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Desk Jobs in DB Post, Bhopal
Position / Designation:Desk opening at various levels (Sub-editor, Senior Sub-editor).Name of the Company: DB post (English daily- Dainik Bhaskar group)
Full-time / Freelance: Full-time
Location: Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh
How to Apply: Send your resumes along with cover letter here: Kumar91debvrat@gmail.com
Posted on 17.1.18
Column | Window Seat
Window
Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee
Realism in Art and Literature
As Encyclopaedia Britannica puts it, realism in the arts
means, the accurate, detailed, unembellished depiction of nature or of
contemporary life. Realism rejects imaginative idealization in favour of a
close observation of outward appearances. As such, realism in its broad sense
has comprised many artistic currents in different civilizations.
In the visual
arts, for example, realism can be found in ancient Hellenistic Greek sculptures
accurately portraying boxers and decrepit old women. The works of such
17th-century painters as Caravaggio, the Dutch genre painters, the Spanish
paintes Jose de Ribera, Diego Velazquez and Fransicsco de Zurbaran and the Le Nain Brothers in France are realist in approach. The works of the 18th-century
English novelists Daniel Defoe, Henry Fielding and Tobias Smollett may also be called realistic.
Realism
was not consciously adopted as an aesthetic movement program until the mid-19th century in France, however.
Indeed, realism may be viewed as a major trend in French novels and paintings
between 1850 and 1880 in which the artists and writers attempted to portray the
lives, appearances, problems, customs, and mores of the middle and lower
classes, of the unexceptional, the ordinary, the humble, and the unadorned.
Realism was stimulated by several intellectual developments in the first half of the 19th century.
Among these were the anti-Romantic movement in Germany, with its emphasis on
the common man as an artistic subject.
Theme
of Realism in modern Indian literature is an outcome of the creation of a
reading public which was trying to construct an identity in the context of the
anti-colonial struggles and nation-building. This attempt combined
liberal-reformist ideology with an affirmation of an 'Indian' cultural
specificity. The realist novel's focus on growth and individual freedom is
transformed in the Indian context with the economic conditions of uneven capitalism.
Thus the economic, political as well as the social conditions served to provide
the basis for Realism in modern Indian literature
Historical
novels or tales on historical characters have always taken liberty with
physical facts to heighten the drama or to highlight nuances of characters.
Realism in literature more often than not relate to a social phenomenon or
milieu or condition than details of physical facts.
The
recent controversy over Padmavat as the depiction of Rani Padmini must be seen
from this perspective. In a work of fiction, the author has the discretion to
take artistic liberty, it being part of his freedom of expression- the fact
reinforced by recent Supreme Court verdict.
The Role of Persuasion in Governance
Good governance has
major characteristics like participation, rule of law, transparency,
responsiveness, equity and inclusiveness, effectiveness, efficiency,
accountability and strategic vision and consensus orientation.
The task of governance is difficult in a
developing society like India with vast size and population, linguistic
diversity, culture, religion and ethnic groups coupled with illiteracy,
ignorance, superstition, diverse beliefs and faiths. Because, in a democracy,
public opinion and will get primacy and ill-informed or uninformed people will
hardly have informed and rational opinion. Disagreement gives rise to conflict,
which turns ugly and spirals into major crisis. Therefore governance needs
instruments of persuasion, which will impress the public about the legitimacy
and benefits of the plans, programmes and schemes. Persuading people to agree
or at least to be in sync with the policies and programmes of the government is
important for the party in power.
However, persuasion is a tricky
task. Overdoing can and often do turn
counter-productive. Like people get weary of hyperactive salesperson- over
persuasion can make people edgy. It rarefies the belief-threshold.
Tale piece: How to take bath on a winter morning
Everybody knows the woes of taking a
bath on a cold winter morning. Here are three modern ways of taking bath that
bypasses the problem areas.
a.
Online Bath: Search for a
photograph of river Gangess at Haridwar. Click your mouse thrice on the photo
and use that photo as your facebook background.
b.
