Do you fight for gender sensitivity through your blog?

Then you can get recognised for doing your bit. The third UNFPA Laadli media awards have been announced for more details go here. And they have a category for blogs :)

Send in your entries before November 1st.

Who said blogging is just a personal exercise? :)

Do pass it on to your other blogger friends. And if you know anyone writing regional blogs, rope them in too. There is a special category for regional blogs.

The momentous post

Last few days I have been feeling like Sachin Tendulkar on 98. I realised that the previous post was 249th one. And so I was going to write the 250th one; which for some reason I thought should be very interesting, or funny or at least about some earth shattering discovery I had made. Well nothing of that sort happened. So here I am writing my 250th post in true blue random style, with unrelated topics :)

----

Bangalore has had no water for the most part for the last two days and the situation will continue to be this scary for the next two days. I happened to mention this to one young thing (read 21) and without batting an eyelid she says "oh you took all the water from Tamil Nadu and now you don't have water? Serves you right!" I was too stunned to reply. How early do these parochial mindsets begin?

And as for water situation don't ask, I am living my mother's nightmare. We've got a notice up in the apartment asking us residents to avoid washing clothes and bathing for the next few days for god sake! We are stocking up on wet wipes so that we can follow these instructions!

----

I recently started on Twitter (very reluctantly I might add) because of JustFemme I have still not got the hang of all the tweeting ethics and follow and unfollow funda. But I am amazed how many people use it. Not the least because the whole Tharoor-Modi-IPL thing kicked off on Twitter. And the media's blinkered coverage of this whole episode astounds me! No one's asking the right questions. I am no big fan of Tharoor. But my sympathies are with him on this. To say the brazenness of Modi is shocking is an understatement. I am wondering how much dirty linen the guy must be hoarding to be this bold (or arrogant). Nothing will come off this. IPL drama will continue. No murky details will be unearthed or at least made public. And what will happen of Tharoor and the mysterious Sunanda Pushkar, I am not too sure. But I'll say this, if this Pushkar lady wasn't this good looking and glamorous we wouldn't see her pictures so often. I mean how often did we see the ex-wife of Shoaib Malik? No am not being condescending but it is a fact.

----

Elections and television - part 2

I will let some one else say it cos he said it better!

GO HERE

Elections and television

I love election time. It is the best time to watch the politics unfold in its full glory. No holds barred! And when years ago when we were introduced to Psephology by Prannoy Roy (now Dr) it was fascinating. There was a new way of looking at the election process and try to understand the complex ways of Democracy.

But over the years with every media house laying claim to how specialised and exclusive their coverage is we've kind of lost the big picture. The images are so skewed that we can't tell what's real and what's hype.

And even the way the elections are referred to isn't flattering. One channel keeps referring to the great Indian election "pageant"! To me the word means something frivolous and I am offended. If I type the word into dictionary.com this is what comes up.

pag⋅eant

1.	an elaborate public spectacle illustrative of the history of a place, institution, or the like, often given in dramatic form or as a procession of colorful floats.

2.	a costumed procession, masque, allegorical tableau, or the like forming part of public or social festivities.

3.	a show or exhibition, esp. one consisting of a succession of participants or events: a beauty pageant.

4.	something comparable to a procession in colorful variety, splendor, or grandeur: the pageant of Renaissance history.

5.	a pretentious display or show that conceals a lack of real importance or meaning.

6.	(in medieval times) a platform or stage, usually moving on wheels, on which scenes from mystery plays were presented.

7.	display or pageantry.

8.	Obsolete. a stage bearing any kind of spectacle.

Another channel referred to it as Indian election "circus"! Circus?

This is what dictionary.com throws up

cir⋅cus

 a large public entertainment, typically presented in one or more very large tents or in an outdoor or indoor arena, featuring exhibitions of pageantry, feats of skill and daring, performing animals, etc., interspersed throughout with the slapstick antics of clowns.

2.	a troupe of performers, esp. a traveling troupe, that presents such entertainments, together with officials, other employees, and the company's performing animals, traveling wagons, tents, cages, and equipment.

3.	a circular arena surrounded by tiers of seats, in which public entertainments are held; arena.

4.

(in ancient Rome) a. a large, usually oblong or oval, roofless enclosure, surrounded by tiers of seats rising one above another, for chariot races, public games, etc. b. an entertainment given in this Roman arena, as a chariot race or public game: The Caesars appeased the public with bread and circuses.

