Teaching journalism

Very Interesting article......I always myself wanted to right articles...to reflect on what i feel, in what i see around me......Karachi, a huge hive of multisubstance lifestyles and personas...., gives u a lot to wonder........i even ended up writing an article (infact i even submitted on Chowk, title ``Hope`` (not published yet though).......as u asked ur class, if a similar question is asked to me....i might say the same, i would love to be a writer. But i guess it takes more then Adjectived words and a lot more clear perspective of reality....to be a good writer

Harish:
This is all so true. Except that I got my computer in 2000, so in our days one had to read books and books, which was the best part. I like the way you are going about your teaching assignment. My experience with Mass Media studies was honestly not worth it. Journalism class was about writing out notes, read in a dull drone by someone who worked in television! And this was one of those topnotch colleges. The other subject was taken by a woman who was a social activist, but spent all her time not trying to help us hone our skills, but how to work on galleys. I submitted an interview once for an assignment, about an ordinary soldier, and she promptly reprimanded me for “using style”. “Let it come in time,” she said. I told her my time had come. I cannot figure out why the institutes feel they need to have ‘names’ when those people may be great at their job but not at teaching and certainly not at the reality of real journalism. Agreed, all originality need not be good, but it starts us on the path of finding new roads. I spent most of my time in the library or doodling on sheets of paper. And that is what I continue doing...I did get some foothold in the field; the lady who taught me edited some voluminous tome about something she had no direct contact with...all she must have done was used the blue pencil and snuffed out a fine turn of phrase.

[I however feel I could not transmit the very instinct of journalism. The need, even passion, to set things right, to want to bring the bad guys to book, to want to do things for the underdog. Simply, to develop a social conscience.]

A sensitive thought and, believe me, if you have ever brought this up in class, it will show up someday in their work, though it may not be apparent now. It isn`t merely about idealism, but about the hard facts around us. We are not dreaming it up...their existence around us is nightmarish. To notice it does not require any `ism`, only sharp eyes and some vision.

[I sagely told them it was particularly imperative when they begin their innings in the field. And that, eventually they`ll all end up like all good journalists do, smoking, drinking, and boasting, besides reaching home late and never seeing the sun rise.]

Heheh...I must have been a particularly bad one...no smoking, no drinking (ok, boasting, but about such wonderful abstinence!), reached home a bit late for dinner and never saw the sun rise because I wear blinkers...

PS: A student from Xavier’s wanted to do a paper on my columns (I suppose it was one of those PMS days;)…I told him that if he wanted to get good marks, he had better choose somebody else. Because I know how these things function. Theek kiya na?

Ironman,

Thank you.

I did not understand it totally. Idealism equals to ``imitating others`` for some returns...makes it out to be another profitable transaction. IN fact, most do not profit from idealism, unless you mean intangibles like personal satisfaction/contentment etc. However, I did not think thats what you meant, did you?

Veeresh,

Since you often in that part of maharashtra, I`ll tell you a story that will shock you mildly. This is about 1996-97. I did a story on a Rs 700 cr scam about how cooperative finance bodies in Kolhapure mainly, but also Sangli and Satara methinks, loaned out money to people who were controlling the co-ops. Most then were in the hands of local Congressmen.

Since there is a need to fill names and forms, and perhaps even a ceiling to the loans, they hit upon one of the most hilarious ideas ever. They issued fake loans to themselves, and since their names could only handle these many loans, they started fishing for new names. I swear you`ll not believe it, but in the Income Tax office in Pune, I saw the entire records of loans from these small coops, and my eyes popped out. The coops had issued loans to Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri.

That scam I reported on CNBC Asia, then called ABNi, owned then again, by Dow Jones. Not a ripple. And, like you said, the story i did was availbale in the streets of Kolhapure for years together!

Feroz,

I seem to harbour a mild apprehension whenever I promote idealism. I tell them, especially young students, to have an affair with it in the begining of their careers at least. They can marry more rewarding, and better endowed ideas...later. All of them are ready with the ``Wooly Head`` poster to stick to the back of anyone who remotely sounds like promoting ``ideals.``

AnNy,

Some news filtered through, and then better news that you`ll filter through to our neck of the woods (Should i use infiltrate here for marital training!), and then the trail went cold. Whats news...mails to you bounce right back!

Rozaiba,

:)

HN

Ironman,

Thank you.

I did not understand it totally. Idealism equals to ``imitating others`` for some returns...makes it out to be another profitable transaction. IN fact, most do not profit from idealism, unless you mean intangibles like personal satisfaction/contentment etc. However, I did not think thats what you meant, did you?

Veeresh,

Since you often in that part of maharashtra, I`ll tell you a story that will shock you mildly. This is about 1996-97. I did a story on a Rs 700 cr scam about how cooperative finance bodies in Kolhapure mainly, but also Sangli and Satara methinks, loaned out money to people who were controlling the co-ops. Most then were in the hands of local Congressmen.

Since there is a need to fill names and forms, and perhaps even a ceiling to the loans, they hit upon one of the most hilarious ideas ever. They issued fake loans to themselves, and since their names could only handle these many loans, they started fishing for new names. I swear you`ll not believe it, but in the Income Tax office in Pune, I saw the entire records of loans from these small coops, and my eyes popped out. The coops had issued loans to Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri.

That scam I reported on CNBC Asia, then called ABNi, owned then again, by Dow Jones. Not a ripple. And, like you said, the story i did was availbale in the streets of Kolhapure for years together!

Feroz,

I seem to harbour a mild apprehension whenever I promote idealism. I tell them, especially young students, to have an affair with it in the begining of their careers at least. They can marry more rewarding, and better endowed ideas...later. All of them are ready with the ``Wooly Head`` poster to stick to the back of anyone who remotely sounds like promoting ``ideals.``

AnNy,

Some news filtered through, and then better news that you`ll filter through to our neck of the woods (Should i use infiltrate here for marital training!), and then the trail went cold. Whats news...mails to you bounce right back!

Rozaiba,

:)

HN

re: Harish

Very interesting. This is a common theme and it is also quite visible in Pakistan. The whole logic is Machiavellian and as long as you are successful, the means which got you to the ``top of the pyramid`` will be justified.

Your article was indeed sobering in the sense of the truth it stated.

Ciao

harry ol boy,
why, are you missing from my life?

Very interesting and true, Harish, thank you.

While poverty need not be one of the attributes, cynicism should, right? I find that missing in everday media in India. An example is the recent stamp-paper scam which is not recent but has been emerging and vanishing regularly in the Pune-Nashik area for the past 3-4 years. Ask any taxi driver, and he will tell you how closely it is linked to the countefeit currency scam, but does any media draw the news?

Interesting read Harish.

Idealism is all about imitating others...in return for some reward. About suppressing or ignoring your gut responses...which is the only reality.

t: i haven`t spoken to Harish in a while and so he is squarely responsible for lack of communication.

rozaiba:

yeh kya baat hay?...baRouN say aisay baat kartay hain?;)...and he is a poet also!

harish is in bombay...when not roaming around in goa, or orissa or benaras...you must have been misled by the footnote?

:)

...t

oye, before i read this, tell me, where in the world are you?