Establishing truth and solve innumerable and multidimensional problems that India is facing at the present juncture is a hard task.

Even recognizing what is true and what is right is difficult now, due to the ruthless proliferation of lies, propaganda, and disinformation by Modi’s fascist regime.

We are to understand how it is carried and how far it has affected before examining the scope for reversing it.

The main carriers of information to people are leaders of caste and religion, politicians, opinion-makers. They are more partial, one-sided, misled, and so impart their biases, prejudices to people.

The other major source of news and information is the media. Legitimate journalism seeks truth. But here, media is obfuscating, obstructing, mutilating it. Many in the media mislead, some are misled and most of their assumptions and perceptions are wrong and do not reflect the truth in its totality.

It is also true that sections of media also become victims of the suffocating atmosphere, make compromises in quality and virtues. 

The problems get compounded as most people, in general, are not prepared to listen, discuss, debate, decide on facts, issues, solutions.

The educated, intelligentsia is surprisingly more affected by it. Their preconceived notions, ideas, information, and complexes make them more obdurate and obstinate while education should have made them know the vast expanse of knowledge and the unlimited scope existing for correction and improvement. 

The poor and uneducated may be misled but they may still listen due to their limitations; may apply their heart instead of their head, follow their inner voices, and intuitions to differentiate lies and truth, if the news and views reach them without much twists and manipulations.

However, the information and news that is carried now by all, including the media, are mutilated, distorted, highly contradictory, massively prejudiced to form a balanced opinion or conclusion. So the ideas, perception in the minds of most people including the educated, intellectuals are naturally far away from the truth.

So, establishing truth and facts amidst lies and propaganda is not just a hard task but a massive one before the people of India. It requires a ‘Gandhi or his incarnate’ to lead from the front speaking truth, mobilizing, inspiring people; touching their hearts, and appealing to them to understand the reality, truth; dangers of lies, propaganda, and hatred that are spread in society.

Will it happen? Maybe or maybe not. But hard days are ahead either way. One thing is certain in these difficult and disturbing days. People will be forced by developing situations to listen, cooperate, coordinate to devise constructive ways for solutions, leaving aside their egos, biases, prejudices, and hatred.

This is only a broad outline of a major issue before us. Instead of waiting for a Messiah to lead and light, a realization has to set in people of all types, class, and category to make their contributions to lighten the burden of the people. It may be as part of Government, media, public or private institutions, and independent public domain.

The present contributions in public platforms are too inadequate or unorganized to push any major change. It does have limitations but there is immense scope for improvisations if they try to apply their mind, ideas, vision. There is too much clutter, garbage, noises to bring out a unifying force and voice with irrefutable points and questions forcing institutions to usher in reforms.

Governments and institutions having exclusive platforms with all their in-house talents and scope for outsourcing are doing a poor job in evolving solutions. The problem again lies in the attitude of decision-makers and controlling authorities which allow the suffocating atmosphere within, overplay of complexes, choking of voices, absence of free flow of information, ideas with artificial restrictions besides unnecessary secrecy to cover their mistakes and to avoid scrutiny.

In these hard times, patience is a virtue but certainly, inaction is not.