Media Matters-4: Why we became journalists (First part of a three-part series)

This was published today on the Education Page of Dubai's Khaleej Times:

WHY WE BECAME JOURNALISTS-1

By Ramesh Prabhu

Rajdeep Sardesai became a journalist because, as he noted at a media seminar, no two days are the same in journalism.

Sardesai, one of India’s leading television anchors and a role model for many aspiring journalists, was the chief guest (see photograph), at that seminar in Bangalore a few years ago. His talk was so stimulating that many times during his speech and again at the conclusion he received applause befitting a national celebrity. Those of us in the audience that day were privileged to be able to listen to Sardesai and gain many valuable insights into what it means to be a journalist.

Every year now I play a video recording of Sardesai’s talk in my class (Commits had organised the seminar), and I write this after having just wrapped up a screening for my students. Watching Sardesai in action again led me to ruminate on why young people take up journalism today. Is it the glamour factor? Is it the opportunity to be able to take up an unconventional career in which, as Sardesai put it, no two days are the same? Do young people still consider journalism a noble and honourable profession? A profession that gives them the power to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”, in the immortal words of Finley Peter Dunne? Is that why they become journalists?

“I have always liked telling stories... stories about people,” says Priyali Sur, a producer and anchor with CNN-IBN who is in the U.S. at the moment completing a course on gender violence after having won a Fulbright Humphrey scholarship. “What was more important to me,” she says, “was to talk about people who had been marginalised. Making their voices heard was essential and journalism seemed to be the perfect profession for me.”

Priyali, who holds a master’s degree in mass communication, has worked with Times Now, another leading news channel in India, as well as with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the filmmaker and screenwriter best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. At CNN-IBN, staying true to her aims, Priyali has produced a documentary on dubious cervical vaccine trials in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in 2011 as well as a prize-winning investigative programme on minor girls who are trafficked from rural regions of the country and then sold in the cities.

Why did Priyali choose television over print? She believes that pictures can convey a message more powerfully. “For me, going to places, capturing real images of real people, and telling their stories in their voices was crucial,” she says.

While television is a big draw for many young journalists, there are some who prefer print. “I have always loved writing,” says Pinjala Kundu, who works with The Times of India in Mumbai. Pinjala says she had wanted to become a journalist since she was in Class VII, but it was while studying at Commits that she got an opportunity to work as an intern with The Times of India in Kolkata. “I loved working as a reporter,” she says, “and the feeling I got when I received my first byline made me realise that this is what I was meant to do.”

For Pinjala, the most interesting thing about the profession is that journalists are the first to know when an incident occurs. “And it is a privilege to be able to inform the world about it,” she says. “Also, being in the newsroom is so exciting: the hustle-bustle, the hectic discussions. I get to learn something new every day and that is what keeps me going.”

Sherry Jacob-Phillips echoes Pinjala’s comments. She says she became a journalist because she wanted to experience the joy of putting her thoughts into words and seeing her byline in the newspaper the next day. Sherry spent many years with The Times of India in Bangalore before joining Reuters, also in Bangalore.  “The adrenaline rush of news and the satisfaction that comes from knowing we’re making a difference: these are the reasons I go to work every day,” she says.

At The Times, Sherry worked on the general news desk; at Reuters she is a business journalist. She says she may not be making a direct impact on the lives of her investment-focused audience now but she believes she is helping them take life-changing decisions about their investments.

“This profession,” says Sherry, “has taught me one thing for sure: Be true to yourself and your dreams.”

THINK ABOUT IT: “I got addicted. News, particularly daily news, is more addictive than crack cocaine, more addictive than heroin, more addictive than cigarettes. ” ― Dan Rather, American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News

• COMING UP IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF “MEDIA MATTERS”: Why we became journalists-2

·        Ramesh Prabhu is professor of journalism at Commits Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bangalore. Commits offers a full-time two-year MA degree course.
·        “Media Matters” welcomes questions from readers who would like to know more about careers in journalism. Please send in your queries to education@khaleejtimes.com.

* IN THE PHOTOGRAPH: (Clockwise from main picture) Television news icon Rajdeep Sardesai; and Commits alumni Priyali Sur (Class of 2005), Pinjala Kundu (Class of 2011), Sherry Jacob-Phillips (Class of 2007)

• ALSO READ: "There is no job like journalism" (Media Matters-1); "Can anyone become a journalist?" (Media Matters-2); and "What you must do to become a journalist" (Media Matters-3)

Media Matters-3: "What you must do to become a journalist"

This was published yesterday on the Education Page of Dubai's Khaleej Times:

WHAT YOU MUST DO
TO BECOME A JOURNALIST

By Ramesh Prabhu 

When Shagorika Easwar wanted to work as a journalist in Dubai, she sent her CV to Khaleej Times. This was sometime in 1989. Shagorika’s CV landed on my desk because everyone knew that, as features editor of the newspaper, I was looking for a good hand.

