Commercialisation of Media

"Crass commercialism has made media to become a pet in the hands of religious lobbyists and political parties".

Now really, how many times have we heard those clichéd words jumbled and re-written and redone by those great journalists who have had their share of journalistic experience stored in their accounts before they can say these words. Easier said than done, I think and it was only after getting the hang of the contemporary media scene during my training. The nay sayers argue that media during the pre-independence era was very people-friendly with every media organisation striving and toiling hard to send the inspirational and motivational editorials and ignite the minds of the Indians to throw away the colonial Britishers from India. It's still 'people-friendly but not to that section of population who cry at the social evils of our society like poverty, illiteracy and religious jingoism and like, which means a small section.

True, this whole 'people-friendly' thing creeps those bright media débutantes who come with high ideals and principles, drinking in every media ethic available on this earth but slowly they realise that 'igniting the dormant minds' creeps them out coz its scrapped by their bosses and to top it all, the media critics throw stones at them, categorising them as commercial. Their life becomes paradoxical, oscillating and vacillating between the ethics and the reality. I remember a journalist who had come to our college for a friendly interaction said that she had lot of 'development journalism' stories but most of them had been rejected by her boss. The present media thinks that there are more important things than igniting the dormant minds about fighting against independence or any other social evils coz it does not sell, as simple as that. It's not a saleable story in today's world.

One would wanna throw brickbats on media only when he/she realises that it has goes way too commercial showing how Kareena became zero-sized or how Salman got himself a new girlfriend. Why is it that "igniting the dormant minds" stories are categorized under a tagline called development journalism? Simply because the 'regular' news is what the people watch whose ingredients are either highly political or too much crime and violence or celebrity-based. The development stories are shunted sideways but still have their respectable tag. It's like a commercially flop movie getting 10 awards at the national level.

Anything 'good' fed by the newsmakers will simply have no ratings. Who would wanna close down their business? After all, its business first and news next. The subaltern is simply not accepted. Where does the blame lie? Hmm good question!

Will this change, one may ask. The others could fight with me for my argument on the mainstream media. However disputatious and harsh it may seem, truth remains the same. Those who don't fit into the mould receive awards for their immense contribution towards journalism, others mint money and live happily ever after, or do they? I don't know. I'm not one of them!

Final word: I stumbled across this response to an article about the topic in a reputed newspaper:

The article truly portrayed the increasing commercialisation of the media. It is true that the media only highlights news that evoke considerable interest among the viewers and is not bothered about the ideals of democracy or the death of ‘insignificant’ persons. But we shouldn’t forget that part of the blame is with us. It is we the people who have commercialised the media. If only the news and other channels highlight issues like poverty, hunger and such other things prevalent in each and every corner of the world, will anyone watch the reports and appreciate them? There’s a need for us to change too..

G. Ranjith Kumar Reddy
Hyderabad

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/12/28/stories/2008122850090300.htm

My Mom Coolest!!

Dhoop mein chaya jaise

Pyaas mein nadiyan jaise

Tan mein jeevan jaise

Mann mein Darpan jaise

Haath duaoon wale

Roshan kare ujale

Phool pe jaise shabnam

Saans mein jaise sargam

Prem ki moorat, daya ki surat

Aisi aur kahan hai

Jaise meri maa hai...

Typing these lines, tears have already welled up in my eyes. I miss my momma darling. Partly I should blame my friend Megha for my emotional state coz she turned me into an emotional being from a practical bitch. Thanks anyways!

I heard that God decided that he couldn’t be at all places and so he had created these beautiful beings called mother. Mother, amma, wow what a beautiful word. And what a beautiful person you are dear mom. I remember how I was laughed at when I told my cousins that I wanted to go to a disco with my mom. I wondered, what’s there to laugh at? Of course mom will have lots have fun out there. Coz my mom is different. She’s not one of those scolding-for-coming-late-at-night types. Undoubtedly the bravest woman I was ever fortunate to meet. I remember how my dad used to get all sweaty and tensed and panicky whenever I was “late” in the evening. (Late according to him meant past 7.00 pm) but my mom’s response would be “Relax, its just 7.00 pm, she’s in the city and it’ll definitely take an hour for her to take a bus and come home”. But before she would finish her sentence my dad would call me and say, “Don’t be so late beta. Come fast”. And my mom would sigh and shrug!

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It so happens that me and my mom always want to watch telugu movies together coz, well, my friends don’t really enjoy telugu movies and my dear old dad is hardly a movie buff if you don’t count the t-shirt he always dons which says ‘I Love Movies On TV’. So its always a mother-daughter private affair. So we went to a movie which was about a happy go lucky teenage guy with an equally easygoing parents and a beautiful teenage girl of strict parents who fall in love in the college, get caught by parents, the usual rona-dhona and finally wanting to elope and hero’s father dies and hero realizes his goal is to give good life to the parents and somehow by stroke of luck meets the heroine at the end and they live happily ever after. Hmm, time for the usual 'preaching'. No, I'm not complaining. I love discussing (read arguing) with my mom. She said, “Look how these children have become. They don’t care about their parents who looked after them for 20 years or so, giving them everything they asked for." "But mom", I quipped, "That heroine wasnt exactly given anything she wanted. I mean, she wanted the hero but the parents refused isn't it? So may be she thought that eloping is the best way to rebel against her parents. But still, she was wrong mom. I know she was." I added looking at the change of expression in my mom's face and she would smile at me. "See, what a good girl I am, Mom." And she asked, "So, planning to do something of this sort?" and I would say, "Come on mom, do you actually think I would have the guts to do that? In any case, even if I ask for something reasonable, I know you guys wont disagree." and she would pull my cheeks and kiss me which would say, 'that's my girl'. And I would pull her cheeks and say, "Nah, That's my mom!"

