By Sheeba Naaz and Kinley Tshering
Photo:Gargi

“I am not optimistic about the Indian media...Today the type of journalism that is practiced is sticking the mic on someone’s face and getting the byte,” declared Tarun Tejpal in his keynote statement during a one-day seminar on “Does the media care?” held at Jamia Millia Islamia on August 28. The seminar was organized by AJK MCRC in collaboration with the BBC World Trust Services.

Having worked with several national and international media organizations, Tarun Tejpal is currently associated with Tehelka. In 2001 Asiaweek listed Tejpal as one of Asia’s 50 most powerful communicators, and Businessweek declared him among 50 leaders at the forefront of change in Asia.

Addressing the seminar, Tarun Tejpal gave an overview of the grim media scenario in India that bordered on pessimism. He talked at length about the numerous issues that were haunting the national media, supposedly decreed as the fourth estate.

According to Tejpal, media in India is failing in its journalistic duties and is reluctant to take up real issues. Driven by economic and commercial interests, the Indian media has lost its ‘cause and crusade’, he stated. “The economic metabolism of the Indian media is badly skewed.”

He further added: “None of who consumes media actually pays for it. The person who pays for the media is the advertiser and the media you get is the media the advertiser wants.”

Supporting his argument, he said no media has ever done any expose on the corporate sector as they are the ones who are providing the funds to these media organizations. More than half a dozen media organisations in India are involved in private treaties with the corporate world, he added.

“The media is getting narrower and narrower in India. Rural bureaus and reportage have all died,” he opined, adding that media is no more the voice of voiceless. “Media in India flex their muscles. They run with the rabbits but hunt with the wolves.”

Tarun Tejpal also said that the national media cares very less about the issues concerning common man. “All of Dalits get less attention than Kareena Kapoor,” he said.

According to Mr. Tejpal, Indian media is losing its ground especially the Hindi news channels. “See the Hindi news channels, they are embracing humbug and superstition and turning their back on the grand ideas of modernity that were in some sense the founding principles of this country.”

The second session was commenced by the veteran journalist Prem Shankar Jha who is a an author of several books and a columnist with publications like The Hindu, The Hindustan Times, The Business Standard and Outlook.

“Journalism was not a celebrity profession or glamorous profession in the 60’s. Those people who joined journalism were from rural background and rural issues were addressed in plenty,” he said. Those were the times when newspapers had different pages for development, social and gender issues, he recalled.

But today, because of the change in the nature of society, there has been a shift in the emphasis laid by the media, he added. “The intensity of coverage is more in big cities and even the advertisements are urban centric. This society has become more aspirational and has less time to empathize with those who are affected.”

Predatory pricing, a deliberate outcome of pressure of competition for circulation, has also affected how the media works today. The increasing focus on advertisement and circulation has forced the marketing departments to dictate editorial content, he opined.

“Media today cares a very less deal. Does it really not care is the question?”
Mr. Jha stated.

At the end of each session, both the keynote speakers agreed that the Indian media has somewhere shifted its focus from developmental issues to cinema, crime, and cricket. They also emphasized that the young journalists should have depth and proper understanding of social and political issues.

