SOUHRIDAM CAMP IN THIKOTI
Media Analysis &Research Center's media workshop (souhridam camp) concluded in Palur Lower Primary school,Thikoti,Kozhokode district of Kerala in India on February 15,2009. Thikoti grama panchayath hosted the camp. 50 children selected from all primary schools in the panchayath participated in the workshop. National Service Scheme volunteers-Sarath,Mishab, Shijin,Hasna,Thasleena,Raheena,Anjana,Renu,Sruthi,Aparna acted as teachers in the workshop.MARC director Ratheesh Kaliyadan lead the over all activities of the mdia workshop. This workshop enlightened the school children to read newspapers in a different perspective.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
MEDIA TERROR
Media terror
Medha Patkar
Hotel Taj : icon of whose India ?
Gnani Sankaran- Tamil writer, Chennai. Watching at least four English news channels surfing from one another during the last 60 hours of terror strike made me feel a terror of another kind. The terror of assaulting one's mind and sensitivity with cameras, sound bites and non-stop blabbers. All these channels have been trying to manufacture my consent for a big lie called - Hotel Taj the icon of India. Whose India, Whose Icon ?
It is a matter of great shame that these channels simply did not bother about the other icon that faced the first attack from terrorists - the Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station. CST is the true icon of Mumbai. It is through this railway station hundreds of Indians from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan,West Bengal and Tamilnadu have poured into Mumbai over the years, transforming themselves into Mumbaikars and built the Mumbai of today along with the Marathis and Kolis But the channels would not recognise this. Nor would they recognise the thirty odd dead bodies strewn all over the platform of CST. No Barkha dutt went there to tell us who they were. But she was at Taj to show us the damaged furniture and reception lobby braving the guards. And the TV cameras did not go to the government run JJ hospital to find out who those 26 unidentified bodies were. Instead they were again invading the battered Taj to try in vain for a scoop shot of the dead bodies of the page 3 celebrities. In all probability, the unidentified bodies could be those of workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh migrating to Mumbai, arriving by train at CST without cell phones and pan cards to identify them. Even after 60 hours after the CST massacre, no channel has bothered to cover in detail what transpired there. The channels conveniently failed to acknowledge that the Aam Aadmis of India surviving in Mumbai were not affected by Taj, Oberoi and Trident closing down for a couple of weeks or months. What mattered to them was the stoppage of BEST buses and suburban trains even for one hour. But the channels were not covering that aspect of the terror attack. Such information at best merited a scroll line, while the cameras have to be dedicated for real time thriller unfolding at Taj or Nariman bhavan. The so called justification for the hype the channels built around heritage site Taj falling down (CST is also a heritage site), is that Hotel Taj is where the rich and the powerful of India and the globe congregate. It is a symbol or icon of power of money and politics, not India. It is the icon of the financiers and swindlers of India. The Mumbai and India were built by the Aam Aadmis who passed through CST and Taj was the oasis of peace and privacy for those who wielded power over these mass of labouring classes. Leopold club and Taj were the haunts of rich spoilt kids who would drive their vehicles over sleeping Aam Aadmis on the pavement, the Mafiosi of Mumbai forever financing the glitterati of Bollywood (and also the terrorists) , Political brokers and industrialists. It is precisely because Taj is the icon of power and not people, that the terrorists chose to strike. The terrorists have understood after several efforts that the Aam Aadmi will never break down even if you bomb her markets and trains. He/she was resilient because that is the only way he/she can even survive.
Resilience was another word that annoyed the pundits of news channels and their patrons this time. What resilience, enough is enough, said Pranoy Roy's channel on the left side of the channel spectrum. Same sentiments were echoed by Arnab Goswami representing the right wing of the broadcast media whose time is now. Can Rajdeep be far behind in this game of one upmanship over TRPs ? They all attacked resilience this time. They wanted firm action from the government in tackling terror.
