13th September, indeed a fateful day for India. Bomb blasts rocked the heart of India’s capital - Delhi, killing around 30 and brutally injuring more than 100 innocent lives. The families who lost their loved ones had no clue that such a thing would happen and they would see them for the last time. Five blasts that took place in Delhi left the masses agitated and startled. The audacious terror attacks were claimed by the Indian Mujahideen, a militant group. They targeted some of Delhi’s best known landmarks and markets, exposing the inadequacy of India’s security forces.
The photographs show people grieving with immense pain and hurt. It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words and each picture of the bombarded area depicts a sense of concern, care and assiduousness shown by strangers to strangers. The wounded lying on the floor crying out of anguish and misery is indeed a depressing sight to see. People in large numbers gathered together to escort the injured to hospitals. Such an act, evidently attests that the spirit of humanity is still alive amongst us. Photographs also show the feeling of helplessness amongst common man. Even the police seem to be weak in front of the guilty. There is nothing one can do after everything is lost. It is like crying over spilt milk. The sympathy and empathy which people showed towards one another protrudes a symbol of oneness. These retrospective snapshots are examples of togetherness. It gives you an idea of relevance of mankind today and in times to come.
Investigations will go on but the tears of people who have lost their nearest and dearest in such blasts will never desiccate. Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Surat and now - Delhi. Seeing the way blasts happen this way, it is quite apparent that no place in India is free from terror attacks and each one of us are vulnerable to it. The politicians will condemn it, the media will debate it and one day everybody will forget it.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Life without newspapers
As I was sipping my hot and steaming cup of coffee with the newspaper in other hand, I wondered how life would have been without newspapers. Giving out daily news in detail is just one facet of the newspaper, but it does much more than merely giving out news. The date would be unknown without newspapers. One need not be too imaginative to realize how dull our lives would be, in a world devoid of newspapers.. Our most awaited day of the week - the Sunday, would have been just like any other day. Apart from assimilating current events, most of us reach out to the newspapers for learning high-quality phrases and words. In a year of 365 days, we would learn as many new words by picking up one word each day from the newspaper, thus increasing our vocabulary. Of course, the movie segment of the magazine section does not go unnoticed for many of us.
The newspaper makes the reader an intrinsic part of itself by portraying daily news to an individual making the reader feel informed and important. It plays a very crucial role in congregating the masses together for all purposes; be it social or political. With the advent of television, there have been several debates on the ubiquitous newspaper coming to an end. We tend to forget that the first tool for mass communication was the newspaper itself. Watching television can at times become monotonous. Moreover the whole story being telecast might not be thoroughly understood.. In case of newspapers, one is free to decide when to read what news. While television binds the viewer in certain limitations, like time and schedule, the same cannot be said of newspapers. Though the shelf life of a newspaper is only a day, the stories have more credibility. This is due to the physical presence and the aura of authenticity which a newspaper carries with itself.
With the upsurge of internet and the world turning online, everything these days is available just a click away. Be it daily news, shopping, entertainment or any other topic under the sun, the Internet provides us with vast amount of information whereas newspapers present an adequate amount of information that the common man needs to know about a certain topic or issue. With print, one might not have the latest news, but there does exist a built-in sense for its freshness. Although web based news is dynamic as compared to a newspaper, which in contrast is static, the humble newspaper presents a solidity that is more reassuring, constant and secure. Internet updates itself almost every thirty minutes and puts the reader in a dilemma as to what to believe in. Another observation: print has a defined beginning and a defined end, which contains the time you spend with the news. With the web, there is no such finiteness, allowing a flexibility to spend as much or as little time at one’s disposal.. This in return ends up costing more time, than little.
With the influx of newspapers in regional languages the common man senses contentment and gratification. Knowledge of any particular language is not a pre-requisite for reading a newspaper. Hence the growing circulation of regional language newspapers is indeed a matter of great significance. Looking at the circulation of these printed copies, no doubt we cannot do without the newspapers. One way or the other it has become an integral part of our daily routine which we cannot do without.
The newspaper makes the reader an intrinsic part of itself by portraying daily news to an individual making the reader feel informed and important. It plays a very crucial role in congregating the masses together for all purposes; be it social or political. With the advent of television, there have been several debates on the ubiquitous newspaper coming to an end. We tend to forget that the first tool for mass communication was the newspaper itself. Watching television can at times become monotonous. Moreover the whole story being telecast might not be thoroughly understood.. In case of newspapers, one is free to decide when to read what news. While television binds the viewer in certain limitations, like time and schedule, the same cannot be said of newspapers. Though the shelf life of a newspaper is only a day, the stories have more credibility. This is due to the physical presence and the aura of authenticity which a newspaper carries with itself.
With the upsurge of internet and the world turning online, everything these days is available just a click away. Be it daily news, shopping, entertainment or any other topic under the sun, the Internet provides us with vast amount of information whereas newspapers present an adequate amount of information that the common man needs to know about a certain topic or issue. With print, one might not have the latest news, but there does exist a built-in sense for its freshness. Although web based news is dynamic as compared to a newspaper, which in contrast is static, the humble newspaper presents a solidity that is more reassuring, constant and secure. Internet updates itself almost every thirty minutes and puts the reader in a dilemma as to what to believe in. Another observation: print has a defined beginning and a defined end, which contains the time you spend with the news. With the web, there is no such finiteness, allowing a flexibility to spend as much or as little time at one’s disposal.. This in return ends up costing more time, than little.
