Happy New Year!

4 hours to go....

and then, it's 2006.

Happy New year!

(PS - saw 'Thavamai Thavamirindhu' today -- good.)

My penance has ended!

The routine's going on. No changes.

Except one sweet piece of news. Cheran's 'Thavamai Thavamirundhu' has released here! You should have seen the excitement on my face when I saw the advertisement -- was really happy.

'Maja' was running in the Tamil theatre here, and I had 50-50 thoughts of going to it this weekend (specially after a friend told me that everybody says 'maja' with a thumbs up-kinda symbol every minute of the movie). Now, there's no confusion. 'Thavamai Thavamirundhu' it is.

Cheran's 'Autograph' was brilliant -- I remember purchasing a black ticket to watch it for the second time on the 70th day or something! I hope that this movie is as good as 'Autograph'.

Nothing ... but something!

There's nothing, really.

There's nothing to blog about.

Yesterday and today are the first time that I've felt this way. Nothing really special happening, nothing really bugging me. It's a peaceful life out here.

And it's probably because of this: one of our teachers, IG, is on leave this week and so there are no guest lectures. Nobody giving special, different lectures.

This leaves us with one thing: The Lion (KTO).

From nine in the morning till four, it's his "damn" words that we gotto listen. Of cos there's more than a handful of OJs that I've collected this week (for a special collection that I plan to publish/blog/do something later.) And, this is a week when we have submitted our proposals for dissertation and investigative projects. We're getting screwed royally for them, and I have to make some major changes.

That's all.

There's nothing, really.

I'm back!

Some of the things that I did in the four-day Chennai trip -

1. Rode like mad in a Kinetic Honda from the Kotturpuram bridge till IIT and then turned right and let the madness continue all the way till the Glaxo signal.
2. Sat and "kalaichufied" friends at Planet Yumm, Besant Nagar. Visited the beach and sat in the famous "platform" there.
3. Walked through the crowded Rangannathan street, stamping almost thirty feet per minute.
4. Though I didn't get tickets for Cheran's 'Thavamai Thavamirundhu', spent an hour outside Sathyam theatre watching some stupid show that was being conducted.
5. Met lots of people for my dissertation and investigative project.

Some of the things that I didn't do but should have-

1. Gone to the movie.
2. Ate at the roadside dosa shop.
3. Spent more time at home!

Meet you soon, Chennai!

Home sweet home.

I'm gonna be there tomorrow morning. We have Christmas hols (just for four days) and am coming home. Will be there tomorrow(Friday) morning and leave Monday evening.

Have loads of work in the four days I'm gonna be there. Have to work on my dissertation and investigative projects. Have to do assignments, four huge pages of work that Sir has promptly given us. Have to finish a story for next week's issue. Have to spend time with mom and dad. Have to meet friends, lots of them. Have to meey one of my cousins.

Wanna go for Cheran's 'Thavamai Thavamirundhu'. Wanna go to Bessie beach and spend some time there. Wanna go to Spencers and roam like mad. Wanna take out my "first love"(Scooty) and ride real fast. Wanna eat at the roadside "dosa shop" in Pondy Bazaar. Wanna change the channels on television like crazy.

So many wishes, so little time ....

Encounter with the Police!

An uniform-clad tall policeman climbs down the narrow stairs.

I follow him!

And, another hefty uniform-clad follows me!

The crowd assembled below (about 200 people) eye me with suspicion. As I tried making face contact with some people standing there, I could even see a bit of fear in their eyes.

All this when following a fantastic crime story. This evening, my friend N and me decided that we were too vetti and so ventured out in N's bike. Ten minutes later, we were outside a small-time newspaper office, which was neck-deep in trouble. Women who worked for a charitable trust run by the newspaper were protesting outside, shouting some really filthy Malayalam words.

There's definitely a story here!

In the half hour N and me spend inside the newspaper office(a small room, actually) speaking to the people concerned, a really large crowd had gathered. And, the police was called.

Questions and questions. A search was ordered by the SI, and the constable even found an 'aruval'!

At last, the police decided to take one of the two persons there to the station. And after speaking to the police too, the story was over. N is doing the actual story and I'm planning a follow-up. Cool, real cool!

