Role of Indian electronic media during terrorist attack in Mumbai

What mass media did during the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai clearly demonstrates how callous our media is in dealing such sensitive situations. There was a time when any national or international incident of importance was brought to the notice of public by newspapers or radio. Then came T.V. and with it came Doordarshan. There were elaborate reporting of the incidents in mainstream newspapers and also there were heavily loaded follow up of the story written by some eminent journalist. But this was not the case with Doordarshan as it was mainly controlled by the government. So at the end of the day what was presented to the mass was pure refined news.

With change in time news creation transformed into news production. With the proliferation of private news channels Doordarshan went into back foot. And India witnessed a new style in reporting with loads of glamour in it. T.V producers, presenters, reporters trained from BBC, CNN, Reuters, FOX News joined the private News channels of repute like NDTV, TIMES NOW, CNN IBN STAR NEWS etc. Thus started a war to present breaking news and exclusive stories to the audience as fast as it could be. The channel that churns out more such stories is hailed as the best in the race.

This race got fire during the recent terrorist attack in TAJ Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel and Nariman House in Mumbai. India is being repeatedly attacked by terrorists from neighboring nations is nothing new today but getting exclusive images of such encounter was what Indian media eagerly waiting for. T.V. footage of journalists kneeling down and reporting live from the encounter sites in TAJ Hotel, Oberoi Trident Hotel and Nariman House in Mumbai was clearly indicating how excited those journalists were. To many of them it was like reporting from the army bunker when enemy shell was repeatedly hurled from the other side.

The journalists were seen quizzing every people roaming around the terror sites for some bit of news which they can pass as exclusive. And the presenter seating at the air conditioned studio was busy in breaking such baseless news to public. Everything was in a mess, the reporting was not proper, figures were not correct and the fumbling was terribly annoying.

Most importantly the journalists were a menace for the security personnel who were bravely fighting the intruders. The journo brigade almost gheraoed the senior army officials and interrogated to pass them their strategy. This doesn’t only killed precious time during action but also presented the terrorists with the important information about the NSG commandoes plan of action.

Now when the mini war is over and battle is won successfully by the Indian army the same media is raising questions at the politicians, government and even the army. Why not they introspect at themselves? What have they done to educate the people either then presenting terror footage? What have they done constructively to create a mass upheaval against terror and national politicians?

A killer bike called Hayabusa

Strong body, stunning finish, 1340cc inline-4 engine, lightning speed is all that defines Hayabusa, the fastest motorcycle in the world from the stable of Suzuki. Also known as the GSX1300R in many countries, Hayabusa was launched in 1999 and till now its sales has only skyrocketed in the global market. Hayabusa is a like a God of bikes to young bikers all over the world.

Following the incredible speed and magnetic appeal of the bike, Hayabusa has got its place in the 70mm screen. Recent Bollywood movies like Dhoom and Dhoom 2 has showed Hayabusa glamorously. This acted as an inspiration for the youths in India who earlier had to satisfy their craziness for speed with bikes such as Bajaj Pulsar and Yamaha. Reacting on the growing market the sales distributors promptly imported Hayabusa from neighbouring countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.

Now, finally Hayabusa is here and along with it is number of bike accidents.

Young bikers love bikes and their passion for bike gets fire with Hayabusa, but very few of them actually know how to control the monster. With 1340cc inline-4 engine, Hayabusa is not a joke rather it is a deadly machine on the road. Expert bikers and trainers feel that enormous discipline and restraint is required to own this bike. One of the most interesting things often heard about Hayabusa is that instead of pulling wheelies when one grab a fistful of throttle; the bike will rocket forward and slowly pull the front tire off the ground.

Wealthy people often gift Hayabusa to their sons as birthday gift little realising the fact the toy can cut short their son’s life span. On the other hand young boys play with Hayabusa on public roads and highways and perform stunning acts with it. A trick they do out of innocence and for fun often turns into death.

Ban on smoking has gone up in smoke

After crossing lot of hurdles the health minister of India, Mr. Anbumani Ramadoss is finally successful in transforming the law on smoking ban from papers to reality. This was a very tough job for the minister who gathered ire from different sections of the society. Well the anger is true to some extent, especially when the citizens take it as their fundamental right. Who doesn’t smoke? Where you will draw the line? Poor, millionaire, doctors, actors, politicians, govt. officials, teachers, police, criminal, army man, spiritual leaders, women, students and all, smoke to attain ecstasy. Therefore the ban on smoking came over them as a curb on their democracy. Millions in India sportingly avoid standing in queues to vote, but how can they quit smoking?

