Media Ecology.

Hey Bloggers,

What's on.

Let me place in front of you all a feature report of a lecture on Media and Ecology.

Ghaziabad: This Friday i.e. 27/03/09 Niscort had a new guest as the speaker for the day on the theme Media Ecology for the World Around Programme held here.

Prof. Oliver Inchody , Department of Environment, Atheneo Manila University, Philliphines rendered an exhaustive lecture on Media Ecology and its various spheres.

The Prof. belongs to the CMI congregation. He is a specialist in Environmental Science.
Starting the session he stated that Ecology stood for Sensitivity.

He said that the areas in ecology are spirituality. Being an earlier visitor to the institute in the form of a guest last year he recalled the documentary film about Rickshaw wallas produced by ex-students , he added that ecology of Delhi was shown through the video as the garbage on road side was shown .

He informed that the spectrum of Media Ecology came into being recently. It was a development of 1970 by Neil Postman. In 1976 , it earned global significance, he quipped.

For better comprehension, the Prof broke the words(Media and Ecology) and disseminated its meaning. According to this understanding, Media stands for being aware of, concerned of a concept.

He stressed that Media and Ecology are gigantic disciplines. Talking to students he said Ecology gives background of the Earth dealt here as a household. He put this propsition in a simpler way by adding that: " If something happens to the house, the person there is also affected."

He clarified that Ecology and Environment are different concepts. He stressed they cannot be used interchangeably. He added that both have different connotation.

He drove home the fact that Media environment is getting stronger and stronger in India. At this juncture he pinpointed that this affirmation of his stands out yet both concepts ( Ecology and Environment complement each other.)

He summarised the processing of Media by stating that its module comprehends as CAP , the expansion of which would be Collection, Assimilation, Presentation.

He stated that it is " We who can facilitate and destroy."

He stressed that in this age of new technology which is digitised the importance of the machine exists but at the same time one can't ignore the humans who operate these machines. They are also important, he added.

The aspect of media following public who are the audience are someone who can think of and feel of, he added. Elaborating on the topic, he put forward this question to the students: Why did Slumdog Millionaire earn controversies ?

He claimed that the answer to this question lies in the fact that India does not want itself to be projected in the fashion the slums of Mumbai were portrayed in the production.

Through the Production knowingly or unknowingly some aspects of India's situation came out in the global arena. The director, Danny Boyle's success from this effort was that he made people think about some idea by disturbing the movie watching public, he added.

Elaborating on this aspect, he said that they( the audience) were disturbed in such a manner that slum population came forward to protest against the production. In this manner Boyle, somewhat succeeded in relating the audience to the movie, he added.

He stressed the production brought about attitudinal and behavioural change.

He informed that Thinking, feeling and behaviour were important aspects of Media Ecology. He clarified some vague concepts as Praxis-Nature i.e., Practice found in this vast topic.

He pinpointed that Amoeba, Bacteria, Virus are co existing with Multi cellular organisms.

Pertaining to contemporary media formats, Documentaries, movies are cut off from the world.

He warded off generalised notion on this aspect by adding: " It is, of course according to the title of the production or work. " To prove this, he cited an example of a Documentary on Science and technology.

Elucidating further, he said that the production may be a silent video, which touches an issue or a concept in a subtle manner: it touches the triumvirate of thinking, behaving and feeling. He said that once it meets these three criterias, it has succeeded in finding its audience.

He said Monocellular, Non-cellular organisms originate in this earth and we humans are not alienated from others.

He reportedly said that We ( human beings) are driving away other organisms and in a way taking over the reality. " We are playing a monocultural role " he added.

He put a subquestion by stating that in Election times, " how many organisations come forward to give human rights ? "

Elaborating this somewhat philosophical talk, he gave students attending the programme an example of a documentary based on a cat somewhere in the West which was brought at $ 5o,000.

The same documenary again showed the stark contrast of a cat living in a shanty area, he added.

Crossing over from these, he cited some organisations which protected and took care of animals.

He affirmed the connection between life and earth by throwing light on the complementing role of human lives and animal lives.

He threw light on concepts and extensions as JPIC ( Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation). He stressed that Creation is " Earth ."

