Column | Jagate Thiba Jetedina

Jagate Thiba Jetedina, 9 June 2018

Journalism Fellowship

As part of the #ImpulseModelPressLab initiative, we will award one-year fellowships to four early-career journalists and four-week fellowships to mid-career journalists from India, Nepal and Myanmar to report on cross-border human trafficking in the region. 

To know more about Impulse Model Press Lab and Fellowships, CLICK here: http://www.impulsengonetwork.org/presslab/

(Posted as received)

6.6.18

Review | Window Seat

Review | Arunika Mohapatra

Enjoy reading it by the window side

BOOK: WINDOW SEAT
AUTHOR: Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee
PUBLISHER: Sephali Communications
Price: Rs 250

Window Seat by Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee is a compilation of the author’s regular column by the same name. Through the book the author takes you on a journey of his myriad experiences in his day-to-day life that he has captured with the sharpness of a journalist and laced it with humour.  It seems he always has a pen in hand (figuratively) and disciplined himself into writing down his experiences  and  observations ending it with a subtle advice for his readers.

Available at Modern Book Store, Bhubaneswar, Kitab Mahal, Cuttack. Order online through www.odikart.com

The book does not have a climax because each chapter describes a standalone issue in calendar sequence providing the reader with the freedom to enjoy and learn about a separate issue every day.  Putting his journalistic writing skills to optimum use, the author has tried to give a complete picture within limited space.

The topics chosen are varied.  From the blockbuster Bahubali to different festivals, from blindness percentage to anaemia among the class that is self-sufficient, from prevalent practices like child marriage in some Hindi-speaking states to solutions on better use of water.....the author has touched upon many relevant issues.

 What caught my attention was Patients’ Rights Day observed on June 25 in memory of Anamika Ray, a media academician, who died of medical negligence at a Delhi hospital.  Her husband could have wallowed in grief but he chose to make people aware to prevent repeat of such happenings. And the author making it a part of his column puts us on their toes about an issue that we often tend to ignore because it does not directly concern us.

The author has been able to capture an unbiased world view in his book that strikes a chord for the simplicity in language and choice of words that won’t force you to go scurrying for a dictionary.  This apart, smile will light up your face while going through many chapters because you can identify with the experiences of the author, particularly his marriage proposal. The “We think alike” feeling encompasses you.  With this the author builds a bridge with his readers by sharing his personal life with the world that has been taught to keep it under wraps.

Window Seat has it all from the benefits of cycling to the origin of Indian Railways. Do read the book that Dr Chatterjee has suggested. You will get to learn about the railways, one of the biggest organisations of our country. The author has not minced words in criticising the system and how it affects the common man.  He has also thought of adding a humorous tail piece at the end of each chapter. It encourages the reader, particularly the impatient ones, to remain glued to the text.

I won’t write more about the book. I feel I have given enough hints. So pick up your copy of the Window Seat and view the world with the author.

***

The reviewer, a journalist is an alumna of Dhenkanal (Odisha) campus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication. arunikamohapatra@gmail.com

6.6.18

Review | Window Seat

Book Review | Sourav Gupta

Appreciating clouds and nubile damsels 

from the window of life

Window Seat

Author: Mrinal Chatterjee

Publisher: Sephali Communications, Dhenkanal

Price: Rs 250/-

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading his writings, I have faced one major problem-the selection of pieces to be finally included in the book has cost me many sleepless nights. This is not only because Khushwant’s effortless prose spiked by his characteristically acerbic wit and spontaneity makes many of his pieces worth preserving but also because his writings span such a vast range.

The above words excerpted from Rohini Singh’s preface to Khushwant Singh’s iconic Malicious Gossip exactly echoes in the mind of a reader when he sets to review its most palatable latest avatar, Window Seat, by Mrinal Chatterje, which the author himself admits to be born out of an inspiration from the former. The sheer range of subject dealt in this 159 page wonder by Chatterjee transports the readers to a heaven of delectable reading while the reviewer has no other option but to tear his hairs off!

Make no mistake. Chatterjee may have credited Singh or Berham Contractor as his inspiration for his book, yes, the mood of window seat is reminiscent of Singh’s Gossips Sweet & Sower or Contractor’s Round & About but he has in no way aped the writing style of these legends. Rather, he has avoided the larger than life writer shadows looming over the columns and added an essentially middle class flavour of astonishment to Window Seat. The middle class, salaried individual who is an eternal dreamer is also eternally astonished at the ongoings around him in every sphere of life. When the author is taken aback at certain incident and expresses his astonishment, he immediately strikes a chord with the readers who identify themselves with his amusements, reactions. The readers are also middle class and who knows not that this is the section of the population in India who are constantly taken aback and subjected to considerable amounts of helplessness and struggle to live on without having much to do. So, in a sense, Window Seat becomes a mirror which reflects the lot of the middle class people and their silent, helpless acceptance of the things which affect their lives.