5.	anything resembling the Roman circus, or arena, as a natural amphitheater or a circular range of houses.

I think I will stick to newspapers and local gossip for information. At least they give the election process the respect it is due.

Long pending post...The women won't take it quietly!

I was to do this post last to last weekend but due to various technical problems I couldn't. Anyway here it is the pictures of the protest in front of the IGP's office in Bangalore about all the attacks on women in Bangalore. There was a good turn out. Media was present in full glory. The DG Mr Sharma promised action in five days, I am not sure what came of it. Will it have the desired results? I don't know. But it sure felt good to take some action. And I know I am not alone and I know I am demanding my basic rights to be restored and not some exotic thing that makes no sense (although a a friend of mine from the media who was covering the event was sure this was all a bloody farce since most of the women were wearing coolers and sipping coke while protesting!!!)

Here are some pictures from 7th March 2009

Journalism...

I have often wondered about it since my time as a journalism student.

"Should we as journalists just watch and record what is happening? When your duty as a citizen calls upon you to act, you must set aside your supposed “impartiality”, if indeed there is such a thing, and intervene, Says KALPANA SHARMA"

For more go to The Hoot

On a different note Arnab Goswami of Times now and Ajay Kumar of Aajtak gave TV Journalists' perspective at a FICCI meet about TRPs influencing channels and other issues. Very interesting read. The transcript is available here at the hoot.

Mumbai Horror - the media circus

For the 3 days of the Mumbai Horror I couldn't stop watching TV. Initially I was shocked beyond words to turn it off and then it was why isn't it ending...how many people will lose lives, sort of thing that kept me staring at the TV. But through it all there was just one question - why are the top television journalists acting like headless chickens?

Some of the brilliant questions the journos were asking were beyond comprehension! They asked one of the Security officers (in charge of NSG I think) "Have you ever been in a situation as grave as this?" The man blinks and says well, no...we haven't seen anything like this. And Lo behold the next minute the ticker on the channel says "NSG: Never been in a situation like this"

Barkha Dutt, the beacon of Indian television journalism and the inspiration for all young things to come into the idiot box was at her brilliant best. She couldn't stop showing off her connection to the "sources" and the insensitive questions wouldn't stop coming. At one point she announced to us that a Pakistani Minister had called her directly and said Pakistan will do whatever it can to help us. I am wondering how come she didn't ask him why he didn't call his Indian counterpart to make it official. She wouldn't stop asking the relatives of hostages "How are you feeling?" or "you must be horrified..."

Yes it takes tremendous energy to do this kind of reporting and we appreciate your energy but would it be too much trouble to be a less dramatic and a little more balanced? Or is "balance" a word that is taught to you out of compulsion at journalism schools?

Arnab Goswami was the other guy lose his head on air. He was saying things that one hears at a discussion at a dinner table with his guests. That means a lot of guessing (Intelligent guesses at times if I may add) and say things like India should've beefed up security...really you think so? And his guests were Prahlad Kakkar and Arjun Rampal. Of course they were discussing national security with no more authority than I do. But since he's the only adult employed at Times Now...We just have to make do with him.

On Headlines Today Rahul Kanwal (who other wise is quite sane but I guess the whole thing got to him) was trying to hard show the anger of the country's people by shouting questions at politicians, trying to provoke them. HT's defence expert Shiv Aroor was giving us insights on what kind of chopper was being used airdrop commandos on to the Nariman House. The details included the make, the capaicity and the kind of arms that can carry or has. Is that the kind of information you reveal while the operation is going on at that moment?

There are tons and tons of mails / sms / blogs compalining about the media hoopla. In response to it there are some emails from the journalists saying it is easier criticise and one thing to be in the middle of all the action and there are restrictions. Yes we agree but then when you are on national television and practically everyone knows how much you are paid. So the least you can deliver is common sense added to your "knowledge." Is that too much to ask?

The blasts and the blasted TV

13 phone calls, 32 sms and 5 emails later, I know that all the people I was worried about are safe and sound. But the fact that V is still not home (stuck in traffic jam) and I can't reach his mobile at all is freaking me out.

My heart goes out to those caught in it all...9 blasts in a couple of hours. It killed 3 and injured about 15. They can call it low intensity but it is scary, nevertheless.

And I am mad at television channels because they don't seem to get the facts right. All the English channels didn't even get the names of the places right till 3 hours after...Audugidi & Sarjipura for Audugodi & Sarjapura. Since most people in Bangalore aren't localites, I have been getting questions about these locations!

