tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23924472576127099132024-03-28T10:58:08.239+05:30THE READING ROOMThis blog is primarily for media aspirants as well as young journalists. My aim is to provide links to articles that will enhance their understanding of the media and help them to improve their writing skills, broaden their horizons, and expand their worldview. My hope is that The Reading Room will also help them to become good media professionals.Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.comBlogger700125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-57890381204641000702017-05-01T10:10:00.001+05:302020-10-07T15:42:10.892+05:30Exploring the Northeast: my travel blog<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUze4_JWWdoHpiD0OwRBUohvtPa6lqAtMJHYtcM6sCURicThlwirePjOCa5FJBYL8Z37H-ao0glgOEAK1LMXLq9kWWGV3U19O9stwy_TJrpZKF0OmNtWSh9w1bY0mLf_RIoXhoF7RqyGR/s1600/NE+Photos1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPUze4_JWWdoHpiD0OwRBUohvtPa6lqAtMJHYtcM6sCURicThlwirePjOCa5FJBYL8Z37H-ao0glgOEAK1LMXLq9kWWGV3U19O9stwy_TJrpZKF0OmNtWSh9w1bY0mLf_RIoXhoF7RqyGR/s400/NE+Photos1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Manipur</b>: Floating islands, navigating a "phumdi", a tribute to the fallen, mythical dragons, a live concert... click <a href="https://tripmeter2017.blogspot.com/2017/04/how-to-experience-best-of-manipur-assam.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBSCQ2qebt86vgun2otdEPPRbSo1NOjzKp-KAIJC_aykwbv5VZRLl2JOBLq1sy8bB-v8oG8FnCh0odw4iuTIanGfdEj1fkib9ue51Yd4Lpnn2EZ7PdApyHZ8XL-ppVyuFQiDVc-TgfwHo/s1600/Rhinos+Bagori.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBSCQ2qebt86vgun2otdEPPRbSo1NOjzKp-KAIJC_aykwbv5VZRLl2JOBLq1sy8bB-v8oG8FnCh0odw4iuTIanGfdEj1fkib9ue51Yd4Lpnn2EZ7PdApyHZ8XL-ppVyuFQiDVc-TgfwHo/s400/Rhinos+Bagori.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Assam:</b> Rhinos, rustic chic, the world's biggest river island, traditional dances, tribal culture, a dinner cruise on the mighty Brahmaputra... click <a href="https://tripmeter2017.blogspot.com/2017/04/how-to-experience-best-of-manipur-assam_24.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><b>Meghalaya:</b> Living Root Bridge, Asia's cleanest village, the wettest place on earth, Mawsmai Cave... click <a href="https://tripmeter2017.blogspot.com/2017/04/how-to-experience-best-of-manipur-assam_28.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>
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<li><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2129;">ALSO READ: <a href="https://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.com/2011/04/blast-from-past-travels-in-malaysia.html" target="_blank">Blast from the past: Travels in Malaysia</a>.</span></li>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-45625908898427100072017-03-05T13:13:00.000+05:302018-07-19T12:34:01.849+05:30How grit can make you successful in your career<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How important is the grit factor? Grit, defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals, isn't something you are born with. It can be learned. Here's how:</span></div>
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<u><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">LISTEN TO THESE TWO FASCINATING PODCASTS</span></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/472162167/the-power-and-problem-of-grit&source=gmail&ust=1488778905724000&usg=AFQjCNGrIfT-_wld1QjAgGI-qX5Ixw3QEw" href="http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/472162167/the-power-and-problem-of-grit" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Hidden Brain, hosted by Shankar Vedantam</a> (here you can listen to this particular episode, download the podcast, and read the transcript)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Freakonomics Radio, hosted by Stephen J. Dubner </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">—</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> click on this link:</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://freakonomics.com/podcast/grit/&source=gmail&ust=1488778905724000&usg=AFQjCNFQU60Tz2Wkvxka0xiZEuTcATUcqA" href="http://freakonomics.com/podcast/grit/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">How to Get More Grit in Your Life</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("https://resources.blogblog.com/blogblog/data/tictac_blue/tictac_blue.gif"); background-origin: initial; background-position: left 6px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 14px;"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the way, NPR is a wonderful source of some gripping podcasts, as is Longform. Here are some of my favourites:</span></b></li>
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.5px;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/06/the-mother-of-all-podcasts-serial.html" style="color: #333399;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The mother of all podcasts: Serial</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/06/do-you-have-dark-thoughts.html" style="color: #333399;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do you have dark thoughts?</span></a></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/you-can-learn-so-much-from-listening-to.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333399; line-height: 19.32px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/02/why-you-should-listen-to-this.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333399;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Why you should listen to this spellbinding podcast interview with the mother of one of the Columbine shooters</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/listen-in-as-rukmini-callimachi.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333399;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Listen in as Rukmini Callimachi, the remarkable journalist who is tracking ISIS, talks about possibly the most difficult of media assignments</span></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">ALSO:</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333399; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2010/06/best-indian-podcasts.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333399;" target="_blank">The best Indian podcasts</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333399; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #333399; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/08/who-are-these-people-who-get-bombed.html" target="_blank">Who are these people who get bombed while doing their work but keep going back?</a></span></div>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-12046066849316470972017-01-08T11:33:00.000+05:302017-01-30T15:27:38.364+05:30If newspapers die, what would happen to allied media fields? What would happen to, say, PR and advertising?<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">THE NOTE I SENT OUT TO MY STUDENTS JUST NOW:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Hindustan Times</i> is shutting down its Kolkata edition as well as its editions in Ranchi, Bhopal, and Indore. Details <a href="https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/01/06/hindustan-times-is-shutting-down-four-editions" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One of the reasons could be a decline in circulation followed by a decrease in ad revenue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Young people (including media students, some of whom get as much as Rs.5,000 a month as pocket money) refuse to pay as little as four or five rupees to buy a newspaper. Could this be the reason for a decline in circulation?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I urge you to consider what would happen if newspapers and magazines all over the country were to suffer the fate of <i>HT</i>'s Kolkata, Ranchi, Bhopal, and Indore editions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If newspapers die, what would happen to allied media fields? What would happen to, say, PR and advertising?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What would happen to journalism?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do use your imagination to consider what would happen to your career in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And please think about buying at least one newspaper every day. And persuade your friends to do so too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Best wishes,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">RP</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">UPDATE (January 17, 2017)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Death of a newspaper: Read this piece on <i>The Hoot</i>, which describes how <i>HT</i>'s Bhopal edition was </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"slowly stifled before it was shut down earlier this week" </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">—</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.thehoot.org/media-watch/media-business/a-requiem-for-the-hindustan-times-bhopal-9898" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">A requiem for the <i>Hindustan Times</i>, Bhopal</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">UPDATE (January 19, 2017)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>There is already blood on the floor of one of the last bastions of print media in the world. Major national dailies are shutting editions, laying off staff, slashing costs, and freezing expansions and investments. Smaller papers have been doing this for the last five years. Worse is to come if taxes are raised under the GST regime, if the damaging two-month impact of demonetisation persists in this quarter and the next, and if the government does not at least part-discontinue the wage board.</b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">That is an excerpt from a hard-hitting edit in <i>The Times of India</i> today. Read the column in its entirety here: <a href="http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-editorials/indian-newspaper-industry-red-ink-splashed-across-the-bottom-line-hard-hit-by-factors-beyond-its-control-print-media-needs-reasonable-tax-and-labour-policies/" target="_blank">Indian newspaper industry: Red ink splashed across the bottom line <span style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;">—</span> Hard-hit by factors beyond its control, print media needs reasonable tax and labour policies</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>UPDATE (January 30, 2017)</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>WHY <i>THE GUARDIAN</i> WANTS YOU TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION:</b></span><br />