(In the morning, a guy from The Hindu came to lecture us on offbeat stories. Cool guy, taught us a great deal in the few hours he was with us.)

Of Goondas and Rasna!

S - "Where is the party, and how much did he pay you?"

Two minutes into the phone conversation...

S - "What is the actual quotation for this man?"

S is a goonda (rather was) and part of a huge underworld gang here. When my friend P and me went to S's house, the above conversation/words were spoken.

P is doing this intriguing story on underworld criminals here and I accompanied him last evening. Goonda's are cruel people yes, yet they too have a heart. This guy S surely had one, as he offered us nice Rasna!

Just imagine: we were sitting in a goonda's house and he offers us Rasna!

An hour and a half later, P had scribbled four pages of notes for his story. S rambled on knowing that we were just students and could do no harm. And, the jargon S used while taking to us and on the phone was really interesting. "Quotation", "party", "blade", "spirit" are four examples.

More interesting are the names of other criminals(both past and present) here, which I cannot mention here for obvious reasons.

As P and me leave, goonda S talks a few kind words to me in Tamil. Surely, goonda's too have a heart!

Sunday's travels: The full story

SUNDAY: Never have I travelled so much as I did today. Tried out ALL possible modes of transport -- ferry boat, motor ferry boat, private bus, government bus, train and "nataraja" service! Everything!

Before our sleepy little town woke up on Sunday morning, a friend C and I were on our way to the Kodimatha boat jetty. The boat's motor roared to life, and we were off. Destination: Allepey.

For any of you who have doubts about why Kerala is called God's Own Country, this two-hour ferry ride is a must. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking -- lush green fields, the combined smell of flowers and fish, the gentle breeze that hits your face. You can even spot a woman rowing through the waters to chat with her opposite door friend!

As we near Allepey, lots of houseboats can be seen. One look at a happy couple, and our hearts start working and wishing. C sighs and says - "Macha, you gotto come to this place with either your girlfriend or camera!" It would be awesome if we had both, I say.

Dilemma at Allepey

After a kutti breakfast, we head to the MM bureau. Repeated yells and knocks yield no response. We decided to walk to the bus-stand, where we faced a dilemma: whether to go to Tripunnapura or Azhikkal.

We chose the latter and thus boarded a bus and reached a funnily-named Haripad, from where we boarded yet another bus to Vavvakavu.

The whole pupose of our "travels" was to find tsunami-anniversary stories. So from Vavvakavu, we walked the whole way to Vallikavu, four kilometres away. Where the Mata Amrita Math is situated.

The magnificience of Amma

A ferry ride across the waters, and we stand in front of two gigantic buildings. Both are part of the Mata empire. After a free lunch (where numerous foreigners and locals stood together in line), we go the coastline and speak to some people about last years' tsunami. We waited for President Kalam(who was supposed to be inaugurating a relief camp at the Math at 2) to arrive. An hour and a half later, we leave the jam-packed place. The Prez hasn't arrived yet.

One of my favourite words can aptly describe the service and money in the Math - awesome. You should take a look at the number of foreigners there to know the real might of Amma.

Back home

Slept for an hour while waiting for the train at Karunagapally railway station, and then boarded the train, which brought us back to home sweet home Kottayam.

An absolutely fantastic day

Today was an absolutely fantastic day. Travelled by man-ferry, motor ferry, government bus, private bus, train and "nataraja service"!

Went to at least five villages, to the Mata Amrita Math, spent an hour waiting for train, walked like mad ... today was fantastic. Am dead tired; a detailed diary will be up sometime tomorrow.

See ability in disability

What is disability? What is handicap? What is the impairment?

Learnt the meaning of these in a "Media and Disability" seminar that we went today at Kochi. There's a warmth about people and students there. They're all around you, curious, inquisitive. They ask you what your name is, what your 'stalam'(place) is.

I instantly fell in love with the student population at the Kerala Press Academy in Kochi(not to be taken literally, cos there were some nice girls too!). Two minutes after we introduce ourselves, Sridhar(also a journalism student) puts his hand on my shoulder. A minute later, we are laughing and joking.

A journalist-cum-NGO person spoke a lot, and real loud. Must be Tamilian, I guess. I'm rite! The other lecturers were okay; some boring, some interesting. One drew some excellent cartoons on the board.