Along with her CV, Shagorika had enclosed a copy of an article she had written. I don’t remember now what the piece was about but I can’t ever forget that one glance at it was enough to convince me that we had found our Ms Right. When you write like an angel, the world sits up and takes notice.

Shagorika joined Khaleej Times shortly afterwards and, until she immigrated to Canada with her family some years later, did the Features Department proud. She edited copy, sized pictures, laid out pages, came up with story ideas, wrote a few stories herself, developed good relationships with everyone from her fellow journalists to columnists to copy-setters and office drivers — all skills that she is putting to good use in Toronto as the editor of two highly successful magazines which she launched along with her husband.

It was easy for Shagorika to become a journalist because she has a recognisable and provable talent for writing. I don’t remember if I even asked her about her academic qualifications. Similarly, it was easy for me to become a journalist back in 1981 (see “Media Matters-2”) even though I did not have a degree in journalism or mass communication. (It is a different matter that two years ago, at the age of 54, I studied for and earned a master’s degree in journalism.)

In those days, the ’80s, there were very few educational institutions offering post-graduate programmes for media aspirants. Also, print was still king, with 24-hour television news channels nowhere on the horizon and the internet only a futuristic concept. So journalism, even though it was a highly respected profession, was not really considered to be a glamorous one and, consequently, the competition for jobs was not as intense as it is today.

What is the scene like now for those who want to become journalists? Media organisations are looking to hire only those who will be a good fit, so a post-graduate degree, or at least a post-graduate diploma, from a reputed institute is paramount. This is because, as I wrote in a magazine article last year, hundreds of television news channels and a few thousand newspapers and magazines are engaged in a race for both audiences and advertisers. The competition is so fierce that new recruits at the entry level no longer have any breathing space, unlike in the past.

No one at work has the time now to hold the newbie’s hand as he or she attempts to navigate the swiftly moving and often treacherous currents of the media ocean. There is no honeymoon period. There is no time for a honeymoon. Period.  That is why the industry today prefers to hire only those who have a master’s degree, or at least a post-graduate diploma, from an institute that has a reputation for providing quality journalism education.

So this much is clear: If you want to become a journalist, a good education comes first.

DEGREES OF CONFIDENCE: A first-class education is a must if you want to become a journalist today*. (PHOTO: DIPANKAR PAUL)

Now, how do you choose a good media college? Do extensive research. Study the course structure to assess the importance given to practical training. Find out as much as you can about the faculty: What are their qualifications to teach the course? How many years have they worked in the industry? Do they blog? Ask about industry tie-ups. Does the college arrange internships? Request contact details of alumni — if the college is a reputed one, the staff will be glad to answer all your questions and help you get a better grip on the course it offers.

For your part, if you are keen on becoming a journalist, make sure your decision is not based on a whim. Spend time talking with journalists. Try to understand what it means to be a journalist. And once you are sure journalism is what you want and after you have taken a decision on the college, give some thought to the advice I give all media aspirants:

• If you do not like reading you will be at a disadvantage, so make a huge effort to develop a reading habit. Read newspapers, magazines, books — fiction as well as non-fiction. Books on journalism. Books by journalists. Remember: In order to be a good writer, you first have to be a good reader.
• Watch movies. Listen to music. Immerse yourself in popular culture. Be aware of what’s going on around you.
• Talk to people. Understand their concerns. Develop empathy for your audience.
• At all times, behave professionally.
• Guard zealously your reputation for honesty, credibility, and integrity. Once it's lost, all is lost.

THINK ABOUT IT: “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon.” — Tom Stoppard, English dramatist who has written for TV, radio, film, and stage. He co-wrote the screenplays for Brazil, The Russia House, and Shakespeare in Love, and has received one Academy Award and four Tony Awards

• Ramesh Prabhu is professor of journalism at Commits Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bangalore. Commits offers a full-time two-year M.A. degree course.
• “Media Matters” welcomes questions from readers who would like to know more about careers in journalism. Please send in your queries to education@khaleejtimes.com.

