Oh for an Indian Jon Stewart!!

The more I watch the Daily Show, the more I am convinced that people like Jon Stewart are essential for any democratic system. I am not sure if any past comedian has either had such intellectual capacity or such influence on public discourse. In 2004 presidential elections, he was thought to have an influence on a certain segment of the American population!! He brings such refreshing insights and his own form of accountability through the news media( albeit, through fake news) that you are left wondering what would happen without him.

I also envy that India doesn't have a Jon Stewart or even a Stephen Colbert. The closest people who come to mind from the Indian context would probably be Tarun Tejpal and Aniruddha Bahal. Though they were not the classical comics in the Jon Stewart mould, they had their own moments of glory. Their last big adventure, involving Indian politicians caught on camera asking for money in return for asking questions in the parliament was, actually, quite funny. I have mentioned some of the questions and Aniruddha's explanation in an earlier post called "Hail Cobrapost and Shame to Indian Politicians" under Winds of Change label on this blog. The questions are definitely worth visiting again for their ingenuity and purpose. I have been waiting for the next big scoop from Cobrapost but it hasn't happened till now. They did some stuff on getting Maulavis to issue Fatwas for money but nothing much beyond that. None the less, I have huge faith in the team at Cobrapost and I hope its just a matter of time before something big comes up.

Keep checking http://www.cobrapost.com/. Its an awesome site with some great contributors.