The same channels celebrated resilience when bombs went off in trains and markets killing and maiming the Aam Aadmis. The resilience of the ordinary worker suited the rich business class of Mumbai since work or manufacture or filmshooting did not stop. When it came to them, the rich shamelessly exhibited their lack of nerves and refused to be resilient themselves. They cry for government intervention now to protect their private spas and swimming pools and bars and restaurants, similar to the way in which Citibank,General Motors and the ilk cry for government money when their coffers are emptied by their own ideologies.
The terrorists have learnt that the ordinary Indian is unperturbed by terror. For one whose daily existence itself is a terror of government sponsored inflation and market sponsored exclusion, pain is something he has learnt to live with. The rich of Mumbai and India Inc are facing the pain for the first time and learning about it just as the middle classes of India learnt about violation of human rights only during emergency, a cool 28 years after independence. And human rights were another favourite issue for the channels to whip at times of terrorism. Arnab Goswami in an animated voice wondered where were those champions of human rights now, not to be seen applauding the brave and selfless police officers who gave up their life in fighting terorism. Well, the counter question would be where were you when such officers were violating the human rights of Aam Aadmis. Has there ever been any 24 hour non stop coverage of violence against dalits and adivasis of this country?
This definitely was not the time to manufacture consent for the extra legal and third degree methods of interrogation of police and army but Arnabs don't miss a single opportunity to serve their class masters, this time the jingoistic patriotism came in handy to whitewash the
entire uniformed services.
The sacrifice of the commandos or the police officers who went down dying at the hands of ruthless terrorists is no doubt heart rending but in vain in a situation which needed not just bran but also brain. Israel has a point when it says the operations were misplanned resulting in the death of its nationals here.
Khakares and Salaskars would not be dead if they did not commit the mistake of traveling by the same vehicle. It is a basic lesson in management that the top brass should never travel together in crisis. The terrorists, if only they had watched the channels, would have laughed their hearts out when the Chief of the Marine commandos, an elite force, masking his face so unprofessionally in a see-through cloth, told the media that the commandos had no idea about the structure of the Hotel Taj which they were trying to> liberate. But the terrorists knew the place thoroughly, he acknowledged.
Is it so difficult to obtain a ground plan of Hotel Taj and discuss operation strategy thoroughly for at least one hour before entering? This is something even an event manager would first ask for, if he had to fix 25 audio systems and 50 CCtvs for a cultural event in a hotel. Would not Ratan Tata have provided a plan of his ancestral hotel to the commandos within one hour considering the mighty apparatus at his and government's disposal? Are satelite pictures only available for terrorists and not the government agencies ? In an operation known to consume time, one more hour for preparation would have only improved the efficiency of execution.
Sacrifices become doubly tragic in unprofessional circumstances. But the Aam Aadmis always believe that terror-shooters do better planning than terrorists. And the gullible media in a jingoistic mood would not raise any question about any of these issues. They after all have their favourite whipping boy - the politician the eternal entertainer for the non-voting rich classes of India.
Arnabs and Rajdeeps would wax eloquent on Manmohan Singh and Advani visiting Mumbai separately and not together showing solidarity even at this hour of national crisis. What a farce? Why can't these channels pool together all their camera crew and reporters at this time of national calamity and share the sound and visual bites which could mean a wider and deeper coverage of events with such a huge human resource to command? Why should Arnab and Rajdeep and Barkha keep harping every five minutes that this piece of information was exclusive to their channel, at the time of such a national crisis? Is this the time to promote the channel? If that is valid, the politician promoting his own political constituency is equally valid. And the duty of the politican is to do politics, his politics. It is for the people to evaluate that politics. And terrorism is not above politics. It is politics by other means.To come to grips with it and to eventually eliminate it, the practice of politics by proper means needs constant fine tuning and improvement. Decrying all politics and politicians, only helps terrorists and dictators who are the two sides of the same coin. And the rich and powerful always prefer terrorists and dictators to do business with.Those caught in this crossfire are always the Aam Aadmis whose deaths are not even mourned - the taxi driver who lost the entire family at CST firing, the numerous waiters and stewards who lost their lives working in Taj for a monthly salary that would be one time bill for their masters.
