DesiDabba - Boss, Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaye

Breaking News … CBI cordons off Sector 25 in Noida, breaking News, Lie detector Test on Krishna, Rama, Kumbhkarna. I am not able to find more characters to the string of names which come up on everyday news stories these days. The news items only pertain to Neeraj Grover’s gruesome murder or Aarushi and Hemant’s mystery. Or for a change cops charged for raping a woman, and the woman killing herself for not being heard by the Haryana Police.

I would rather the news channels dedicate their prime time for news which has more sense, than some botched up investigative cases which are of no consequence for people far across India. Instead, what these channels bring on the idiot boxes for all of us is nothing but Breaking News, which either has to do with cordoning off, lie detector tests or suicide which maybe murder. I shudder to think what the new age, impressionable children and teenagers are being fed with as far as news is concerned.

Continue reading ‘Bray-King News !’

Move over politicos, stock markets and temperatures…the queen of the media makes news again!

After another day spent panicking over the state of ‘the common man’ following the antics of our local politico-goons, Mumbai really must be back to normal if the news is any indication. Let’s check out what India TV thinks is big news today.

Rakhi Sawant slaps her boyfriend!!!

This comes on the heels of the very well-covered incident where Rakhi Sawant threw her boyfriend Abhishek Awasti out of their house and cried “BREAK-UP!”. I didn’t catch that on TV since everyone else was hogging the box for such mundane things as rioting, violence on the streets and politicians getting arrested. Fikar not, Rakhi gives me my time’s worth with today’s lunch news though.

Continue reading ‘Is Thapad Ki Goonj…‘

Want to become a citizen journalist? Have a story to tell the nation. Then you better make a note of this –

Reuters – Photographs and videos can be shared on Reuters on pics@reuters.com or upload here. From serious issues to anything sizzling, is good enough for them.

BBC News – Pictures and news (worthy) clips can be sent here, yourpics@bbc.co.uk. Web cam users can directly record and send a video message to BBC editors here. Local or International, if it affects you or someone you know, then it’s good enough for them.

CNN.com – Videos, pictures or even audio tips can be mailed to these guys at ireport@cnn.com. And if you are even loosely familiar with the Indian news circuit then you should be aware that anything and everything is of interest to them.

CNN also has an excellent toolkit for newbies to help them quickly learn few video/photo capturing techniques.

CNN IBN – Now this is one, according to me is the most interesting of the lot. Anything considered good by their standards will be featured as a separate program on CNN IBN. However the only glitch here is that it’s applicable to events and issues related to India. One can either upload the media files on the CNN IBN website or send your news reports via SMS and MMS messages (CJ to 2622).

[Via Digital Inspiration]

Does the Media reflect the Society we live in or influence it?

The above question was posted on MIR just yesterday. Shockingly it failed to grab their reader’s attention and therefore no comments. If you ask me, I think it is a thought provoking subject and more importantly very much relevant to our present state Society.

In my opinion, Media does reflect the day-to-day routines of the aam junta and highlights it further with the examples of popular faces so that their story is widely accepted. However this doesn’t mean that what we see, read or hear is always entirely accurate. In today’s competitive times, especially in the main stream media, they are required to market a common story in a hatke packaging in order to stand out from the rest of the pack. And this is where, manipulation comes into play.

The Indian media tends to twist and turn their interpretations, keeping in mind – the commercial viability, the maximum quotient of exaggeration and the desi-public’s acceptance level. Today they may be on your side but tomorrow they wouldn’t mind joining your detractors, as long as the end result is more power and more money.

Continue reading, ‘Thoughts On Media And Our Society’.

We Indians love our entertainment especially when it comes to Cinema and Television, to the point of extream passion. And this I say from experience, after all I am no different. But today somehow I feel we are treading more on the lines of stupidity. I mean what else you would call a group of ladies marching up to Star India’s office to protest against death of their favorite character (Mihir Virani from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) and demand his revival.

For sometime now, Ekta Kapoor and her saas-bahu shows have been at the receiving end of many such useless dharnas organized by either utterly bored housewives or media attention desperate political activists. Either the audience is peeved by the inclusion of "rape" scene in primetime soap or it’s the enactment of controversial topics such as Euthanasia.

Continue reading ‘Chuck De India, Faltu Ke Dharne!’