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-87365442736042446272017-01-06T15:04:00.002+05:302017-01-06T15:06:46.025+05:30Can you write a three-word intro? Do three-word intros work?<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here is the three-word intro Sam Borden wrote for a golf story in <i>The New York Times</i>:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was in.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To understand why it is a great intro, you will need to read a little bit more. But don't take my word for it. Instead let a master, the man I consider my journalism guru, Roy Peter Clark, guide you through the story's spectacular structure. Here is Clark's post: <a href="http://want%20a%20lesson%20in%20focusing%20your%20writing/?%20Read%20this%20hole-in-one%20lead" target="_blank">Want a lesson in focusing your writing? Read this hole-in-one lead</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">PS: Marvel too at the nut graf in the original news report <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">—</span> again, just three words.</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Learn more about Roy Peter Clark: <a href="https://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2010/11/power-of-writing.html" target="_blank">The power of writing</a>. Commits students can also borrow from our library three wonderful books written by Clark: <i>Help! for Writers, How to Write Short, </i>and <i>The Glamour of Grammar.</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>O</i>n New Year's Eve, Roy Peter Clark retired from Poynter, a legendary journalism institute. His first piece since retirement was published six days later: <a href="http://www.poynter.org/2017/forty-things-i-learned-about-the-writing-craft-in-40-years/442125/" target="_blank">40 things I learned about the writing craft in 40 years</a>. There are so many great points on the list, these three especially:</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>8. Tools not rules</b>: We could think of writing as carpentry, learning how to use a set of tools. Rules were all about what is right and what is wrong. Tools are all about cause and effect, what we build for the audience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>9. Reports vs. stories: </b>Reading scholar Louise Rosenblatt described a distinction I adapted to journalism: that reports were crafted to convey information — pointing you there. Stories were about vicarious experience, a form of transportation — putting you there. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-weight: 700;">19. Emphatic word order:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> The journalist with news judgment decides what is most interesting or most important. That judgment can be conveyed in word order, placing the key words at the beginning or end. Not “The Queen is dead, my lord.” But “The Queen, my lord, is dead.”</span></span>Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-10092513236093291282016-12-28T14:09:00.000+05:302017-03-12T09:24:36.893+05:30What does it mean to be an effective altruist? A fascinating podcast interview has the answer<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We are (mostly) happy to help people who are less fortunate than we are, provided it doesn't cost us too much in terms of time, effort, and money.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So how do you account for people who go out of their way to provide succour to those in need, no matter what it costs them in terms of time, effort, and money?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That was the subject of a fascinating <i>Bookworm </i>podcast discussion between host Michael Silverblatt and <i>New Yorker</i> staff writer Larissa MacFarquhar, which I was privileged to listen to recently.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was so impressed I not only ordered MacFarquhar's book, which focuses on what she calls "effective altruism"; I also urged my students to listen to the interview and submit their impressions in a short article afterwards. "There is no word limit," I told them, "but there are two conditions: You must use your imagination and you must make it interesting to read."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Out of the 30 or so submissions, I found <b>Shreya Roy's write-up</b> to be exceptional, so here it is for your reading pleasure:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>LIFE IN THEIR SHOES</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Life. What is this life we are living? Have you ever taken a minute out of your life to think about life? By that I mean taking the time out of your busy schedule to think about the lives of others out there and not your own.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>SHREYA ROY</b></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just one minute. That’s all it takes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately we all know the answer to that question. We don’t! And why would we want to think about other people’s lives anyway. We are so busy struggling with our own we never think about what others are going through in life. We complain over and over again. Unfortunately, life isn’t a bed of roses.</span><br />
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is just one word to define us individuals. </span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Selfish.</span><br />
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yes, that’s right. We are selfish human beings. All we think about is ‘I’ rather than ‘you’. We always see life from our own perspective rather than someone else’s.</span><br />
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Take a moment to think about what it would be to like to live the life of someone who has never seen her own mother or father. How would her life be different from that of yours? Does she even get 1% of the love that you get? What are her feelings? What goes through her mind every second of the day? Put yourself in her shoes for once.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fortunately (and unfortunately for some of us), there are certain people in this life who care more about others than about themselves. They care about being effective irrespective of what others think of them. They are extremists in their own way of life and would go to any extent to help the needy, give them the love they deserve. These especially good Samaritans are the focus of Larissa MacFarquhar's first book, S<i>trangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Strangers Drowning</i> talks about many different kinds of people who have committed themselves to helping others in an extreme way. It’s more to do with "effective altruism", which is so rare to find these days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And it is these altruists who make a difference in this world. They see things from a different perspective. Why? Because that is what gives them a reason to live. To serve society this way. They feel if they can have the means to buy branded clothes, why can’t they use the same amount of money to save a life? Precisely why </span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">MacFarquhar has included in her book the story of an American</span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> couple who adopt two children in distress. But then they think: If they can change two lives, why not four? Or ten? They adopt 20. But how do they weigh the needs of unknown children in distress against the needs of the children they already have?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is interesting that </span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">MacFarquhar</span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> would never put herself in the category of the people she is writing about. She doesn’t believe in being an altruist herself, precisely why, she says, she became a writer. The fact that she put herself out there to find out more about what drives such people itself is praiseworthy. </span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not only does </span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">MacFarquhar</span><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> put herself in their shoes but she also tries to explain what true effective altruism is all about.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Strangers Drowning</i> showcases a world of strangers drowning in need and the different ways by which these do-gooders help to make their world a better place.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Moreover, is it right to care for strangers even at the expense of those we are closest to? <i>Strangers Drowning</i> challenges us to think about what we value most, and why.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now that you have read Shreya's well-articulated thoughts on the podcast interview, surely you will want to listen in on that absorbing conversation between Michael Silverblatt and Larissa MacFarquhar? Yes? Just head on over to the <i>Bookworm </i>website <span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">—</span> click <a href="https://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/bookworm/larissa-macfarquhar-strangers-drowning" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To learn more about the gifted host of</span> <i style="color: #292929; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bookworm</i><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, read </span><a href="http://www.believermag.com/issues/201006/?read=interview_silverblatt" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">this interview</a><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. You can also learn what things to avoid when conducting an interview.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #292929; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And to learn more about Larissa MacFarquhar, check out <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/17/larissa-macfarquhar-interview-people-think-im-a-total-freak-for-not-using-the-first-person" target="_blank">this interview</a> in <i>The Guardian</i>.</span></li>
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">ALSO READ:</span></div>