Postscript: In a fit of anger and depression, I sent a message to all the channels, 30 hours through the coverage. After all they have been constantly asking the viewers to message them for anything and everything. My message read: I send this with lots of pain. All channels, including yours, must apologise for not covering the victims of CST massacre, the real mumbaikars and aam aadmis of India. Your obsession with five star elite is disgusting. Learn from the print media please. No channel bothered. Only srinivasan Jain replied: you are right. We are trying to redress balance today. Well, nothing happened till the time of writing this 66 hours after the terror attack
Forwarded by Dr.D.S.Poornananda
November 29,2008 11pm
nba.medha@gmail.com
Medha Patkar
Hotel Taj : icon of whose India ?
Gnani Sankaran- Tamil writer, Chennai. Watching at least four English news channels surfing from one another during the last 60 hours of terror strike made me feel a terror of another kind. The terror of assaulting one's mind and sensitivity with cameras, sound bites and non-stop blabbers. All these channels have been trying to manufacture my consent for a big lie called - Hotel Taj the icon of India. Whose India, Whose Icon ?
It is a matter of great shame that these channels simply did not bother about the other icon that faced the first attack from terrorists - the Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station. CST is the true icon of Mumbai. It is through this railway station hundreds of Indians from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan,West Bengal and Tamilnadu have poured into Mumbai over the years, transforming themselves into Mumbaikars and built the Mumbai of today along with the Marathis and Kolis But the channels would not recognise this. Nor would they recognise the thirty odd dead bodies strewn all over the platform of CST. No Barkha dutt went there to tell us who they were. But she was at Taj to show us the damaged furniture and reception lobby braving the guards. And the TV cameras did not go to the government run JJ hospital to find out who those 26 unidentified bodies were. Instead they were again invading the battered Taj to try in vain for a scoop shot of the dead bodies of the page 3 celebrities. In all probability, the unidentified bodies could be those of workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh migrating to Mumbai, arriving by train at CST without cell phones and pan cards to identify them. Even after 60 hours after the CST massacre, no channel has bothered to cover in detail what transpired there. The channels conveniently failed to acknowledge that the Aam Aadmis of India surviving in Mumbai were not affected by Taj, Oberoi and Trident closing down for a couple of weeks or months. What mattered to them was the stoppage of BEST buses and suburban trains even for one hour. But the channels were not covering that aspect of the terror attack. Such information at best merited a scroll line, while the cameras have to be dedicated for real time thriller unfolding at Taj or Nariman bhavan. The so called justification for the hype the channels built around heritage site Taj falling down (CST is also a heritage site), is that Hotel Taj is where the rich and the powerful of India and the globe congregate. It is a symbol or icon of power of money and politics, not India. It is the icon of the financiers and swindlers of India. The Mumbai and India were built by the Aam Aadmis who passed through CST and Taj was the oasis of peace and privacy for those who wielded power over these mass of labouring classes. Leopold club and Taj were the haunts of rich spoilt kids who would drive their vehicles over sleeping Aam Aadmis on the pavement, the Mafiosi of Mumbai forever financing the glitterati of Bollywood (and also the terrorists) , Political brokers and industrialists. It is precisely because Taj is the icon of power and not people, that the terrorists chose to strike. The terrorists have understood after several efforts that the Aam Aadmi will never break down even if you bomb her markets and trains. He/she was resilient because that is the only way he/she can even survive.
Resilience was another word that annoyed the pundits of news channels and their patrons this time. What resilience, enough is enough, said Pranoy Roy's channel on the left side of the channel spectrum. Same sentiments were echoed by Arnab Goswami representing the right wing of the broadcast media whose time is now. Can Rajdeep be far behind in this game of one upmanship over TRPs ? They all attacked resilience this time. They wanted firm action from the government in tackling terror.
The same channels celebrated resilience when bombs went off in trains and markets killing and maiming the Aam Aadmis. The resilience of the ordinary worker suited the rich business class of Mumbai since work or manufacture or filmshooting did not stop. When it came to them, the rich shamelessly exhibited their lack of nerves and refused to be resilient themselves. They cry for government intervention now to protect their private spas and swimming pools and bars and restaurants, similar to the way in which Citibank,General Motors and the ilk cry for government money when their coffers are emptied by their own ideologies.
