Sunday, 31 December 2017

Column | Window Seat

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee

The last Sunday of the Year

The last Sunday of the year has a different charm. The year 2017 has not been a good one. The economy refused to be energized. The Middle East continued to burn. Africa saw more bloodshed in the name of religion. President Trumph helped popularize the word fake news. Gujarat elections threw up a result that both the major parties claimed to be their victory. Pollution in Delhi forced children to stay indoors and pushed the sale of masks.
But go to the bazar, and you will see people merrily making their purchases, haggling over prices of vegetables even as the vendors insist that they are selling at rock bottom prices of the year. In the fish market, you’ll find people and vendors indulging in friendly banters. There is a palpable atmosphere of bonhomie.
That people have not lost their ability to enjoy life’s small moments despite everything- is the hope for humanity. Last Sunday of the year reinforces that belief.

Udaipur

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Udaipur, the ‘city of the lakes’ in the 'desert' state of Rajasthan with amazing company. I went as a resource person in a training programme on development journalism. There was great fun, great food and some real-time learning. But let me tell you about Udaipur, a city I’ll strongly recommend my readers to visit.
Founded in 1553 by Maharana Udai Singh, Udaipur was the capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana Agency. It remained as the capital city till 1818 when it became a British princely state and thereafter the Mewar province became a part of Rajasthan when India gained independence in 1947.
Udaipur is located in the southern part of Rajasthan, bordering Gujarat. It is surrounded by Aravali range,  which separates it from Thar desert. 
Udaipur is popularly known as City of Lakes because of its sophisticated lake system, which gives the city its unique distinction. Besides lakes, Udaipur is also popular for its massive historic forts and palaces, museums, galleries, natural locations and gardens, architectural temples, as well as traditional fairs and festivals.
Poi
About 40 km from Udaipur amidst hills and plateaus lies Poi gram panchayat. It is one of the first ODF (Open Defecation Free) GP of Rajasthan.
It was difficult to make it ODF because of several reasons- lack of the feeling that it was necessary, as the villages and household lie scattered, lack of water, and economic condition of most of the villagers were not good. However, the young BDO and not so young Panchayat Pradhan went on mission mode and tried every trick in the book and some out of the box idea to persuade people to construct toilet at home and use it. They focused on school children to trigger the mission. There were several obstacles and bottle necks. But at last they could do what many at the initial phase were thinking to be impossible. They made Poi ODF.
We went there, spoke to the villagers, and spoke to young school girls. We realized that when people are convinced and energized, change happens.

Found Yamraj

We also went to Silpagram, a beautifully designed place for artists and artisans, including a huge open air auditorium, couple of open air exhibition areas-  where a weeklong handicrafts fair was being organized. Artisans from about a dozen states were participating, selling there wares. A number of cultural programmes were also organized.
As we were moving around soaking in the atmosphere, looking at the beautiful handcrafted artefacts from different states, taking in the aroma of food from the nearby food stalls – I found them. Conspicuous in their familiar attire- Yamraj and Chitragupta were standing there greeting people, engaging in small talks.


Call it providence. English translation of my book Yamraj number 5003 is about to be published.
I requested the two actors donning the attire of Yamraj and Chitragupta for a photograph with me and they readily agreed. As they smiled at the camera with me standing between them, I was thinking would the real Yamraj and Chitragupta be as jovial and good natured as their avatars in Udaipur?

Rajasthani Googly

Bhagaban ko diyero sab hai
Daulat hai, Ijjat hai, Sohrat hai
Tato pani vi hai
Par..
Nahane ki ichha koni
(God has given me everything. I have wealth, respect, fame. I even have hot water. But … I don’t have the desire to take bath.)
***

The columnist, a journalist turned media academician lives in Dhenkanal, a Central Odisha town. He also writes fiction. English translation of his Odia novel ‘Yamraj Number 5003’  is being published shortly. 

Friday, 29 December 2017

Invitation for IGNITION 2018

Invitation for IGNITE FILM FESTIVAL "IGNITE 2018"

Lighthouse a premier production house of Odisha, is coming up with IGNITE Film Festival. With a noble intention to promote and encourage young filmmakers, storytellers and creative individuals, the festival also aims at creating awareness by highlighting various social, political and humanist issues through the showcased films. IGNITE is a theme based film festival which will be held every year with a particular theme. Although all the submitted film needs to incorporate the theme, it also invites participants to submit their own independent films for judging their true creative potential irrespective of imposed theme and restriction. The judgment and finalist selection will be made on the basis of both the submitted films of a participant.

IGNITE 2018 is dedicated to the daughters of our society with the theme “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” (Save girl child, Educate a girl child). The last date for the submission of the films is 25th January, 2018. All the entries of the films will be accepted through emails. All the winners will be rewarded with cash prize of Rs. 50,000 to 10,000. The prize giving ceremony will be held on the second week of February which will be communicated to the winner through email and phone call.