* IN THE PHOTOGRAPH: Commits alumni Dipankar Paul and Shikha Gaba-Paul, husband and wife, both from the Class of 2009, with their master's degree certificates

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF KHALEEJ TIMES:

Dear Editor,

I have read Ramesh Prabhu’s column Media Matters (December 2) with interest ever since it was launched a few weeks ago. What a great idea, I thought, a respected journalist and teacher writing about the profession, providing insight into what makes for good journalism. Imagine my astonishment at finding my name in the latest column! To say it brought back lovely memories would not be entirely correct — I have never forgotten the years I spent in Khaleej Times as a sub-editor, learning, working, and yes, forging friendships that remain strong to this day. 

If I did some of what is ascribed to me by Ramesh, it was largely because I had a very good teacher in him. We are roughly the same age, and yet, I have always thought of him as my guru in this field. In this, the latest column, he writes about how no one has the time to hold a newbie’s hand. I was blessed that Ramesh took the time to show me how. That he never once rolled his eyes when I walked into his cabin on my second day on the job and — very diffidently — asked him how one chooses a font. That he encouraged independent thinking while explaining the rules. That he allowed people in his department to flourish. He cheered us on when my husband and I launched first Desi News in Toronto 19 years ago and then CanadaBound Immigrant. Because that’s what the best teacher does — he shows you the way and then lets you choose your own path. In both, I incorporated what I had learnt from him. 

Students from every batch he has taught at Commits in Bangalore have gone on to earn accolades in print and television media. It is fitting, I think, that Ramesh has chosen Khaleej Times to write about a field he is so passionate about. It was here, after all, that Ramesh Prabhu the teacher was born.

Shagorika Easwar

Editor, Desi News and CanadaBound Immigrant

Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

• ALSO READ: "There is no job like journalism" (Media Matters-1) and "Can anyone become a journalist?" (Media Matters-2)
  

Media Matters-2: "Can anyone become a journalist?"

This column was published in Khaleej Times yesterday:

CAN ANYONE BECOME A JOURNALIST?

By Ramesh Prabhu

More than 30 years ago I got my start as a journalist at a small fortnightly newspaper in Mumbai. I was fresh out of college, with a B.Sc. degree in chemistry and botany (I had obtained a first class in the final exam; Mumbai University had even thought it fit to award me a gold medal in botany).

The fortnightly was called Marine Times. Here, over a short period in early 1981, I learnt something about reporting and interviewing while doing my rounds of the city’s shipping companies. I also picked up a few production techniques at the private press where the paper was put together.

Two months on, I felt my stint at Marine Times had done its job as an appetiser. Now it was time to sink my teeth into something more substantial: Mid Day.

Mid Day was the most popular evening paper in the city at the time and was home to some of the best journalists in the city. At Mid Day, which took me on as a trainee sub-editor in June 1981, I got thrown into the deep end. And was I ecstatic! I felt energised by the snap-crackle-fizz of the newsroom. I did everything I was told, and more. I worked days. I worked nights. I was hooked.

Why am I telling you all this now? Because more than 30 years ago anyone could become a journalist, even someone who did not have any academic qualifications for the job. Even someone with just a science degree.

In my case, though, it helped that my father was a journalist who worked with a news agency, PTI, for most of his career. (Marine Times, where I got my start, was owned by a colleague of his.) From the time I can remember, newspapers were an important part of the morning routine at home. When he returned from work, my father would also bring with him the evening tabloids as well as some magazines. One of my favourite memories is of lying in bed and poring over the latest issue of India Today or Time. There would always be a few books lying around too. Reading became second nature to me; it felt as natural as breathing. And it still does.

So why am I telling you this now? Because even today anyone, with a little bit of effort, can become a journalist. But to become a good journalist, in addition to having the right educational qualifications (more on that in a future column), you will need to keep in mind Prabhu’s Two Laws of Intention.

HABIT-FORMING: It is called a "daily" for a reason. PHOTO: MATHANGI IYER

The First Law of Intention states that you should be obsessed with news. Don’t just read one newspaper. Read as many as you can lay your hands on. And don’t just read. Read closely. Magazines, news websites. On your phone. On your laptop. On Facebook even. Sign up for news alerts. Get a Twitter account. Follow the best journalists in the world. Watch the news on TV. Be aware of what’s happening around you. For one thing, that’s how you get story ideas. Second, you get to learn from the experts how to structure your stories. And you get a bonus in the form of an enhanced ability to make intelligent conversation even with people you have just met and get them to warm up to you. That’s a wonderful talent to have in your armoury when you’re trying to prise important information out of your sources.