The terrorists have learnt that the ordinary Indian is unperturbed by terror. For one whose daily existence itself is a terror of government sponsored inflation and market sponsored exclusion, pain is something he has learnt to live with. The rich of Mumbai and India Inc are facing the pain for the first time and learning about it just as the middle classes of India learnt about violation of human rights only during emergency, a cool 28 years after independence. And human rights were another favourite issue for the channels to whip at times of terrorism. Arnab Goswami in an animated voice wondered where were those champions of human rights now, not to be seen applauding the brave and selfless police officers who gave up their life in fighting terorism. Well, the counter question would be where were you when such officers were violating the human rights of Aam Aadmis. Has there ever been any 24 hour non stop coverage of violence against dalits and adivasis of this country?
This definitely was not the time to manufacture consent for the extra legal and third degree methods of interrogation of police and army but Arnabs don't miss a single opportunity to serve their class masters, this time the jingoistic patriotism came in handy to whitewash the
entire uniformed services.
The sacrifice of the commandos or the police officers who went down dying at the hands of ruthless terrorists is no doubt heart rending but in vain in a situation which needed not just bran but also brain. Israel has a point when it says the operations were misplanned resulting in the death of its nationals here.
Khakares and Salaskars would not be dead if they did not commit the mistake of traveling by the same vehicle. It is a basic lesson in management that the top brass should never travel together in crisis. The terrorists, if only they had watched the channels, would have laughed their hearts out when the Chief of the Marine commandos, an elite force, masking his face so unprofessionally in a see-through cloth, told the media that the commandos had no idea about the structure of the Hotel Taj which they were trying to> liberate. But the terrorists knew the place thoroughly, he acknowledged.
Is it so difficult to obtain a ground plan of Hotel Taj and discuss operation strategy thoroughly for at least one hour before entering? This is something even an event manager would first ask for, if he had to fix 25 audio systems and 50 CCtvs for a cultural event in a hotel. Would not Ratan Tata have provided a plan of his ancestral hotel to the commandos within one hour considering the mighty apparatus at his and government's disposal? Are satelite pictures only available for terrorists and not the government agencies ? In an operation known to consume time, one more hour for preparation would have only improved the efficiency of execution.
Sacrifices become doubly tragic in unprofessional circumstances. But the Aam Aadmis always believe that terror-shooters do better planning than terrorists. And the gullible media in a jingoistic mood would not raise any question about any of these issues. They after all have their favourite whipping boy - the politician the eternal entertainer for the non-voting rich classes of India.
Arnabs and Rajdeeps would wax eloquent on Manmohan Singh and Advani visiting Mumbai separately and not together showing solidarity even at this hour of national crisis. What a farce? Why can't these channels pool together all their camera crew and reporters at this time of national calamity and share the sound and visual bites which could mean a wider and deeper coverage of events with such a huge human resource to command? Why should Arnab and Rajdeep and Barkha keep harping every five minutes that this piece of information was exclusive to their channel, at the time of such a national crisis? Is this the time to promote the channel? If that is valid, the politician promoting his own political constituency is equally valid. And the duty of the politican is to do politics, his politics. It is for the people to evaluate that politics. And terrorism is not above politics. It is politics by other means.To come to grips with it and to eventually eliminate it, the practice of politics by proper means needs constant fine tuning and improvement. Decrying all politics and politicians, only helps terrorists and dictators who are the two sides of the same coin. And the rich and powerful always prefer terrorists and dictators to do business with.Those caught in this crossfire are always the Aam Aadmis whose deaths are not even mourned - the taxi driver who lost the entire family at CST firing, the numerous waiters and stewards who lost their lives working in Taj for a monthly salary that would be one time bill for their masters.