The participants are requested to submit their films or communicate or send their queries to our email id ignitefilmfestival@gmail.com.
For further details of the festival one can visit our official Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/igniteff

Friday, 15 December 2017

Seminar on Cinema at IIMC, Dhenkanal

Some of the Papers presented at the seminar will be published in 
The Communicator, journal of Indian Institute of Mass Communication.
Plenary Addresses by Dr. Piyush Roy, Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee, Surya Deo and Nadeem Khan

Column | Window Seat

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee

Cloud-watching

Clouds take different forms. It is fascinating to see the sea of clouds from an air-plane. At times it looks like a sea of milk, at times it looks like tons of cotton spread till the horizon. At times it looks like white sheep playing on a field, whose colour has mysteriously changed from green to blue. Different layers accord it a weird and mystic look. Sunlight in different times of the day gives it a completely different look.

Whenever I travel by air, I insist on a window seat in airplanes only to gaze at the clouds.
Cloud-watching is one of the best pastimes for a lazy weekend, if the sky is clear. Just stretch out on the grass or on a chair on the terrace and let your imagination wander as you spot the faces and images in the clouds. Now you see a dog, now a lion. Suddenly that lion turns into a demon and in a minute it changes its shape into a ball of fire. You relive your childhood.
I learnt that our tendency to see faces or images in random objects is called 'pareidolia'. Renowned astrophysicist Carl Sagan theorized that this hard-wired tendency evolved as a way to quickly identify faces at a split-second (even in poor visibility), allowing us to identify them and judge their emotional state in the blink of an eye.
Forget theories, just look up and gaze at the clouds and discover faces and figures. Boy, it is fun.

Virushka

So they got married. Yes, I am talking about Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma.
They got married in a picturesque town in far off Italy. And our celebrity-obsessed media went crazy reporting the marriage. Even Gujarat election took a back seat.
In the next couple of days of the marriage we were almost forced to learn every small details of their marriage, except probably which contraceptive they were using. Everybody remotely associated with the marriage and his/her uncle and aunty were interviewed. The designer, who designed their dresses, the firm which organised their marriage- everyone had his/her fifteen minutes of fame. There were astrological predictions about, whether the marriage would work. There were reviews about their wedding attire, including the beard Virat was wearing. Media even came up with a word combining their names: Virushka.
Are we turning into a nation of celebrity-crazy people? Or, we are made one?

Gujarat Elections

As I am writing this, the exit poll in Gujarat has just predicted another victory of BJP, although by lesser margin and a victory in Himachal Pradesh. Congress, predictable is not happy about the predictions. It does not augur well for the newly elected President Rahul Gandhi.
Media pundits have started analysing how BJP has overcome the anti-incumbency factor in Gujarat and how it can impact the already plummeting future of Congress Party and particularly Rahul Gandhi’s political future. BJP cadre and leadership are in buoyant mood.
Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh results favouring BJP might have an impact on Odisha and West Bengal elections. In both these two Eastern states BJP has been trying to make an inroad for a long time now with limited success. A BJP victory in Gujarat and HP will leave Navin Pattnaik and Mamata Banerjee worried about their stock.

Technology Update 1

There is a device in market which converts your ‘thoughts’ into ‘speech’. It is called alcohol.

Technology Update 2

There is another device which converts your ‘speech’ into ‘silence’. It is called ‘wife’.

Tailpiece: Good News

Just heard the good news that if your Aadhar Card is not linked with your marriage certificate before 31st December 2017 you will be considered single.
(Courtesy: Social Media)
***

Mrinal Chatterjee, a journalist-turned media academician lives in Central Odisha town of Dhenkanal. He also writes fiction. His novel Shakti has just been translated into Assamese.
This weekly column is published every Sunday in Sikkim Times and posted in www.orissadiary.com

Thursday, 14 December 2017

Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Media Fellowship

मीडिया कंपनी में फेलोशिप 


अंग्रेजी अखबार हिन्‍दुस्‍तान टाइम्‍स’, ‘Mint’ और ‘How India Lives’ ने कॉलेज स्‍नातकों और पत्रकारिता में कॅरियर बना रहे युवाओं के लिए छह महीने की फेलोशिप शुरू की है। छह महीने की डाटा जर्नलिज्‍म फेलोशप पेड होगी और एक जून 2018 से शुरू होकर 30 नवंबर 2018 तक चलेगी। इस फेलोशिप के तहत हर महीने 35000 रुपये दिए जाएंगे। फेलोशिप के तहत दिल्‍ली में चार महीने गुजारने होंगे। इनमें दो महीने हिन्‍दुस्‍तान टाइम्‍स‘ की डाटा टीम और दो महीने ‘How India Lives’ की टीम के साथ काम करना होगा। बाकी दो महीने मुंबई में मिंट’ की डाटा टीम के साथ काम करना होगा। इस दौरान फेलोशिप करने वाले रिसर्च करेंगे और इन दोनों अखबारों के लिए स्‍टोरी जुटाएंगे।
आवेदकों के लिए इस फील्‍ड में अनुभव होना अनिवार्य नहीं है। उन्‍हें पत्रकारिताडाटा और डिजाइन के प्रति रुचि होनी चाहिए। इस फेलोशिप के लिए 28 फरवरी तक ऑनलाइन आवेदन किए जा सकते हैं। सफल आवेदकों की घोषणा 31 मार्च 2018 को की जाएगी। इस बारे में और अधिक जानकारी के लिए harry.stevens@hindustantimes.com पर संपर्क किया जा सकता है