He claimed that Nature can't be compartmentalised, though it is essentially being put under one umbrella. Unknowingly, we are creating a crisis situation to make the other person aware of.

The reason he cited for such a trend to take place is to bring about attitudinal and behaviural changes.

Dwelving into the intricacies of the subject he threw light on the logistics of Media Ecology which are its areas i.e., " Sensitivity " with regard to Media + Ecology which again is a Keyword.

Sensitivity should be kept in mind while producing an Audio-Visual presentation, he added.

Throwing light on the criterias of a documentary video he said that the filmaker should be sensitised on the area filmed, besides being focussed on the same.

Mr. Oliver claimed that following these would bring about an effective change. Shifting to other logistics, he said that " audacity " which means boldness is the ability in a filmaker to face legal consequences of his work.

Last but not the least, he wrapped up his lecture by giving the example of social activist, Medha Patkar, adding that when he was through his research formalities , she was leading her activism.

He claimed that she personified the logistic of what was known as " Committed. "

Answering to a question put forward by Jeffrey Tomjose, a 2nd year student of Broadcast Journalism that besides the logistics of the three C's there was also place for what was known as " Reception ? "

He replied: '' Reception is a seperate entity and is a corollary to Communication . "

With this the exhaustive lecture came to a conclusion with it still being a developing concept that has much to be researched and worked upon.

Thank you all.

Peace.

News Content and Formats.

Hello everybody,

Hope this finds you all in the zenith of whatever you all do.

Today I would like to place in front of you the discourse of News show format and the content which i took note of in its telecast on 25/03/09.

Name of the news Programme: The Buck Stops Here.

A Show which brings interviews and debates to the drawing room.

Anchor: Barkha Dutt.

Telecast: 1:00 p.m.


Here are the notes.

The Segment: Varun , Hindutva's New Poster boy ?

Barkha Dutt questions Sudheendra Kulkarni on his perspective of " Hindutva."

Sudheendra Kulkarni in studio with Barkha, while at the bottom of the T.V. screen, footnotes pass as : " Hindutva back on BJP menu " ?

Sudheendra Kulkarni answering to Barkha's question answers: Governance, Development and Security are the real issues.

He adds that Media needs to know Hindutva in the right shade: he explains Bihar C.M. Nitish Kumar wants legal action.

Message passing at the bottom of the screen: Varun spoke the truth.

The need to clearly place things in the public spectrum is the real need. It is infact, a responsibility of all political parties. It is to maintain integrity.BJP is in ideological crisis.

Message reportedly stated by L.K. Advani flashed at the bottom of the screen which says:

" Hindutva issue based ."

Soundbyte of Veerappa Moiley, Media cell Congress seated in another studio : All these 50 years, BJP and Sangh Parivar spreading hate campaign against other faiths. That kind of a culture is not known to India, he adds.

Barkha puts a question from BJP's idelogical perspective, where does the party go from here?

Vir Sanghvi, Editorial Director, Hindustan Times: It depends partly on committed voters and explains people who cheer are reactors. Adds, floating voters will float.

Sudheendra Kulkarni: Hinduism is a secular religion of the country. Infact it is a display of double standards when Indian Muslims go all out to defeat BJP - puts counter question , it is labelled Secularism.

Message of Advani at the bottom of the screen: Governance main plank.

Bharat Kumar Raut, MP, Shiv Sena: It is double speak, Congress does not condemn Minority vote seeking trends or practices.

He quotes Mahatma Gandhi: The father of the nation told his countrymen: we are in search of a Democracy, We are in this search as " Indians " above all differences.

Vir Sanghvi: Secularism is mostly doublespeak.The Political Parties are playing with Islamic sentiments.Regarding the alleged hate speech of Varun Gandhi, Sudheendra Kulkarni states: I do not want to see such language being used in an election propaganda.

Kumar Raut: On a broader issue, we are with the BJP.

Moiley reacting to some statements adds: " India's Future is psuedo-secular if Congress is branded as one." We always fight against Fundamentalists, have sacrificed many men in this cause.

Vir Sangvi somewhat rubbishes Moliey's affirmation by pinpointing ally, Samajwadi Parti's alleged exploitation of Muslim Issues.

Moiley adds: We are here to be concerned wit the issue of communalism not to make some value based judgements.