Prabhu’s Second Law of Intention states that you should be in love with words. Whether you are a reporter or a sub-editor (and especially if you are a sub-editor), your language skills should be first-rate. You should be a wizard with words. Only then will readers stay glued to what you have conjured up; only then will they read from beginning to end what you have worked so hard to write or edit. As I noted in an article I wrote last year for the 35th anniversary issue of Khaleej Times, “Indifferent writing breeds indifferent readers. Quality writing attracts readers of all kinds.”

An obsession with news; a devotion to words. If you aspire to be a journalist, there’s no better way to rise... and shine.

THINK ABOUT IT: “In the English language, it all comes down to this: Twenty-six letters, when combined correctly, can create magic. Twenty-six letters form the foundation of a free, informed society.”  ― American journalist and non-fiction writer John Grogan, author of Marley & Me

·        Ramesh Prabhu is professor of journalism at Commits Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bangalore. Commits offers a full-time two-year MA degree course.
·        “Media Matters” welcomes questions from readers who would like to know more about careers in journalism. Please send in your queries to education@khaleejtimes.com.

• ALSO READ: Media Matters-1: "There is no job like journalism".

"There is no job like journalism" — Media Matters, my new fortnightly column in Dubai's Khaleej Times

The inaugural "Media Matters" column:

THERE IS NO JOB LIKE JOURNALISM

By Ramesh Prabhu

JOURNALISM is the world's best profession.

I believed that when I first became a trainee sub-editor in 1981.

I believed that when, after more than 20 years as a journalist in Mumbai, Dubai, and Bangalore, I was given a golden opportunity to give back to the profession as a journalism teacher at a media college in India’s Silicon Valley.

And I believe that even today as I revel in the joys of journalism when sharing my experiences with my students, year after glorious year.

Of course, I am not the first person to assert that journalism is the best job in the world. The credit for that goes to the late Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whose essay on the subject has been shared and re-shared multiple times on the Internet.

Nobel laureate Garcia Marquez, the author of the much-loved classics One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, knew what he was talking about. After all, he had got his start as a journalist in his native Colombia many years before anyone outside his home town had even heard of him. By 1997, when he wrote that illuminating essay, he had become a global phenomenon, but he did not forget his debt to journalism. Here is a telling excerpt from his final paragraph:

No one who does not have this in his blood can comprehend its magnetic hold…. No one who has not had this experience can begin to grasp the extraordinary excitement stirred by the news, the sheer elation created by the first fruits of an endeavour….

No one has put it better.

Today, I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to spend quality time with young media aspirants, many of whom have since forged successful careers in newspapers, television channels, and magazines, both in India and abroad.

I absolutely love what I do. Every year I now get to interact with — and learn from — a fresh batch of students. And I think I am a much better journalist today because my students keep me on my toes with their questions; in order to do a good job of the answers, I am constantly updating my knowledge base.

I also love books, music, films — in fact, almost every form of popular culture — and it’s fascinating for me to be able to discuss what I read, listen to, and watch with Gen Next.

I must add a few words here about how technology helps the faculty-student interaction. I use e-mail to send my course material in advance so that the students can prepare for debate and discussion in my class. I also alert them via e-mail to interesting articles and links. And I publish two blogs. One is The Commits Chronicle, which takes a close look at happenings in the college and on student activities. The second blog, The Reading Room, focuses on reading, writing, and journalism.

Facebook is a big help — I use it as a distance education tool and my status messages are mostly about something important in the books I have read and on news articles that I want future journalists to read. And I upload pictures that my students may find interesting; of course, I write an appropriate caption for every photograph because caption-writing is a skill which I aim to teach in class as part of the journalism course.

Facebook has other productive uses, too: when I took part in a charity run in Bangalore (four times so far) to raise funds for an NGO that works with underprivileged children, I used my status messages as regular event alerts in the hope that at the right time in their lives my students will give serious thought to helping disadvantaged communities.

All this is by way of introducing myself and this new fortnightly column on the joys of journalism. In the coming weeks and months, with the help of “Media Matters,” I hope to enthuse my readers into taking up journalism as a career. Why? Because it is the best job in the world.

THINK ABOUT IT: "Four hostile newspapers are to be feared more than a thousand bayonets" – Napoleon Bonaparte

·    Ramesh Prabhu is professor of journalism at Commits Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bangalore. Commits offers a full-time two-year MA degree course.
·    “Media Matters” welcomes questions from readers who would like to know more about careers in journalism. Please send in your queries to rd.prabhu@gmail.com.

