...harvesting the cult of alter reading...




Search This Blog

Thursday, May 27, 2010

marxist press

FUNCTIONS OF MASS MEDIA:
MARXIAN VIEW
Ratheesh Kaliyadan
To Marx, the press is a central element of the super structure, the Uberbau, which the ruling classes erected as their literary, political and ideological chauvenism for maintaining power. In English, the word superstructure suggests something that is built on the top of something else. To Marx , it is a critical part of the social order. News papers would certainly influence the ideology of intelligentsia, civil servants, shopkeepers and these in turn would pass along to the under class the “truths” they had read in the papers.
Journalists, in Marx’s view were themselves members of the proliterate. They were alies of bourgeoisie in the maintenance of its power, most importantly through deserving the people into failure to recognize their state of alienation.
Capitalists control not only the farms and the factories but also governments, churches, schools and presses. So V.I.Lenin identified three rules for mass media.

  • Collective propagandist
  • Collective agitation
  • Collective organizer.
The Marxist press has a participatory role in social change. Journalists never stand apart from the process of socialisation. They are active participants in the movements as the Marxian idealogues and propogandors. News and views influence the laymen to stay with the part of the agitation. These idea are dramatically opposite to the press image in the capitalist lands where the press is viewed as a watchdog and an instrument of education, information and entertainment.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

film appreciation

Ratheesh Kaliyadan engages a class
FILM APPRECIATION @
GOVT. ORGANISATION
Film is an art of industrialization. During the period of industrialization, film became more and more popular. It was in the early years of last century. That was why V.I.Lenin described film as the art of twentieth century.

Industrialization is not only a process of installing factories but also bring forth of new culture. Urbanization is the major change that brought by industrial revolution. Dependency of Society shifted from the producers to the distributors. A new trend in social discourses and transactions occurred. It is the boom of middlemen as traders.
Market became the center stage of all transactions. From farm to market. Markets are full-fledged with varieties of products. You get anything in a market. Market centered economy developed. This paved way to a different culture. Film fired some of the thirsts of society. All over the world, reactions of these new medium reflected. Changes in attitude, behavior, and outlook are clear.
Popularization of middle class cult is a reality now. The present morale of film activists and critics is to equip the new generation about the threat of market economy and popular culture. Major face value of this ‘imported’ culture is consumerism. Kerala Chalachithra Academy, a govt. of Kerala undertaking organized three film appreciation camps to children. These camps focused on familiarizing various techniques of film appreciation. Also it provided space for open up discussions on the threat of popular culture represented by films.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

PRINCIPLES OF MASS COMMUNICATION


ORDER PRINCIPLES OF MASS COMMUNICATION NOW!
Dear Sir/Madam,
Greetings from Media Analysis & Research Center. Thank you for your kind co-operation in building up Principles of Mass communication by Ratheesh Kaliyadan as the No1 companion to media mates. Principles of mass communication are an unavoidable part of media studies and a close companion to mediamates: students, academicians, trainees and media practitioners. The third and revised edition is on sale. Major attractions of this value added edition are:
 More information
 New design
 More pictures
 Bigger size
The book contains almost all walks of mass communication. Those who book copies on or before July 25, 2010 with advance payment may get a mega offer. Up to 10 copies @ Rs 140. For 50 and more copies @ Rs 120. For 100 and more copies @ Rs 110. More than 250 copies @ Rs 100. The actual prize for the revised edition is Rs 175. Kindly remember that minimum 10 copies deviation is necessary to get higher offer.
Please send Demand Draft in favor of Director, Media Analysis & Research Center, payable at any banks in Koyilandy. Please add Rs 75 for outstation cheques. You can also directly deposit the amount in our SB account.
Hurry up! Only a limited copy is available this time. Rush your orders and enjoy the special offer exclusively for you. For queries please touch with us.
We are looking forward to hear from you.

