London Calling

Usually I keep off commenting on films. But the movie I saw last night triggered these thoughts. Jhootha Hi Sahi is produced and directed by Abbas Tyrewala. It features John Abraham in a new role (no need to show the body) and showcases Abbas' wife Pakhi (aka Punarnava Mehta) in the lead.
The first question that comes to mind is, "why does this film have to be located in London- what is wrong with any city in India?" Every film that is made today, with the exceptions, has to be either shot in New York or London. It used to make sense in the past- novelty factor. But today it is unnecessary and repetitive. The only reason one can think of is: the film was made keeping in mind the Indian diaspora (add to that Pakistani).
The other problem with this film is the forced integration of Indians and Pakistanis. Film makers are falling over backwards to somehow squeeze into their main theme the issue of Indo-Pak relations. The bonhomie between the two countrymen (and women) looks contrived to the point of being obnoxious. And these points are over and above the bad story line and some ham acting.
John Abraham is in a role similar to Shah Rukh Khan's character Surinder in 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'. As expected John has overdone the simple, down to earth role and it does not suit his personality.
The first day, night show, had hardly 30 people watching the movie. Even with John appearing on all possible reality shows, it will require a miracle to rescue this movie which has a weak foundation and very shallow pillars on which it is constructed.
And before I forget, the danger in taking up a serious issue like Suicide Hotline is immense when handled in a frivolous manner. The whole relationship rests on the basis of trust and if that is violated it could worsen the situation. A commercial film is a wrong medium to deal and further knowledge about such a delicate and sensitive issue.
Overall, there was a feeling of being cheated out of Rs. 150/- for a below average fare.

Saffron State

So the BJP government (the first in south India) has survived for the day. The last ten days have been a roller coaster ride for the political representatives in the state. First, the group of dissidents took off to Chennai and from there hopped from one place to another and finally ended up back in Chennai. Reminds one of the Gujarat political scene where Shankar Singh Vaghela took on the BJP Chief Minister Patel by leading a group of dissidents from one resort to another. In that case the government was brought down and Vaghela become the Chief Minister. In our case, HD Kumaraswamy hoped to replicate that model, but has not succeeded, yet.
Politicians have only one Dharma- to hang on to power. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Politicians claim that they want to get into power to better our lives- they end up bettering their own. Power is today the panacea for all problems. Dodging court cases to amassing wealth to fight elections and in the present scenario induce legislators with cash becomes easy with power.
Finally, we the people are witness to high drama (thanks to the electronic media) and things are back to normal (for the politicians), we move on and unfortunately forget the lessons. We keep looking to the courts to solve all our problems. The ballot is the only answer to the political farce that is played out in the name of governance. It is the only fear that politicians will take seriously. Look at where Lalu and Paswan are today after the people taught them a lesson. Can we expect the people of Karnataka to take the bull by the horn?

Hey Ram

the tension and the anxiety that preceded the verdict in the property suit dispute pertaining to the Ayodhya Babri Masjid site has given way to debate and discussion. many views are being expressed on the decision- some hailing it as historical, while others criticizing it for being shoddy. whatever be your view on this much delayed verdict, the issue has not vanished or will in the near future.
the issue is more than the temple or masjid to begin with. on one hand it is an assertion that this land is basically a hindu country and the people belonging to this faith will have to be considered first. on the other hand, the muslim community has been trying to accept India as their country- a sense of belonging will come from the acceptance of the muslims as citizens who have the same rights as others. so the same land stands for two different things- for the hindus, a reiteration that india is their country and for the muslims that india can be their country also. in other words, the judgment was supposed to deliver justice to indians and in that sense has failed the very basic foundation of the constitutional law- law should be administered equally, irrespective of caste, religion and ethnicity.
another opportunity has been lost in the name of national reconciliation. injustice cannot be the basis for forcefully integrating the communities. there will never be justice if it is not seen to be delivered fairly. it is nice to reconcile that there was no other option before the judges- divide the land into two- 2/3rds for the hindus and 1/3 for the muslims. feels so much like our reservation policy based on population division. both cannot camouflage the injustice that is inherent in the policies.

teaching assistants

one more semester is over. exams are round the corner. valuation will follow and then a much needed break. teaching is a calling as you need to love the job to stick on for a life time. the other day, two of the teacher assistants, merlin and namrata after two sessions on media ethics with final jpeng students wanted feedback about their teaching. the first class was intense with students listening and taking part in the discussion with enthusiasm. but the second class turned out to be a lot more noisy, disorganised and the only concern was to conclude the class quickly.

how can one motivate others to take to teaching. there is very little by way of personal satisfaction. teachers are constantly struggling to control the class, with very few students interested in the subject. every class is a challenge. new methods need to be evolved to keep the interest of the majority in the lecture. after all the effort one rarely finds full satisfaction. teaching in schools and colleges are increasingly becoming difficult. the average attention span of a student is going down drastically. career choices are aplenty. why would anyone want to be a teacher?