• ALSO READ: "The future of newspaper journalism", my piece in the 35th anniversary issue of Khaleej Times.

Learn from the best source on the planet how photography, art, and journalism go together

I have just discovered "Proof", National Geographic’s new "online photography experience". It was launched, the editors say, to engage ongoing conversations about photography, art, and journalism. There's more:

In addition to featuring selections from the magazine and other publications, books, and galleries, this site will offer new avenues for our audience to get a behind-the-scenes look at the National Geographic storytelling process.

I can't think of a better way for media students and practitioners to learn how to take pictures and understand what kind of pictures will go with the stories they are working on. Brinda Das, Nikita Sinha (Class of 2015) — remember the conversation we had on this subject a couple of days ago? Check out Proof now.

• I especially recommend "Why it Took Me Eight Years to Photograph My Own Backyard", a masterpiece of story structure (see how the author makes use of the e-mails he exchanged with his editor) and extraordinary photographs of ordinary, everyday scenes.

• ALSO READ: "When you have two hours to shoot ace director James Cameron for a National Geographic magazine cover, how do you do it?"

Why I will be buying a copy of Vinod Mehta's new book for the college library

Excerpts from an interview with Vinod Mehta in Mint last week:

Your new book is about your years with Outlook?

No, some portions are about the magazine. There’s one chapter on Ratan Tata. Outlook had problems with him. He filed a court case following our cover story on Radia tapes (controversy). There’s a chapter on Narendra Modi and a long one on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. I once met Rahul Gandhi at a party at BJD (Biju Janata Dal) MP Jay Panda’s house. He was drinking Club Soda. When I told him to have some wine, he said so emphatically, “I don’t drink.” He repeated to make sure that I heard it. On another occasion, about a year ago, I found him sitting next to me. He asked me about work. I told him the famous saying that journalists, like harlots, enjoy power without responsibility, explaining my new position in the magazine. It was a little joke but he immediately pounced on that and said there’s no such thing like power without responsibility. That was lovely.

Do you have any equation with Narendra Modi?

Mr Modi and I have a very strange relationship, if I can call it that. There’s a defamation case against me in Ahmedabad that he had instituted about 10 years ago (as Gujarat’s chief minister) and it is still alive. It concerned a minister in his then cabinet called Haren Pandya, who was murdered... You see Mr Modi doesn’t interact with anybody. He has no social life, no kitchen cabinet. There’s a coterie of journalists who are very sympathetic to him, but they all are very upset at the moment because they haven’t been rewarded. Who are these journalists? I can go so far as to tell you that one of these journalists was desperately trying to become the Indian high commissioner in Britain. Mr Modi’s staunch defender, he is a very sober, moderate sort of a person, but on Modi, if you know from TV debates, he goes berserk and loses all sense of proportion. There’s another editor who had done Mr Modi’s party a great service and who runs a newspaper, but he is suddenly out of favour. He is feeling very bad. His close buddies tell me that there’s nothing he could do. Mr Modi either likes you or he doesn’t like you. There’s no convincing him to change his view. Once he doesn’t like you, you are finished.

Some people say that your magazine’s owner kicked you upstairs to the new post.

There may be some truth. The fallout of the Radia tapes (cover story) cost us in terms of ads from companies. Any proprietor would be worried by that. I had been editing the magazine for 17 years when the owner suggested the new position. I jumped at the offer. My wife had also been telling me that I was not doing anything, just slogging. I was not writing, just looking at pages and getting the designs supervised. I was ready to move on.

• Read the interview in its entirety here: "I don’t appear on Arnab Goswami’s Pakistan debates: Vinod Mehta".

• ALSO READ: If you want to understand journalism as it is practised in India today, its joys and its pitfalls, I can recommend no better book than Vinod Mehta's Lucknow Boy : A Memoir.

