There are days when my WhatsApp resembles a full-time fiction publishing house.
Every few minutes another dramatic story arrives. Every one begins with “This happened today,” “Must read,” or “Forward this before they delete it.” If I believed every one of them, I would think our country has become a land where miracles happen every half hour.
The latest masterpiece was about a passenger who suddenly fell ill while travelling on a train. According to the message, the ticket examiner immediately informed the next station, where a doctor and medicines were waiting to save the passenger’s life. The writer then proudly announced that this wonderful facility had been introduced by the present government, proving once again how caring and efficient it was.
The only problem was that it wasn’t true.
Not the part about the passenger receiving help. That certainly happens and has saved many lives. The fiction was the claim that this was some brand new revolutionary idea.
A little research showed that Indian Railways has been providing emergency medical assistance to sick passengers for decades. Railway staff have long been authorised to alert the next station, arrange doctors, ambulances and medical aid whenever possible. Thousands of passengers have benefited from this service over the years. It is something the Railways deserve genuine praise for, but not because it was invented yesterday.
That is what worries me.
When people begin digging up old rules and polishing them until they look brand new, or circulate stories that are only half true, they are not strengthening confidence. They are revealing insecurity.
People who are secure usually point to facts. People who become nervous often begin manufacturing stories.
It reminds me of a cricket batsman on a sticky wicket. The ball is turning, the fielders are closing in, and suddenly he starts swinging wildly, hoping something will connect. That is exactly what these endless WhatsApp forwards feel like. Every day another spectacular claim. Every week another miracle. Every month another piece of history rewritten.
The saddest part is that many well meaning uncles and aunties forward these messages without checking a single fact. They are convinced that pressing the Forward button is now a patriotic duty.
It isn’t.
Real achievements deserve applause. False achievements only damage credibility. Governments come and governments go, but truth has a habit of quietly surviving every election.
So the next time you receive one of those breathless messages announcing yet another unbelievable discovery, pause for a moment before forwarding it.
And to my dear Forwarder Uncle, remember this. Truth never needs a chain message to stay alive, but falsehood, does…!
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Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and writes a daily column, which has graced the pages of over 60 newspapers and magazines, from a daily column in the Khaleej Times, Dubai, the Morning Star, London, and in nearly every state in India, from The Statesman in Kolkata, to the Kashmir Times in Kashmir to the Trinity Mirror in Chennai.
So true.
Your last line aptly and convincingly sums it up. Falsehood travels fast like wildfire. Keen discernment is the key for the uncles. Distorting the false as truth and vice versa is the name of the game . The Devil is on the prowl to devour.
So true.
Even the IT cell is getting desperate in these times.
That’s wonderful message. Enjoyed.
Bob, you are right again. But one should not hesitate to acknowledge when things improve, and they HAVE improved. I have no way of finding out when such services actually started , so I will accept your contention that these are old services. Fine. But what is definitely new is the alacrity with which things are happening. That is new. With the internet and the ministers having Instagram and Whatsapp accounts through which anyone in the public can approach the minister directly, a lot more issues are being addressed in Real Time. So let us not hesitate to appreciate what IS working ! As a regular train traveller I can honestly say that the bogies are cleaner, safer and the railway staff much more on the job than earlier. But then may be it is just my perception.
The modern trend is to take credit for every good thing which happens, though it may have happened several times earlier.
Easy access to social media is one of reason for that, the other being desparate longing to be recognized due to lack of self confidence and modesty.
Truth speaks for itself
Absolutely! So true… It crossed my mind this morning when I received one such message from one such Uncle !