Column: Jagate Thiba Jetedina 28 March-3 April

Column: Window Seat. 24 March 2015

The Power of Visuals
 By now we have seen the photograph of mass copying in Bihar in countless number of newspapers and periodicals. The photograph of a four storied naked brick building on which people have climbed with bare hands and will power to supply ‘copy’ to children writing their papers inside. By now we have watched the video of mass copying in school after school.

See the power of visuals. This one photograph taken by Rajesh Kumar, a photo journalist working for a nondescript newspaper in Baishali, Bihar (and videos by some news channels) has triggered an outrage across the country. Suddenly everybody is talking about the rot in our examination system and the exam mafia.  

This has been happening in Bihar, UP and to a lesser degree in many other states including Odisha for a long time. But this photograph and video shook us from slumber and showed us the stark reality.  We can argue endlessly over who or what is responsible for this rot and take our stand. But the reality stares at us, and it is not a pretty picture at all.

Santiniketan Diary
 At Santiniketan in West Bengal (where Visvabharati, now a Central University is located, where I was invited) and Bolpur, the adjoining town everything seem to revolve round one person: Rabindranath Tagore. Every third store in the market and every second hotel or lodging house is named either after him or after one of his poems. His pictures adorn every street corner. All rickshaw pullers of the town have memorized at least a dozen poems of Rabindranath, their favourite being:  Amader Choto Nad ichale enkebenke (Our tiny river flows). They also double up as tourist guides to anybody to wishes to visit Shantiniketan. They recite the poem and show you a huge banyan tree and claim that Rabindranath composed it sitting under that tree. I have listened to it from four different rickshaw pullers. And from the cycle-van bound souvenir sellers, who sell Rabindranath’s busts.

Rabindranath is so very adored that that one local producer of Chau has named it KabiguruChau. So much so a familiar photograph of Rabindranath is printed on the packet. Kabiguru (as Rabindranath is widely known), if alive, probably would have fainted to see this. 

Tailpiece: Hot and Cold 
By end March,Bhubaneswar has become so hot that it can give Katrina a complex. But Koraput, interestingly, is as cool as MS Dhoni. 

Tailpiece2: World Cup Fever 
At the marriage the ex boyfriend of the bride has also come.  Bdie’s father asked him, Who are you? He replied,“I got out at the semi-final. Have come to see the final”. (Courtesy: An e-mail forward) 

*** 

Journalist turned media academician MrinalChatterjee also writes fiction. He lives in Dhenkanal. He can be contacted at mrinalchatterjee@ymail.com

Window Seat appears in www.orissadiary.;com
You can read it here: http://orissadiary.com/ShowOriyaColumn.asp?id=58204

Jagate Thiba Jetedina. 21-27 March 2015

Column: Jagate Thiba Jetedina, 14-20 march 2015

Information: Lit Fest at Cuttack

Sarjana 2015
Sarjana 2015, a litfest is being organised at Ravenshaw University, Cuttack from 13 to 15 March 2015. Here is the detailed schdule:

Information

Media Seminar
Centre for Journalism & Mass Communication, Visva-Bharati is organizing a seminar on 'New Media & Indian Politics' in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India on 16-17 March, 2015.