• Photo courtesy: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Your new book is about your years with Outlook? No, some portions are about the magazine. There’s one chapter on Ratan Tata. Outlook had problems with him. He filed a court case following our cover story on Radia tapes (controversy). There’s a chapter on Narendra Modi and a long one on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. I once met Rahul Gandhi at a party at BJD (Biju Janata Dal) MP Jay Panda’s house. He was drinking Club Soda. When I told him to have some wine, he said so emphatically, “I don’t drink.” He repeated to make sure that I heard it. On another occasion, about a year ago, I found him sitting next to me. He asked me about work. I told him the famous saying that journalists, like harlots, enjoy power without responsibility, explaining my new position in the magazine. It was a little joke but he immediately pounced on that and said there’s no such thing like power without responsibility. That was lovely. Do you have any equation with Narendra Modi? Mr Modi and I have a very strange relationship, if I can call it that. There’s a defamation case against me in Ahmedabad that he had instituted about 10 years ago (as Gujarat’s chief minister) and it is still alive. It concerned a minister in his then cabinet called Haren Pandya, who was murdered... You see Mr Modi doesn’t interact with anybody. He has no social life, no kitchen cabinet. There’s a coterie of journalists who are very sympathetic to him, but they all are very upset at the moment because they haven’t been rewarded. Who are these journalists? I can go so far as to tell you that one of these journalists was desperately trying to become the Indian high commissioner in Britain. Mr Modi’s staunch defender, he is a very sober, moderate sort of a person, but on Modi, if you know from TV debates, he goes berserk and loses all sense of proportion. There’s another editor who had done Mr Modi’s party a great service and who runs a newspaper, but he is suddenly out of favour. He is feeling very bad. His close buddies tell me that there’s nothing he could do. Mr Modi either likes you or he doesn’t like you. There’s no convincing him to change his view. Once he doesn’t like you, you are finished. Some people say that your magazine’s owner kicked you upstairs to the new post. There may be some truth. The fallout of the Radia tapes (cover story) cost us in terms of ads from companies. Any proprietor would be worried by that. I had been editing the magazine for 17 years when the owner suggested the new position. I jumped at the offer. My wife had also been telling me that I was not doing anything, just slogging. I was not writing, just looking at pages and getting the designs supervised. I was ready to move on.

Read more at: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/FZQyvFsoQvz7gLuYXbVf7N/I-dont-appear-on-Arnab-Goswamis-Pakistan-debates-Vinod-Me.html?utm_source=copy

Your new book is about your years with Outlook? No, some portions are about the magazine. There’s one chapter on Ratan Tata. Outlook had problems with him. He filed a court case following our cover story on Radia tapes (controversy). There’s a chapter on Narendra Modi and a long one on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. I once met Rahul Gandhi at a party at BJD (Biju Janata Dal) MP Jay Panda’s house. He was drinking Club Soda. When I told him to have some wine, he said so emphatically, “I don’t drink.” He repeated to make sure that I heard it. On another occasion, about a year ago, I found him sitting next to me. He asked me about work. I told him the famous saying that journalists, like harlots, enjoy power without responsibility, explaining my new position in the magazine. It was a little joke but he immediately pounced on that and said there’s no such thing like power without responsibility. That was lovely. Do you have any equation with Narendra Modi? Mr Modi and I have a very strange relationship, if I can call it that. There’s a defamation case against me in Ahmedabad that he had instituted about 10 years ago (as Gujarat’s chief minister) and it is still alive. It concerned a minister in his then cabinet called Haren Pandya, who was murdered... You see Mr Modi doesn’t interact with anybody. He has no social life, no kitchen cabinet. There’s a coterie of journalists who are very sympathetic to him, but they all are very upset at the moment because they haven’t been rewarded. Who are these journalists? I can go so far as to tell you that one of these journalists was desperately trying to become the Indian high commissioner in Britain. Mr Modi’s staunch defender, he is a very sober, moderate sort of a person, but on Modi, if you know from TV debates, he goes berserk and loses all sense of proportion. There’s another editor who had done Mr Modi’s party a great service and who runs a newspaper, but he is suddenly out of favour. He is feeling very bad. His close buddies tell me that there’s nothing he could do. Mr Modi either likes you or he doesn’t like you. There’s no convincing him to change his view. Once he doesn’t like you, you are finished. Some people say that your magazine’s owner kicked you upstairs to the new post. There may be some truth. The fallout of the Radia tapes (cover story) cost us in terms of ads from companies. Any proprietor would be worried by that. I had been editing the magazine for 17 years when the owner suggested the new position. I jumped at the offer. My wife had also been telling me that I was not doing anything, just slogging. I was not writing, just looking at pages and getting the designs supervised. I was ready to move on.

Read more at: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/FZQyvFsoQvz7gLuYXbVf7N/I-dont-appear-on-Arnab-Goswamis-Pakistan-debates-Vinod-Me.html?utm_source=copy

The boldest articulation I have read of what it means to be a woman in India

Read this powerful lead story in the college newspaper by Commitscion Devika Premlal (Class of 2015) here.