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<li><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Back in May last year, Shreya Roy had written a post for <i>The Commits Chronicle </i>about why she was glad she was joining Commits. Read her piece <u><a href="https://commitschronicle.blogspot.in/2016/05/no-161.html" target="_blank">here</a></u>.</span></b></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><b><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><u><a href="https://commitschronicle.blogspot.in/p/thank-you-commits-say-our-mmc-students.html" target="_blank">Thank you, Commits, say our MMC students</a></u></b></b></span></li>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-30949681515013595632016-10-13T10:54:00.000+05:302016-10-13T10:54:03.998+05:30Can you imagine a Reuters copy editor not knowing the difference between "it's" and "its"?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last evening I spotted a typo in a caption for a picture accompanying a story on the Reuters website. So I scrolled down to the "Corrections" tab and wrote this message:</span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">Rd Prabhu, Oct 12, 10:02 PM SGT:</strong><br />
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The Amazon Echo, a voice-controlled virtual assistant, is seen at it's product launch for Britain and Germany in London, Britain, September 14, 2016. REUTER/Peter Hobson</div>
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That is the caption for a photograph accompanying a Reuters story about Amazon's new music service. "...it's product launch"? That should be "...its product launch".</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shortly afterwards I received this automated response:</span></span></div>
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We will get back to you as soon as possible.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;">Kind regards,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;">The Reuters.com Team</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And when I took <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-music-idUSKCN12C0ML" target="_blank">a look at the story again</a>, the error had been corrected:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCSD5VzwuMxKr6yb4mZ3nmbqPpqE94Di31KJ29kyPPRoestWeFTN2iNQ_YOYPZfgzu2L337UXsCYKk2WD8W9SXQgMBtru512C4xGkqlE_E8ncFQDw8F6_ZYgZ7rRs3sxAFRS5c9Cww0uw/s1600/Reuters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCSD5VzwuMxKr6yb4mZ3nmbqPpqE94Di31KJ29kyPPRoestWeFTN2iNQ_YOYPZfgzu2L337UXsCYKk2WD8W9SXQgMBtru512C4xGkqlE_E8ncFQDw8F6_ZYgZ7rRs3sxAFRS5c9Cww0uw/s400/Reuters.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is it any wonder that a Google search for "its vs it's" throws up more than 13 million results?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2nU5tlTlo_hAH8vzilt0Fq_eg78GgHFoSr1RwINR3s5WlNGYPNRRvYNfExEeqUDFYGTe9c4IkjKi11_44DARPl7aNrHYzZowQaJGzoXwRPYA-qaxEUQyDEqyAynjOQfvYyzBBlCwhIjR/s1600/Reuters+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2nU5tlTlo_hAH8vzilt0Fq_eg78GgHFoSr1RwINR3s5WlNGYPNRRvYNfExEeqUDFYGTe9c4IkjKi11_44DARPl7aNrHYzZowQaJGzoXwRPYA-qaxEUQyDEqyAynjOQfvYyzBBlCwhIjR/s400/Reuters+2.jpg" width="385" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">ALSO READ:</span></b></li>
</ul>
<div>
<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/10/in-8-minutes-response-from-new-york.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In 8 minutes, a response from The New York Times to my e-mail pointing out a typo in a headline</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/even-journalists-seem-to-have-trouble.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Even journalists seem to have trouble figuring out when to use "I" and when to use "me"</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/04/every-writer-needs-editor-or-why-subs.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every writer needs an editor. Or, why subs are worth their weight in gold</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/09/why-american-writer-dinty-moore-is-all.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why American writer Dinty Moore is all praise for Indian speakers and writers of English</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/03/we-cant-ignore-typos-in-blog-post-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We can't ignore typos in a blog post by a sub-editor, can we?</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">An e-mail interaction with author Mardy Grothe — <a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2011/04/it-all-depends-on-telling-sure-but.html" target="_blank">It all depends on the telling, sure. But surely who does the telling matters?</a></span></div>
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<div>
<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/07/and-this-is-what-happens-when-subs-fall.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this is what happens when subs fall asleep on the job</span></a></div>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-3841137188701299432016-08-23T11:41:00.003+05:302016-08-23T11:41:49.952+05:30When both reporter and copy editor screw up big-time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KYhQkfy4vgRjgtxfynjoggwT_dzlOt7fSmH5gDatsLmlIrtRTJAMV1SBGQBXHc3wpP4leo3_rDzUscTQIKk_WEyMAfllkTL5kpNnkzamiXEpQ3v10t3UQNxGgG_opJV6LjSJUx_wNExl/s1600/Green+Bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9KYhQkfy4vgRjgtxfynjoggwT_dzlOt7fSmH5gDatsLmlIrtRTJAMV1SBGQBXHc3wpP4leo3_rDzUscTQIKk_WEyMAfllkTL5kpNnkzamiXEpQ3v10t3UQNxGgG_opJV6LjSJUx_wNExl/s320/Green+Bags.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br />Page 3 of <i>Bangalore Times</i> today <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">—</span> that should be "greenbacks" (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenback_(1860s_money)" target="_blank">a colloquial term for the US dollar</a>), not "green bags".</span></span><br />
<span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"></span></span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><ul>
<li><b>ALSO READ:</b> <a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/06/when-subs-fall-asleep-on-job.html" target="_blank">When subs fall asleep on the job</a></li>
</ul>
Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-80953734245570908702016-08-20T12:28:00.000+05:302016-08-23T14:41:04.082+05:30Who are these people who get bombed while doing their work but keep going back?<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And who are the people bringing us their stories?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Physicians working for <a href="http://www.msf.ca/en/who-we-are" target="_blank">Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)</a> have saved countless lives in troubled and war-torn regions over the years.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJUuzDpyG7q9tHnkNK_V4yDEb3Chd3APBl_0mRPYcb2zUH7GWoh6sdI5sG09a9NnXNjeD_hWJsvhtMPLAquffrDAFDIX5iIV3HE_kk44DiK5sW_vPh41YlCw3gBbchc6-4qM5OXm8Gy4s/s1600/Dr+Nav-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJUuzDpyG7q9tHnkNK_V4yDEb3Chd3APBl_0mRPYcb2zUH7GWoh6sdI5sG09a9NnXNjeD_hWJsvhtMPLAquffrDAFDIX5iIV3HE_kk44DiK5sW_vPh41YlCw3gBbchc6-4qM5OXm8Gy4s/s400/Dr+Nav-001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dr. Navpreet Sahsi, an emergency room physician from Toronto, on his daily rounds in an MSF camp in South Sudan. Dr. Nav, as he is known, features prominently in the podcast discussed below. Photo courtesy: NPR/David Gilkey</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But what does it take to volunteer for a mission with one of the world's leading humanitarian organisations?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And how will we, siting in the comfort of our homes, know what it means to be an MSF doctor if we didn't have journalists who risk their lives too by travelling to these dangerous areas to report on the work being done there by these amazing, brave, big-hearted men and women?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you want to know more, and I'm sure you do, click on this link: <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/05/25/478251493/five-days-and-five-nights-with-doctors-without-borders" target="_blank">Embedded for Five Days and Five Nights with Doctors Without Borders</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7YLdxHSqzYSGf77XqeFebUxeUNWkmi_ZAVZBfXrx6bnPvK68wpf05fMTDMU2CeSThTfTeeRL2sAzE7veBzrMLLhprVat6eRRWhG8nSX-Et1nE_qbvYtCMvq3lnvk8bNNwlcKbj1zTaBX/s1600/NPR+MSF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7YLdxHSqzYSGf77XqeFebUxeUNWkmi_ZAVZBfXrx6bnPvK68wpf05fMTDMU2CeSThTfTeeRL2sAzE7veBzrMLLhprVat6eRRWhG8nSX-Et1nE_qbvYtCMvq3lnvk8bNNwlcKbj1zTaBX/s320/NPR+MSF.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When you get to the page, click on the "play" icon to listen to the podcast.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When listening to the podcast, pay attention to the journalistic values </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">—</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> how similar is this podcast to a news feature in a newspaper?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also pay attention to the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Pronunciation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Voice modulation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Use of music</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Use of silences</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is a great example of "radio journalism".</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also, it's a great example of a human interest story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Who else but journalists can bring us such stories?</span></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>NPR is a wonderful source of some gripping podcasts, as is Longform. Here are some of my favourites:</b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/06/the-mother-of-all-podcasts-serial.html" target="_blank">The mother of all podcasts: Serial</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/06/do-you-have-dark-thoughts.html" style="color: #333399;" target="_blank">Do you have dark thoughts?</a></span></span></div>
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/you-can-learn-so-much-from-listening-to.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333399; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;" target="_blank">You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts</a></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/02/why-you-should-listen-to-this.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333399; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Why you should listen to this spellbinding podcast interview with the mother of one of the Columbine shooters</a></div>