The Kannada channel TV9's anchor was worth being lynched with his inane questions. Sample this, he's questioning some eyewitness on phone and he asks "Bangaloreans are not used to such things so how was it to hear the blast?" What the????

Then he also says that the bomb doesn't look like it was made by professionals (HUH???). And goes on to spew his theories...if they were professionals he says, they wouldn't put the bomb near the naala (this is near audugodi) where no one is bound to get injured. I wonder if he worked with the bomb squad before shifting to this glamorous profession of news reading!

Then they went off to Mallya hospital to question one of the guys who got injured. The guy's obviously shaken, he hasn't been bandaged fully yet, he's pressing cotton on to his right arm and there are 3 mikes thrust in his face!

All channels without exception were quite happy to speculate as to who put the bombs there. And all the usual suspects were named. Of course by evening they said this was not an international action but someone local was involved.

I agree there is a need to get the information, but why jump the gun when you have no clear information? And really please can you not think before you speak / ask questions? There are people watching you on live TV and hoping you know your jobs for godsake!

And what's wrong with the aam junta? Minutes after the blast, one would think that they would stay put at homes / offices where it is relatively safer. But there were 100s of people out to see what happened. Curiousity has brought them out, one reporter said. I don't get it.

Then of course the clincher, someone from the centre said, the last 2 blasts (now Bangalore and Jaipur 2 months ago) have happened in BJP led states! Apparently indicating the ineptitude of the party. Nice time to take potshots and the opposition.

I AM SO MAD!

Correction: Only 1 was killed and 8 injured in yesterday's blasts!

What is the priority???

Scarlett Keening, a 15-year-old girl, was sexually assaulted and murdered in Goa. And of course media is going crazy over it. They have enough masala coming their way what with coverups and counter coverups over who did it and who didn't.

But of course this isn't enough. They have to get personal. British media is talking about what an irresponsible mother Fiona has been. That she didn't bring up the children well. They've put the pictures of Scarlett is skimpy clothes and her room that's very untidy to prove this. Sometime back I saw a report on one of the Indian channels saying it was irresponsibility of the mother that led to the murder of this kid.

The guy(s) who drugged the kid, assaulted her and left her to die isn't in the picture anywhere. The fact that Goa which thrives on tourism is becoming unsafe for tourists is not in question. But Fiona's lifestyle is. Whether she let her daughter wear swimsuits or brought her up in a dirty single room...she just lost her little girl while she was on a holiday. How can you justify murder? And that too media?

Haneef's return - the politics and the media circus.

Exactly my sentiments...

What ordeal is the Deccan Herald talking about? Haneef was in jail for 26 days. How long have the accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts been in jails? for more read this on Hoot

Darn the section of the media that always misquotes:-)

Who else but my beloved minister of labour Mr. Iqbal Ansari to talk about on a dull Monday morning.

After giving me and thousands of other women and some sane men sleepless nights for a whole week Ansari says he was misquoted by the section of media. He also says that women are more talented than men and hence ridiculous to think of banning them from night shift. Read the report here

I really like the honesty of this man. You don't see it? Well see he is accepting that it was a stupid thing to do in the first place albeit in a very round about manner. I am sure if he reads this he would scream hoarse that his statement is being misconstrued. No no thats not what he would say he would simply say "I've been misquoted"

Now that Mr. Ansari has eaten a humble pie for his glorious effort to preserve indian culture may be we don't have to worry about women getting thrown out of office after 8 (My condolences to all the women who are dissappointed at not going home at 8 because of this)

Aside:

What and who is this section of the media that always misquotes the politicians? You think they are especially trained to do so? And how is it only a "section" of the media when every publication worth credibility is quoting your 'mis'quotes?

I am hoping this will be the last of posts on this whole act of insanity!

Night Shift ban

It has been a week since our beloved labour minister declared that women cannot work in night shifts. Till date there is no clarity on the issue. By Monday most people decided it is too ridiculous a measure to implement. But bang on Thursday the minister declares no it will be enforced and the governor has signed it

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/May102007/state20070510811.asp?section=frontpagenews

In the same newspaper the minister also announces the most cliched but most preferred and revered reason for all this "it is against the Indian culture to make women work at night"

But there is some hope still. The women's commission is refusing to back down. Vimochana one of the NGOs working with women is contemplating a PIL. And according to today's TOI report Ansari is pretty much on his own in this brilliant move to protect the women and the Indian culture. Neither the governor nor some of the other ministers in the cabinet are with him. And even better the Labour commissioner is trying to get permission women work in factories at night shift!