Punch line of the seminar - "See ability in disability."

Economics made easy

When prices increase, demand falls.

This is the most important principle in economics. Everything - the economic policy that is prepared till the potatoes we buy - is governed by this simple rule.

Yet, there are some exceptions to this demand. Just imagine a poor family eating cheap bread daily with a bit of expensive meat. If the price of the bread increases, the demand would still be the same cos of two reasons - 1. Bread is their staple diet and they can't afford anything else. 2. Though the prices of bread has increased, it remains the most affordable.

Another exception is luxury items like gold, which have a demand just because it's costly and a status symbol. For these items, the law of demand doesn't apply.

One more exception is future price-rise expectancy. If we expect the price of a product to increase, then we would flock the shops to get maximum quantity of the product.

(Written after a business journalism class, which was conducted by an ET guy)

Work

I was working yesterday. I was/am working today. I gotto continue working...

My views on the "sexy" issue

Am a sub-editor this week. LOADS of work...

This is the editorial I wrote in last week's issue.

It all started with actress Khushboo voicing her opinion that pre-marital sex was a reality today and that safe sex was the need of the hour. This led to angry protests in Tamil Nadu. Actress Suhasini supported Khushboo, only to get rebuked. Teenage sensation Sania Mirza was asked her views on this issue, but her quote was misinterpreted by many. In the middle of all this, the message of safe sex has been quietly pushed to the background.

Khushboo never advocated nor endorsed pre-marital sex. She only said that pre-marital sex was a reality these days and so awareness should be created to prevent the advent of diseases such as AIDS. Reality hurts, they say. It did for Khushboo, whose effigies were burnt.

In a small town like Kottayam, studies reveal that 25 per cent of school-children have had sex. This proves that pre-marital sex does exist in our society, only we shy away from talking about it. And, because it exists, we have to observe the consequences it has.

The question here is not whether you oppose or agree with pre-marital sex. As the issue is a reality these days, the only question that should arise from the Khushboo-Suhasini-Sania showdown is the precautions that ought to be taken by youngsters indulging in sex.

Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in New Delhi installed a condom-vending machine three months ago. With new sex surveys, startling statistics and bold quotes from youngsters coming up, more educational institutions need to introduce such a method. If a person has an idea that having sex before marriage is okay, it cannot be changed as it is a personal preference. But, the idea of safe sex should be promoted.

Eggs and tomatoes could have been put to much better use than pelting Khushboo’s vehicle when she went to court. The people who raised eyebrows for Suhasini’s statement should raise their thinking and find the true meaning behind her support. And, the people who tore Sania Mirza’s posters should remember that the tennis sensation talked about safe sex and never supported pre-marital sex.

Thanks to two actresses and a charming tennis player, the message is now in the open. People should capitalise on this and get the youth talking. College boys and girls should be asked about their views on the subject, and should be advised to practise safe sex.

Pre-marital sex is now a reality. Safe sex should soon be made reality.

I'm on cloud nine!

Our director KTO has a rich student base cos he's been teaching journalism for a great many years in three major institutes in India. Most of his students are sitting at the top of the ladder in big newspaper offices; they're all real big names in the media today.

And, everyone of them, without exception, have been rebuked by KTO for submitting "nonsense." For submitting "garbage." Every one of them have been scolded for his/her copy atleast a hundred times in a year's course.

KTO has excellent dialogue delivery - some examples are "Oh so you guys visited the mental asylum? Why didn't you enrol there?", "Tell me how will you 'brutally murder' your wife - by showing her the headlines you wrote?". :D

Innocuous statements there are plenty, and most of them are negative (which means rebuking you/pulling your leg).

It is in this context that one should seriously consider a "positive" innocuous statement he made today.

KTO - "Hey C, have you done the headline exercise? Hey you, have you any idea what we're talking about?"
C - "Sir..Sir...yes, I've done it. But I don't know where I've kept it.."
KTO (losing his temper) - "Don't sit there at the back. I can't even shout at you! Come here and sit.."
C wanders here and there, looking for a place to sit...
KTO - "Just go sit somewhere. Ah, come here and sit, near this boy (pointing to me). He's the only boy with some brains in this class."