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/listen-in-as-rukmini-callimachi.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333399; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Listen in as Rukmini Callimachi, the remarkable journalist who is tracking ISIS, talks about possibly the most difficult of media assignments</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>ALSO:</b></span></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px;">
<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2010/06/best-indian-podcasts.html" style="background-color: white; color: #333399; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">The best Indian podcasts</a></div>
</div>
<br />Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-69936189757555013702016-07-30T11:02:00.000+05:302016-07-31T12:32:05.959+05:30How marvellous it would be if you could edit your own writing......but there are not many people out there who are capable of doing so. Lisa Lepki of Ragan Communications understands that and she wants to help. So she has compiled a list of six common problems to fix "before your editor gets out the red pen":<br />
<br />
1. Replace adverbs with strong verbs.<br />
<br />
2. Fix repetitive use of initial pronouns.<br />
<br />
3. Get rid of clichés.<br />
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4. Declutter your writing by cutting redundancies.<br />
<br />
5. Eliminate your passive voice.<br />
<br />
6. Get rid of sticky sentences.<br />
<br />
Lepki elaborates on each point and also provides easy-to-grasp examples. Check out her post here: <a href="http://m.ragan.com/Main/Articles/99ed74f9-aa0f-4f51-be3d-aa1753bdfb37.aspx" target="_blank">6 self-editing tips to strengthen your writing</a>.<br />
<br />
Afterwards, download this free white paper, "10 ways to improve your writing today".<br />
<br />
"Whether you're composing a press release, a blog post, a script, or executive talking points, these techniques," Ragan claims, "will enhance your communication." Get the white paper <a href="http://www.ragan.com/Main/RaganWhitePaper10WaystoImproveWriting.aspx?utm_campaign=sm_inlnrc" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>ALSO READ: <a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/06/what-you-need-to-know-about-amateur.html" target="_blank">What you need to know about amateur writing vs professional writing</a></b></li>
</ul>
<br />Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-31697781134490697282016-07-17T09:37:00.000+05:302016-07-17T09:37:04.593+05:30"8 small things you do that people use to judge your personality"Yes, you will be judged on whether you are punctual, whether you arrive in time for class, for a date, for a meeting. But did you know you will also be judged on how you treat waiters? And where you look when you drink out of a cup?<br />
<br />
<i>Business Insider India</i> has helpfully made a list of eight small things we do that people use to judge us. Here's the list:<br />
<br />
1. Your handshake<br />
2. Whether you show up on time<br />
3. How you treat restaurant staff<br />
4. Where you look when you drink out of a cup<br />
5. Whether you bite your nails<br />
6. Your handwriting<br />
7. How often you check your phone<br />
8. Whether you make eye contact<br />
<br />
You can read this topical feature in its entirety <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/8-small-things-you-do-that-people-use-to-judge-your-personality/articleshow/48076889.cms" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-11633421862036048462016-07-16T09:17:00.003+05:302016-07-16T09:23:56.784+05:30"I'll drill you, I'll grill you, so that the industry won't kill you"What makes a journalism professor tick? This short video perhaps provides the answer:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TnfG6OYKh9s/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TnfG6OYKh9s?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">This profile was produced by Commitscions Shristi Thapliyal, Shreesha Ghosh, Meghana Khare, Dona Dey, Soumya Matham, Sneha Rudra, and Sudeshna Bardhan (Class of 2017).</span></i><br />
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<li><b>ALSO READ:</b></li>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/p/why-i-do-what-i-do.html" target="_blank">WHY I DO WHAT I DO, or What a joy it is to be a journalist and a journalism teacher!</a></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/12/media-matters-3-what-you-must-do-to.html" target="_blank">What you must do to become a journalist</a></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2010/09/if-you-love-what-you-do-is-it-work.html" target="_blank">If you love what you do, is it "work"?</a></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/02/golden-words-of-advice-for-journalism.html" target="_blank">Golden words of advice for journalism students</a><br />
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/02/on-journalism-commits-students-and.html" target="_blank">On journalism, Commits students, and the historic Commits-Network 18 tie-up</a></div>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-57747882969474942492016-07-14T10:09:00.000+05:302016-07-14T10:09:27.559+05:30What is it that makes life endurable?"...we all require devotion to something more than ourselves for our lives to be endurable. Without it, we have only our desires to guide us, and they are fleeting, capricious, and insatiable. They provide, ultimately, only torment."<br />
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~ Harvard philosopher Josiah Royce, quoted in a fascinating book I bought for myself recently, Atul Gawande's <i>Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDV50Gn05_F9giDqKOhJMTwEVwqYyj-LUA6YhOkvOwapOvvHf5eAoU75uopDrs-s4T9SpzlVQqwgKmjG5_VHQCMohY84899bAeBn_8R9C1YBNXIjutudsOoLCI1oWNwdoLPp6Q6M1r70Z/s1600/Being+Mortal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDV50Gn05_F9giDqKOhJMTwEVwqYyj-LUA6YhOkvOwapOvvHf5eAoU75uopDrs-s4T9SpzlVQqwgKmjG5_VHQCMohY84899bAeBn_8R9C1YBNXIjutudsOoLCI1oWNwdoLPp6Q6M1r70Z/s320/Being+Mortal.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<li>Want to know more about the book? Check out <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2014/10/11/book-review-being-mortal-medicine-and-what-matters-end-atul-gawande/JwyaLEIAGOs5guUGBiG2YN/story.html" target="_blank">this review</a>.<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></li>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-30677354872029535012016-07-13T09:37:00.002+05:302016-07-13T09:40:37.270+05:30Why you shouldn't worry about what people think of you<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are many young people out there who are sure to benefit from reading this first-person piece:</span><span style="font-family: "verdana";"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"So much of life is dictated by what others will think of us. In fact, we spend more time wondering what people will think rather than trying to accomplish things that will get them thinking about us in the first place."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dpnloxBIZH3ENmSH3rFv8KVnb3g4buo9czrWvrUXWJaaqLLWQkpm5fESZXcchpKOTg-fLCeCIRQTLVAwFbIlJBmvlJd6Agyn7AlMAypmcOxuItqcXVA3WVsetzZQ85vGBpOJyAZib8y4/s1600/Fullscreen+capture+7132016+93319+AM.bmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dpnloxBIZH3ENmSH3rFv8KVnb3g4buo9czrWvrUXWJaaqLLWQkpm5fESZXcchpKOTg-fLCeCIRQTLVAwFbIlJBmvlJd6Agyn7AlMAypmcOxuItqcXVA3WVsetzZQ85vGBpOJyAZib8y4/s400/Fullscreen+capture+7132016+93319+AM.bmp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Click </span><a href="http://www.sanjaycomedy.com/2016/07/12/if-you-care-what-people-think-youre-not-thinking/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-26480726714116688402016-07-03T10:39:00.001+05:302016-07-03T10:39:48.104+05:30Playing the role of a television interviewer<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Watch this clip <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">from my days as the host of a TV show on TMG Enter, the technology channel launched by the company I joined back in 1999 in Bangalore.</span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw_BuYH4j032AfqQqFnWrtlehIy1W0XO4NWCVJpHmJEtvR5NEkCBgRbeXQn48fuQ4i93cClPPcGstnn1pQlwQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep in mind that I have done a fair amount of research to be able to ask my guest relevant questions about a topic I am not an expert on. He is the expert. I am also listening to the answers so that I can ask follow-up questions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep in mind, too, that this chat is meant for an audience comprising technology enthusiasts and people from the tech industry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope watching this video will give Audiovisual Communication students some insight into how they can prepare for and produce their own chat programme for their TV news shows.</span></div>
Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-48850220734873260712016-06-24T15:01:00.003+05:302016-06-24T15:01:57.830+05:30YOU ARE A WRITER<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You may say you’re not a writer. But if you have a job that requires communicating with others, you are. If you keep a to-do list, that’s writing. If you draft a project plan, report, or meeting agenda, that’s writing. And, if you’re like most writers, you want to be more skilled at using your words."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~ From a promo for <a href="https://evernote.com/?var=c" target="_blank">Evernote</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ALSO READ:</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/06/great-writing-can-be-learnt.html" target="_blank">Great writing can be learnt</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/09/the-key-to-all-good-writing-is.html" target="_blank">"The key to all good writing is understanding your audience"</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/06/what-you-need-to-know-about-amateur.html" target="_blank">What you need to know about amateur writing vs professional writing</a></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/04/what-matters-most-in-good-writing.html" target="_blank">What matters most in good writing</a></li>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2013/03/want-to-be-taken-seriously-become.html" target="_blank">"Want to be taken seriously? Become a better writer"</a></li>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-50220965238141369802016-06-24T14:34:00.002+05:302017-08-19T14:31:25.234+05:30The world is your oyster...<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">...when you have the 3 i's: Interest, Initiative, Imagination.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And Sumukh Mehta, a 21-year-old Bangalorean, seems to have the 3 i's by the bucketful.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOeF6ovzoCntdfMXCTtmk_LYiX6dKGeD1XWC7mRZDrK1bYt5_hlJWgXPjObCOClFVyoGih_49WJeb-zaC6DiKOK1i9XeN6xKY6K_A1_IOyCo7a4U9zqVmjLb8kSlmaJPG05OpJ-PfuLcS/s1600/Sumukh+GQ.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOeF6ovzoCntdfMXCTtmk_LYiX6dKGeD1XWC7mRZDrK1bYt5_hlJWgXPjObCOClFVyoGih_49WJeb-zaC6DiKOK1i9XeN6xKY6K_A1_IOyCo7a4U9zqVmjLb8kSlmaJPG05OpJ-PfuLcS/s400/Sumukh+GQ.jpeg" width="282" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">That's Sumukh on the cover of <i>GQ</i>. What's he doing there, you ask? Read all about it here: </span><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sumukh-mehta-gq-resume_us_57683212e4b015db1bca1dd1?section=india" target="_blank">Your Resumé Doesn’t Stand A Chance Against This Dude’s Ridiculously Creative One</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sumukh's story featured prominently on the websites of many news outlets. Here's how it played out on the BBC's site: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36588029/this-graduate-made-his-cv-look-like-gq-magazine---and-it-worked" target="_blank">This graduate made his CV look like GQ magazine </a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36588029/this-graduate-made-his-cv-look-like-gq-magazine---and-it-worked" target="_blank">—</a></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36588029/this-graduate-made-his-cv-look-like-gq-magazine---and-it-worked" target="_blank"> and it worked</a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>ALSO READ:</b></span><br />
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<li><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2011/03/hows-this-for-initiative.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">How's this for initiative (Aaqib Javed's story)?</a></li>
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<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/04/how-to-write-e-mail-that-will-get-you.html" target="_blank">How to write an e-mail that will get you your dream internship (Commitscion Tia Raina's story)</a></span></li>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-3533832226120176112016-06-24T11:48:00.001+05:302016-06-27T10:40:21.128+05:30WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MEDIA PLANNER (THANK YOU, COMMITS!)<b style="background-color: #fafafa; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.6px;">Poorvi Kothari (Class of 2014) wrote this piece for <a href="http://commitschronicle.blogspot.in/2016/06/no-167.html" target="_blank">The Commits Chronicle</a> in June 2016:</span></span></b><i style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Before I joined Commits I had no idea that a role like media planning even existed. But thanks to our classes with Mala Ma’am (Malavika Harita, CEO of <u><a href="http://www.saatchifocus.com/" style="color: #009eb8; display: inline; font-family: "Helvetica Neue Light", HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.3s;" target="_blank">Saatchi Focus</a></u>), I not only learnt a lot about advertising but I also got introduced to some great roles, like those of media planners.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And that’s the beauty of Commits. You can come in without even knowing what you want to do or what you are capable of, but one thing is for sure, you’ll leave with a vision, direction, and goal in life.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">POORVI AT HER DESK AT THE GROUPM OFFICE IN BENGALURU.</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So what exactly is media planning? When I say I work as a media planner, people usually get a little excited and ask, oh, so you are in the TV industry? To which I politely say no. Then they jump to the next possibility: Oh, so then you are a journalist? To which I again say no. As I start explaining how the advertising world works, they become impatient and ask, oh, so you make ads? I say no, I just plan them. By then, even though they haven’t understood what “plan” means in this context they give up and say, oh, okay, that sounds good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, yes, “media planner” is not a profession that everyone gets right away, like “journalist” or “copywriter”. Let me, therefore, try to put it in simple terms: Imagine a mind-blowing advertisement that never reaches its target audience. What good is the ad then? Media planners ensure that a brand’s ad is served up to the right audience. We are like distributors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After an ad is created, media planners think of the best ways to reach out to the brand’s target audience (be it print, TV, radio, or digital). This involves a lot of statistical analysis as well as number-crunching. Media budgets are huge, typically in crores of rupees. Using this money to effectively reach out to a million consumers in the target audience is a big challenge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I could go on about everything that happens in media planning, or at work, or at client meetings where we are grilled for explanations about why we are spending this much on a particular medium/channel/programme/website/newspaper, etc., or what the rationale is behind a particular strategy. We are talking big bucks here so, often, we play the role of lawyers, accountants, strategists, and investment bankers.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5pY4QW82FJYmaMte8yKh3k9oEk6I9jKIvWFev0_8MrWsKp1yc32TenW5n0PJgwyUiJESlMOuwTcQVPHcVg4WubXLfr9QYAq53C7zYB8UWqsiK4WwEmqBuAz3E-bw7bCNvU9cQxeDhnE/s1600/Poorvi%2526Reya_GroupM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #009eb8; display: inline; font-family: "Helvetica Neue Light", HelveticaNeue-Light, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; outline: none; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.3s;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5pY4QW82FJYmaMte8yKh3k9oEk6I9jKIvWFev0_8MrWsKp1yc32TenW5n0PJgwyUiJESlMOuwTcQVPHcVg4WubXLfr9QYAq53C7zYB8UWqsiK4WwEmqBuAz3E-bw7bCNvU9cQxeDhnE/s400/Poorvi%2526Reya_GroupM.jpg" style="-webkit-border-image: url("data:image/png; border-image-repeat: stretch; border-image-slice: 9; border-image-source: url("data:image/png; border-image-width: 9px; border: 9px none; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 8px; position: relative;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.2px;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">POORVI WITH HER TEAM MEMBER, COMMITSCION REYA DUTTA (CLASS OF 2015).</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To sum up, media planning is the business side of advertising. It is not all about numbers, though. To me, media planning is a good mix of creativity and ingenuity combined with a knack for identifying key insights about what we refer to as media consumption. What I really love is how beautifully numbers can tell us stories, and the best part is when you are trying to sell a story and your job becomes so much easier because you can do so on the back of some powerful data.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Creative agencies feel proud when their TV commercials are seen on air, but for us it’s satisfying when people say, Hey, did you see that ad? It’s all over the place, man! That’s when I know, okay, I did a decent job there.</span></div>
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<li><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.6px;">Here are three ads whose media plans were prepared by Poorvi and her team:</b></li>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-79254015147247763122016-06-23T14:58:00.000+05:302016-07-03T10:12:38.325+05:30The mother of all podcasts: Serial<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><i>More than 80 million downloads of the 12 episodes that make up Season One.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">That <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_(podcast)" target="_blank">single statistic</a> speaks volumes for the popularity of <i>Serial</i>, which is often referred to as the mother of all podcasts. In fact, <i>Serial </i>changed the way the world thought about podcasts. <i>The New York Times</i> has written that the phenomenal success of <i>Serial </i>lies <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/opinion/hooked-on-the-freewheeling-podcast-serial.html?_r=1" target="_blank">"in its willingness to defy some of the worst trends in journalism"</a>, while <i>The Washington Post </i>has described it as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/11/13/serial-an-investigative-journalism-podcast-becomes-a-cultural-obsession/" target="_blank">an investigative journalism podcast that became a cultural obsession</a>.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qlC2ED5S8T0Lxgf21DHJrGwR8p8zJg35bhyphenhyphenQlTXIb1MDpk4zwyL91Xy9-SIltZQNWhy-W5T_npMN_jSrdw0rOoXUtDvUjlJ2WNSDa0iYMOYMBzG5h-EBv2WvL6xJ083pxcLS68Ifne-G/s1600/Serial+RR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qlC2ED5S8T0Lxgf21DHJrGwR8p8zJg35bhyphenhyphenQlTXIb1MDpk4zwyL91Xy9-SIltZQNWhy-W5T_npMN_jSrdw0rOoXUtDvUjlJ2WNSDa0iYMOYMBzG5h-EBv2WvL6xJ083pxcLS68Ifne-G/s400/Serial+RR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Strangely, hardly anyone I know has even heard of this revolutionary podcast, even though it was first aired nearly two years ago. I got wind of it last year and I was hooked immediately because, <span style="line-height: 22.4px;">with every episode ending with a cliffhanger</span>, </span><i style="color: #252525; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Serial </i><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">is very much a "TRUE CRIME" THRILLER.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">But it is also journalism; radio; research. Voice modulation; the usage of background music. It showcases the art of interviewing. And it gives us an insight into the importance of script-writing. Believe me, everything about <i>Serial </i>is FASCINATING.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">For media students, especially those who have chosen Audiovisual Communication, this is an invaluable tool — it will help them better understand their chosen field.