I found it interesting to hear what Mr Tripathi had to say in his piece of today titled Media and Moral Outrage. I'd also had the opportunity to attend the Editor's Guild lecture by Mr P Sainath. Some thoughts which arose on reading what was said in the piece, based on my limited awareness of the subject. I'm familiar with quite a few of the pieces written by the distinguished journalist as Mr Tripathi put it, primarily published in the Hindu where Mr Sainath is the Rural Editor. I think it is a powerful pen which seeks to bring about change of the kind that Mr Sainath is seeking. He is definitely and obviously not content to merely report facts alone. Facts which are usually based on thorough research both on the ground in the rural areas (where he spends a major part of the year) and other sources. He goes beyond the role of a journalist as defined by Mr Tripathi of reporting facts only, by seeking to influence public opinion and those involved in governance via his lectures and his writing based on facts. He forces us to think beyond the conventional even if he does not find you always in agreement. He very often makes us uncomfortable with some of the positions we hold. His single mindedness of focus and bluntness discomfits most folk. I'm not quite sure what Mr Tripathi was trying to say when he questioned the significance of the rural story vis a vis the Bhopal tragedy et al. There is no competition between such issues and there should be sustained coverage on all such critical issues so that public attention is held through time. Drawing attention to the media coverage of fashion week to give one stark instance vis a vis the coverage of the agrarian crises during the Editor's Guild lecture was an eye opener for most of us outside the media. I agree that there may not be much to be gained by dwelling on what divides rural from shining India, but we need to be aware of what is happenning or not happenning in our backyard. At some point it will have a bearing on our lives whether we like it or not. Media coverage of lavish weddings is a case in point in contrast to instances of farmers committing suicides due to being unable to pay back loans of comparatively very minute amounts. As to whether the odd case of murder is termed as suicide in Vidarbha, as reported by Mr Tripathi there is enough evidence of real farmer distress leading to suicides and documented by journalists like Mr Sainath and others, including the Government. It is important to note these are losses of human lives impacting families and societies in innumerable ways. I'm not sure whether Mr Tripathi is aware that the suicides have continued even as the PM visited and subsequently announced a package for the region. Recent media reports have referred to a new CAG report questioning the impact of the PM's package in Vidarbha. I'd suggest all this be put in before the pipe is lit. I would love to say more but I hope your piece triggers the responses across India, an alert and awakened India. Sincerely, Amrita Narayan Achanta