MEDIA MANTRA by MRINAL CHATTERJEE: March 2022

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee | 6.3.22

War and Peace

Human history is replete with wise men telling over and over again about the futility of war. All religions and scriptures highlight the necessity of peace and co-existence. Though war at times gives us expected inventions and gains in an unexpected way, like the invention of penicillin or the humble bicycle or the empowerment of women after Second World War. But that is definitely not the reason for one country raging war against the other and bringing untold misery to the whole world, except a few who would benefit out of it.

But history also tells us, we have not acted on its lessons. As a cartoon sums it with the typical tongue in cheek sarcasm: Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it, yet those who do study history are doomed to stand by helplessly while everyone else repeats it.

150 years of Civil and Military Gazette

The Civil and Military Gazette (CMG) was established in Shimla as a weekly in 1872. It was also published from Calcutta. It was published in Lahore as a daily in 1876 and in Karachi in 1949.

The Lahore and Shimla editions of the paper continued to be published concurrently until 1949, when the Shimla branch was closed. CMG began publishing in Karachi a week before its branch in Shimla closed. However, the CMG in Karachi was very short lived, the publication lasting a mere 4 years.

Known for its pro-British Govt. stance, it, however, played an important role in the development of English-language journalism in the subcontinent.

Initially as a weekly from Shimla it was printed on royal-quarto size. When the government offices shifted to Calcutta during the winter, the paper was published from Calcutta. Its main object was to cover the activities of the central government; and it, therefore, had to follow the government offices wherever they went.

In 1876, the proprietors of the CMG acquired the “Mofussilite” of Agra, the joint publication was then issued from Lahore as a daily. It continued to pursue the policy which it had set forth in its issue of February 1, 1873, which opens with the following operative sentence:

“The object of the Civil and Military Gazette is to make the Civil and Military Gazette a faithful and conscientious advocate of the true interests of the services, civil and military, in India, watching all that affects those interests for good or evil…”

The Shimla edition of CMG continued till February 12, 1949. Its Lahore edition continued till September 13, 1963.

CMG provided a lead in the adoption of many journalistic innovations which the English Press of the subcontinent has incorporated.

Well-known author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936; of Kim and Jungle Book fame, also Nobel laureate) joined this paper as assistant editor in 1882, a position he held for five years. Kipling eventually left the CMG in 1887, to move to The Pioneer, its sister-newspaper in Allahabad.

Kolkata Book Fair 2022

Forty fifth edition of Kolkata Book Fair has begun on 28 February, much to the relief of hundreds of thousands of book lovers from across the country. It could not be held last year because of Covid induced situation.

From its modest beginning in 1976 by the Kolkata Publishers and Booksellers Guild, Kolkata Book Fair has grown to be the world's largest non-trade book fair. It is the largest and the most attended book fai of Asia.It is the world's third-largest annual conglomeration of books after the Frankfurt and London Book Fair. It has become an inherent part of the city of Kolkata. It has acquired the status of an institution drawing publishers from different countries. Every year the Fair choses a country as special focus. This year, Bangladesh is the focus-country, as this is the 50^th year of its liberation.

The success of Kolkata Book Fair spawned the birth of several book fairs across the country.

The major attraction of Kolkata Book Fair, besides the sheer number of stalls and books is the ambience. The way people throng to the fair, spend time in sampling the books and art works and discussing them- is something one hardly finds elsewhere.

I am happy that my first book in Bengali (though in translation) has been released in this fair, which is considered as the mecca of book lovers. Written originally in Odia, this novel Shakti has been translated into Bengali by my student-turned colleague Sambit Pal and has been published by Kolkata Based Itikatha Publication.

Cover of Shakti

Tailpiece: War Zone

Every home is a war zone.

Husband is Ukraine. Wife is Russia. Rest are NATO members.

Tailpiece: Latest Rumour

Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Mehul Choski and Vijay malya have formed a new company called HINDUSTAN LEAVERS.

(Courtesy: Social Media)

Journalist-turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee also writes fiction. Bengali translation of his novel Shakti, originally written in Odia has just been released at Kolkata Book Fair.