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">Get your fix <a href="https://serialpodcast.org/season-one" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">And read up on the impact of <i>Serial</i>: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/business/media/serial-podcastings-first-breakout-hit-sets-stage-for-more.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=RelatedCoverage&region=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article" target="_blank">Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><b>UPDATE (June 30, 2016):</b> From <i>The New York Times</i>, "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/us/serial-adnan-syed-new-trial.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1" target="_blank">Adnan Syed, of <i>Serial </i>Podcast, Gets a Retrial in Murder Case</a>".</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 22.4px;">Season Two of <i>Serial </i>kicked off in December last year. But while Season One will be of interest to a general audience, Season Two, in my view, will appeal only to an American audience. Of course, you can make up your mind after you read co-producer and host Sarah Koenig's <a href="https://serialpodcast.org/2015/12/season-two-welcome" target="_blank">Welcome Note</a>.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;">The phenomenal success of <i>Serial </i>has led to a boom in podcast-production. The number of apps that enable you to search for and listen to podcasts has also increased exponentially. Here are my posts about my favourite podcasts:</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.4px;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/06/do-you-have-dark-thoughts.html" target="_blank">Do you have dark thoughts?</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/you-can-learn-so-much-from-listening-to.html" style="color: #333399; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;" target="_blank">You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts</a></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/02/why-you-should-listen-to-this.html" style="color: #333399; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;" target="_blank">Why you should listen to this spellbinding podcast interview with the mother of one of the Columbine shooters</a></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/listen-in-as-rukmini-callimachi.html" style="color: #333399; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;" target="_blank">Listen in as Rukmini Callimachi, the remarkable journalist who is tracking ISIS, talks about possibly the most difficult of media assignments</a></div>
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<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2010/06/best-indian-podcasts.html" style="color: #333399; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;" target="_blank">The best Indian podcasts</a></div>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-47009633775632855322016-06-17T14:50:00.001+05:302016-06-17T14:52:34.607+05:30Do you have dark thoughts?<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">Such as "I am no good." Or "No one likes me." Or worse.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even if you don't, here's an NPR podcast that delves into the secret history of thoughts while giving us two real stories that begin in pretty dark fashion. Both, however (especially the second one), end on such a joyous note you will get a kick out of listening to them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Of course, ultimately, this is a great piece of (audio) journalism.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To listen to "The Secret History of Thoughts" on the "Invisibilia" podcast, click <a href="http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510307/invisibilia" target="_blank">here</a> and scroll down to the episode. If you want to download it, click on the "ellipsis button" and choose "Download". You can also subscribe to </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;">"Invisibilia" on the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bambuna.podcastaddict&hl=en-GB" target="_blank">Podcast Addict</a> app, which is my favourite app for listening to podcasts while I'm driving to and from work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><b>ADDITIONAL READING (AND LISTENING)</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/you-can-learn-so-much-from-listening-to.html" target="_blank">You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts</a></span></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2016/02/why-you-should-listen-to-this.html" target="_blank">Why you should listen to this spellbinding podcast interview with the mother of one of the Columbine shooters</a></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/11/listen-in-as-rukmini-callimachi.html" target="_blank">Listen in as Rukmini Callimachi, the remarkable journalist who is tracking ISIS, talks about possibly the most difficult of media assignments</a></span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2010/06/best-indian-podcasts.html" target="_blank">The best Indian podcasts</a></span></li>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-10818298251501858062016-06-17T14:25:00.001+05:302016-06-17T15:17:53.297+05:30GREAT WRITING CAN BE LEARNT<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Shakespeare got better because he learnt. Now some people will tell you great writing cannot be learnt. Such people should be hit repeatedly on the nose until they promise not to talk nonsense anymore."</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">~ From an extremely witty book I have just begun reading (thank you, <a href="http://www.e-desinews.com/" target="_blank">Shagorika Easwar</a>, for the recommendation)</span></span></div>
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Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-72101072037009263552016-06-09T12:28:00.002+05:302016-06-18T13:01:24.657+05:30When subs fall asleep on the job<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">From today's <i>Times of India</i></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCUpE9JLsU6OWwGtkW3VcEXUI-cR_JPm-z5cAkXlRsU6oTA248Cre0dzfNbLQW47Ryu68C0X7Pgdg72UbvSl7-65-uf4O5NuSdzUFUbGsE62xDktlfO4oTYI206veEOqiT6AmStr6xmMN/s1600/ToI+Page+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCUpE9JLsU6OWwGtkW3VcEXUI-cR_JPm-z5cAkXlRsU6oTA248Cre0dzfNbLQW47Ryu68C0X7Pgdg72UbvSl7-65-uf4O5NuSdzUFUbGsE62xDktlfO4oTYI206veEOqiT6AmStr6xmMN/s320/ToI+Page+4.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a. In an interview with labour minister Parameshwara Naik by Sandeep Moudgal on Page 4:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"</span><span style="color: #222222;">The ingenuity of these posts is to be verified."</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">I think that should read </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"</span><span style="color: #222222;">The genuineness of these posts is to be verified."</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">b. In a report headlined "Zika fears: Olympic champ freezes sperm" on Page 20:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>"... the couple were increasingly worried about mosquito-born Zika..."</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I think that should read "mosquito-borne Zika".</span></span><br />
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***</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiER22wUbbPfMpmyrMX0PcxgfMdU-imkxQZB3SsB1XmNDwnJSAtbO6185rvln7Q_It4GUv1ghP0mY0bWXYN2dbWSvnF15EaiB1PE8FO4sJ20zm6aIEjP-eB79RpzAMbL1dhVE9lOaTG1YKx/s1600/Modi+in+the+US.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiER22wUbbPfMpmyrMX0PcxgfMdU-imkxQZB3SsB1XmNDwnJSAtbO6185rvln7Q_It4GUv1ghP0mY0bWXYN2dbWSvnF15EaiB1PE8FO4sJ20zm6aIEjP-eB79RpzAMbL1dhVE9lOaTG1YKx/s400/Modi+in+the+US.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></b>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18px;">Q. What's wrong with that picture? Can you "point" out the issues?</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">A. It's "U.S.", not "U.S".</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18px;">***</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqT7CyrfvkIbG5d0ID2ahXyPUCXvTXolo9Lafp5uBab3e32aEoXxyGT7m4J2xpeV-LyR20k1VtPKFjTUbbYTK5tHhI4QmZOjDqh_PDIPcAc1n_d9JpwdWFxO7ODbiEuhHQWFP5OFGOI57j/s1600/Follo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqT7CyrfvkIbG5d0ID2ahXyPUCXvTXolo9Lafp5uBab3e32aEoXxyGT7m4J2xpeV-LyR20k1VtPKFjTUbbYTK5tHhI4QmZOjDqh_PDIPcAc1n_d9JpwdWFxO7ODbiEuhHQWFP5OFGOI57j/s400/Follo.png" width="225" /></a></div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></b>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18px;">Q. What's wrong with that headline?</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 18px;"><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px;">A. At the very least, it should read "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tamannaah speaks on why Katappa killed Baahubali!"</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Read an earlier post on the subject <a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2014/07/and-this-is-what-happens-when-subs-fall.html" target="_blank">here</a>. And then read this post: <a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2011/08/why-copy-editors-or-subs-are-lifeblood.html" target="_blank">Why subs, or copy editors, are the lifeblood of a news organisation</a>.</b></span></li>
</ul>
Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-43976021646799127182016-06-03T12:51:00.000+05:302016-06-03T12:51:22.164+05:30Some of the best news apps out there, for Android as well as iOS, in one post<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">FYI, I have been using Newsd since last night. The best thing about Newsd for me: Human editors provide a well-written summary of each story.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Uvkb5sOwnl-v3C2ipR9zZY8li0O7aPnXALiltSPQgL-Gb2Q_xkaBIWh5mwyGCGQ-VWqy_MtRmcKuZkA4E03AbZrfqjmA1Xao1QR33W07LgttinSZpk37azIQdHKpp_RRHL0673DzqOyl/s1600/News+Apps.bmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Uvkb5sOwnl-v3C2ipR9zZY8li0O7aPnXALiltSPQgL-Gb2Q_xkaBIWh5mwyGCGQ-VWqy_MtRmcKuZkA4E03AbZrfqjmA1Xao1QR33W07LgttinSZpk37azIQdHKpp_RRHL0673DzqOyl/s320/News+Apps.bmp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Check out the complete list <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/xnUcLCqR0bEp0iUVEQMbXO/Honey-I-shrunk-the-news.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-48784077835375015612016-05-30T15:13:00.000+05:302016-08-29T16:05:25.038+05:30What it takes to be included in an anthology of graphic non-fiction from India<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Last week, A.P. Payal, a young lecturer at the University of Delhi, became a published author. Her work of graphic non-fiction has been included in an anthology, <i>First Hand</i>, which was launched at a function in the capital on May 26.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">On behalf of the many aspiring authors out there, among whom are my students, I conducted an e-mail interview with Payal (disclosure: she is my niece) to better understand what it means to work as a comics artist. Here is the text of the Q&A:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. How did you get this project?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I follow Yoda Press/Yodakin on Facebook. They shared a call-for-proposals asking artists/writers to submit ideas for a short piece of graphic non-fiction. I was very excited by the fact that they were encouraging first-time comics artists to contribute. I jumped at the idea and got my proposal ready.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3t6iAgjeJZrkSxW_PjmUHG6dDrlDkPdsZqhpB0nqab8rn7o5NqayG2ziGl9gEkdTufrWjBx5QY1Tyw8kYGMx_SUAUPaLsvJMKqV7pdaLLIxW7jkACs1CgdWXdj55j03GQFZ5zPEmeHlYn/s1600/P1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3t6iAgjeJZrkSxW_PjmUHG6dDrlDkPdsZqhpB0nqab8rn7o5NqayG2ziGl9gEkdTufrWjBx5QY1Tyw8kYGMx_SUAUPaLsvJMKqV7pdaLLIxW7jkACs1CgdWXdj55j03GQFZ5zPEmeHlYn/s640/P1.jpg" width="348" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>PAYAL WITH A COPY OF <i>FIRST HAND</i></b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Did you meet the other authors before you began work on your story to get an understanding of the overall theme of the anthology?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yes. Vidyun Sabhaney Shohei Emura at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/captainbijli" target="_blank">Captain Bijli</a> (the co-facilitators of this project with Yoda Press and People Tree) organised short workshops for contributors to meet up and interact with each other. They also organised talks with published authors and comics creators so that we could learn from them. While not everybody was present at these events, the interaction with other contributors as well as established artists helped me a lot. It helped me think of pictorial storytelling in different ways.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKha2Yus92Ux-2cCFkbKGcqlRkHov830f_JkgYQ579ixgw-sWbrTgl731QysyaZsTaR_IUf30Y_IzDxw_rDsFJ2wcmoV3kA8wMXkukKdkvefUcNnD-u68iWJ7SxIWbTBaHH1B46jJbDdZ/s1600/PCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKha2Yus92Ux-2cCFkbKGcqlRkHov830f_JkgYQ579ixgw-sWbrTgl731QysyaZsTaR_IUf30Y_IzDxw_rDsFJ2wcmoV3kA8wMXkukKdkvefUcNnD-u68iWJ7SxIWbTBaHH1B46jJbDdZ/s640/PCover.jpg" width="428" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">THE TITLE PAGE OF PAYAL'S WORK</span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. How did you get the idea for your piece? And how did you go about researching this story?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a five-year-old I would listen with rapt attention to my paternal grandfather talking about the family's great escape from Burma (now Myanmar) during World War II. As he described the dense forests on the mountains of Burma, I would try to visualise their journey in my mind. This project gave me the opportunity to finally put those images to paper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately, my grandfather died years before I could take down his narrative formally.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My aunt (his niece), Sreedhari Soman, was eight years old when the family fled Burma and this graphic narrative is based on her recollection of these events. By combining my aunt's memories with my research, I attempted to recreate what they may have experienced.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My research consisted of reading scholarly articles and books that I accessed via the university. I read some first-hand accounts of similar migration stories in books, on blogs, and on websites. I also searched through books at IGNCA (Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts) to collect reference images/maps of Burma from 1941-42. Specialised naval archives online and websites with photos of military gear from the time were also very useful.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Why did you go the graphic route (instead of telling a text-only story)?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have grown up reading comics. Despite being a student of literature, I find myself naturally drawn to images. As a research scholar, I have spent a lot of time reading and researching visual art. This was a story that I really wanted to tell and I suppose I wanted to challenge myself by using images to tell it. As a medium, comics helped me to position this tale of survival within a historical context.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3p3JHzGerjL8m_CxAoWOVeFkpKJy32ozIGjxiFuLSc8bKZk0sNx87ZZiUnYjYzI8nh4AJPxO_pbv1czSUCc9sxxCeHWsG_EPOkOz1DeKV5M8uzZPFcRN-xadU6rCrl4vzsedp3jyJCFy/s1600/P2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3p3JHzGerjL8m_CxAoWOVeFkpKJy32ozIGjxiFuLSc8bKZk0sNx87ZZiUnYjYzI8nh4AJPxO_pbv1czSUCc9sxxCeHWsG_EPOkOz1DeKV5M8uzZPFcRN-xadU6rCrl4vzsedp3jyJCFy/s400/P2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A DOUBLE-SPREAD FROM PAYAL'S COMIC</span></b></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. How long did it take for you complete your story (from beginning to end)? Which software program did you use? Or were the illustrations and the lettering done by hand?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After multiple phone conversations with my aunt, it took me a little more than a month to put together the story and the sequencing of the panels. I also collated the academic research during this period. Collecting reference images was a continual process and went on over many months. It took me about two or three months to ink the illustrations on paper. I scanned the illustrations and used Adobe Photoshop to edit them. After the images were placed sequentially in Adobe InDesign, I placed text boxes and keying in the text. The PDF and the InDesign files were sent to the designer Pia Alize Hazarika. She chose a more appropriate font for my submission and put everyone's entries together.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6. What were the problems that arose during this project and how did you overcome them?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Initially, I was to work with an artist. That didn't materialise, luckily, because I was very keen on doing the comic myself. As I am not a full-time artist and lack a certain artistic finesse, I was quite worried that I might not be able to convince the publishers about my visual style. However, they supported me and encouraged me to take my time and slowly raise my own level of illustration.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I initially insisted on working with charcoal pencils but they suggested that I shift to ink. That really helped me to give detail to the piece, which made the visuals take on a life of their own.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I suppose the fear of rejection and pushing myself to be better were the real challenges that I had to overcome. Making comics is a long process and there are no short cuts. If you make a mistake while inking, you might have to go back and start from scratch. I learnt not to compromise and that was the best part.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLTJ51KAIINNk-ehtGQQgkZUIb5HXKYRqCrC2vb5qJi_bewb2M82KqmzDpbCP1qhYNnIWABUusS_hojexg8Y9US-kRJd1S2LBXkWFZ7vqScwzAH35YjAWgegfFC3b-icsrJr2Rbhl2x4o/s1600/First+Hand+Cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLTJ51KAIINNk-ehtGQQgkZUIb5HXKYRqCrC2vb5qJi_bewb2M82KqmzDpbCP1qhYNnIWABUusS_hojexg8Y9US-kRJd1S2LBXkWFZ7vqScwzAH35YjAWgegfFC3b-icsrJr2Rbhl2x4o/s400/First+Hand+Cover.jpeg" width="262" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7. What kind of feedback have you got so far?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have mainly heard from friends and family till now. They have all been very appreciative. The best feedback that I received has been from Orijit Sen. I am a huge fan of his work and at the book launch he appreciated my academic rigour, the attention to detail in the piece. It was surreal to hear that coming from him. I look forward to hearing more from people about the comic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">8. Now that you're a published graphic author, do you have plans for more books?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I definitely want to take this forward. I am currently working on a collaborative project with a friend. I do hope that one day a publisher will have enough faith in my story-telling (and showing) abilities to trust me with an entire book.</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Watch Payal answer questions at the launch of <i>First Hand</i>:</span></b></li>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iAJYkMaIWeM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iAJYkMaIWeM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<ul>
<li><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Hindustan Times</i> calls the anthology "One-of-a-kind". Read the article <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/books/one-of-a-kind-graphic-anthology-on-contemporary-india/story-QCzE68ikmyObp7tLGO8NcJ.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></b></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>You can buy <i>First Hand</i> on Flipkart (the publisher, Yoda Press, is going in for a second print run) <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/first-hand-1-graphic-non-fiction-india-english/p/itmejyzvmpdfphzf?pid=9789382579137&al=mMBDh9Oe9J2ymOJUKor2BsldugMWZuE7mxWx381qOwRkPtnEIbSL9bnpTBXuE8AmEsKtgei9Q2E%3D&ref=L%3A4236771215126971711&srno=p_1&otracker=from-search" target="_blank">here</a>.</b></span></li>
</ul>