Kulkarni: We should move on to the larger issues: Ramsena, Amarnath ( Government on wrong track ).

Adds, we are focussed on defending National ethos of the country.

This answer wraps up the show with the anchor thanking all guests.

A somewhat Sfx kind of background music is played throughout the programme.

Think and comment.

So much for now,

peace.

News Programme Format and Content.

Hello There,

How's the week been.

Mine has been quite o.k. with your appreciation and comments.

They say in journalistic parlance, that no news is good news. Only the rare, the unusual makes news!
Today i would like to offer in front of you all to judge and determine some news content which i watched yesterday night.

Here' s the note:

The channel: NDTV 24*7.

The programme: India 60 mins.

Telecast: 12:35 p.m.

Anchor: Soniya Singh, Senior Managing Editor, NDTV 24*7.

The thrust/topic of the programme: Can New Age politicians make a difference ?

The guests in different centres of the news channel answering to Soniya Singh: Independent candidate Meera Sanyal pitted against Murli Deora and who is also the country head of ABN-AMRO.

Meera Sanyal: Its difficult going as an independent , being independent means from everything that is negative.

Mallika Sarabhai, Dansuese , another independent candidate in Ahmedabad contesting against Lal Krishna Advani : It's time to stop following U.S. their institutions are collapsing. There is so much hate campaign going on.

Mukhtar Ansari, Varanasi BSP candidate: Of coure there are good and bad politicians.

R.K. Mishra of BJP: It(Politics) is a career. He warns that the manner of candidature of Mallika and Meera as Independents is a good idea but against the standards or norm set by politicians from time immemorial i.e., being under a particular banner.

He adds that Mallika will make a good politician.

Meera Sanyal: It's all about seat sharing, Why so much mess ? Political parties are meant to deliver.

Tarun Mansukhani, Filmaker: 70% of the country is youth, actors have it in them to promote election voting

Soniya Singh: " Do you see this election as something new ? "

We can't be ahistorical about judging anyone. Shashi Tharoor, Mallika, Meera have shown what can be called as an applauding effort.

We should not try to make an altogether different political class.

Meera: Let us not be perverse, Politicians good or bad have shaped Democratic institutions.

Programme ends with Soniya thanking guests.

Think and comment one and all,

Cheers.

Peace

The Capital through foreign spectacles !

Hello Bloggers,

Hope this finds you all in the best of health,

What's on?

Today, i would like to share with you all my experiences of travel to a few places around Delhi.

Delhi, as the saying goes is known as the city of hearts besides being the capital of the nation is also home to a motley of people.

One can come across not only fellow Indians but even foreign nationals accepted by our country as part of International strategies of long time friendship with lands as Afghanistan and Iran.

One can find here almost anyone and everyone.

This is a reason for the city being cosmopolised. The uniqueness of the city as compared to other states of India is that it is a blending of Ancient, Medieval, Mughal and modern times.

The Heritage Monuments of old and central Delhi as well as Gurgaon and Noida's M.N.C. infrasrtuctre both go hand in hand.

My trip starts on 21st March. I started out at 2:30 a.m. accompanied by my streetsmart classmate, Mridusmita Chaudhary.

I got my seniors at the main gate of my institute. Dhanya Thomas (Kerela) and Melroy Fernandes ( a Goan born and brought up in Maharashtra) both pursuing Broadcast Journalism were waiting for their freind's car to pick them up. They had the task of shooting for their final semester project.

First of all we headed for the National Science centre and musuem located near India Trade Organisation building, the famed Pragati Maidan field.

The science centre's installations inside at first look can be passed away as amateur scientific-knowledge (Though, i admit i dont remember the basic science taught by my school time teachers!) gradually brought trivia and facts unknown to me and my partner.

For instance, Vertebrates, i.e. creatures having backbones have the same cell-structure, which includes Humans.

One can come across modules or consoles that the visitors can operate to know some fundamentals of Science which includes: Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

There are the laws of sound, different stages of life, Prehistoric life and the list goes on.

The Spectrum of science passes from basic Science to its innovative sphere which encompasses Technology of the I.T. sector.

The building has a whole pavillion dedicated to communication giant Samsung's reach in Television and multimedia.