Annually thousands die due to smoking related diseases in India and the most popular of them is cancer. Interestingly people feel jittery even talking about cancer, but at the same time they are so reluctant about its major cause. Several throw such arguments that ­­­­­--- even smoking is banned cancer can’t be prevented or pollution kills more than smoking. The problem in India is that very few people know little but understands more. To avoid uneasy problem they create their own stories as part of self defence mechanism.

Who cares about the fine? Those who smoke spend thousands or even more in a year on their preferred brands of puff. So only a Rs. 200 fine cannot stop them from smoking in public places. Even the law enforcement body is reluctant. People smoking boldly everywhere, but nobody is there to punish them. Politicians fear that they may lose some loyal voters if they try to become strict. So pretending is the best policy to avoid the situation and let the smoking ban go up in smoke.

Is anything left for Sourav Ganguly to achieve?

For any professional such as a corporate executive, mid-level junior executive, doctor, media planner, journalist, techie, teacher, consultant reaching the age of 36 doesn’t mean the end of a career, rather start of a harrowing journey during this cut throat job scenario. But a sportsman can, and certainly can with ease, particularly if it is Sourav Ganguly.

The sudden announcement of retirement by Sourav Ganguly during the Test series against Australia would be an emotional blow to the numerous Sourav or Dada fans spread all over the world. But Sourav or Maharaj as popularly known among Bengalis has shown that how a sportsman should live a life, truly King-size.

Through the entire career spanning 16 years Sourav has gathered many feathers in his cap that include scoring 6888 runs in 109 Tests including 15 magnificent tons, scoring 11363 runs in 311 ODIs with 22 centuries at an outstanding average of 41.02, captaining India in 147 ODIs and 49 tests. He also made India proud by leading the Indian national team to the maximum number of 21 victories ever achieved by any Indian captain with a win percentage of over 40.

It is now a fact that Ganguly won’t be donning the national jersey for India, but several generations in future will still be watching in the TV screen - Ganguly taking his shirt off celebrating his team’s extraordinary win in the Natwest Series Final in 2002. Sourav became demi God in the heart of millions of Indian when he lead the Indian cricket team to 2003 World Cup finals and bravely challenged the might of Australians.

Having seen the pinnacle of success as a cricketer and with earnings like Solomon’s wealth what will be his post retirement plan?

Kolkata is unfavourable for studying mass communication

For aspiring journalists who dream of working in reputed newspaper houses and T.V channels or for copywriters/media planers/visualisers in big advertising agencies getting admission in a good media school or college is a first step to success. Apart from the newspaper houses and T.V channels there are also public relation agencies and event management companies that are part of the large media industry. With the healthy rise in Indian economy supported by the growing awareness about media among the mass of the society there has been a substantial rise in the media industry particularly in the news sector all across India.

Leaving aside rest of India if just Kolkata is considered as a case study then it will be fascinating to see at the number of regional 24 hours news channel, newspaper (monthly, fortnightly, weekly) that has entered the media market in the past 4 years. This rapid development has simultaneously increased the demand for educated and skilled professionals in the field. The skilled professionals mainly come from the media schools and colleges such as Calcutta University, Jadavpur University, St. Xavier’s College, Bhavan's Asutosh College of Communication and Management, Netaji Subhas University and several others based in Kolkata.

The glitz and glamour of media is so alluring that every year huge number of students try to get admission into the reputed colleges of Kolkata that offer M.A. or P.G. Diploma in Mass Communication and Journalism to add a new dimension to their career. But very few students do a basic reality check of these institutions before taking admission. After the end of higher secondary or ISC exam most of the students are mainly focussed on getting admission into a reputed college to add value in their resume in future.

In such mad rush the students actually overlook that mass communication is not that usual kind of subject that can be acquired just by taking notes inside a class. There is an immense need for practical classes in order to grasp the subject as well the market properly. But very few mass communication institutions in Kolkata leaving aside only St. Xavier’s College have the practice of practical classes that is essential to this subject. A student who has not done field work or internship while studying mass comm. is not practically fit for the industry that what is believed by the experts in the industry.

