Window
Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee
Hawkers
It was probably for the first time that press was officially included
in the list of essential services. As Corona virus spread and the entire
country was locked down- it was important to keep people informed. Credible
information was (and still is) the need of the hour as rumour and fake news
floated abundantly (as it does during any crisis). With growing number of smart
phone users and cheap data tarriff- the spread of fake news has become faster
and wider. Newspapers with their established system of verification and check
and balance by and large serve credible information. But for newspapers the major problem was
distribution.
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| Photo: HImanshu Vyas at Jaipur, Rajasthan. 30.3.2020 |
Though a large section of people
have grown accustomed to read the newspaper online- through their computer or
mobile phone, printed newspaper still is preferred in many homes.
Hawkers (like the person in the
photograph taken in Jaipur, Rajasthan by National award winning photojournalist
Himanshu Vyas) were (and still are) at the front-line doing a laborious as well
as considerably risky job of handing over newspapers to vast population locked
in homes.
SOP for Online Teaching
Because of
the long lock down and strict restriction on movements class room teaching and
office work have been severely impacted. Online teaching, online meeting and
conference could help in this situation. (See the ever topical Amul advt.)
However, there are some technical, logistical and psycho-social
challenges. Recently Guwahati based KrishnaKanta Handique Open University (KKHOU)
organised an online international conference on 'online education'. My
colleague Sambit Pal and myself presented a paper highlighting the challenges that we faced. As many of us are new to online
communication- often we are at a sea in using the gadgets and technology. There
are some basic protocols and etiquette, which many of us do not know.
My Delhi
based journalist friend Kumar Kaustubha (who has recently published a
book on Mobile Journalism in Hindi) attempted to develop a basic 'do and
don't' of online teaching-learning. This is a necessity now. We at Indian
Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal are trying to develop it into
a kind of standard operatin procedure (SOP) or guideline on this.
Requesting the readers for inputs to develop this. May send it
to my mail.
Rishi Kapur and Irfan Khan
Forty six
and a half years ago a boisterous teenager hinted what would happen during
Corona. Remember the song bahar se koi andar na aa sake, andar se koi bahar na
ja sake.. socho kabhi aisa ho to kya ho in the film Bobby. He passed away as
the country was locked down to contain the spread of Corona.
A day
before Rishi Kapur passed away, Irfan Khan, one of the finest actors of
contemporary Indian cinema lost his long battle with cancer. I remember his
dialogue in Life of Pi (2012), “I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes
an act of letting go.”
On 26 April, Sunday the doyen of
Odia modern plays and an acclaimed screen play writer Bijay Mishra passed away.
A Kendra Sahitya and Kendra Sangeet Natak academy winner Bijay Mishra will be
remembered for his path breaking plays like Tata
Niranjana.
Rest in
peace Rishi Kapur, Irfan Khan and Bijay Mishra
Tailpiece: China
I was
asked to wear a mask to avoid the virus from China.
I ended up
wearing one made in China.
***
A journalist turned media
academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He can be contacted
at mrinalchatterjee@ymail.com
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