As I said before, it's an innocuous statement for sure. But these "positive" innocuous statement send out a strong message. And, as he's referred to brains and me, it sure is right!!

Phew, at last. Some appreciation from KTO.

I'm on cloud nine!

It's the time of 'thalai's

Everybody who has even some remote contact with the fascinating city of Chennai will know what 'thalai' is. 'Thalai' is the short form of 'Thalaivar'(English translation - leader).

So then, two 'thalai's are doing great nowadays. This is a time when you have to remember them and thank them secretly for the entertainment they've given us.

Thalai No. 1 - Sachin Tendulkar

The boy-faced wonder has come a really long way. 35 wonderful test centuries, 38 exciting ODI hundreds. As someone wrote, he should be named 'Tondulkar'. Who can forget this all-India thalai? And, just in case he had gone a bit off your mind cos of tennis elbow, he came back with a bang. The 35th century that he scored at Delhi on Saturday(4.44 PM) reminded us of Sacin's greatness. Well, Cheeka is right - "We all know that Sachin is great but this century proved that he is absolutely great."

Thalai No. 2 - Superstar Rajnikanth

How many movies? How many mannerisms? What super isthtyle, as they call it? In the midst of young heroes trying desperately to imitate him, Superstar remains a pure one-off. Today is Superstar's birthday - Happy Birthday Superstar. Thanks for all the wonderful entertainment and joy you've given us - we treasure it. Though younger guys and girls may invade our movie-watching lives, you remain there at the top. If any one of you want to know the real essense of what Superstar means to Tamil people (and other people too, which includes people out there in Japan), just go to his movie first-day first-show. There's only one word to describe the atmosphere - electrifying.

Electrifying atmosphere. There lies the essential similarity between sports and movies. The essential similarity between the two thalais.

'Aaru' and sting operations

It's 00.45 now.

Just came back, after watching Suriya's 'Aaru'.

It's a fast movie, never bores you. Almost never. The songs DO bore you; they're real crap. Yet, the fights are great, the dialogue fascinates you at most times.

Suriya, as usual, is super. Detailed review later...

Earlier, in the morning, we had a group discussion on sting operations. Though the people who voted for it (of which I was a part) were a majority, the winner of the show was The Lion, who opposed it. He gave some great arguments for his case, saying that "sting operations are the easiest way to expose a person" and that "we as journalists should work harder by speaking to more people and thereby exposing the culprit."

KTO's dialogue of the day - "If you want to be a watchdog of society, you shouldn't be a dog that needs to be watched."

Today was hell

The day went on really fine till 4.10 in the evening (we had even gone to the court here in the morning to get a grasp of our judicial system.)

But from that time, it was real hell.

4.10 PM - KTO walks upto me and asks - Where the hell are the A3 printouts?

I said - Ready sir...five minutes...

Then, went and gave him the three printouts (for which four of us - editor and three sub-editors had painstakingly worked). He said okay, only to call me back in 5 mins...what the hell is this on the third page???

Earlier, there was a small space problem in the third page and the sub, M, and I had decided to run a special Navy Quiz - something unique and something that nobody's ever tried.

KTO blasted us like hell for it.

KTO - "How dare you put sumthing on the page without asking me?"
I(stammering) - "But sir..sir..there was some space and I thought we could do something different."
KTO - "If you want to do some nonsense like this, go somewhere else and try it...not here. Just get the hell out of here, do the page again and give it."

Sub-editor M interrupts - "Sir, it's not our fault. Please don't shout at us..."

KTO - "How dare you... just take this nonsense and get out of my sight." And, walks off to his car, gets into it and roars off...

PS - Despite all this, the Mighty Editor, who has been nicknamed as 'Pun Ram', has done a fine job. All the pages have come out really cool, all thanks to his three hardworking sub-editors. And of cos the awesome Editor!)

A busy editor indeed!

The editor was really busy the whole day. Started the day off by going to The Lion's room to give the stories that the reporters had turned in. As usual, he dismissed it as a "bunch of nonsense." Further, for the first time, he actually went on to discuss some stories in class and explained what was lacking in them.

So much for "amoeba" reporters...

Then came the sub-editors. A million walks into his office left the Lion frustrated. He screamed at me, "Hey listen I just don't want you coming here every second. Finish all the damn work, and come back."