After these, we came across the theory part of Indian science which covered Indian Scientists, old and contemporary.

The part i liked the best was a passage through a replica of ancient cave adorned with rock-sculpted portraits and pictures and opening up to the pavillion wherein are installed the technology pioneered by India that led to its adavancement in Press and communication.

There were platform replicas of the oldest railway stations complete with a watchman's lantern hung on the trademark red-coloured wall.

There were scraps of old Indian Newspapers laminated with synthetic glass and placed on the wall. These carried important political news of our country which took place during our passage to freedom from the English as well as contemporary times.

There was a model of the oldest telegraph office, T.V. station as well as Newscasting studio which lets a user read news in the format wherein the screen carrying the text of the news to be read by the Newsreader is displayed in front of him/her. All these at the push of a button !

The centre is an imortant instrument to let the population be aware of contributions of the scientific world.

People can also acquire knowledge about the incurable diseases like AIDS, Cancer etc, their symptoms, antidotes, preventive measures etc

It took us a lot of time to cover the whole museum after which we headed for Connaught Place: which needs no introduction, youngsters, tourists flock in large numbers.

We headed for the inner circle and had Strawberry and Butterscotch milkshakes in the popular Caventers food and beverage outlet.

There is a strange rush in the counter because of its popularity with patronage coming mainly from the school and college going youth.

Threafter, we headed for Janpath- a mix and match of a flea market frequented by foreign tourists. The place is known for the bargain one gets there.

My partner went through the sunglasses and glares being sold and asked me to choose one for her. I chose one that had an uncanny resemblance with the ones adorned by actor Soha Ali Khan!

The things and goods available there range from lampshades, chic hand - mirrors, glittering boxes of various sizes , stoles , short-kurtees for girls, steelware-comprising of Mughal fashioned glasses meant for sherbet or any liquor.

There are also sequinned bags, Cushion covers which my partner claimed were from Gujarat.

There were also books which were the reprinted duplicate versions of the original bestsellers which my friend dissuaded me from looking towards for, she knows my interest in books !

Besides these, the subway which leads directly to the market's first circle has some vendors selling interesting message posters. I purchased one from there.

At janpath, i went about my usual bussiness of trying to get some inputs from tourists on their understanding of the place.

After some time, I interviewed an Iranian couple who were going through one of the stores selling decorative items with their small daughter. The man had a camera hung on his neck which prompted me to ask him that was he a professional to which he replied that it was his hobby to take pictures.

The husband, Homauun was an architect and and his wife Mansoure (both Persian Names), a housewife were warm and approachable.

They informed that they frequent the market often and try to get rare collectibles.

After these, I left this commercial hub at 6:30 p.m for Mridusmita's friends had acquired the passes for the ongoing Fiama Di-Wills lifestlyle India Fashion weeks event and didn't want to miss it !

After dropping her at Safdarjung Enclave where her friends live, i set off for the already famous Dilli haat - an open medium-sized ground where Fairs and cultural programmes take place.

There were stalls selling fares - ranging from Handicrafts to food of different states of India.

After taking a round, I headed for the Kashmiri stall " Wazwaan " selling Kashmiri food as Dum Aloo , Nadroo Ki Yakhni and last but not the least, " Kahwa " - the herbal tea from the valley garnished with saffron and Almond cut into pieces.

Its taste lingers in the tastebuds, very distinct and rejuvenating. Having sipped i ruminated my childhood memories when i had first tasted it in the Haat with my parents.

Coming out from this cultural and traditional carnival of sorts: I witnessed a musical street theatre with performers adorning carichatured masks made of clay which were oversized and the striking feature in this group of performers was the giant indegenious Indian having trademark moustaches , turban and long flowing Kurta with a performer underneath the model.

There camerapersons from news channels were covering their enactment.

Of the Science centre visit, i am reminded of my media teachers' comment that not enough matter or story is covered on Science in contemporary media.

Of the two commercial hubs C.P. is that it is glossy and cosmopolised with a ruminating character permeating the place.

The Janpath area offers somewhat neo-traditional fares making them attractive and apealing to the foreign tourists

While, Dilli Haat brings out handicrafts and indigeneous fare out in the globalised sphere which naturally a capital city tends to become.

