The real Zaheera, please

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 Â’2 &ZüJustice thwarted? Or yet another example of media manipulation? Zaheera Sheikh became the  !$ $ $    $

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Justice thwarted? Or yet another example of media manipulation? Zaheera Sheikh became the best-known face of a grisly tragedy in 2002. During a highly publicised press conference in Mumbai (2003), Zaheera probably guessed she was on her way to becoming a cult figure. The media couldn''t get enough of this spunky girl who''d dared to take on the system, take on the mighty, take on the state itself. What courage! Admirers gasped. She could be killed. She could be tortured. God! Does she know what she''s putting her foot into? There was one other "She could be..." that was largely ignored. She could be manipulated. Zaheera fit the profile of a perfect candidate. Maybe she was the ''Chosen One''. Who better than Zaheera? Photogenic, unafraid of aggressive journos, articulate and attractive, Zaheera was the right person, at the right time.... The world was paying attention, for God''s sake! Front page pictures, daily headlines, extensive coverage — gosh! It must have been a heady experience for young Zaheera. And an even headier one for her minders — whosoever they were or still are. If this is sounding cynical, so be it. Media mania is about memorable images. Unless someone is able to stand out in the clutter, the message gets forgotten, the issue, hastily buried. And often, truth becomes the biggest victim. Unfortunately, that''s how it goes in today''s crazy times when everything is driven by the media''s remarkable ability to "position", "brand" and "market" a story — even a ghastly tragedy of huge proportions. Perversely enough, Zaheera was a sure-shot winner. She had it all — youth, good looks, guts and a great story to tell or sell. Just like Mallika Sherawat in a different context. It''s all about packaging. Which is why the fall-out isn''t surprising. Such love affairs rarely last. One of the parties starts demanding more. Greed raises its ugly head. The asking price is upped and upped. Expectations go up. Original values go down. It becomes yet another commercial deal. And nobody knows where the buck stops. Sadly, nobody cares either. Today, Zaheera is singing an entirely different tune. Why? Is it about the money, honey? Her detractors are saying so. If it is only about the money, has someone raised the stakes? All of a sudden, the same lovely Zaheera, who won the nation''s admiration for taking a position on a highly-charged, extraordinarily sensitive issue, stands accused of being nothing more than a moolah-grabbing opportunist, willing to change her statements, depending on who her patron saint is. Almost like a shrewd cricketer negotiating the best deal going with a canny event management company! To reduce Godhra to a commercial event might sound like the worst travesty, but frankly that is what the Zaheera saga is beginning to resemble. Do-gooders and assorted activists have jumped into the fray with cheesy, sleazy stories. The same Zaheera is now being projected as a cunning little starlet, holding out for bigger bucks... a suburban flat... cash. While her supporters claim that poor little Zaheera has been reduced to a powerless puppet in the hands of influential people representing heavy-duty NGOs with great international connections. In both cases, it all seems to boil down to filthy lucre. No principles, no conscience. Since an all-out war has been declared, one wonders what will happen to the star of this big fight? It''s too late for Zaheera to back off or back out. She now has to wing it by herself, script her own lines. Unless, of course, she has found an even bigger benefactor who''s offering her a palatial bungalow and still more cash! God! How awful all this sounds. What a terrible statement it makes about the times we live in. So, who is Zaheera? The Ultimate Media Martyr? Or the Ultimate Media Manipulator? Perhaps, we shall never know. And that''s scary. ÿüøhèeÜhì{”BCÄÅÖ×��ú6$PSú
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