Do these guys even talk to each other? What was the minister thinking after all?

There has been some noise about this the blogworld too. Here are some:

Apu 1

Apu 2

Bangalore Metblog 1

Bangalore Metblog 2

It is crazy how most women are NOT indignant about this. Most of them sound like they would be rather glad to just stay at home and cook. They however want to wear what they want, drive around, hang out and have all the fun - basically enjoy the fruits of feminist movement but gladly jump sides when they need to so something to keep this going for the next generation of women. Talk about shortsightedness!

I was talking to the domestic help Satya at my place about this. She's not educated, works in half a dozen houses to feed her her drunkard brother and aging father and believes everything that happens in the serial are real. I had to warm her up to the subject.

Me: What do you think about women working?

Satya: As long as it is to make your family life better it is fine

Me: For what else would someone want to work?

Satya: There are some who just like to show off, prove a point I don't think that is right

Me: So should they be stopped from working?

Satya: No how can you stop someone from working? You have to change her attitude thats all.

Me: Do you know government is banning women from working at night shifts?

Satya: Ayyo then what will happen to eshwari akka? she goes to cook dinner in that house every evening. And why should government stop her? Do you have to work at night?

Me: sometimes. you think I shouldn't do it?

Satya: no how can I say that? it is either you or your husband who has to decide if you should work at night or work at all not the government.

Satya an illiterate girl who has little lokajnana is saying that this is an individual choice and the state has nothing to do with it.

Are you listening Mr. Ansari?

Where did you leave your brains sir?

The news has been around for the last 3 days. And I have not slept peacefully for as many nights. Sav has been suffering too. I am certain that so are thousands of other women who realise the enormity of the stupid decision that the state government has taken.

I have couple of things to tell and ask the Labour minister of Karnataka.

Dear Sir, (mom always told me to be polite even when I feel like ripping off the....)

You are so concerned about the safety of women that you decided to ensure women are off the office premises by 8 pm. A very original solution indeed. But if the women are facing problems before 8 pm how will they sort that out? Or are you saying that woman being harassed during the day is better off than at night?

Assuming that women do get out of the office by 8 pm. Have you thought about how to keep them safe on the streets and public transports? What about protecting them there? Oh how silly am I But that is outside the Labour department! This will probably come under police department eh? Then in that case please do suggest that they should also ban women from streets after 8 pm. Then whom will the men mug, rape and murder? You've indeed struck upon the magic solution to this probelm sir. Then it is just the men who have to fight it out among themselves as to who will mug and who will be mugged.

And women can go home at 8 cook, clean and relax by watching all the fantastic saas-bahu serials and increase Ekta Kapoor's revenue.

Quiet an ingenious plan sir quiet an ingenious plan!

Thank you very much for taking the entire woman kind about 50 years behind.

Yours truly.

The Hindu today

There are two news items that bother me in today's Hindu.

First headline "Pakistan paragliding Minister quits party post"

The Minister was forced to quit from the post of Pakistan Muslim league's women wing's head. This was because she hugged her paragliding instructor in france after a jump. The cleric said she had committed a very "obscene" act by doing so and so the need for dismissal.

Second Headline "Ire over Ahmadinejad gesture" (sorry no link available but report can be found on page 14)

The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was criticised for hugging and kissing the hand of his teacher from primary school in public. The lady is 70 years old. The newspapers termed the incident contrary to islamic laws and called it an "indecent" act.

Closer home last week Richard Gere kissing Shipa Shetty was termed indecent and a case was filed against both of them.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is all I can say.

Fourth estate revisited.

Yet another forum to critique the media! This is getting tiring and boring...

Confused!

Yesterday The Hindu had published a survey on the thoughts and aspirations of the youth. Some of the figures confused me a lot.

18% own mobile phones

18% own Two wheelers

47% say dating should not be allowed

58% say marriage decisions should be left to parents

Are they talking about the same country that I live in?

In my country -

1) Every kid who has learned to talk can operate a mobile phone and the moment he or she is of mall hitting age they pretty much get a mobile phone.

2) Any kid who is over 13 is allowed to ride mother's, sister's or sometimes even father's bike and then they pretty much own it.

3) As soon as they can stop wearing uniforms (sometimes even before that) they have boyfriends and girlfriends whom they take on their bikes and talk for hours on their cell phones.