Column: Jagate Thiba Jetedina

Information

Women Director's Theatre Festival
at Paradeep from 19 March

Paradeep based theatre group Canmass is organising its 12th National theatre Festival Canfest from 19-25 March. This year the festival is SPECIALLY FOCUSED ON THE PRODUCTION OF THE LADY DIRECTORS’ OF INDIA.
Here is the programme schedule:
Venue: - JAYADEV SADAN, PARADIP PORT, ODISHA
19 March:
PLAY : - MADHABI
GROUP : - NANDIKAR, KOLKATA
PLAYWRIGHT : - Vishma SAHANI
DIRECTOR : - SWATILEKHA SENGUPTA
Language: Bengali
20 March:
PLAY : - YEH HAI BOMBAY MERI JANN
GROUP : - EKJUTE, MUMBAI
PLAYWRIGHT & DIRECTOR : - NADIRA BABBAR
Language: Hindi
21 March
PLAY : - AKHI
GROUP : - PRAYAS, ROURKRLA
PLAYWRIGHT & DIRECTOR : - NIBEDITA JENA
LANGUAGE : - ODIA
22 March
PLAY : - THE ROAD TO MECCA
GROUP : - BANJARA THEATRE, MUMBAI
PLAYWRIGHT : - ATHOL FUGARD
DIRECTOR: - RASHI BUNNY
Language: Hindi
23 March
PLAY : - LADY MACBETH
GROUP : - AARSHI THEATRE, KOLKATA
PLAYWRIGHT : - WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
DIRECTOR : - ABANTI CHAKRABORTY
Language: Bengali
Play: - PUTULER CHITHI
GROUP : -AARSHI THEATRE, KOLKATA
PLAYWRIGHT : -Bibhash Chakraborty
DIRECTOR : - ABANTI CHAKRABORTY
Language: Bengali
24 March
PLAY : - MAY BE THIS SUMMER
GROUP :- SHABDAKAAR, NEW DELHI
PLAYWRIGHT & DIRECTOR: - PROF. TRIPURARI SHARMA
Language: Hindi
25 March
PLAY : - Mahiyasi, The Noble Women
GROUP : - SABUJA NATYA SANSTHA, BHUBANESWAR
PLAYWRIGHT : - SIMANTA MOHANTY
DIRECTOR : - BHASWATI BASU
Language: Odia

If somebody is interested to know more, contact Sriman Mishra, Secretary Canmass.Mobile: 9437028205 

Article

Internet and Odia Literary Magazines: Challenges and Opportunities

Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee

mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com

Excerpted from a lecture delivered on the same subject organised by Odisha State Sahitya Academy on 27 October 2013 in Bhubaneswar. 

Introduction

Odia literary magazines have been published from mid nineteenth century. They have played significant role in establishing the identity of Odia language, shaping the language, setting new trends in Odia literature, helping freedom movement and several socio-political movements in Odisha, besides providing entertainment and aesthetic pleasure to the readers.

Over the years, Odia literary magazines have faced many challenges. Three major challenges before Odia literary magazines have been:  poor readership, poor finance and amateur management. Interestingly dearth of content has never been a big challenge, until recently. Many of the Odia literary magazines died young. In fact, casualty figure of Odia literary magazines has been exceptionally high. However, thanks to the sheer passion of some litterateurs and literature lovers the stream of Odia literary magazines never dried up. It found new tributaries and continued.

By mid 2013, Odisha has about 100 literary magazines, published from all over the state. However, majority of them are published from Cuttack, the traditional publishing hub and Bhubaneswar, the new Capital city. About 20 of them are regularly published. Rest are irregular. Many of the literary magazines are occasionally published. Many literary magazines are published during Puja (October), Bisuba (April, on the occasion of Odia New Year) and English New Year.

Internet was introduced in India in 1995. Odisha, fortunately had a relatively strong telecom backbone and had access to Internet fairly early. However, the penetration was slow because of several reasons (discussion of which is beyond the scope of this article). As per census 2011, Internet penetration in India was 3.1 per cent. In Odisha it was 1.4 per cent. However it is rising very fast. Majority of the users happen to be youth in the age group of 18-35.

Odia newspapers took to Internet by 1999. It is in the new millennium that more newspapers and even periodicals marked their presence on the web by launching their websites. Though there were not many visitors from the State, it provided them the opportunity to connect with the Odia diaspora worldwide. It also accorded them a status of ‘coming of age’.

By mid 2014, several established Odia literary magazines are on web platform, besides print and few audio book and audio visual version. There are about a dozen web only literary magazines. About half of them are active. About half a dozen web only semi-literary magazines are run, mostly by Non Resident Odia (NRO) organisations across the world. Many of the literary magazines are active in social media platform as well.

This essay will discuss the impact of Internet on the Odia literary magazines on three aspects: content, business and management. It will take into consideration the established literary magazines (with or without presence on web) and the active web-only magazines.  

Challenges that Odia Literary magazine are facing

In the second decade of the new millennium, Odia literary magazines are facing four major challenges now.

1.       Low Readership

2.       Amateur Management

3.       Poor financial status

4.       Not many research based quality creations

These form a vicious circle.