Let us ruminate these lines from the title song of Rakesh Mehra's February 2009 release:

It starts like this: Yeh Delhi hain mere yaar......

Bas Ishq, Mohabbat, Pyar..... Masti hain dilwalo ki..dilli, dilli...

Yeh sheher nahi... mehfil hain.....

Million heatbeats and all in the Capital !!

Cheers to all.

Peace.

Celebration of Indian Poverty ?

Hello Bloggers,

Hope this finds you all in the zenith of health !

Today, i would like to place in front of you all the debated film which lapped up 8 Academy awards last month: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.

In the following feature i have interviewed some of the students in my institute for an overview of the film.

I dedicate this post to Sir Mary Das, who took the pains to edit the article. He is a senior journalist in the English Daily, " The Hindu. "

Slumdog Millionaire, the movie directed by English director, Danny Boyle is shot in India on a modest budget of $ 14 million. It traces the life of a Mumbai orphan who overcomes poverty, betrayal, police torture and other hardships on his way to a reunion with his childhood love and success on India’s version of the TV game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”

The movie which lapped up 8 Oscar awards has brought with it two schools of thought. They comprise of individuals doubting and opposing the “fame” it received and on the other hand, going gaga over it.

The thrust of the skepticism from individuals related to the film industry as well as mass- audience is the portrayal of the slum life in Mumbai. Speaking on these lines, Father Jerry from Tamil Nadu, pursuing Broadcast Journalism at Niscort says that the production is a “well orchestrated movie by a team aiming at Oscars.” He goes on to explain that at recessionary times, India is a potent market for the West. He states that poverty is marketed and sold through this production.

He adds that the director very smartly roped in A.R. Rahman, an already known name in Europe and the West due to his composition in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “ Bombay Dreams ” and other ventures to make the soundtrack of the movie an international one.

Regarding the cast, he says that Dev Patel, the protagonist, is a UK based Indian who cannot relate to India. Same goes for the Heroine Freida Pinto, who has been an ‘insignificant’ actress without any acting background behind her.

Father Jerry says the real life slum child artistes being guaranteed education expenses by the director is nothing compared to the profit the production has reaped.

He says the film presents a picture of slum inhabitants being liberated. Commenting on filmmaker Priyadarshan’s point that Indian directors like Mani Ratnam in Bombay and N. Shankar in Nayak and Ram Gopal Varma in Satya had shot the slums of Mumbai comprehensively, Father Jerry says that Indian filmmakers shoot slum scenes in a different way whereas foreigners try to document India in a subtle way i.e., they let the camera say “India is a poor country.”

He labeled the story telling of Slumdog as “Oscar coated poverty i.e. they ascertain India is a poverty stricken country.” The production can be summed up as a fictionalized account of the crucial junctures in a slum dwelling boy’s life.

Dhanya Thomas , a 2nd year student of Broadcast Journalism had this to say about the production: “It is detailed and closer to life.” Resul Pookutty’s work in sound mixing brings alive the “heart beats of the slums.”

She interestingly compared the phenomenon created by Slumdog with Shimit Amin’s “Chak De India.” She says that the hockey oriented movie had thrown light on a common aspect shared by both the productions- i.e. battling the odds and emerging victorious in the game. Slumdog touches poverty and brings alive positive character of people living below poverty line, she informed.

At the same time, she believes it is not an exaggerated tale. Commenting on the Oscars it had lapped up, she opines, “It does not deserve 8 Oscars and as far as the musical score of the production goes, A.R.Rahman has executed masterpieces in movies like Roja, Bombay, Dil Se... etc.”

She finds that Boyle’s work in the movie resembles Mira Nair’s “ Salaam Bombay ” yet the latter is by far a good production.

She says “ the director is using Indian actors, Indian plots and sound mixing is well done, courtesy: Resul Pookutty.”

Now that the production has received the recognition it was aiming for, it will be interesting to see the debate over it at various levels.

Comment on your understanding of the production.

Cheers and peace to all.

Pakistan's Political State of Affairs.

Pic: From the top-Mr. Pushpender Kulshreshta.

Hello Netizens,

What's on ?

I dedicate this post to Peace, Positivity, Vibrancy and Constructive character.

The topic of discourse today is the political state of affairs in neighbouring Pakistan.