I am not blaming the kids, I am guilty of one or two things that I have just said. But the point is that I had assumed the whole country is like this only. That's what you see in movies, advertisements and even in news reports right? But the The Hindu - CNN IBN survey doesn't seem to be talking about the same people?!?!?

Yes they are. Only they talked to the rural India; whom all of us have happily forgotten. 80% of the youth questioned are supposed to be from rural India.

So all the media and advertisements are becoming richer just by milking the 20% urban population? And all the so called telecom revolution, and easier loans have been only for the urban junta?

I am not suggesting that the whole country should become mobile flashing brainless, courtesyless people that we have become. But doesn't the report make feel you very uncomfortable and confused about the so called progress our country seem to be have made?

Something is wrong here isn't it?

Broadcast Bill

The controversial bill has been withdrawn. Didn't realise in all the holidaying :-))))

New broadcasting bill

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (India) has put up theDraft Broadcasting Services Regulation Bill, 2006 and a ConsultationPaper on the Broadcasting Bill here

It is believed that the new act will go a long way in gagging the media. You can see related articles here , here and here.

I am wishing some one would explain the lawly gobbledygook of the act in English to me.

Moving house.

The news is all over the place. Instead of quietly blocking particular blogs they have blocked the entire blog sites. Pretty much no one in India can read what I write here. Then why am I writing? Because they have found a backdoor entry into the blogs, through a pakistani site! Everyone knows about it. Wonder what the guy in the department thinks of it. The other reason is that I have got used to posting my thoughts, that don't find expression otherwise. I have missed blogging in the last four or five days.

Now I might have to move to another site to do this. It is like moving house. I spent months deciding to blog or not to blog, then set it up and settled down. Now I have to do it all over again and inform all those friends who looked me up here. The very thought is exhausting. I can't make up my mind if I want to do this.

NDTV Does it again!

They are just too good. They make other news channels' attempts a sensationalising (what with all the hidden cameras, animated reconstructions and all that) news very very mild with its sophisticated attempts.

On Tuesday Srinivasan Jain proudly announced that "LTTE has apologised for Rajiv's assassination and seeks to mend its relationship with India - exclusively on NDTV" and kept saying it for next half hour. I usually avoid watching news in close to bed time because my doctor has told me that it makes my blood pressure shoot up and might prove explosive. But this headlines caught my attention (I know I know I am the classic sucker that all these channels aspire to cater to to). Anyways NDTV's correspondent (name forgotten) was interviewing an aging Anton Balasingham (somewhere near London!). He said "As far as the event (Rajiv's Assassination), I would say it is a great tragedy, a monumental historical tragedy for which we deeply regret and we call upon India to be magnanimous....."

Back to Jain in the studio. He repeated that LTTE apologised for its act (???) and said the statement had cleared the air on who was responsible for the killing after more than a decade and half after the assassination! That was news to me I thought India had proved that LTTE was indeed responsible and had arrested and convicted as many as 27 people supposedly belonging to the banned outfit. Jain himself said this leading up to the next report that talked about sivarasan and Dhanu killing themselves in a Bangalore hideout (although pronounced as Dhanno by the reporter - Sholay hangover perhaps?).

Even more baffling was the next report that showed much thinner Jain himself (somewhere in Sri Lanka) after that historic press conference that LTTE leader Prabhakaran had called for. The report showed Prabhakaran regretting the assassination, in as many words. I understand Tamil so I know he didn't say "we did it" and his translator Mr. Balasingham certainly did not say it. Later though Jain came on screen and said again "LTTE apologises for Rajiv's killing." But not before commenting on what Prabhakaran was wearing at the press meet. What's with NDTV's obsession with what kind of outfit people they air are wearing?

Now don't mistake me for an LTTE sympathiser. I am not. What irks about this report is how the channel is trying to twist the statements to suit its TRP ratings! Oh BTW about LTTE seeking India's cooperation, Jain said "India" has said NO to any such thing. And they cut to the sound bite of this Anil Sharma, a Congressman and Rajiv Gandhi's close associate where he is saying very passionately LTTE doesn't deserve India's friendship. Now my question is who the hell is Anil Sharma? And since when did one individual who holds no office whatsoever in the government represent India?

You think I am over reacting? you see today's Hindu where another spokesperson of LTTE has said "We did not own up to killing" http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/29/stories/2006062910080100.htm

What are we doing in the name of Journalism?