Posted on 13.12.17

Media Job


Sunday, 10 December 2017

Column | Window Seat

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee
Road

Fifty seven years ago, on a chilly February morning I was born in Katwa, a sub-divisional town in Burdawan district in West Bengal. My father shifted base to Odisha to earn his livelihood and we settled there. We visit our ancestral place once in three four years. It is a nostalgic bond that we share with this historical town located on the bank of the Ganges. Katwa in Bengal is known for its danta, the fleshy stem of edible leaf (saag). It is a rual agri-business hub. Its claim to historical fame is: it was here that Shri Chaitanya found his guru Keshab Bharati.
Katwa could have been a beautiful town with great riverfront view. Instead it has turned into a shabby town with hardly any access to the riverfront. Slums and shanties abound on the encroached government lands on the river bank. Narrow roads are even made narrower by in numerous small temples.
Roads are like arteries to a state's economy. If the roads are clogged, economy is bound to suffer. The shop owners of Katwa, especially the vegetable vendors in the old market building have realised that, as it impacts their business by decreasing footfalls and increasing transport cost. But it seems successive governments of Bengal have overlooked/ ignored this simple fact.
Approach road to almost all railway stations in Bengal is so narrow and congested with roadside shanties and vendors and vehicles, that it is difficult to even walk. Encroachment of road and government land is so rampant, that at times you wonder is there any law and law enforcing mechanism in Bengal. All one needs to encroach a piece of roadside government land is a flag of the ruling party and/or an idol of any God.
Train
Compartments of Suburb Trains in Bengal are veritable Bazars. In numerous hawkers sell in numerous kinds of snacks and food items, stationaries, knick knacks, ayurvedic medicines, gamchha and sarees, children's books, calendars and many other items. 
Railways can actually think of branding these trains as 'Bazar on Train'.
There are several posters put inside local train compartments offering different services. From ‘easy’ abortions to 'guaranteed jobs' and 'job of a play- boy' (whatever that means).
Somebody can do a detailed study/ report on this. Who are the people offering these jobs? Who apply? To what effect?
Campaign and Reality
Talking about posters, interesting posters on cleanliness based on popular film dialogues have been put at Howrah station. 



However, in platform number 23, where these posters were put up, there were few waste bins and they were overflowing. The floor badly needed mopping. It only means one thing: awareness campaign should be accompanied by service delivery mechanism and infrastructure.
Fly Ash Brick
Local trains are good place to meet people and learn about different trade and business. I came across a young man, who is into brick manufacturing business. He owns one unit in West Bengal. It is an interesting business and probably one of the few surviving labour intensive enterprises. Mechanisation is taking way labour-intensive jobs. Even rice mills, which used to employ many labourers are cutting down as machines are taking over those tasks earlier done manually.
I asked him about the prospect of fly ash brick. He was not very enthusiastic and said, "it often breaks at the laying stage".
Can something be done about it? This could really solve the storage problem of fly ash.
Tailpiece: Gyan
'Jal khele Bal hobe, na khele durbal'. (Drinking water will make you strong. If you don't drink water you become weak).
Gyan by a packaged water vendor on a Bengal suburb train.
Tailpiece 2: Statistical Data
Different types of phone call duration:
Boy to Boy: 00:00:59
Boy to Mom: 00:00:50
Boy to Dad: 00:00:30
Boy to Girl: 01:23:59
Girl to Girl: 05:29:59
Girl to Boy: Missed Call
Husband to Wife: 00:00:038
Mom to Married Daughter: 10:50:59
Wife to Husband: 14 Missed Calls
(Courtesy: Social Media)
***

A journalist turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, a Central Odisha hilly town. He also writes fiction. mrinalchatterjee@ymail.com

This column is published every Sunday in Sikkim Times and posted in www.orissadiary.com

Friday, 8 December 2017

Seminar and Workshop on Cinema at IIMC, Dhenkanal

Seminar 14 Jan | Film Appreciation Workshop conducted by Dr. Piyush Roy 15-16 Jan | Screening Every evening.