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I was always teased at home for wearing a faded jeans and t-shirts in 'family get-togethers', especially by my devil of a cousin. Every time I come, he would say, "Oh look, there comes my dear brother" and I would be fuming inside, thinking how best to get back at him while my mom would quip, "Don't you know? She's the boy and the girl of our family. She would take care of me in the future. I know it. So she's working on it from now itself. I mean, I really don't have any problem with the jeans and all of that, you know" and I would actually run to my mom and hug her! After coming back home, she would say, "Be a girl when you're in the family group. Don't wear jeans next time." And I would smile to myself. Oh, my mom is the coolest.

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Somehow, staying away from mom makes me miss her so much. She gave me freedom which none of my girl friends got, freedom to pursue the course I want, freedom to go anywhere and study, freedom to go anywhere I want to work, freedom to discuss anything with her.

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Oh well, too much to write but too little time.. I love you Mom. I love you... coz you are the best...

Have you ever realised that there are two sides of your personality, something like a split personality- what you want to be and what society expects from you. I wonder, who made the society, people living in it, isn't it? Then why this division? Does that mean they too have suppressed their real self to portray their societal self? Is their something called as real self and societal self? I realised it yesterday that there is! But, But isn't that called hypocrisy? Not being yourself?

Funny how hypocrites hate their contemporaries!!

I had no idea that its gonna be so difficult to prove my identity to the others. Never in my entire life did I have an issue of identity which I face today. What’s in a name was what I believed. “Oh hella lot than what you think baby” is what I realised.

Recently I joined a reputed news channel as an intern. Wow, what an office! Fully air conditioned (first priority in this scandalous summer), excellent team (I’m bound to say that!) and hectic work schedule. I guess interns all over the world face this issue of posh companies becoming sweatshops for the interns which should be taken to the Human Rights Commission and it should be debated in parliament about the rights of the interns and... well my point is that its a hectic work schedule. So, in the entire hullabaloo, the issue of my identity became a huge problem with the ID card sensors placed everywhere in the building so I had to use the card even to go to a loo.

To a girl who has the ingredient of self-respect a little too high in her, the authority questioning her identity became an egoistic matter. Not that I’m egoistic, mind you, I’m as down to earth as an old pair of shoes, according to Linda Goodman but you would be pissed off too if every time you are asked, ‘Madam, your ID card’ even in the midst of heavy work. Like a beggar begging for his alms, argh!

During one of my outdoor shoots, I was roaming in the company's vehicle and when I got down from that and walked through the office gate, the security guard stopped me and asked, 'Madam your ID card'. Now think, A poor, hard-working girl who has been on outdoor shoots almost the entire afternoon under the gruelling sun, comes back with an excellent footage for the TV programme is stopped by a puny, pesky security guard who is demanding for her identity card. That's it. Enough is enough. In my most venomously sarcastic tone, I asked him, "Mr Security Guard, (dung brain, I thought) is it possible for an outside person to come in the company vehicle?"

He gulped and said, "No ma'am"

"Then why are you asking me an identity card knowing fully well that I'm working here from the past five days and you've been seeing my face from the past five days and that I have just come back from work in the company's vehicle which is an identity in itself, haan?"

He gave a smile and sent me in. If my eyes could spit fire, he would have burnt down to ashes.

But today, I'm happy. I'm so happy, I could fly. Because finally I got the weapon to destroy their vainglory. I got my ID card, finally. And when he ritualistically tried to stop me again from going inside today, I flashed my ID card on his face and smiled at him rather sarcastically, as if to say, "Look here you dungbrains, I finally got my ID card. Here, See for it yourself". He smiled at me, rather sweetly which washed away the sarcasm in me. I stopped near him and clapped his hand and said, I got my ID card, see". He smiled and waved his hand. I felt small. He is great, not me. He was doing his duty, that's it!

Hit Back the Recession

Recession has hit everyone! But you don’t worry because there are some of the most safe and sound jobs which are resistant to the recession, it’s not all that scary, you know. But a word of caution to everyone- it’s for all those people whose mantra is- I-would-do-anything-good-for-money. The top five jobs during recession:
Panipuriwalla: Safe, low cost job. Of course the cost of the raw materials may increase but it can be mitigated during the sales. What’s more, you are the boss and to fill your own stomach with your own food would be the icing on the cake.
Beauty’s still in : Oh yeah, recession or not, there would be many women(and men) who would be bothered about their body hair or body tan so beauty parlors would be a great option, the in-thing, especially when you need to look good, either to win a singing competition or becoming a model or even to get married.
Participate in a reality show: Did your grandma’s daughter’s son’s uncle’s wife’s brother’s sister tell you that you are a good singer? Its time you take it pretty seriously and start sharpening your vocal cords. It’s a foolproof method to hit back the recession. What’s more? You will get name and fame too. All you need to do is sit with your newfound singing guru and practice till your neighbor’s dog starts barking loudly (that’s just to show that you got competition). Contacts with the respective TV channels will also help.
Pavement shops: Strictly for those who believe in the notion of dignity of labour. Who would want to buy those big brands with equally big prices? So the best options would be to sell stuff at rock-bottom prices, wholesale prices would anyways be less, so its profit and profit all the way.
Finally, writing. Freelance writing is hardly affected by recession. So if you think that your pen is mightier than your sword, go for it, for sky’s the limit. No, the limit is the editor’s patience!