Small and little things form very interesting chapters of the book. The author, having hailed from a background of journalism, has keen observation and takes on issues which fade away or creep up with changing times. The piece on greetings cards makes one nostalgic, an ode to a bye gone era, a practice now limited only to institutions. Similarly recent trends like Valentines’ Day, Virushka keep coming. And Chatterjee always adds a flavour of humour, or should we say, sarcasm to these issues to make them more palatable. He is a voracious reader and has keen interest on academic research. So every now and then readers are enriched with mention of new books and study reports. He documents his travels also unveiling traits of places, its people and their habits. Kolkata and Jaipur are two cities which are frequently mentioned. The author, delights everybody when he describes the difficulties of walking in a Shantiniketan, habit of Bengalis to wear monkey caps, range of merchandise sold in local trains and the delicious street food of Kolkata. While he is highly impressed about the tourist friendliness of Jaipur, he is delighted at the same time to discover that Jaipur winter is not as scary as he had apprehended-apprehensions so characteristic of the middle class again. Like so many of us, he too apprehends, is the world coming to an end? Keeping up with it he keeps on wonderfully commenting on insensitivity of big bag carriers or his personal pride of hoisting the national flag. The scathing remarks on the literary festivals and the lack of patience in listening therein is another funny aspect altogether. Contrasting concepts of seva, yoga day and nail polish are handled with equal ease.

Book available at Modern Book Dept, Station Square, Bhubaneswar; Kitab Mahal, Cogge Square, Cuttack.
 One can order online through www.odikart.com. Or send email to sephalicommunications@yahoo.in

The author is a versatile combination of lineages and professions. On one hand, he is a Bengali, born and brought up in Odisha and has imbibed the best of both Bangla and  Odia culture. Professionally, he has been a full time scribe turned media academician with a knack of writing fiction and plays. This spectrum of experiences enables him to comment on a wide range of socio-politico-economic and cultural issues. Like a true journo, he takes an analytical and progressive stands on issues affecting lives of common people, like the role of a civil society in building a nation. He says, “….a democratic state can’t be stable….unless it is effective and legitimate with respect & support of its citizens.” Direct and relevant. He continues the crusade in expressing deep concern on issues like hygiene in public toilets, patient’s rights , irony of modern living, boozing and so on. The communication specialist in him crops up time and again in efforts to brand the local train merchandise as ‘Bazaar on wheels’, content analyzing to find out whether the mass media is the people’s media and its role in the modern digital age. He has put forward interesting observation on the way we talk, the softness and loudness of talking to be precise and its impact. He discusses human psychology in context to cognitive dissonance. He laments the gradual ruin of the state of West Bengal and regales in describing festivals in Odisha like Raja and Rathayatra. The humanitarian, empathetic nature of the author is visible to readers when he chooses to express his concern over old age homes, persons with disabilities and on a personal note, passing away of a motherly figure.

A review of Window Seat will not be complete if the linguistic faculties of Chatterjee are not mentioned. Being a student of English Language and Literature, he is at his poetic best in using metaphors to describe his feelings on abstract elements of time and clouds. The reader is treated to beautiful literary pleasure when he writes, “Time is like dry sand slipping through my fingers…..like a nubile damsel, she moves away as I try to hold on to her”. In describing clouds as watched from the window seat of a flight he goes, “sea of clouds-sea of milk, at times like cotton…..”, the readers’ imagination simply erupts.

With hilarious tail pieces excerpted from social media, observations on daily life which makes the readers think without taxing them aided by simple and flowing language peppered with wit makes Mrinal Chatterjee’s Window Seat a delectable reading.

***

1.6.18

(The author teaches Journalism & Mass Communication at the Central University of Orissa, Koraput and is a theatrician-playwright. May be contacted at sourav.gupta81@gmail.com)

Cartoon Competition

Column | Pathe Prantare

Samaya Taranga 3.6.18

Window Seat

Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee

What has happened to our villages?

I live in a small district headquarters town in central Odisha, which is surrounded by villages. I have seen in the last 18 years that I have been living here how villages are getting deserted. People from villages are migrating to the towns- for various reasons, which range from logistical to psychological- for earing better livelihood, for education of their children, for better medical facilities to just be counted as an urban dweller. The quality of village life- despite improvement in infrastructural facilities like roads, electricity, piped water supply- has gone down, is going down. Every time I visit nearby and far flung villages- I see people either trying to shift to urban areas or at least pushing their children to live in urban areas. I see a general sense of dissatisfaction with their life in villages and desperation to move out. Why so?