By
Babu , Dipu Shaw , Sumiran Preet Kaur
Photo:Jaishree
It was an interesting occasion where esteemed journalists and aspiring journalists gathered to discuss and criticize the medium which they represent. The seminar on “Does the Media Care” was organized by AJK Mass Communication Research Centre of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and BBC World Service Trust. The esteemed panelists included the likes of Tarun Tejpal, Ziya us Salam and Prem Shanka Jha. All in the room, including the panelists and the audience agreed on one thing - media is becoming less concerned about important issues like development, environment and health. The first half of the session tried to answer the question “Is Indian media obsessed with celebrities and crime?
The key note address of Mr.Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka sent instant energy waves. The applauses in the room proved that his speech was received with full enthusiasm. He pointed out that the stories in media are corporate centric and there is a paucity of social coverage. “We don’t pay for the media, it is the advertisers who pay, what we see is what the advertisers wants us to see”, he pointed out.
Equally candid but more optimistic about the contemporary media scenario was P.N.Vasanti, Director of CMS (Centre for Media studies). She pointed out how the new trends in news coverage was all about crime and politics. She reminded the audience about the coverage of Sanjay Dutt’s trial and Bacchan wedding. Her references could strike a chord with the audiences as they were still fresh in their minds.
But the picture is not all dark. Pamela Philipose, director of Women’s Features Service admits that the phenomenon of marketisation and globalization is unavoidable but she feels that the new generation who will be entering the profession can reverse the negative trends in media. She referred to the audience, many of whom were students of mass communication and journalism and put the onus of responsibility on them. Senior journalist Usha Rai also agreed with Ms.Philipose and pointed out that there were spaces in the media that addressed developmental issues.
Interestingly Nilanjana Bose of CNN IBN considers that the media cannot be blamed completely. “We have crime all around us and there is nothing wrong in covering crime and celebrities. People want to see it”,she added. Rohit Gandhi, a TV journalist with Canadian Broadcasting opined that media organizations should be blamed for bringing up a system where viewers are mere passive consumers. Thomas Chandy, CEO of “Save the Children in India”, world’s largest independent Child Rights Organization said that the apathy among Indian middle class should be addressed.
The lunch in between the two sessions was not devoid of discussions on media. For Saira, a student of English (Hons) Jamia Millia Islamia, it was nice to see journalists as journalists and not as someone representing and defending their media houses. The audience was all pepped up to attend the second session. The second half of the session tried to answer the question “Why aren’t there more stories about health, science and environment?”
Prem Shankar Jha clearly stated that media being the fourth estate must act as an apparatus of nation building. Zia-us-Salam, senior assistant editor of The Hindu spoke about the divide between rural Bharat and urban India.
At one point of the discussion all the attacks were aimed at television. Amit Sen Gupta, Editor-in-Charge of Hard News, was critical of television journalism. “They neither investigate nor do they follow-up stories”, he alleged. But all the criticism was taken in a healthy manner. Navika Kumar fromTimes Now tried her best to put forward the other side of the story.
Ravi Agarwal, an environmentalist and founder of Toxics Link opined that “Media has certain responsibilities of nation building, shaping public opinion and awakening the mass.” In his view, environmental issues cannot be gazed in isolation, it has to be multi-linked with politics, society and economics.
Prananjoy Guha Thakurata, commentator and editor of “Real politic” ended the symposium with a positive note urging the young generation to celebrate heterogeneity in news. The applause from the audience showed that the young listeners were ready to take the responsibility.

Poly bags are easy to carry, light weight, convenient for storing vegetables and meat. But the health hazards they cause are tremendous. Aqsa Anjum finds out some of its perils to human health.
Photo:Jaishree

Fresh meat bought from the market can slowly turn into poison. How? The polythene bags that you use to store your eatables can be poisonous. Are you ready to bargain your health for a plastic bag?

Most of us are doing that. Rani Bhagel, a housewife, uses black plastic bags to store meat in refrigerator. “It is easy to store meat in plastic bags rather than using any other container,” she says.

But this practice can be hazardous. Doctor Ajay Rohatgi warns: “The chemicals with which poly bags are manufactured can easily seep into the food stored in them and then into our body.” He says the most dangerous ones are the recycled poly bags, particularly the black and gray colored ones. Also, in some bags the lead content is very high. In the long run this can damage our body system, he adds.

The hazards

“Plastic bags are hazardous as they are non- degradable. When they are burnt, they produce carbon monoxide and other gases which in the long run will affect the ozone layer and will pollute the environment,” says Prof. Sharif Ahmed, Head of Chemistry Department in Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi.
Tahir Noor, a researcher from Voluntary Health Associations of Delhi, says: “In slum areas the biggest pollution creators are the poly bags. They flood drains which leads to water born diseases. Stray cattle feed on huge garbage waste with poly bags and often die.”
Professor Sharif warns that sometimes recycled poly bags contain dangerous chemicals which when mixed with soil could destroy the composition of soil.
Issue of concern
Pinki Singh, a school teacher in Bulbulikhana, a government school near Turkman Gate, is aware of the issue but says that there is no other viable option available in place of plastic bags. She is more concerned about the milk which is mostly available in poly bags. She blames shopkeepers for providing the food items in poly bags.
On the other hand, shopkeepers put the blame on customers. They say that they are aware of the menace but the customers demand it and there is no other alternative available.
The law side of it
The steps to halt the use and manufacturing of plastic bags have already been taken in Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu. “The High Court order asking Delhi government to ban the use of plastic bags comes as a welcome move,” says Prof. Sharif Ahmed.
Though the High Court has ordered a ban on the use of plastic bags it seems the application is there on paper only.
Tahir Noor is skeptical about the ban. “The government is earning huge manufacturing aids from the manufacturers of plastic. That is why they might not want to apply it,” he reasons.
So, it is not that people are unaware. What they want is an alternative option. As Pinki Singh says, “I am a concerned citizen but unless I am provided with an alternative I will keep using it .The plastic bags are more strong and durable than paper bags.” So in spite of the health hazards, plastic bags are here to stay for the time being.

Dangers of polybags

*Polybags being non biodegradable can
effect soil composition

*Drain clogging by plastic bags can lead to
breeding of Mosquitoes and sewage
overflowing.

