like cover the event and its aftermath extensively. What's puzzling is that the Indian media has left no stone untunrned in covering the event. Two indians Minal Panchal and G V Loganathan perished in the shootout.

With all due respect to the departed souls, since when has an event on foreign land started to occupy the front pages of Indian media for days together? Since eternity.My condolences and sympathies are with the families who lost people that fateful day. When you compare how such tragic events are treated in India versus any other country, my head hangs in shame. The media here writes up about each and every soul lost and posts condolences thus showing sympathy. When was the last time Indian media did that? Does anyone know the names of people who lost their lives at nandigram recently? Or the names of the security guards who faught bravely to avert an major disaster at the parliament?

I had come to terms with the importance of life in India versus the west. What's disturbing is the fact that the importance of a life lost on Indian soil is nothing compared to when a soul is lost on foreign soil.Probably every body would have read something like "14 people were killed today at a police firing. There were 3 men, 5 children and 6 women among the dead."

Cattle get a better treatment in the west!