Mirror Effect

Mr.Ramananda Sreenivas (Editor, Bangalore Mirror) came, spoke and floored the audience (MS Communication) with his unique technique- interaction. what sreenivas did was to get the students to speak and by getting a point out, base the talk on that. it created interest and active participation. it also helped to have a few familiar faces (those who had done their internship at BM) to collaborate and complement his points. the very informal style and the language of the present generation can be a very effective tool to connect with the students.
As he said at the beginning, Sreenivas wanted to use the opportunity to learn from the young crowd- the target audience for BM. it is only through contiuous feedback from the readers that BM has been able to deliver stuff and become credible among their readers. it is a wonder why media does not change quickly enough to connect with the desired audience? it is only when things go wrong that changes take place. The Times of India group has understood the importance of keeping an ear to the ground and customizing the content to suit the demands of an ever dissatisfied generation. No wonder then, the two most read newspapers in Bangalore city are from their stable.

Guru Dakshina

the cancellation and postponement of media conclave with r. sreenivas, editor, bangalore mirror was a temporary set back. but these things can be expected as people from the media are on call 24x7. personally, i had almost forgotten the issue. but not Malik and not Niranjan (for those not familiar- they are from the Journalism batch of 2007). Malik calls up Niranjan and tells him about the cancellation and Niranjan gets into action. Makes a whole lot of calls and finally fixes up Rajan Bala (legendary Sports Columnist) as a replacement, less than 12 hours before the scheduled time of the programme. It is another story that the programme didn't materialize in the end.
my thoughts are on the two christites who went out of their way, for no fault of theirs, to rectify a problem. how many people today will do anything like this. there are a few thoughtful and responsible individuals still around and maybe that is the reason why we still have faith in humanity. thanks Malik and Niranjan for all the help in building a close relationship between industry and academics and more importantly between media professionals and students.

Medium over message

DNA ran a photo feature on the language issue that has generated a lot of debate. my quote is out of context and therefore this is an attempt to put it in the right perspective.
Language is important to communicate, socialize and disseminate culture. Nobody disputes the fact that the language one is comfortable in, allows one to be confident when it comes to communication.
the controversy with respect to Karnataka is to make Kannada the medium of instruction in unaided schools. the two are mutually exclusive. One should know kannada for obvious reasons. but how will making it a medium of instruction help? we need to acknowledge the reality. those who are from english medium background tend to do well in terms of job opportunities. Kannada is a compulsory language in schools but making it the medium of instruction will definitely limit the scope for those children. This is a retrograde step when the world is trying to cope with the onslought of globalization and increasing opportunities it is throwing up. Instead of helping our children to cope with the needs of fast changing society, we want to take a step back.
It is one thing to preserve languages and culture, but a totally different thing to shackle our kids in the process. People with ulterior motive are the supporters of this policy, which if implemented surely will put Karnataka on the backfoot.

Malik on sports

Malik spoke to the second year journalism students. he tried to sketch the field of sports reporting based on his one year at bangalore mirror. it is always a pleasure to see how different and easily the professionals who were students a few years back adapt themselves to teaching.
the other day anirban from the sociology department kept the first year ms com students captivated for an hour. he has the ability to connect with the students with simple language and immense knowledge of the subject.
there are a lot of teachers out there. some are gifted and others including yours truly have to work pretty hard at it. guest speakers like malik bring a fresh perspective and approach to teaching journalism. the practical experience is definitely helpful in communicating effectively with the students.