It is in a state of constant upheavals and transitions. Let us analyse the various angles responsible for such a condition in the nation.

The following feature is a note of the lecture given by Mr. Pushpender Kulshreshta in the Friday World Around programme held at Niscort on 20-3-09 ( National Institute of Social Communications Research and Training) located at Vaishali, Ghaziabad wherein i pursue masters in Print Journalism.

For all of you to know, Mr. Pushpender Kulshreshta is a veteran in the field of media. His vocation at present is: he is the Secretary General of the Press Club and Senior Correspondent for the PTV (Pakistan Television) for analysis on Pakistan's Politics.

Besides these, his other realms are his involvement in BBC's Political Beat, Sahara's Political Beat wherein he has covered issues and developments related to two of the most important Political Parties of Uttar Pradesh: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP).

Last but not the least, this tireless journalist has also done Telephone interviews with a considerable number of the militant organisation Taliban's leaders during his stint in Sahara's Media organisation. He threw light on his current designation by informing students attending

the programme: that he works in a Pvt. channel based in Karachi - a 24 Hour News Channel and he is in charge of the Indian operations from New Delhi.

He addressed the audience by stating that: " Indians of all classes, social status and backgrounds should understand the psychology of Indian Muslims first in order to ease out blown out of proportions tensions and animosity on political levels between the two countries."

This he cited as being the sole reason for the constant political blame game between the two countries.

Commenting on the political crisis faced by Pakistan he stated that the present state of affairs in Pakistan is an indication of its last chance for survival as a nation.

The bottom line at this juncture of his talk was that the country was fully exposed on Civil, Defence and Political levels.

Throwing light on origin of terror organisations like the Taliban, he stated that: it was created by ISI chief Hamid Gul in connivance with U.S. intelligence, CIA.

He stated that later this brainchild of Pakistan had no room for release of energy infused in it.

Commenting on the spectrum of social hierarchy in the nation he added that Army was the only institution that comes with permanent and stable power.

He said that the Army regime was played with huge vested interests from both the countries intelligence ( Both India & Pakistan's). He went on to add that Akbar Mufti a potent leader of Baluchistan province was reportedly killed with political motives allegedly by the intelligence agencies.

Here and there he threw some interesting trivia to the audience by informing that India comprises of 80 crore Muslims approximately.

Informing audiences on social spectrum of Pakistan he stated that any federation back there comprises of a retired Army General of the nation.

The instance he gave students speaks volumes of Pak army's social monopoly: " ranging from matchbox to cement factories are owned by the army. "

Simultaneously, he gave the picture across the border by stating that in India's case, RAW( Research Analysis Wing) as well as intelligence heads do not have an army background.

He alleged that in India's case, the " hawkish " element both in RAW and IB (Information Bureau) is interfering with the betterment of relations between the two neighbours.

He said the Vernacular Press is equally responsible for exaggerating issues or simply spreading wrong messages. At this juncture he informed that the cost of an English daily in Pakistan costs Rs. 15.

Commenting on media content he alleged that the material and matter of an Urdu daily named "Nawa-e-Waqt " runs on similar lines to that of RSS's mouthpiece , the Organiser back in India.

As far as the issue of the valley of Kashmir goes, he informed that it is but a uniting force for Pakistan to rouse and integrate nationalism among the different racial groups of the country.

He said that 20-25 families, feudal in their processing and format run Pakistan. These landlords are traditionally known as Vadheras. There is no Middle class there which is why there is lack of any mass movements there.

Commenting on News dissemination in Pakistan he added that "One should not be selective in their memory." This he hinted towards the talk hogging the central topic both in Political and social circles. It was the massacre of thousands and thousands of Gujarati Muslims in 2002. Unfortunately, the massacre of 3000 Sikhs in Delhi on 1984 doesn't make much noise.

He put his justification in this proposition by adding that we, in India comprise of diverse religious communities and one community is not meant to be singled out for harassment and oppression.

The bottom line is one's pain is every body else's pain.

He affirmed that Pakistan is the 51st estate of the U.S. with it depending on the self proclaimed superpower's funds and sanctions.

The silver lining according to his understanding and observation is that there are voices emerging from within Pakistani society.

