One more fallout of the promos going on-air was founder editor of Manushi and author of Modinama, Madhu Kishwar, texting Abhinandan Sekhri requesting him to call her back. This could be possibly because:

– She was unable to get through since Abhinandan was on the phone pretty much continuously the week prior to the show promos going on-air.

– Madhu Kishwar does not make calls, she takes calls.

Surprisingly, Abhinandan did not text back with “Kyun? Mera outgoing free hai kya?” but actually called back, as Madhu Kishwar availed the benefit of free incoming calls. An indignant and outraged Madhu Kishwar told Abhinandan that she is aware that he is responsible for getting NDTV on board for this show, that he is an NDTV agent, and if he goes through with this “hum tumhein kachcha chaba jayenge” (we will chew you up raw).

Not just Abhinandan ko but also “Modi ko bhi kachcha chaba jayenge. NDTV pe jaane ki himmat karke toh dekho” (We will also chew up Modi raw. Just try and go on NDTV).

That was the dare.

After those Dawood-like threats, Madhu Kishwar then pleasantly asked, “So, when are we doing a show together? You had said we would do a show on Newslaundry”. Abhinandan cordially answered, while waiting to be chewed alive, “We are a bit busy now. Will get back to you”. Abhinandan was in a fix. Should he warn Mr Modi that the PM-hopeful was on Don Madhu’s menu?

What did we learn?

If you are expecting to be threatened and verbally assaulted, at least don’t pay for it. Use incoming free service and make the other person pay.

This was also just about the time there was an outpouring of grief and angst online, by those who claim to have Mr Modi’s best interests at heart, beseeching him not to appear on the show. Some believe this is the reason Mr Modi cancelled. But, ask yourself, what could have been better strategy than to go into your “enemy’s” lair with an outside anchor who is the sister of one of your “enemy’s” biggest competitors and have one hour to say whatever you please at the expense of your “enemy” who is picking up all the production costs? Duh!

Meanwhile, the promos ran continuously online and on air from February 19. Just as we were settling into a smooth ride from here on, on Friday, February 28, we received a communication that Mr Modi has a problem. The problem was that Candidates 2014, his office felt, was being identified as an NDTV Exclusive show. They were uncomfortable with this. This did not come from Mr Modi directly but through his office.

The fact is that Facebook Talks Live is an established Facebook format the world over and is not limited to one channel. In the US, their channel partner was MSNBC and CNN, here it was NDTV – but it has always been a Facebook event. This appeared unacceptable to Mr Modi’s office. We were told Mr Modi will come if the show was made available to all channels as an “open event” and was not exclusive to NDTV.

We went to NDTV with this problem since we were keen this show goes ahead and begin a process of engaging with our leaders in a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere. We are accommodating and peaceful like that.

NDTV agreed to let the Facebook feed of the show be open to anyone who wanted it (which meant all their rivals), free of cost, while they picked up the production cost. Even they’re accommodating like that. An additional demand of allowing an ANI camera to be placed inside the auditorium to shoot what they wanted was also agreed upon.

This was communicated to Mr Modi’s office by Friday (February 28) evening. Mr Modi, we were told, would take a final call that night. We were expecting a favourable response since from our point of view all his demands had been addressed. A rhetorical question was then communicated to us – “why was NDTV still part of this?”. It was suggested we’d have to do this show with everyone except NDTV.

What did we learn?

We aren’t all that accommodating like that. Zyada ho gaya.

It seemed clear to us by now that Mr Modi was cancelling. Duh! The confirmation of his attendance had come directly from Mr Modi, face-to-face. The cancellation happened through an official from his office. Mr Modi did not speak directly to us regarding the cancellation. We can only guess what the final reason was.

The sequence of events has been made completely clear in the interest of transparency. From here on, we can merely infer whether there was a particular reason to cancel or a variety of reasons or were we not accommodating enough, no matter how we perceive ourselves to be.

What did we learn?

That the lord and leaders move in mysterious ways.

There were other eventful episodes from the Candidates 2014 experience.  Mamata Banerjee’s handlers were paranoid about what we could ask her and what we couldn’t. We got a list of questions, which we could (read, should) ask her, with the warning that if we asked any other questions there was a possibility of upsetting her – and then god knows what may happen. Yet, during the townhall, Madhu Trehan asked her everything that she had been warned against and Didi didn’t seem to mind – and she didn’t walk off.

What did we learn?

Often a political leader is way nicer than those around him/her make them out to be.

Another crisis was Lalu Prasad Yadav’s townhall. It was to happen in Delhi like Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav’s. A couple days before the scheduled interview, his party started to fall apart with leaders defecting or threatening to. He told us over the phone that there was no way he could come to Delhi for the interview in this time of crisis. So we had to pack and head to Patna, find a hall, invite an audience and do the show there – which we did, since we are accommodating like that.

Another learning from Candidates 2014 was seating arrangements have a hierarchy which is taken very seriously by “captains of industry” and corporate leaders. Our audience consisted of a cross-section of society that we thought represented India. There were daily wage earners, journalists, rickshaw drivers and pullers, lawyers, corporate executives, household help and maids, bankers, street hawkers, industrialists etc. They were evenly spread across the hall.

But some demonstrated their egos are as needy, if not more, than politicians. As if the complications exploding in our face were not enough, there was now the challenge of accommodating some who wanted to be either seated in the front row for the Modi and Rahul session or wanted to be part of the receiving line-up. Typically, these were not the brick-layers, labourers, rickshaw pullers, lawyers or even journalists (surprise, surprise!). The fact that journalistic events do not have “receiving line-ups” of people giving garlands or bouquets is not quite understood by many.

What did we learn?

Very often, the net worth of an individual is inversely proportional to his/her dignity and self-esteem.

Getting the series together was a huge logistical exercise. More importantly, an exercise in patience. There has been (the unlikely) suggestion that Mr Modi’s online support base flexed its muscle and delivered results by flooding him with requests to cancel his attendance since there is some deep-rooted hatred for the channel partner for this series – NDTV. There is online chatter of exultation as well as disappointment from his supporters.

We will say this: we at Newslaundry believe in free-flowing conversations with all. It is a platform where all voices will find space. We critique everyone and we do it with a spirit of engagement and fun. We welcome it upon ourselves. We like to involve all. It is only through a complete freedom of expression and a willingness to engage and exchange ideas that better and smarter solutions and ideas emerge. We strongly oppose untouchability in all its forms. It shrinks the mind, shrinks space for conversations and stunts growth. There must be criticism as well as engagement with politicians, media, you and us. It is healthy and desirable. Only hearing paeans and odes about how great you are is damaging to the mind. Where there is criticism, especially online, there will be hysteria and venom. It is a part of the space where those with no voice find one – and often, they go overboard. There will always be extreme reactions in the fringes. There is nothing unusual or surprising about that. It only becomes unusual and surprising and even slightly worrying if that fringe can set the tone of interactions for leaders.

Big question is: What effect does this have on Indian journalism? Do we have the freedom to ask questions, or is this subterranean control through giving or not giving access and laying down conditions going to manipulate news organisations and journalists?

At Newslaundry, we are disrupters. We are not here to ask “how high?” when told to jump, and we are not here to toe the line of a politician, corporate house, loony group or our own peer group. Newslaundry was not set up to maintain the status quo. We’re here to rock the boat. We are not in this for patronage or favour. We will grow as disruptors or perish.

What did we learn?

Narendra Modi’s official Twitter account is now following Newslaundry on Twitter. Hey Narendra bhai. Kemcho? Maja ma?

There’s no better time to underline the importance of a free press. Here is why you should contribute this week to support the independent media.