Postscript: In a fit of anger and depression, I sent a message to all the channels, 30 hours through the coverage. After all they have been constantly asking the viewers to message them for anything and everything. My message read: I send this with lots of pain. All channels, including yours, must apologise for not covering the victims of CST massacre, the real mumbaikars and aam aadmis of India. Your obsession with five star elite is disgusting. Learn from the print media please. No channel bothered. Only srinivasan Jain replied: you are right. We are trying to redress balance today. Well, nothing happened till the time of writing this 66 hours after the terror attack
Forwarded by Dr.D.S.Poornananda
November 29,2008 11pm
nba.medha@gmail.com
ALL ABOUT THIRAS
All about `thiras'
Staff Reporter
KOZHIKODE: Students of Thiruvangur Higher Secondary School in Koyilandy in the district have come up with a new venture, `Arulappad,' a book containing 50-odd features on `thiras' being performed by various communities in the State.
The book is expected to be released in the first or second week of July. Ratheesh Kaliyadan, journalism teacher who coordinates the activities for the book, says those who are involved in compiling the book are all students of journalism, an optional subject at the higher secondary level. — Staff Reporter
THE HINDU,Online edition of India's National NewspaperThursday, Jun 01, 2006
Staff Reporter
KOZHIKODE: Students of Thiruvangur Higher Secondary School in Koyilandy in the district have come up with a new venture, `Arulappad,' a book containing 50-odd features on `thiras' being performed by various communities in the State.
The book is expected to be released in the first or second week of July. Ratheesh Kaliyadan, journalism teacher who coordinates the activities for the book, says those who are involved in compiling the book are all students of journalism, an optional subject at the higher secondary level. — Staff Reporter
THE HINDU,Online edition of India's National NewspaperThursday, Jun 01, 2006
BUDDING SCRIBES DOCUMENT FOLKLORE
Budding scribes document folklore
Staff Reporter
The book on sacred groves.
KOZHIKODE: Journalism students in Thiruvangoor Higher Secondary School here have documented folklore surrounding "Kavus" (sacred groves) in Koyilandy taluk.
Their effort has yielded a handy volume, Arulappad, which was released at the school recently.
Reading the book is a journey through time, examining and analysing how folklore traditions surrounding sacred groves have stood the test of time.
Ratheesh Kaliyadan, Editor of Arulappad, says, "documentation of folklore was also part of an initiative to give life to the concept of citizens' journalism."
"The [students'] assignments of reporting and editing have been materialised through the project of compiling data by the student groups and bringing it out in book form, while, at the same time, providing opportunities for extracurricular activities."
He said many folklore traditions were in the process of being lost, and the publication was an attempt to document these societal traditions. While data existed on some traditions, no information was available on certain Theyyams of the lowest sections of society, he said.
Documentation involved painstaking inquiry into the stories and folk histories surrounding each grove. Songs relating to festivals of deities and stage details such as the costume worn by the oracles during the "Thira" festival have also been documented.
The fact that each "Thira" is a dialogue between the past and present is highlighted. Thirty-one gods and goddesses have been analysed as part of the documentation.
Students carried out the enquiry and documentation in groups and singly.
Raghavan Payyanad, Director, Centre for Folklore Studies, Calicut University, has written an informative introduction to the book.
Arulappad gives details of the lore surrounding deities such as Vettakkoru Magan, Bhairavi, Chamundi and Kuttichathan.
An interesting aspect of folk deities of sacred groves is that most of them are subaltern heroes.
Some of them are depicted as resisting the oppressive feudal system. Valiamuthappan, for instance, is one such hero.
The book highlights the fact that folklore has multiple dimensions.
On the surface, it is just stories passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth. Some of these are presented on stages, and on going deeper, their multiple dimensions are revealed.
The students' enquiry reveals the existence of a large number of sacred groves in Kerala, with distinct history and social relevance.
It provides ample material for serious academic research on folklore and understanding the essential discourse.
THE HINDU,Online edition of India's National NewspaperMonday, Jan 08, 2007
Staff Reporter
The book on sacred groves.
KOZHIKODE: Journalism students in Thiruvangoor Higher Secondary School here have documented folklore surrounding "Kavus" (sacred groves) in Koyilandy taluk.
Their effort has yielded a handy volume, Arulappad, which was released at the school recently.