Well, the initial 'damn' extra work that he gave my three sub-editors was cruel. And, to end our efforts with a wave of his hand left us all, especially me, frustrated.

Being an editor here is tough. Real tough. Yet, it's fun.

A class photo

16 students of MASCOM stand in front of the institute for a photograph, which was taken almost a month ago. Also seen in this picture are KTO(white hair), his wife, IG(standing), M(standing), TF(sitting), the librarian(sitting, in saree), and a guest lecturer(sitting, black glasses).

The Editor is a genius!

"If you can convince KTO into getting me - an ex-student - to write for FE, then you are a genius. Rest assured, you can sell any story to anybody in the world." --- My senior, J K ,in an email to me some weeks ago.

I proved that I am a genius today. Got this idea through The Lion (KTO). Congrats, editor!

My senior was here this afternoon. Got to know a lot about the last batch here, and how to face the world after being a student. Full tips and stuff...

Earlier, I had a tough time - initially - in getting through with the editorial conference. As minutes rolled by, I got into the groove and answered KTO's questions smartly, and confidently. It really helps to be confident, and show it to the person you face. It unnerves the opponent a bit.

And, the opponent you're dealing here is a person with decades of experience in journalism.

Well, the initial plan has worked well. Have got through an almost-impossible "senior" story through The Lion. It now rests with him to do a good story within deadline.

The Editor has won!

(This is yours sincerely's 100th post in this blog. Cheers!)

Best of luck, Editor!

It's the real test out here.

Though sub-editing is a tough job and reporting is a tiring one, the most challenging one is that of the editor. Yours sincerely is the grand editor of his college newspaper this week.

Being an editor has its advantages and disadvantages. No going out for stories, photos but getting screwed for the "nonsense" stories, photos that the reporters turn in. No laying out pages but getting screwed for the absence of verbs in headlines and for the boring modular layout.

Yet, it's challenging cos I gotto go to the KTO's office atleast a thousand times for different issues. And each one of those visits is a challenge, a game that I'll sincerely try winning.

In the midst of this, I'm gonna try some new stuff out for the paper. Let's see how they come out...

Best of luck, editor!

There's Dharma in journalism too

Should an editor publish a news item with proper sourcing and attribution when he knows that his reporter has given anonymity to a certain source?

Should the editor consider the "public good" or the source's interest?

Can reporters be allowed to lie for getting stories? If so, to what extent?

These were just some of the issues that were discussed in a special class this morning, on the ethics in journalism. Indeed, ethics in the world of journalism are diminishing day by day. With newspapers emerging ion every other corner of the country, TV channels springing up and online news-getters showing up, it's really tough to follow ethics. If you've got a great story on hand, just print the thing and get the money.

Ethics go for a toss in the midst of intense, cut-throat media competition.

Yet there are a set of rules that have to be followed. Just like Dharma for Life. Ain't Dharma a set of rules you have to follow in your life. Be extravagant, be "modern", change with the times, but do all this in keeping with the set of rules called Dharma. There's Dharma in journalism too.

A really interesting day

Went to Kochi this morning to attend the Navy Week celebrations. Went inside a real ship, stood in the 'bridge'(where the captain stands and delivers orders), spoke to the officer-in-command.

Visited a navy school where they train people for the navy. Really interesting.

Also went to the Navy fair that was open for the public. Lots of stalls, full of information.

Too tired now...detailed post later.

Suicide and the Law

Committing suicide is no offence. Cos if the person is dead, what can the Law do to him.

But, abetting or attempting suicide is.

Abetting agreed. But, attempting???

Yes, it is.

And of cos it was widely disputed how this can exist. Reason given: We all have fundamental rights. But, all fundamental rights have a negative implication too. If you have a right of freedom of speech, you also have a right not to express yourself; to remain mum.

So, when all the fundamental rights have a negative implication too, why not in the Right to Life (Article 21), was the argument, the negative implication being Right to Die.

Answer: The Right to Life is the King of all rights. It is the fundamentals of fundamental rights. If there is no Right to Live, there is no right to freedom of speech nor any other fundamental right.

Conclusion: The Right to Live, unlike all other fundamental rights, does NOT have a negative implication.

(After a class on anti-ragging law, in which the above stuff was discussed too)