• This comment, from John Thomas of the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), was sent by e-mail to Tia Raina (Class of 2015), editor of The Chronicle:

I read the cover story in your magazine's latest issue. As a man, every time I read about incidents [such as the ones described by Devika Premlal], I squirm. I think what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on I-Day is so true and so important. Parents (especially mothers, but sisters as well) must raise their sons (and brothers) to respect women and send out the message that complaints from girls about misbehaviour will be taken very seriously.

MORE COMMENTS:

• From Commitscion Nishal Lama (Class of 2009), Bangalore: Brilliant article. I can't agree more with Devika and what it really means to be a woman in India today. And the problem, I think, is deep-rooted within our society. I am hopeful that the coming generation will see things in a different perspective. 

• From Commitscion Monish Debnath (Class of 2008), Mumbai: Such a powerful article. Shaken up at the sheer audacity these men have; shame is the only word I can think of. Brilliant writing.

• From senior journalist Kokila Jacob, Dubai: Well-written and, yes, powerful. She has articulated the experience of EVERY Indian woman. Sadly her starting sentence is so true. Nothing will change. Not as long as parents still yearn for sons and then, when they get them, they go on to spoil them rotten.

• From senior journalist and editor of Khaleej Times, Dubai, Patrick Michael: Just three words come to mind after reading this powerful piece: Bold, frank, and fearless. Words come easy but only Devika will know the hurt, the pain and the frustration she went through when she decided to write this story. Shocking? No. A revelation? No. Will it trigger a change in the way men treat women as mere commodities? No. But it had to be said. And we need more Devikas. Women hold up half the sky and yet men won't admit it. Ever. Our egos will not allow it. Carry on, Devika. Don't let men influence who you want to be. More power to your pen.

• From Commitscion Nilofer D'Souza (Class of 2009), Bangalore: Okay, I must admit, when I saw this link, I thought to myself, "Here goes Ramesh Sir, encouraging another new kid on the block..." But, then, I read the piece, and I agree wholeheartedly with what Ramesh Sir says. A raw first-person account, which is appreciated.

• From Commitscion Arathi Krishnan (Class of 2007), Dubai: Brilliant!

• From Commitscion Ria Dutta (Class of 2016), Bangalore: This article is indeed very bold and very true... I can relate to it as I have encountered similar situations growing up. Hats off to Devika Premlal for being able to write this. Truly very impressive.

• From homemaker and mother of two young girls Vidya Nayak, Bangalore: Hats off to Devika for putting into words what, I feel, all women in India go through at different times in life. Except for our mother or, in extreme cases, our father, no one talked about it. We were asked to avoid the road, so what if it was the shortest way home....  I am proud to know a girl today is able to talk about it. I fully empathise with Devika. The only way ahead, I feel, is to teach girls, like I have taught mine, that they are not responsible for the weirdo's behaviour. He is wrong. Period. Evasive tactics need to be taught. Also to scream. At the end of all this is a mother who worries every time her child goes out with friends. Till she sees her child again. Where is the age of innocence? Are only boys entitled to it?

• From Commitscion Ankita Sengupta (Class of 2013), Mumbai: Wow! Even though I am not acquainted with Devika, I feel so proud of her. She may be right in stating that irrespective of what we say, nothing will change, but to stand up and narrate such personal incidents deserves applause. Things may never change but thanks to bravehearts like her, more women will learn to speak up for themselves. Kudos to her!

ALSO READ: Gutsy Commits student Ankita Sengupta's story in Bangalore Mirror — an inspiration to women everywhere.

The best of journalistic virtues:

A.
Courage

Campaigning

Toughness

Compassion

Humour

Irreverence

B.

A serious engagement with serious things

C.

A sense of fairness

D.

An eye for injustice

E.

A passion for explaining

F.

Knowing how to achieve impact

G.

A connection with readers

• From Alan Rusbridger's essay, "Does Journalism Exist?", in a wonderful and fascinating book, Page One: Inside The New York Times and the Future of Journalism (edited by David Folkenflik), which puts journalism and one of the world's greatest newspapers front and centre. I have already placed a copy of the book in the Commits library. (Alan Rusbridger is the editor of the highly respected Guardian newspaper.)

• I have now ordered the documentary on which the book is based. Take a look at the list of awards and award nominations for the documentary here. And here is a riveting feature from Slate on David Carr, "the star of Page One", the documentary. (Carr has also contributed an essay, "Print Is Dead. Long Live The New York Times", to Page One, the book.)

• ALSO READ: "If you want to understand what journalism should be..."

PR, Advertising, and Journalism go to a party...