Reading the book is a journey through time, examining and analysing how folklore traditions surrounding sacred groves have stood the test of time.
Ratheesh Kaliyadan, Editor of Arulappad, says, "documentation of folklore was also part of an initiative to give life to the concept of citizens' journalism."
"The [students'] assignments of reporting and editing have been materialised through the project of compiling data by the student groups and bringing it out in book form, while, at the same time, providing opportunities for extracurricular activities."
He said many folklore traditions were in the process of being lost, and the publication was an attempt to document these societal traditions. While data existed on some traditions, no information was available on certain Theyyams of the lowest sections of society, he said.
Documentation involved painstaking inquiry into the stories and folk histories surrounding each grove. Songs relating to festivals of deities and stage details such as the costume worn by the oracles during the "Thira" festival have also been documented.
The fact that each "Thira" is a dialogue between the past and present is highlighted. Thirty-one gods and goddesses have been analysed as part of the documentation.
Students carried out the enquiry and documentation in groups and singly.
Raghavan Payyanad, Director, Centre for Folklore Studies, Calicut University, has written an informative introduction to the book.
Arulappad gives details of the lore surrounding deities such as Vettakkoru Magan, Bhairavi, Chamundi and Kuttichathan.
An interesting aspect of folk deities of sacred groves is that most of them are subaltern heroes.
Some of them are depicted as resisting the oppressive feudal system. Valiamuthappan, for instance, is one such hero.
The book highlights the fact that folklore has multiple dimensions.
On the surface, it is just stories passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth. Some of these are presented on stages, and on going deeper, their multiple dimensions are revealed.
The students' enquiry reveals the existence of a large number of sacred groves in Kerala, with distinct history and social relevance.
It provides ample material for serious academic research on folklore and understanding the essential discourse.
THE HINDU,Online edition of India's National NewspaperMonday, Jan 08, 2007
YOUNG SCRIBES ON A MISSION
Young scribes on a mission
MALEEHA RAGHAVIAH
A study on people living by the sea coast threw light on unexplored facets.
Armed with note pads and pen, students of the Thiruvangoor Higher Secondary School, near Kozhikode, collected data on the lifestyle and traditions of the people who lived in the sea coast of the district. The material was collected for the publication “Kadaloram” as part of a study project in the journalism curriculum.
Compiling the details on the life of the people living in the coastal area turned out to be interesting. It took more than four months for the 57 students who were divided into six groups to complete the study as part of their journalism training.
After the annual examination, the students had set aside the summer holidays, to collect details of the people who lived on the beach. “Kadaloram in Malayalam, in a way combines aspects of folk, environment and citizen journalism. The activity of compiling data was enjoyable since a majority of students come from the coastal area and they could tabulate details of their own traditions,” says Ratheesh Kaliyadan, teacher of journalism.
The publication throws light on the varied aspects of the laws, implements, food habits, culture, biodiversity, and medicine of fisher folk. Three grama panchayats, along the Arabian Sea coast in Kozhikode district were chosen as the area of study. Fourth
This is the fourth publication being brought out by students of Thiruvangoor Higher Secondary School as part of the journalism curriculum.
Kadaloramis the first publication of its kind in the State, being brought out by school students, Ratheesh said.
The earlier publications of the school are Nattarangu, Arulappad and Karshikam.
THE HINDU,Online edition of India's National NewspaperTuesday, Sep 30, 2008
MALEEHA RAGHAVIAH
A study on people living by the sea coast threw light on unexplored facets.
Armed with note pads and pen, students of the Thiruvangoor Higher Secondary School, near Kozhikode, collected data on the lifestyle and traditions of the people who lived in the sea coast of the district. The material was collected for the publication “Kadaloram” as part of a study project in the journalism curriculum.
Compiling the details on the life of the people living in the coastal area turned out to be interesting. It took more than four months for the 57 students who were divided into six groups to complete the study as part of their journalism training.
After the annual examination, the students had set aside the summer holidays, to collect details of the people who lived on the beach. “Kadaloram in Malayalam, in a way combines aspects of folk, environment and citizen journalism. The activity of compiling data was enjoyable since a majority of students come from the coastal area and they could tabulate details of their own traditions,” says Ratheesh Kaliyadan, teacher of journalism.