He said that Pakistan should not adopt a role as being a contractor of misinterpreted and distorted self- styled Jihad activists sent to different Islamic countries.

He affirmed that Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan was the only Nationalist leader of India till 1935 after which the " hawkish " element of Congress made him think on communal lines.

He stated that this was the first time after many years that " great diplomacy " was shown by Indian Bureaucracy which was fast tracked by a 2 day workshop that exposed Pakistan from many levels. He lauded MEA ( Ministry of External Affairs) for its efficiency.

He said English dailies like " The Dawn " plays a positive and a good role back there.

He added: U.S. interests in all these matters centre around its efforts to check China with Pakistan being its immediate neighbour and its underlying motive, perhaps the foremost motive is to play a bigger a role over India, touted to be a superpower after China in the Asian continent.

On a popular level, his talk can be summarised by actor Shahrukh Khan's intelligent propositions on stage in a movie awards night following terror attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon of U.S. by first humorously adding that now my wife wouldn't let me watch Britney Spears music videos and not all blame and accusations should be reserved for neighbouring Pakistan as there are good and bad elements anywhere.

Thank you all.

Keep thinking and comment what you folks think about it ?

Cheers.

Peace to all.

Paradoxes of an Equal Life !

I dedicate this post to the hardworking senior of mine, Miss Dhanya Thomas, pursuing Masters in Broadcast journalism, 2nd year of whom this visit with me to the slums is part of her project on Slum life and their recreational activities.

Hi Netizens,

What's on ?

Today i would like to place in front of you all my experiences of travel around a slum.

Militant Justice !

Hello Everybody,

What's on ?

Today i would like to discuss with you all my understanding of the superhero movie Judge Dredd based on the comic book character by the same name.

American Pop Culture !

Hi Everybody,

How's life ?

Today i would like to place in front of you all the issue or story of American Pop Culture.

It's a vast topic and everybody'd invited to comment and share their views.

One Woman's Journey.

Hello There!

Hope this finds you all in the zenith of all activities !

Today, i would like to discuss with you all my understanding of the movie Kandahar.

Oriental Tea offerings !

Hello Everybody,

What's on?

Today, I would like to discuss with you all the beneficial element of exotic tea samples found in the Eastern part of the world.

Of Observatories and Astronomy !

Hello Bloggers,

Hope this finds you all in the pinnacle of everything !

What's on ?

Today i would like to place in front of you all my understanding of the Jantar-Mantar observatory in New Delhi.

Fiery Spices ignited !

Hello Bloggers what's on?

Today i would like to place in front of you all my underastanding of the Movie, Mirch Masala.

Floats like a Butterfly and Stings like a Bee !

Hello Bloggers,

Hope this finds you all in the Zenith of health !

What's on?

Today, i would like to talk about one of the living legends of Boxing, American Hevyweight champion, Muhammad Ali.

Adventures in a Mega city !

First Pic: From top Former President Mr. Kalam in the Mughal Gardens, different views of the celebrated garden, Humayun Tomb - outside and interiors, Ghalib's tomb as well as a portarit of the 19th century poet.

Hello Bloggers.

Hope this finds you all in the zenith of health.

Today i would like to share with you all my experiences of travel around the city Delhi.

Delhi is big ! It is known as the city of hearts ! It has people from almost every part of the country. It has witnessed Medieval , Mughal as well as contemporary political, social, cultural history (ies)

To begin with, I got the opportunity to visit the Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan on the 9th of March it was to close down on the following day i.e., 10th of march. It opens for public viewing for 1 month.

I visited the venue on a Sunday morning. It wasn't too crowded then. There were two queues outside one for the depositing the belongings like any electronic gadget like cell-phones, Video or Handy - Cams etc. The other was for the entrance which was being frisked by two security men at the initial entry point with sensors for detecting explosives etc.

Songs of Patriotic fervour were being played from thematic movies as Rajkumar Santoshi's "Legend of Bhagat Singh. " as well as the nostalgic and hummable "Chodon Kal Ki Baatein..." rendered by the soulful yesteryear singer, Mukesh.

Upon entering the gatepoints one doesn't immediately reach the much talked about Gardens. There is another winding route to the path one gets access on entering.