Mirror Bath: Stand before the mirror in the bathroom. Take
water in a mug. Throw water on the mirror.
c.
Virtual Bath: Sit outside
with your back towards the sun. Take water in a lota. Pour water on your shadow.
(Courtesy:
Social Media)
***
The author, a journalist-turned media
academician lives in Central Odisha town of Dhenkanal. He also writes fiction.
English translation of his Odia novel Yamraj Number 5003 is being published
shortly.
21.1.18
This column appears every Sunday on Gangtok based English daily Sikkim Times and posted on www.orissadiary.com
Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Column | Window Seat
Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee
Graffiti
You can see it practically everywhere- on the walls of the toilets of a train, on walls of historical temples, on large rocks on hills and mid-stream, on tree trunks at the park, even on leaves, yes leaves as I found at Rana Pratap Memorial Park in Moti Magri in Udaipur, Rajasthan. People have etched their names and probably their lover’s name on cactus and aloe Vera leaves. People have declared their love, described in lurid details their carnal desire, advertised products and services, professed their bhakti, declared their support for some ideology or organisation or simply predicted the future of the world. From love to sex to politics to worldview- content wise graffiti has them all.
In most places it looks ugly. It defaces the historical monuments, damages the dignity of the place (consider ‘Sonu plus Monu’ or ‘Bobby loves Ruby’ scrawled on the wall of a temple), dirties the place. More often than not the bad handwriting and drawing or both and atrocious spelling mistakes are visual torture.
I often wonder why do people etch their names and scrawl such profanities or such philosophical thoughts on walls, rocks even tree trunks? Is it the urge to express oneself or one’s emotion or is it the desire to advertise oneself- the ‘me’ within getting the better of civic sense? Is it suppressed sexuality that makes them scrawl profanities? Is it some kind of skewed creativity trying to find expression? Is it plain and simple madness?
Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti, almost always falls on January 14, except in rare years when the date shifts by a day for that year, because of the complexity of earth-sun relative movement
It is one of the few ancient Hindu festivals that has been observed according to solar cycles, while most festivals are set by the lunar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar. It marks the end of winter and beginning of summer.
Makar Sankranti is an important pan-Indian solar festival, known by different names though observed on the same date, sometimes for multiple dates around the Makar Sankranti. Different festicals are celebrated on this day, or during this period across the country in different names: Lohri in north India, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Pedda Panduga in Andhra Pradesh, Bhogali Bihu in Assam, Magha Mela in parts of central and north India, as Makar Sankranti in the west India, and by other names. Besides the rituals and puja, the festivals are often associated with fun, frolic, dances, kite flying, bonfires and feast.
Makar Sankranti in Mayurbhanj
I lived in tribal dominated Mayurbhanj district, Odisha for about five years and worked there as a journalist. Makar is a big festival there, especially among the Santhal tribe, marked by community feasts, games and cockfighting, known as ‘kukuda pada’ in local terms. For hours people would gather round a place where two enraged cocks would try to kill each other with sharp blades tied to their legs. People would excitedly gamble on which cock would win. The loser cock loses its life and the respect of its owner. The winner gains respect and some money for its owner and continues to fight more. Local made booze flows like water. The festivities would continue for about a week. The urban areas look deserted as people go to their villages to celebrate makar.
Volunteering
Please don’t drink and drive in the cold evenings. If you want to drive safely, we can help you…! We are non-government organisations working for the safety of our citizens.
Pleae call us.
We have experienced people of all ages.
Our volunteers will go and drink for you.
You drive safely.
(Courtesy: Social Media)
***
14.1.18
Mrinal Chatterjee is a journalist turned media academician, who also writes fiction. He lives in Central Odisha town of Dhenkanal. English translation of his Odia novel Yamraj Number 5003 is shortly being published.
This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim times and posted in www.orissadiary.com
Friday, 12 January 2018
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