Well done

InPrint 09 is over. the day-long programme threw up its list of challenges. the most satisfying thing at the end of the day was the display of general bonhomie among the journalism students. the enthusiastic participation by all (forgetting the exceptions) was heartwarming. the first year students threw themselves in the arena and earned credit (contrast that with last year). the second year jelled as one to organize the event to the satisfaction of all. and surprise of surprises, the final jpe put their best foot forward and fought their way to the top. Congratulations to all.
the assuption that only through control and close supervision will the students do a good job is empirically proved wrong. i am glad. the students need a long rope. there will be a few surprises but in the final analysis it is 'by the students, for the students and of the students'. now where do we come in? one can give advice and encouragement but the event should be student driven. it certainly makes a lot of difference. InPrint has come a full circle, from the time it started off as an idea in the minds of students to the entire planning and execution being undertaken by them.

joy of doing

this is in response to the edit (joy of giving) in today's (09/07/09) dna by n.raghuraman. mr. raghuraman (editor), what did you do beside feel sorry and angry about the plight of that child you saw from the shelter of your chauffer driven car? the piece paints the picture and moves on to bangalore international airport. there is no mention of the action only thoughts of despair. feeding sparrows bread crumbs is nice, like some feed street dogs and cats. but how will that allivate the plight of the children on the streets of our cities (as you have graphically described), who toil the entire day for handouts and crumbs.
it is in our culture to feel sorry and even show an attitude of caring for the not-so-well-off. it still is a long way from a behaviour change that provides a basis for action. we preach and then move on. the problem stays in the same place. it definitely is a moving piece and writers have a right to bring the images to life in various forms. what we also require is less preaching and more action as a society.

Final closure

Finally the Liberhan Report has been submitted- it took more than 13 years for the probe into the Babri Majid demolition to be completed. Initial reports suggest that the blame is squarely placed on BJP. Top leadership of the BJP have been named as having incited the mob to indulge in arson and destruction. It is, of course, not a surprise that the inquiry has indicted the well-know advocates of Hindutva for the crime. What is surprising is the delay is bringing out the obvious into the pubic domain. There is of course the political angle to the whole inquiry and the timing of the report. This should not divert our attention from the unprecedented, nay monumental, event that destroyed the political and social fabric of our nation. Unless our state acts fast and punishes those who have indulged in violence or destruction, sections of the society will feel let down and angry. The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, The 2003 Gujarat riots, and the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition are blots on our psyche and needs to be dealt with. Expecting time to heal the wounds is foolish. There has to be a closure to these wounds that keep infesting our secular fabric. Only when people perceive that justice has been done, the guilty adequately punished can we move on. Otherwise, we will be stuck in the past and not be able to expect a better, safe and all-encompassing future.

InPrinted in mind

It is that time of the year when the second year journalism students begin to grapple with the intricacies involved in putting together InPrint. A class of 60 odd students come together to host the intra-departmental fest that was started exactly 4 years ago. The purpose of the fest was to have an identity for the journalism students. In the past 4 editions of InPrint what was initiated by the class of 06 continues with a few modifications. I think the present batch needs to know the background to InPrint.

Expression was the inter-collegiate Journalism fest that had its last version in 2003. A step was taken to have a common fest with the Communicative English students. But in 2005 a bunch of bold, highly motivated students took upon themselves the role of setting a precedent that would brand the journalism students for years to come.

Today the present second year journalism students are going about trying to put their mark on this tradition. I am sure that in years to come, students every year would come together and forge a bond that would mark them out from the rest of the student community at Christ. Hopefully, a thought would go out to those who started it all.

listen in

took a break from work and attended a workshop. the workshop was interesting but not anything great. the food was good and the setting was perfect. there was no hitch and things moved smoothly during the entire duration of the workshop.
got an opportunity to network with professionals from various marketing and communication departments. also got an insight into what is happening in the US context as far as the use of social media is concerned and where we may be headed. one needs to have a presence on various social media like Orkut, Twitter, Blog and Linkedin to stay connected to the digital generation and feel their pulse.
but the best part of the workshop was the realization that we (including me) have a long way to go in accepting the reality of the virtual world. by being part of the social media, which by the way is growing tremendously, one can be part of the collective knowledge creation process and at the same time listen in to the digitally enabled and empowered young urban India. if one has to make a difference, one has to be part of the process.

it feels good to have an intellectual dialogue with a student who has matured beyond his age and is now a professional journalist. yes i am talking about the interaction with shashank in the course of the last two days. shashank has grown up, but in some ways he is the same student that i first came across more than five years ago. he personifies someone who has imbibed good values and any parent can be proud of a son like him. just one example hits this home. Shashank wanted to make time from a tight schedule to go and see the landlady who had housed and fed him during his student years. it is these small gestures that add up.

remembering past

the incident in class 109 the other day took me back a couple of decades to my pre-university days. a similar incident took place with yours truly in the hot seat. for the language class, we had to move to a different classroom. i, like many of my ilk, wanted to occupy the familiar seat in class. but that day i had to take another seat due to the non-availability. a couple of girls came up to me and asked me to vacate their seat. i, of course, refused and insisted that i had come there first (rather rudely).