*Burning of Polybags cause the production
of CO[carbon monoxide ]and other
hazardous gases

By
Saurabh sharma
Photo:Gargi Nim



Early in the morning after a long sleep most of us yearn for bed tea. This one cup of tea comes like a fresh life. Many are addicted to it and have it several times a day. Ask any student preparing for IIT or IAS entrance exam, what are the things he can not live without? His obvious answer would be books and chai. From social gatherings to corporate meetings, from street corners to shopping malls, chai has indeed reached every sphere of our life.

Next to water, chai, or tea, is considered to be world’s most consumed beverage. In India it’s an indispensable part of our lives. “I can not point out a single reason why I like tea, it’s just that I love the taste and aroma of various tea flavors, and in winter holding a hot cup of tea and sipping it all day long is a great way to relax” says Muzaffer Ali Syed, an engineer in Schneider Electric New Delhi.

Journey of tea has now moved from tea stalls to chai bars. Tea lovers are now not confined to their homes or to the smudged dhabas. Pappu tea stall on the pavement has now given way to Tea Bars.

Oxford Cha bar at Statesman Building in Connaught place is one such happening place in Delhi for tea connoisseurs. Anyone with a deep pocket can unwind here and that too in the company of books. The menu includes 85 select brews from all quality tea growing regions of India and the world over. The list includes teas like Bollywood Mix Masala Cha, Truck drivers "100 meel ki" cha, Darjeeling Gold's etc. Everst café in the bustling Paharganj's Main Bazaar, Premier's in Gole market, Chai Garam in Living mall at Jasola Vihar are few such places for tea lovers.

Even in the age of Pepsi and Coke, tea is a hot favorite drink among the students fraternity. Daddu, a canteen owner at Prestige Institute of Management and Research, Indore says “Chai is what I sell most. There is pressure from the students to keep the canteen open even on Sundays as many of them come on Sundays too”. Rahul Gaur, student of India Institute of Technology, Bombay shares his views, “In college chai is my best buddy. It keeps me fresh when i get tired. In the fight to remain awake at nights chai is the only thing which invigorates me. And how can i forget all those intellectual and silly discussions over tea”.

Indians are in love with tea and the tea grown here is famous across the globe. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the chai has different names as different are the ways to prepare it. While traveling in train our sleep get disrupted with the echoing sound of “chai-ee, chai-eeeee, chai-eeeeeee. Thus, tea holds a special place in the Indian culture as it acts as an ice breaker. Tea played an important part in most of the arranged marriages in India as the first meeting is always held over tea. So, are you in mood for some tea?

Benefits of Tea

1. Tea contains antioxidants which protects body from the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.
2. Tea may reduce risk of heart attack and stroke and also protects our bones.
3. Tea bolsters your immune defenses. Drinking tea may help your body's immune system fight off infection.
4. Tea protects against cancer. Thank the polyphenols, the antioxidants found in tea, once again for their cancer-fighting effects.
5. Tea increases your metabolism. Lots of people complain about a slow metabolic rate and their inability to lose weight.

By
Akanksha Kukreti
Photo:Gargi Nim

NEW DELHI

Gaurav Dabral, a 27-year-old IT professional in Bangalore,
woke up one morning and sat in front of his television set. His yoga class was about to start. On TV. But he made a mistake and had to pay for it. He had a slip disc on the back.

Practising yoga is good for health but wrong practice of it end in serious problems. Any negligence can lead to lifelong ailments.
If you really want to save yourself from the trouble, read on.

The Thumb Rule

It is always safer to do exercises that suit your body and do them only
under somebody’s guidance. A Delhi based yoga instructor Priyanka
Verma says: “Yoga has the motive of uniting body and mind. It is always
safer to do it under somebody’s guidance”.

Dr. Zubia Veqar, a lecturer at Centre for Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, agrees that you need to be cautious while doing Yoga . “There are hardly any cases of people who come for physiotherapy after the wrong practice of yoga but definitely yoga is one such practice which should be done under proper guidance of an experienced instructor”, she says.

Priyanka talks of a Delhi-based yoga institute (name kept confidential) which conducts free yoga classes in the morning. She says that such yoga institutes provide free classes and many people join them. But they are very harmful because each body is different and different ailments require different treatments or different exercises. “This practice needs at least 3-4 months of regular practice under an experienced instructor and also a great discipline to learn. Then only you can do it on your own,” she adds.

Accepting the Mistake

“After committing the mistake of doing yoga in a wrong manner people still don’t accept it in public,” says Gaurav Dabral. Priyanka also agrees that very often people don’t admit their mistakes. “They feel they would become an object of ridicule if they do so. So there are hardly any such cases that come to limelight,” she points out. “Television is good for motivation but it should not be solely used as a guide,”that is Priyanka’s word of caution for fitness freaks.