With the influx of newspapers in regional languages the common man senses contentment and gratification. Knowledge of any particular language is not a pre-requisite for reading a newspaper. Hence the growing circulation of regional language newspapers is indeed a matter of great significance. Looking at the circulation of these printed copies, no doubt we cannot do without the newspapers. One way or the other it has become an integral part of our daily routine which we cannot do without.
Reality Shows !!!
Reality shows are the next buzz word in the Indian television. To all those who believe that television draws a fine line between real and reel; makes them rethink over the same. The reality shows have become trendsetters to upcoming producers and directors. Such shows make the participants cry, embarrass them, humiliates them, makes a mockery of them and leaves the audience laugh watching all the drama unfold. Indian Idol. Voice of India, Roadies, Spilltsvilla MTV on the job training and Big Boss, are some examples of such of the so called “reality shows”. The question that makes me wonder is how much of reality do they actually contain? Such shows are all staged and rehearsed shows whose underlying principle is to keep its audience hooked and captivated, thus increasing their TRP ratings. The producer decides who is going to be the winner of the show. His only duty is to build up the suspense levels among its spectators.
The youth tend to have a set of pre-conceived notions of what is “cool” and what is “dull”. It is generally observed that the younger lot do not engage themselves into the saas bahu sagas. They want something spicier and peppier. For them, reality shows squeezes in effortlessly. Such shows invariably win over a large number of viewers. All credit surely goes to the way they are criticized and mortified. Each and every individual goes through a grilling round of judge’s judgment. To top it all, the same judge is also seen praising them in a superfluous - amplified manner. Within a very short spell, new names become the talk of the town. Be it Ran Vijay or Bani. It becomes an added topic for the next day’s gossip sessions in canteens or class rooms.
When the auditions are announced people actually huddle together and wait for their turn contentedly. The success of the reality shows can also be seen when they claim to have got millions of votes through the SMS voting systems. The viewer is thus left enjoying this real unreal world of business. So you love it hate it, you just can’t resist it. The fact remains that reality shows are the new age hub of an entertainment chunk.
The youth tend to have a set of pre-conceived notions of what is “cool” and what is “dull”. It is generally observed that the younger lot do not engage themselves into the saas bahu sagas. They want something spicier and peppier. For them, reality shows squeezes in effortlessly. Such shows invariably win over a large number of viewers. All credit surely goes to the way they are criticized and mortified. Each and every individual goes through a grilling round of judge’s judgment. To top it all, the same judge is also seen praising them in a superfluous - amplified manner. Within a very short spell, new names become the talk of the town. Be it Ran Vijay or Bani. It becomes an added topic for the next day’s gossip sessions in canteens or class rooms.
When the auditions are announced people actually huddle together and wait for their turn contentedly. The success of the reality shows can also be seen when they claim to have got millions of votes through the SMS voting systems. The viewer is thus left enjoying this real unreal world of business. So you love it hate it, you just can’t resist it. The fact remains that reality shows are the new age hub of an entertainment chunk.
Teen Divas
The young and talented teenagers opting for a career in the small and big screens have become an ordinary sight these days. Most of them don’t even wait to be 18. Be it Prachi Desai, Deepika Padukone or Genelia D’Souza of Bollywood or Jennifer Aniston, Rihanna Fenty and Lindsay Lohan in Hollywood. At a tender age of 16 and 18 they decided to make it to the top. It was the way they carried themselves that had heads turning towards them with applause. These vivacious faces have become a part of the audience’s family. They are welcomed every day with eagerness and a lot of excitement. A bundle of hidden talent comes out when they take part in reality shows. Prachi turned out to be a dancing diva when she was a part of a popular dance show. Deepika’s modeling skills transformed her from a badminton player to an illustrious actress. Genelia’s ravishing and rapturous looks added her name to the list. Fresh faces are making headway with their struggles not proving futile.
The question which puts me in a dilemma is “Is getting into the film line so easy?” Can anybody with acting or dancing skills make it to the top?” The television puts out a glamorous notion amongst juvenile crowd. Who doesn’t want to be Aishwarya Rai or Abhishek Bachchan? Here the comparison is between a Miss World and ‘You’ and also between someone who has a Godfather in the industry and ‘You’. Are fresh faces always given the right kind of treatment they merit? Once they become renowned names, we forget the ordeal that they had to go through in order to become what they are today. There are thousands of young girls and boys dreaming of becoming an actress or an actor someday. They work as extras and get exploited from the so-called casting couch. Most of them come from very ordinary backgrounds with just a glimmer of hope of becoming successful someday. They see the harsh reality only when they step in and realize the glaring disparity between truth and perception.
Some are left shattered, some traumatized and some decide to go back, but there are some who get stuck in the muddle and realize it is too late to get out. So the silver screen has only a silver outline, but the cloud is dark and gloomy.
The question which puts me in a dilemma is “Is getting into the film line so easy?” Can anybody with acting or dancing skills make it to the top?” The television puts out a glamorous notion amongst juvenile crowd. Who doesn’t want to be Aishwarya Rai or Abhishek Bachchan? Here the comparison is between a Miss World and ‘You’ and also between someone who has a Godfather in the industry and ‘You’. Are fresh faces always given the right kind of treatment they merit? Once they become renowned names, we forget the ordeal that they had to go through in order to become what they are today. There are thousands of young girls and boys dreaming of becoming an actress or an actor someday. They work as extras and get exploited from the so-called casting couch. Most of them come from very ordinary backgrounds with just a glimmer of hope of becoming successful someday. They see the harsh reality only when they step in and realize the glaring disparity between truth and perception.
Some are left shattered, some traumatized and some decide to go back, but there are some who get stuck in the muddle and realize it is too late to get out. So the silver screen has only a silver outline, but the cloud is dark and gloomy.
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