The P.G. Diploma in mass communication course in Jadavpur University is an instance that attracts nearly 3,000 applications every year out of which only 145 get through after admission test and a viva. Recognitions such as 'University with Potential for Excellence' by University Grants Commission (UGC), 'Five Star' status by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), First Indian University to earn SYLFF (Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund) status from the Nippon Foundation, Japan are the only reasons behind the rush among the studenst to get into J.U. mass comm. department.

Students realise the futility of the course when classes commence after puja vacation (november). There are only two to three full time professors and the rest are media professionals acting as guest lecturer. Most of the guest lecturers during the course remain busy with their respective job so they don’t find enough time and urge to visit the classes in J.U. As a result most of the time the classes are declared free. Rest of the time the classes mainly concentrate on theory and notes. Before the exam the same professors provide the students with pre-drafted notes that the students distribute among themselves and fetch the pass mark. Some students who do a little library work manage to get a first class. Very few media companies come for campus recruitment. Even the officials in the department are reluctant to invite potential recruiters. Compared to all these the department has kept the course fee to 15,000 at par with the course fee of P.G. Diploma in mass communication of Indian Institute of Mass Communication.

So students do some reality check before you want to study mass communication in Kolkata. Best of Luck...

State Bank of India's (SBI) faulty ATM's

State Bank of India (SBI) one of India’s largest private banks has around 450 ATM’s alone in its West Bengal circle. The bank with repute for excellent customer service and trouble-free banking system has opened these numbers of ATMs vigorously as part of their expansion drive. SBI has the largest number of ATMs in Kolkata compared to the other nationalised and private banks operating in the city. These ATMs can be found in almost every nook and corner of the metropolitan city. You name a popular joint or street in the city of Kolkata and definitely you will locate a Green-Blue trademark SBI ATM staring at you.

There is no doubt that the SBI ATM card holders are the luckiest one in the city when it comes to getting money during odd hours of the day and urgent circumstances. ATM or Automated Teller Machine is also popularly known as ALL TIME MONEY by the customers. But as they saying go – money is alluring, it is 100% true in case of SBI ATMs. During odd hours of the day and during urgent requirement, when you need some money instantly, you will find a SBI ATM within your reach but to you money will be still like an illusion. Either the ATM will be completely out of order or after lots of hard work and putting all the information correctly you will be informed that money cannot be dispensed at the moment. You will feel like smashing the ATM with any hard object available at that moment.

Realising how agonising the moment can be for a customer most of the SBI ATMs have very powerful air conditioners (ACs) to keep cool the angry customer. Now the only thing a customer can do is to step out of the ATM and start looking for another SBI ATM with an anticipation will he be getting money.

If so many SBI ATMs stand idle, just to prove the might of SBI to other banks, then it will be of no use to its customers. What is the use of keeping so many ATMs at every turn in the city if it is not properly maintained by the SBI authority? They can rather reduce the number of ATMs and concentrate more on better customer service, which is more important for a customer.

A forwarded mail with a meaning - A Letter to Every Indian from President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Everyday our mail inbox is flooded with irritating, meaningless spams and forwarded mails, some are fresh and some are stale as smelling cheese. Some are over preachy while some are blatantly sadistic. But this is one forwarded mail that has a strong meaning and purpose and deserves to be forwarded for the betterment of India. The more this message gets spread; it is good for India in the long run, provided fellow Indians take a little notice of it.

Following is the speech of President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam:

Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?
We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.

Look at Dr. Sudarshan, he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck.. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.

YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.

Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan.

Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.

We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?

What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too…. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Thank you,

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Let’s do what India needs from us.

Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.

Touched the Moon

Never thought, will be able to touch the bright, silver colour moon peeping every night outside the window.

They said we can’t. Showed us the reason of poverty, illiteracy and backwardness. But they overlooked our grit to excel.

Today we have touched the moon. Yes almost.

A breed of super humans called scientists has made that possible for the millions of Indian children for whom a bread is a moon.

A salute to the Indian scientists who have made possible the maiden lunar mission Chandrayaan-I.

You people didn’t made us proud but invincible. Thank You...