in retrospect, i feel like a heel. as kids we do some really stupid things. i could have moved to another bench but at that time i wanted to be difficult. as humans we do this all the time. when we drive, how many times have we given way to the other drivers? in a queue did you give someone in dire need the chance to move ahead? we usually assert our right in such situations. isn't there a higher calling- one that calls for mutual respect, acknowledging the feelings of others...

student days are full of learning- the more diverse the group in class the tougher it is to get along, but a great opportunity to gain immense experience that stands the test of time. hopefully, the differences that we encounter all around will not be our undoing but a challenge and, ultimately, our strength. 

cathartic effect

when something affects you- and it happens very often to me- till it comes out in the open (your reaction or opinion) there is a sense of turmoil within. after the last posting i feel relieved that i got the angst out of my system. the things that trouble me and the issues that i am bothered about need a resolution. the kind of mental agony in the absence of a closure is difficult to overcome unless it is thrashed out in the open.
blogs allow for just this. an open forum to bring out any issue and place it in front of the world- inviting comments/criticism/acknowledgment. an open society is the safest bet against misunderstanding and conflict. only when things are hidden there is a scope for confusion. more than talk about issues, blogs allow for baring the heart out. what would have happened if this option was not around?

crime and punishment

the news about the students being made to sit the whole day in the corridor of the school as a punishment shook me and shocked me. it made me angry as i thought about it in the context of my school-aged daughter. how dare the school authorities impose this punishment or any punishment whatsoever. to top it all, the punishment was meted out not for an act by the students- their parents had skipped the parent-teachers meet on saturday.
schools are in the news increasingly for the wrong reasons. the inability to deal with the disciplinary issues, the excess workload and pitiable salaries are driving the teachers to take resort to punishment as a way out. it is high time punishment (out-moded means to achieve compliance) was done away with. What is the message one is giving the children (future citizens of our country) by punishing them for something they did or others did? what values are we imbibing in them? will they grow up to become better than us or just remain in our image?
The school authorities must be punished (not by making them sit in the open) for having done such a ghastly act. better still, they must be reformed. punishment does not achieve anything. the objective is to change the thinking of the person and not make him/her feel miserable. at least in the future children can go to school without fear of punishment.

mirror image

michael jackson's 'man in the mirror' comes to mind as i try and deal with the question of identity. last saturday i got an opportunity to watch a premier of a kannada movie at badami hall. the main character in the movie is named 'gandhi'- it is also used as a metaphor in the movie. it narrates the struggle of gandhi in the face of having to live up to the great name. in the end, he is forced by circumstances to accept defeat and therefore decides to change his name.
the movie had an impact beyond the story. if i ever wanted someone to put a mirror to reflect my real inner personality the film did just that.
being a kannadiga by birth but not having lived a kannadiga's life (whatever that means) i was a fish out of water among the select crowd that had been invited to the premier. the cosmopolitan sheen keeps me from acknowledging my roots. while watching the movie i connected to the real me. deep inside, once you remove the outer layers (accent, educated...) i realised i was no different from the rest out there. i had found my identity. i am now, unashamedly acknowleding it.

giving advice

it is good to feel that someone wants to consult you for a career move. your advice is given importance. that puts a lot of responsibility on me to give good advice. what is good advice? our experience can provide a bit of insight into things but circumstances change and in the changed circumstances giving advice on the basis of past experiences can be problematic.
it is ironical that when it comes to taking a decision in life i dither. all the possibilities and angles have to be looked into and then a decision can be taken. the same must apply for giving advices. without thinking out the options, we have no right to state a course of action. by putting all the options on the table, it becomes less of an advice and more of a choice for the advice seeker. it then becomes the responsibility of the person to choose the right path. hopefully, in the latest case i have been careful in doing just that. for i should not be the cause of any wrong action.

plugging loopholes

i am curious to know what makes people tick? the other day, in the department, my mind was trying to figure out a few things as i saw/heard Mr. Kennedy explain and convince three bold and intriguing girls about the need to write positive about college. i, for obvious reasons, will keep out of the debate (class is where i will speak out). now what is of interest to me is the reasons behind the writing, its objectives and more importantly why one is not willing to compromise on ones stand.
we have to communicate our feelings and emotions- to not do so is dangerous. the forum, the method and the means to communicate are important if one has to overcome the fears of the guardians of stability and decorum. each one has to choose the way to speak out depending on the ground realities. one formula will hardly work for everyone. experience is the biggest clue one can fall back on- and my experience tells me, what works for someone may not work for me. so, without loosing hope, find other avenues for those creative & critical juices.