Manoj Das, one of the greatest writer and thinker of recent times used to edit a magazine titled The Heritage. In January 1989 issue of this magazine he had written an editorial on this, which is prophetic:

“What has been the biggest loss to India during the recent years? I do not know the answer our readers would give to this question. I expect several answers and not one. Let me share with you the answer I would readily give. The biggest loss has been the destruction of India’s village.

The village is neither dead not in a coma. It has just been driven crazy. Its harmony, serenity and beauty have disappeared or is fast disappearing, giving way to a bizarre life style marked by ecological ruination and exploitation of caste sentiments by politicians, intrusion by commercial enterprises-ranging from arbitrary establishments of factories to opening up of liquor shops.

Let it be emphasized that the extension of technology and new amenities to the village (including electricity) are not at fault. That was necessary and the village has got it as a matter of its right. It is the demoniac hunger for false prosperity and lack of respect for the rural grace, along with an inability to see the consequences of certain kinds of developmental activities on the part of the entrepreneurs, planners as well as the villagers themselves (at least some of them) that have brought about the sad state of affairs.

If the village has lost, who has gained? Is it the city? The answer, unfortunately, is No.”

Why cities have not gained? Because, the migration from rural areas to the urban has been too fast and too large. Infrastructure of no city in this country could match the migration. And we were not prepared for this kind of migration. Result: the cities are bursting at the seams.  Most of the rural migrants are economic refugees and concentrate in slums. That is why when urban areas are growing in people terms it is fastest in the slums. Look at any city in this country, slums are growing.

We need to plan realistically to cope with the situation. 

Adventure

2018 has been declared as the ‘Year of Adventure Tourism’ by Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry in addition to the Adventure Tour Operator Association of India (ATOAI) has decided to promote adventure travel via maneuvering activities to rejoice the year of adventure tourism.

My take on this is simple. India has always been a unique place, where adventure is built in everyday activities.

What do we mean by adventure? Dictionary says it means an unusual and exciting or daring experience, an act fraught with danger.

Now in India adventure is built in with all activities. Even the simple act of walking or driving on the road could be a daring experience fraught with danger. Consider the number of people dying of road accident. A Report on Road Accidents in India 2016, published by Transport Research wing under Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, has revealed that at least 413 people died every day in 1,317 road accidents in 2016. As per the data cited in the report, the country recorded at least 4,80,652 accidents in 2016, leading to 1,50,785 deaths. Road accident happens to be the ninth out of 10 top causes of death in India.

Take another simple act of getting drench in the pouring rain, which many young men and women at heart would consider to be a pleasure. This can also be considered as adventure as lightning can strike. Statistics tell us that lightning is the leading killer among natural disasters in India. In 2014, at least 2,582 people died in lightning strikes.

So, there is a need to promote India as a land, where adventure is built in with all activities, however mundane that may seem. That probably would attract many tourists from across the world.

Oil-price

Immediately after the recent Karnataka election, oil prices sky rocketed. There was rise in the prices for 15 times in quick succession before the respite came. Prices came down- by one paisa. There was rage in social media with people posting the photograph of one paisa coin which had been withdrawn from circulation and demonetized on 30 June 2011. I think, it was in a way good, for people had forgotten how one paisa looked like. They could refresh their memory.

Tailpiece 1

PM Modi is single

Odisha CM Nabin Pattnaik is single

UP CM Yogi is single

Rahul is single

TATA is single

Salman is single

Baba Ramdev single

Sri Sri Ravishankar also single !!

Now I am searching for that idiot who said, "Behind every successful man, there is a woman". 

Due to those idiotic words many got married.

Tailpiece 2

The wife checked her husband's phone and found these names:

- The tender one 

- the amazing one 

- Lady of my dreams

She got angry and called the first number to find out that was his mother. Then she called the second number on which his sister replied. When she dialed the third number her own phone rang !!!!

She cried until her eyes got swollen because she had doubted her innocent husband, so she gave him her whole month’s salary to make up for her sin.

Husband took the money and bought a gift for his girlfriend whose name was saved as "Electrician Gopal"

Be smart be safe

(Courtesy: Social Media)

**

Journalist turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal , a Central Odisha town. He also writes fiction. English translation of his Odia novel Shakti and compilation of his column Window Seat will be formally released during Kalinga Literature Festival, June 8-10 in Bhubaneswar . mrinalchatterjee@ymail.com

3.6.18

This column is published every Sunday in Gangtok based English daily Sikkim times and posted in www.orissadiary.com