mangrove genitic resource research

FIRST INDIAN MANGROVE GENETIC RESOURCE RESEARCH CENTER BEGINS IN KOYILANDY

Ratheesh Kaliyadan
Bio diversity year celebration is rich with the establishment of Mangrove Genetic Resource Research Center (MGRRC) in Koyilandy of Kozhikode district in Kerala. Considering the importance of mangrove ecosystem as very rich and diverse terrestrial aquatic faunal communities, the municipal council decided to commence MGRRC.
Over two decades research has generated a large volume of data supporting the view that there is an important linkage between mangrove ecosystem and costal productivity. They provide an extensive habitat to fishes, crabs, prawns and mollusks. The fishery data make clear that mangrove ecosystem assists a high yield of fish and shell fish from the estuarine and costal waters. Mangrove provides a variety of goods and services for the communities that lives in its surroundings.
Besides its fisher9es potential, mangroves ecosystem acts as a biofilter to clean polluted waters, prevent floods and bank erosion, reduce the fury of waves and storms, and recharge ground water. It provides unique habitat for a wide flaura and fauna associated to them. Still for many years mangrove forests have been considered as undervalued resources. Over the last decades vast area of mangrove forests were destroyed. Kerala is having a coastline of about 590 KM and with 41 west flowing rivers create suitable environment to build up rich growth of mangrove vegetation. Once we had 700 Sq KM of mangroves along the coast and have declined it to an area of 17 SqKM today. Under these circumstances, we realized to protect the prevailing vegetation and also support efforts to spread the forest by sapling them. Media Analysis & Research Center submitted a project proposal in 2004 to Koyilandy Municipality to establish MGRRC and the council took right decision to implement it. Though some year’s delay is happened, MGRRC becomes a reality in the biodiversity year. This is the first of this kind in India dealing with the conservation of floral and faunal aspects of mangrove wetland ecosystem with participatory approach. Local community is the champions of conservation.
Anelakkadavu, the site is located about 26 KM north of historic town Kozhikode and 1.5 KM east of Koyilandy municipal bus stand and railway station. It lies 12 KM north from Kappad beach where Vascoda Gamma landed and 10 KM south from Kottakal where Kunjali Marakkar, the variant fighter against the British regime born and brought up.
MGRRC will be the pioneer venture where a local self government took initiative in protection of mangrove ecosystem with the help of an NGO Media Analysis & Research Center and also with the technical support of another NGO Malabar Natural History Society.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

MAFTHA, THE CRIMINAL

MAFTHA, THE CRIMINAL
Ratheesh Kaliyadan


Wearing Maftha (head scarf) by a Muslim girl is a crime! If you put a question mark, nobody says YES. But a CBSE school in Alappuzha district says it is a crime. The school authority issued transfer certificate to Nebula, a female Muslim student, she was about to go to 10th standard in Believers Church English Medium School affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education. An unbelievable action from the part of a school in the ‘secular Kerala’. Are we as secular as the boasts going on?

If you ask the reason for sudden issue of transfer certificate is this student, the answer will be very simple: she wore maftha. It’s the first time she is expelled on the ground that she wears maftha. According to Nebula’s parents, she wears maftha since kindergarten days.

Nazir Musliar, the student’s father and an imam at a madrassa states that the school authority warned her that the she would not be allowed to wear a headscarf to school any more. The parents put an appeal to allow her to complete SSLC since moving this last moment may affect her studies adversely. “But the school management refused and instead issued her transfer certificate to the Govt.High School Mannanchery.” This school follows Kerala syllabus. These two schemes have thorough distinctions; not only in syllabi but also in methodology. Clear cut distinction is available in evaluation strategies also.

The transfer certificate issued on April 26, 2010 mentions the reason for transfer as “Maftha is not allowed in this school”.

Governments have no control over CBSE schools. Still education minister M.A.Baby told that the govt. would take appropriate action. The state govt.is asked the deputy director of education, Alappuzha to conduct an inquiry and submit report. “If such a ban is imposed, it cannot be tolerated in a pluralistic society such as ours” Mr. Baby added.

The basic question here is how the unaided system pave red carpet to religious rigidity does. We don’t believe wearing a head scarf will lead the girl to heaven as her parents and some others believe. But we are not against their personal choice. The concept of hell and heaven itself is an absurd dream. At the same time we live in a pluralistic society where religions and non-believers have a space to interact. The Indian constitution underlines the same. Harmonious get together of these sections is the corner stone of the swecular, democratic India. This new incident threatens it. Threat to nation and constitution by educational practice is in a dangerous state now.

Secular educational activists warned it earlier. Different religious institutions run schools as they like. They impose narrow-minded religious believes and practices as moral studies and so on. The school authorities firmly ascertain to be believers without any rationale. Non-believing, secular minded learners and teachers are insulted and tortured in such institutions. Here a believing student is also insulted on the ground that she is not believed in a system that the school follows.

Can we insist such monotonous believes in space like schools? Remember the words of Mar Powathil, a Christian monk: Christian children should go to Christian schools. These recent words of the monk support the school authority’s action. Can we have Hindu schools, Muslim schools and Christian schools rather than a school where all sections have a secular and secure space? This attitude to compartalise learners and the society is the real threat to the secular mood of our nation. At this juncture the Right to Education bill and its after effects in connection with the freedom allowed to unaided institutions also is critical.