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<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Yoda Press is raising funds "in order to compensate the contributors (artists and writers) of the comic for their hard work". If you would like to help, you can do so by clicking on <a href="https://www.bitgiving.com/firsthand" target="_blank">this link</a>.</b></span></li>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Last month, Payal was featured in <i>The Indian Express</i> for her unique method of teaching Shakespeare to college students by using tarot cards. You can read the piece <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/research/william-shakespeare-teaching-tarot-cards-delhi-university-teacher-2768242/" target="_blank">here</a>. </b></span></li>
</ul>
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*</div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">UPDATE (August 29, 2016): Here's a photograph showing the protagonist of "Rangoon to Vadakara", Sreedhari Soman, holding a copy of </span><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">First Hand</span></i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTl4QezLsCbJoNN5aklYLcKeyPd3H3fg6qZpE7JKJq_97Ox93PsfRDew9RbCPB5GFbaGVL7B0A2KKoqcjtdyyl-PWh5g2QHQgJ4jHlR4XiA4tPkH_wTM5OHWYZ9HWkLQFaQ-KmYGTown9L/s1600/Sreedhari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTl4QezLsCbJoNN5aklYLcKeyPd3H3fg6qZpE7JKJq_97Ox93PsfRDew9RbCPB5GFbaGVL7B0A2KKoqcjtdyyl-PWh5g2QHQgJ4jHlR4XiA4tPkH_wTM5OHWYZ9HWkLQFaQ-KmYGTown9L/s400/Sreedhari.jpg" width="400" /></span></b></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sreedhari Chechi (Elder Sister) was eight years old when she trekked from Burma to India with her family. She now lives in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span></b><br /></div>
Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-82500130536966989782016-05-07T11:26:00.000+05:302016-05-09T12:06:43.584+05:30Babu English, anyone?Look what I found in my e-mail archives recently:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">------- Forwarded message ----------<br />
From: </span><span style="background-color: black;"><b> </b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">@gmail.<wbr></wbr>com><br />
Date: Thu, Mar 24</span><span style="background-color: black; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">at 1:11 PM<br />
Subject:<br />
To: <a href="mailto:admissions@commits.edu.in">admissions@commits.edu.in</a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Respected Sir,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have the honour to invite your kind
attention to the submission of mine for favour of your kind perusal and necessary action. This is no doubt quite un-called-for and I am fully concious that I am intruding upon your much valuable time and patience too, requesting you to go through the following ,but my only excuse is that neccessity knows no law::<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That Sir, I have applied for
admission in your August institution for Masters in Marketing and Management communication which is a two years course.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">That Sir, the date of entrance
examination has been fixed on </span><span style="background-color: black; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> & </span><span style="background-color: black; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> as I have informed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">That Sir, on </span><span style="background-color: black;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I got
an appointment with my attending physician and I have to undergo some specific test which may take at least ten days time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">That Sir, in view of the above, as I
am very much interested to be a student of Commits,Banglore and consider it as my honour, I appeal to your kind honour to allow me a different date either prior to </span><span style="background-color: black; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> or after </span><span style="background-color: black;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> which can only meet my dream.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I hope my August Authority will
favour me with the appeal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Faithfully Yours,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">college,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Tel: </span><span style="background-color: black; color: #222222;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now read this post: "<a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/p/book-you-must-read-if-you-want-to-rid.html" target="_blank">The book you must read to rid your English of Indlish. In other words, read this book to learn to write plain English</a>."</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And this one: <a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2011/06/are-you-guilty-of-using-these.html" target="_blank">Are you guilty of using these Indianisms?</a>j</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b>*</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>POST-SCRIPT:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">WHOSE FAULT IS IT? </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Why do so many people, especially youngsters, write in this fashion? Is it their fault entirely? No, the real culprit is our education system. Read my post on the subject </span><a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2010/10/whats-point-of-being-educated-if-youre.html" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2392447257612709913.post-6129711618156237202016-04-23T12:36:00.000+05:302016-04-27T11:41:19.477+05:30The joy of being greeted by your student on World Book Day!I was delighted to receive this e-mail from Sharanya Shivakumar (Class of 2017) this morning:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADZQyBh5rZZ7jIHQEL65jb66EtVyO-tLpLomWCxRCmvywe4cAY0xzemj1CCam9leAenXXyAayCSDga6PQIb6HMn9I6YzP2c069h0E_JxLcBnx9ZP-XuLCbvrTxbfN9mX9vOmn_MeRCsOV/s1600/eSharanya.bmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADZQyBh5rZZ7jIHQEL65jb66EtVyO-tLpLomWCxRCmvywe4cAY0xzemj1CCam9leAenXXyAayCSDga6PQIb6HMn9I6YzP2c069h0E_JxLcBnx9ZP-XuLCbvrTxbfN9mX9vOmn_MeRCsOV/s400/eSharanya.bmp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Almost immediately I sent her my reply:</b><br />
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Happy World Book Day to you too, Sharanya. I can't tell you how happy I am to receive this e-mail from you. :-)</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Of course, I have read <i>Kane and Abel</i>. It was first published in 1979, so I think I must have picked it up in my final year of college. I'm sure I liked it, because I was a huge Archer fan at the time, but I have read a few thousand books since, so I am not sure now exactly what I felt when I put it down for the last time.</div>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
You finished it in three days? Wow! I am impressed.</div>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
My favourite book? Rabid book-lovers can never have a favourite book. I can, if I put my mind to it, name a few hundred which I absolutely enjoyed reading. :-)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">Right now I'm re-reading </span><i style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6101138-wolf-hall" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Wolf Hall</a></i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">. I first read it a few years ago (and even purchased a copy for the college library) and I thought it was a magnificent portrayal of Thomas Cromwell, the man who worked behind the scenes for Henry VIII (he of the six-wives fame!). I love books dealing with history </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">—</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;"> fiction as well as non-fiction </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px;">—</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;"> and I am re-reading this one because my wife and I have been watching </span><i style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758790/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The Tudors</a></i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;"> on Netflix.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsRY0sZ8CcRa2HQ-NVIwZiyuLWcCpalH2o45DiFc2l1inkVOw-FSxp26cr9zQUuhMlRkCwrNPX5rsrCfIralVpAaXxlY8r2rw1IbVPdkCvLxuKzvbaM9lbeeauIYGBQS_qYvTMvAsxhfb/s1600/Wolf+Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsRY0sZ8CcRa2HQ-NVIwZiyuLWcCpalH2o45DiFc2l1inkVOw-FSxp26cr9zQUuhMlRkCwrNPX5rsrCfIralVpAaXxlY8r2rw1IbVPdkCvLxuKzvbaM9lbeeauIYGBQS_qYvTMvAsxhfb/s400/Wolf+Hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<i>Wolf Hall</i> has been made into a TV mini-series. Sushant has downloaded it for me and I'm looking forward to watching the book come alive on the small screen.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
At the moment, I am on Page 463 <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 19.5px;">—</span> only about 200 pages to go. After I am done, I'm going to re-read the sequel, <i>Bring Up the Bodies</i>. (Both books are so, so good, author Hilary Mantel was honoured with the <a href="http://themanbookerprize.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Booker Prize</a>. She is the first woman and the first living British author to win the prestigious literary prize twice.) And now I'm waiting for the last book in the trilogy, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mirror_and_the_Light" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The Mirror and the Light</a></i>. I am hoping it will be published this year.</div>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Oh-oh. When I get started on reading and books, I don't seem to stop, right? :-) *Stops typing now*</div>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
I am bcc'ing this to your classmates for their <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/edifying" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">edification</a>. :-)</div>
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Cheers,</div>
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<br /></div>
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RP</div>
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<b>ALSO READ:</b> <a href="http://engageentertainenlighten.blogspot.in/2015/01/media-matters-7-good-readers-make-good.html" target="_blank">Good readers make good media professionals</a><br />
<br />Ramesh Prabhuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16678034444539598327noreply@blogger.com0