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Radio Fair in Bhubaneswar

 Radio is making a comeback in India, and how! The listener base is growing, thanks mainly to the entertainment driven private FM channels. So is the advertisement revenue. Several Community Radio Stations(CSR) are being set up by NGOs and Educational Institutions, thanks to Government encouragement and public demand. Odisha, incidentally has the highest number of CSRs among the Eastern Indian states. It has 13 AIR stations and 6 private radio stations. Encouraged by the growing number of radio listeners and new found love for radio, a Radio Fair was  organised  last year. It was a success. Hence, the second Outreach International Radio Fair (OIRF) being organised on 13th and 14th February 2016 in Bhubaneswar. 

 All India Radio, Private FM and Community radio stations and Internet based radio stations will participate in the event. The objective of the event is to sensitize radio station owners, executives, broadcasters to gender related policies and strategies for Radio. The fair also attempts to build skills for young producers and encourage broadcasters to prepare programs for promotion of culture and eradication of social evils. Most important is to make public understand the importance of Radio, by entertaining and educating them.  The fair will also emphasis on ‘Role of Radio in Disaster’ as it is the theme of World radio day 2016. 

Many Radio stations from across the country and some from abroad will join the fair. There will be an exhibition of all Radio stations. Separate stalls for old radio sets, radio equipments exhibition, latest innovations and SW listening will also be there. There will be a sand sculpture of Radio and may other creative events rovolved round the theme of radio.  There will be cultural programs containing visual version of popular Radio contents. Audience can see the visual version of popular radio contents of All India Radio and other channels. Popular radio artists and celebrities will perform on stage. Artists from many other states and countries will make the evening colorful. Selected radio star presenters from different radio channels of India will host both the evenings. 

For details log on to www.radiofairindia.com 

Cat Power

 If you enjoy browsing the Internet a lot then you're probably already familiar with the fact that there are literally millions of cat photos on it, to the point that the cat has to be the Internet's unofficial mascot and most beloved animal. That is interesting because cat is an interesting and utterly ungrateful animal. Human beings have been unsuccessfully trying for the last 10,000 years to domesticate it. I have a special fascination for this animal. So much so that I have written a novel (Kandhei) with a cat as the protagonist. One of my story collection is also named after a cat (Bidhumukhi).
I am glad to know that there is one lady photographer Felicity Berkleef , who has taken hundreds of photographs of cats. Here is one of her photographs and two of my books with cats on cover. 
See the cat-power.

 Tailpiece: Who is poor? 

A wealthy woman goes to a saree store and tells the boy at the counter "Bhaiya show some cheap sarees. It is my son's marriage and I have to give to my maid." 
After sometime, the maid comes to the saree shop and tells the boy at the counter "Bhaiya show some expensive sarees. I want to gift my Mistress on her son's marriage"
(Courtesy: An anonymous Email forward)

Posted on 24 Jan 2016 on 
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