The publication throws light on the varied aspects of the laws, implements, food habits, culture, biodiversity, and medicine of fisher folk. Three grama panchayats, along the Arabian Sea coast in Kozhikode district were chosen as the area of study. Fourth
This is the fourth publication being brought out by students of Thiruvangoor Higher Secondary School as part of the journalism curriculum.
Kadaloramis the first publication of its kind in the State, being brought out by school students, Ratheesh said.
The earlier publications of the school are Nattarangu, Arulappad and Karshikam.
THE HINDU,Online edition of India's National NewspaperTuesday, Sep 30, 2008
ON FARMING
On farming
MALEEHA RAGHAVIAH
Bought out by students the journal is quite a treatise on farming.
KOZHIKODE
The story of farming is also an interesting account of the evolution of society from nomadic groups to people engaged in cultivating land for food and clothing.
A book on lost farming practices of Kerala got up by students’ of Thiruvangoor Higher Secondary School near Kozhikode delves into an unusual, and often neglected area of concern. Karshikam, the slick volume was part of their journalism course an d takes the reader through the lush green paddy fields and coconut plantations that was so much part of the Kerala landscape.Great reading
The attractive publication of 175 odd pages also reminds us of the once prevalent farming system that provided food security to the people besides conserving nature. The colourful jacket displays the rich traditional crops of Kerala like coconut, areca and paddy.
Karshikam, edited by Ratheesh Kaliyadan, teacher in Journalism of Thiruvangoor Higher Secondary School has interesting accounts of what Malayali poets and writers had to say about agricultural practices.
Readers are familiar with the works of Vaikkom Mohammed Basheer, Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon, Changampuzha, G. Shankara Kurup, P. Valsala and others.
The students compiled Karshikam by enquiring from those who have had long years of experience in agriculture in Koilandi and the surrounding areas in the Kozhikode District as part of a three-month study programme.
The initiative provided various opportunities for investigative journalism, says Mr. Ratheesh.
Dealing with very topical issues, Karshikam comes at a juncture when suicide among farmers is a matter of concern.
Written in a simple style, the chapters delve into the many aspects of farming practices such as preparing the field, judicious use of fertilizers, farm implements, and the careful conservation of seed for the next season’s crop.
The reader is informed of the peculiar rites connected to sowing and harvesting the rich diversity of food crops, feudal land systems in vogue, besides peasant-landlord relationship, literature and lore related to farming and agriculture as mentioned in the Vedas and Koran.
This is the third publication being brought out by the students as part of the journalism course.
Nattarangu and Arulappad earlier publications of the Thiruvangoor School had enquired into the folklore traditions of North Malabar. The Agriculture Minister, Mullakara Ratnakaran, released the book at a programme in Kozhikode recently.
THE HINDU,Online edition of India's National NewspaperFriday, Nov 02, 2007
MEDIA WORKSHOP
WELCOME TO SOUHRIDAM CAMP
Media Analysis and Research Center organises souhridam camps to school children.
The camp lasts for three days. All children in the age group of 5 to 15 years of the community can participate in this camp.Children are divided into 4 groups according to their classes.Each group has separate work book,text book,song book,children's certificate etc.
We have an exclusive package to the higher secondary school children who have the journalism option in their academia.
For details contact: Director,Media Analysis and Resrarch Center,Koyilandy,Kozhikode,Kerala. Ph:+919946445970. Email: mediafolk@rediffmail.com
Media Analysis and Research Center organises souhridam camps to school children.
The camp lasts for three days. All children in the age group of 5 to 15 years of the community can participate in this camp.Children are divided into 4 groups according to their classes.Each group has separate work book,text book,song book,children's certificate etc.
We have an exclusive package to the higher secondary school children who have the journalism option in their academia.
For details contact: Director,Media Analysis and Resrarch Center,Koyilandy,Kozhikode,Kerala. Ph:+919946445970. Email: mediafolk@rediffmail.com
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