Window Seat | 7.6.2020

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 7.6.2020

100 year of Media Education!

There has been little confusion about the year of birth of journalism education in India. Some media historians say that the first journalism course was started in the year 1920 by Annie Besant, writer, activist, former president of Indian National Congress (1917); and a journalist and publisher. Annie Besant purchased the Madras Standard printing works from Mr. K. Prabhakaran Tampa in 1914, and also the right of printing and publishing the Madras Standard which was published from that press. Madras Standard, founded in 1841 was going downhill for a long time. After purchasing, Annie Besant changed it to suit her political needs under the appropriate name “New India”. New India’ trained several distinguished journalists like Sri. B. Shiva Rao. It was Annie Besant who through her paper taught journalists how to write strong articles, based on truth, denouncing the action of the government.

I tried to find out details of the course that Annie Besant ran, but could not. However, if we take that to be the beginning, than 2020 is the centenary year for media and journalism education in the country.

Some other media historians opine that in India journalism education began in Lahore’s Punjab University in 1941. Prof. P.P. Singh started this course as an evening part-time one year diploma in Journalism course. After partition, it shifted to Delhi in 1948. University of Calcutta introduced Journalism as a course in 1948. A Dept. of Journalism was started in Guahati University in 1967. It was the first formal mass communication course in North East India. In Odisha Berhampur University started a course in 1976.

Ways to become Atmanirvar: Consume less oil

 

 

The Prime Minister has given a call to become atmanirvar (self- reliant) to fight the economic slowdown. Now, how do we become self-reliant? There are two broad ways – one by producing what we need in our own country and two, by reducing import.

        Edible oil is one import which could be reduced in a big way. Consider the figures. Nutritionists say that an average person should take about  29 gm. oil  per day. The annual requirement of oil of a person is about  10.5 kg. But in India we consume about 19 kg now, and over the years our consumption is growing. Excess intake of oil is extremely unhealthy. It is making us obese. It is also a major cause of several diseases including heart diseases.

Paradoxically, consumption of oil in India is growing. In 2017 our edible oil consumption was 23 million ton. By 2030 it is projected to exceed 34 million ton.

According to data from Solvent Extractors Association (SEA), India’s average production of edible oil is 7.5 to 8 million tonnes.  Rest we import.  In 2017 we have imported 15.5 million ton of edible oil, costing the exchequer over Rs 75,000 crore.  Our oil consumption basically comprises of Palm Oil, Soya oil and Sun Flower oil.

        Palm oil (60% of all imported edible oil) is imported from Malaysia and Indonesia. We import soya oil (24%) from South America and Sun Flower Oil (14%) from Black Sea region.

        If we reduce our edible oil consumption, we can reduce costly import and also improve general health condition of our population.

So consume less oil. Besides keeping you healthy, this is one step to become ‘Atmanirvar’.

Cyclone NISAGRA

 

After Cyclone Amphan at the Odisha-West Bengal coast in Bay of Bengal on 20-21 May, Cyclone NISAGRA hit Maharastra-Gujarat coast in Arabian Sea on 2-3 June 2020.

According to IMD in the last 5 years there has been 32 per cent rise in the number of cyclones hitting Indian coast.

We need to develop resilient infrastructures, sector specific disaster management plan and adoption of new technology to minimize the risk.
But, more important than that, we must look after our environment. Cyclones are increasing because of rise in temperature of water. This has to be prevented. And this could be done only when nations across the world join hands, people understand the important of living within the tenets of nature. Otherwise, we have to face the Nature's fury.
In photos- scenes after landfall of Nisagra in Alibag of Maharashtra state.

 

Shame

A pregnant she-elephant died at 4 pm on May 27, standing in Velliyar River water in Kerala after she ate a pineapple filled with firecrackers, left by some locals. The elephant had wandered into the village in search of food. She didn't harm a single human being even when she ran in searing pain in the streets of the village. She didn't crush a single home.

As a fellow human being I hang my head in shame at what some of us had done to her. We worship the elephant headed God. And this is how we treat them in reality. Shame on us. 

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Journalist turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes fiction and translates poetry. An anthology of his translated poems will be published in mid –June 2020.