Low readership and amateur management lead to low advertiser enthusiasm, which again leads to low revenue. Low revenue/income means less money for investment in high quality input for the end product, which translates to poorer quality product in terms of paper and printing quality; also low (in most cases- zero) payment to the writers. Low payment to the writers leads to reduced interest, particularly in the area which requires investment of time and extensive research and travel. Without consistent high quality content, the readership is impacted. The vicious circle is complete and it continues to hang around the neck of Odia literary magazines.

What are the reasons?

a.       A dip in the interest in studying Odia literature, especially by the upper and middle class. In fact there is a marked dip in overall engagement with Odia language, despite it being given official status with certain rules that mandate engagement with Odia language in several spheres including primary and secondary education. There is a marked decline in the number of students opting for Odia as an honours subject in graduation level and in Masters level. This has impacted the quality of Odia language and literature education as well. Over the years there is a marked dearth of good students and a lack of enthusiasm and respect for the discipline.

b.      Literature, especially serious Odia literature is gradually being pushed out of social discourse among educated Odia knowing population. Without a vibrant social discourse, the younger generation hardly feels the importance of it in their social life and in shaping their aesthetic sensibility.

c.       Odia literary magazines have somehow not being able to link themselves with the cultural identity of the Odia as people- the way Bengali literature or Tamil literature have been able to do. It has not been an ‘in thing’ to learn the language or study the literature, or keep oneself abreast with the latest in literary world. There is no sense of remorse if an educated Odia does not know the language or its literature. Or, sense of pride if one does.  

d.      Low circulation (especially among the elite class) of literary magazines attracts less advertisement, which translates to its poor financial status. There is a need to cut cost. The result often is low quality paper, printing and less payment to the writers. Of late fierce competition among the literary magazines forced them not to economize on quality of paper and printing. They economise by paying lesser amount to the writer. The premise is: “creative writers write out of the urge to write and get published. They do not need money. Nor is there any need to pay them. They will write anyway.” Also this: “the writers need us more than we need them. In fact we are doing them a favour by publishing them. So instead of us paying them, they should pay us.” And in fact this is happening to some extent in Odia book publishing world.   

e.      As there is no adequate compensation, many creative writers are shying away from putting in the amount of effort and time- the work warrants. Of course there is no direct relationship between less compensation and quality of work of art, but  it impacts the motivation level at some point of time and that impacts the overall quality of the creation. Especially in creations which require extensive research and time.

How Internet is impacting?

a.       Opening the world  to get better access and dissemination

b.      More young men are accessing and using this

c.       English being the major operating language, English knowing people take better advantage

Impact on Odia literary Magazines

Challenges

a.       Impacting Readership: Young, educated  men and women are moving away as they are getting acess to other language literature. English, being the major operating language, it is enjoying a huge advantage.

b.      Impacting Sales: Sale is down, as people with access to net prefer to read on Internet. And without paying anything for the content.

c.       Impacting Content: Bi-lingual Writers, especially Young writers  prefer to write in English to reach larger group of readers.

d.      Impacting Contact with the writers: Most of our writers are not Internet savvy. They are losing connect with this net-addicted group

e.      One needs net-interested if not net-savvy people to create and maintain website of litetary magazines.

Opprtunities

a.       Worldwide market. Target First Generation Odia diaspora.

b.      Try to teach Odia to second/third generation NR Odia

What we should do

Govt.:

a.       Appreciate the need to be on Internet and to use it.

b.      Use organisations like Sahitya Academy to act like an information portal for Odia literature, litterateurs and also for literary magazines.

c.       Help the literary magazines to come aboard Internet. Provide them a platform. This could be done through Sahitya Academy.   

Literary Magazines

a.       Go aboard Internet. Expand your reach.

b.      Modify content to cater to the taste and need of the youth as they form 60 per cent of the population.

c.       Today’s youth is tech-savvy, who has a whole world of information at his/her tip.

d.      Try to monetise the content. Act as literary agent of the writer. Organise events. Promote writers as brand.

e.      Form an easy payment gate.

Writers

a.       Be Internet savvy. Learn the tool. Use it.

b.      Use Internet to do proper research

c.       Use Internet to translate your writings into other language.

d.      Use softwares and templates to move the content to different forms, e.g. story to screenplay. 

e.      Forge connection with the readers. Social media offers you the opportunity. Without that connect you will not be known, unless you r exceptionally brilliant.

***