After these came The first garden: it is named Herbal Garden. It comprises the plants medicinal in nature and value. A section of the public says that these were expanded by our former President Mr. APJ Abdul Kalam. This can be so, for South Indian people are known to be vary of the herbs and plants that cures one from many dreaded ailments.

After that, i came to the enclosure housing rare species of different animals with netted fencing around it.

Crossing these, one enters the Outer grounds of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Indian President's official residence.

Here one can in the centre of the ground see two sets of fountain gushing out sparkling water being reflected by the bright morning sun.

Having witnessed these, i entered the main Mughal gardens wherein one can find the gardeners tilling the areas around different kinds of flower plants. There are medium sized plots wherein different flowers have been grown.

After these, one comes across atleast if i am not mistaken 14-15 variety of roses.

Naturally, the whole area was filled by the tantalising and exotic smell of roses which find mention in the theurapetic uses of natural elements for grooming of females in the Mughal era.

After these natural elements which linger in an aesthetic individual's senses, one enters the area which is known as Circular Garden termed so for its shape. There are policemen there who ensure that no one plucks the flowers raised to this level through hard-work.

Crossing these, one comes across the stall where the public can catch a glimpse of the organically grown vegetables in the Prliament garden for the Indian president and his/hers guests. There were neatly placed Spinach, Cauliflower etc.

Interestingly, the parliament kitchen is known as " Dali Khana. "

Besides other things, one can also find the herbs or trees mentioned in the Islamic and Hindu religious texts.

After a trip so close to Mother Nature, I set forth forth for Humayun's Tomb located at New Delhi area where one can find the famous Sufi Mystic, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya's shrine with loads of other historical structures as Poet and Scholars' graveyards which i'll visit after witnessing the masoleum of the second Mughal Emperor.

Humayun was the son of Mughal Empire builder Babur who had come from a small country situated at Afghanistan. I cannot comment much on his Military achievements but, is considered a patron of letters and arts.

It is said that one fine day he was studying in his library and tumbled down the steep stairs of the chamber which caused his untimely death.

The Masoleum is a fine structure of early Persian and Central Asian architecture, has two gates leading to its entrance. It has date trees planted at its verendah, giving it an oriental appearance.

On closer looks at arches leading to the tombs of whom probably seem like someone from the nobility including the Emperor himself, one finds intricately cut designs. The tombs which are of marble also carry text engraved on its edges.

The cielings of the tombs are semi- conular with some having criss - cross designs at the four corners which reminded me of the interiors of The Golconda Fortress at Hyderabad.

Foreign tourists flock in large numbers to this red sandstone structure. I interviewed a Spanish couple who were i must say very approachable and friendly.

The globetrotters were Jose Sanabria and Monica Diaz. Prior to this, they had visited Birla Temple, Qutub Minar and Bahai Temple.

Taking notes on the resting place of the Mughal emperor, I headed for the alley reminiscent of Delhi's Urdu poetry, culture and Mysticism all combined into one: the lane to the Dargah or shrine of the Sufi Mystic, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya.

I had visited the Saint's shrine twice during my stay here and a couple of times in my childhood due to time crunch i visited the tomb of a central figure in 19th century as far as maturity and adavancement of Urdu poetry was concerned.

Guess who? Mirza Ghalib, said to be the poet patronised by the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar. There is a canopy like structure on top it. The grave of the poet is done in marble.one can find some smaller graves lying symmetrically to the poet's resting place.

As per traditions I performed the Ziyarat ( prayers) and placed some rose petals on Ghalib's epitaph as well as the unknown graves.

It is located at the precincts of Ghalib Academy which houses material on Urdu literature as well as replicas of artefacts related to the Poet.

I met another visitor there. The gentleman was Nadeem Ahmed Khan 30 years of age. He hailed from Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Upon enquiring that does he like Ghalib's works he commented that the poet had his personal experiences permeating throughout his poetry and did not write in a fashion which had a slant towards any particular religion or community. Mr. Khan is engaged in Government service.

While I came out of the charming lane a thought struck my mind that Delhi is big: it offers History, Anthropolgy, Sociology, Culture and Arts in Abundance one only has to observe and look around !

Culture and Arts drive humans, lacking it is similar to being non-existent !

Thank you All

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Peace to all.