A FACEBOOK CONVERSATION

March 9, 2011 at 3:27pm

Samarpita Samaddar (Class of 2010)
Public Relations: At a party, you see a gorgeous girl. You get up n straighten your tie; you walk up to her, pour her a drink. You open the door for her,offer her a ride, and then say,"By the way, I'm rich. Will you marry me?"

Advertising: You're at a party with a bunch of friends and you see a gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her, points at you and says, "He's rich. Marry him."

*

Ramesh Prabhu
Journalism: As you join the party, you see PR and Advertising quarrelling over the prettiest girl there. You swing by, give her the look, throw her a line (or your byline -- you're a journalist, after all!). And she says, "Marry me."

Like · · Share

• Navitha Rachel Mathew, Bratati Chatterjee, Ram Ks and 9 others like this.
• 

  Apar Dham ROFL!
  Ramesh Prabhu, the tireless- unstoppable- unbeatable- crusader of Journalism!

  March 9, 2011 at 3:34pm · Like · 7
• 

  Samarpita Samaddar Jeez! hahahaha

  March 9, 2011 at 3:38pm · Like
• 

  Samarpita Samaddar P.S.: Times have changed and girls DO NOT buy that "I'm rich" BS anymore So, it should be "I am not really rich.But you know if you were with me i could make artistic/political/social sector history. Lets grow old together"

  March 9, 2011 at 3:42pm · Like · 2
• 

  Samarpita Samaddar Saroj: YES!

  March 9, 2011 at 3:42pm · Like
• 

  Avinash Kumai Ahem!...

  March 9, 2011 at 3:46pm · Like
• 

  Nilofer D'Souza Sir, what line did you throw?

  March 9, 2011 at 3:47pm · Like
• 

  Ramesh Prabhu "What are you doing with these losers?" I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Please don't come after me with that pepper spray!

  March 9, 2011 at 3:48pm · Like · 3
• 

  Ramesh Prabhu I said I'm kidding!

  March 9, 2011 at 3:48pm · Like
• 

  Nilofer D'Souza you didn't answer my question: what line did you throw at the Mrs?

  March 9, 2011 at 3:49pm · Like
• 

  Nilofer D'Souza yup yup Saroj. Now c'mon RP, spill the beans

  March 9, 2011 at 3:51pm · Like
• 

  Nilofer D'Souza in your day and zamana, really, *like* REALLY?! 'i've got the ambassador waiting is more like it' muah hahahaha

  March 9, 2011 at 3:52pm · Like
• 

  Ramesh Prabhu Okay, okay, this is how it REALLY played out:
  
  Scene: Biology lab, Bhavan's College, Bombay, 1978
  
  Girl (looking through microscope at earthworm specimen and talking to herself not knowing that smart young man sidling up to her has devious plan in mind): "I wonder what this thingy is?"
  
  Smart young man: "It's an earthworm, Chandrika."
  
  Girl, astonished and supremely pleased that smart young stranger knows her name already: "Marry me."

  March 9, 2011 at 3:58pm · Like · 8
• 

  Samarpita Samaddar hahahahahaha:D Am falling off my chair! Now,*Rolling on the floor* laughing, again! Sirie, this cannot be. ABSOLUTELY NOT!
  Ma'am couldn't have just asked you to marry her just 'coz you knew her name. Jeez!
  Out with the TRUTH! C'mon!

  March 9, 2011 at 4:03pm · Like
• 

  Nandini Hegde Sirji! Come on. You can make up a better one.

  March 9, 2011 at 4:16pm · Like
• 

  Nilofer D'Souza man who share his account of the proposal=PR
  
  lady who shares her account of the proposal=journalism
  
  no?
  
  

  March 9, 2011 at 6:30pm · Like · 2
• 

  Dipankar Paul hahahaha!! great stuff! oh, and the note was good, too!

  March 9, 2011 at 6:41pm · Like · 1
• 

  Pragati Dokania I like.... totally like

  March 9, 2011 at 8:47pm · Like
• 

  Sushmita Chatterjee hahahaha sir...ur love story is sooo not true! Please reveal the truth! and btw the additional journalist thingy in the joke was awesomee

  March 9, 2011 at 9:32pm · Like · 1
• 

  Ramesh Prabhu So which part do you guys NOT believe?

  March 10, 2011 at 7:20pm · Like
• 

  Nilofer D'Souza oh gosh! disaster PR now, is it? muah hahaha

  March 10, 2011 at 7:31pm · Like · 1
• 

  Ankana Sinha This is the funniest comment string i have read in the longest time.....LOL LOL LOL

  March 12, 2011 at 2:39pm · Like