Lack of creativity

On 21 April, three prominent Kannada dailies - Prajavani, Kannada Prabha and Udayavani- carried the same headline for the lead story. The word - hasiru nishaane is common in all the headlines. When some bottlenecks are cleared the Kannada dailies make it a habit to use hackneyed words in the headline.Why this lack of creativity?

Pratap, not again

Pratap, a brilliant columnist of Vijay Karnataka did it yet again. He is known for using question marks indiscriminately in his column - Bettale Jagattu.

On 22 April, he profusely used 26 question marks spreading all over the column.

Pratap, we need answers, not questions.We are sick of it.Better change your style.

Senseless on Sensex

Indian media, strangely , suffering from sensex mania. The day will not pass without its mention. Whether it goes up or down it's a page one story.

Some papers have dedicateda fixed space in the front page as if its a national news worthy to be printed there daily.

On 20 April, Hindustan Times carried page one story with the above figures prominently displayed at the top.

Sensex indicates the mood of the stock market. That's all. It doesnot depict the national economic scenario or state of our economy. In our country only 1.5 percent of people invest in the share market. So, it cannot be the parameter to gauge the mood of the economy.

Yet our newspapers report it. Hundreds of people die or suffer due to malnutrition, debt, dowry and other social evils. But such incidents hardly find space in the so called national dailies and regional dailies.

Why? Is media becoming too elitist or pro rich? It's a serious issue and media has to address to it urgently.

New look, how new it is?

The Pioneer is known for its design. It is neetly produced newspaper. When Vinod Mehta redesigned this paper a one and half decade ago it was much talked about media discussion. In fact it was a visual treat. Vinod has a keen eye for design and set new design standards. In Indian media context he is considered guru of design. Recently he redesigned Outlook, the magazine he has been editing little over a decade.

While announcing the redesign the present editor Chandan Mitra says : "In fact, The Pioneer was the first national daily to
use colour pictures on the front page. It was also the first to have a colour masthead, an idea recently copied by a venerable publication from the South, which replicated even our colour scheme!"

Chandan has employed Subrata Bhowmick, a designer currently teaching at MICA, Ahmedabad, to undertake his first foray into newspaper designing. Basically he worked for advertising agencies.

He has changed the masthead, logo, folio and other elements. When you effect a change it needs sometime to adjust to new look. Reader has to train his/her eyes. He has to familiarise the course of the reading which he has been doing for many years.

The Pioneer redesign has succeeded in evoking little interest in its new look. It has a very few elements of design worthy to mention and awfully lacks variety. All the elements are strangely vertical which strain the eyeball to roll from top to bottom. Hitherto The Pioneer's editorial and op-ed pages were the main attraction. Unfortunately, the new design has marred them.

Chandan, you better take a second look!

Readers are not fools

Parvatamma Rajkumar is writing a column for Kannada Prabha. In fact she is not writing.. somebody (Every one knows who is that somebody. He is Jogi) is writing on her behalf. She narrates the story and "somebody" makes the notes. Likewise her column has been appearing in Kannada Prabha for the last eight months. It is known to a common reader.

The editor of Kannada Prabha today (18 April, 2006) carried a page one announcement captioned -Maadari Mahile. He says despite the grief after the demise of Dr.Rajkumar and violence which marred his antima yaatra, she didn't say no to her column. She was not ready to disappoint Kannada Prabha readers and submitted her column.

If you read her column it was the same old stuff she has been telling to all the newspapers and TV channels from the day one of the demise of Dr.Raj.

If she wants to narrate her story thats fine. Instead of describing Parvatamma as Maadari Mahile, appreciate your reporter who could meet her and take down the notes at the hour of grief.

Then we call you a Maadari Sampaadaka

Well Done, Mr.D.P.Satish

D.P.Satish is an Assistant Editor in CNN-Ibn and based in Delhi. Before joining this new TV channel, he worked for E TV and Vijay Karnataka. Satish is a young and bright journalist. He calls a spade a spade which devotely earned him many enimies. Nevertheless he doesn't let go this habit.

Alright. When Dr.Rajakumar died, Satish wrote an extremely fine first hand account on Kannada matinee idol - Rajakumar:We never wanted him to die. (To read this article you can visit http://www.ibnlive.com/blogs/author/237/dpsatish.html)

This article has been rated 7.9 out of 448 votes cast. Interestingly, 349 (as on 17 April) readers passed their comments for this article which is rare for any blog write up.

Satish, keep it up.

Mr.Pratap, Are you not sure?

I like Pratap Simha as a columnist. For the last five years he has been writing a weekly column in Vijay Karnataka, the No.1 Kannada daily. Pratap has a huge following and on saturday whose column appears, thousands of readers anxiously waiting for it.

I think he is one of the youngest columnists in the country. He writes very boldly on the subjects he deals with. He has a sharp mind and presents his ideas very well.

Fine.Pratap, I can't understand why do you use so many question marks in your columns? One can find atleast two dozens of question marks in any of your column. Sometimes the whole paragraph or two-three paragraphs are crammed with question marks.

Why???? Are you not sure about what you are writing? Or why do you leave your readers in question always?

This is ridiculous, Mr.Dandavati

Prajavani journo Padmaraj Dandavati was recently in Paris for three days. He has written a feature for his Sunday Magazine on Paris (See Saaptaahika Puravani, 16 August 2006) comparing it with Bangalore. It's sheer ridiculous write up. Even a cub reporter could write a better story.First of all one should not venture into this type of feature as three days are too short a period to understand any city.

He writes : Parisnalli yaaro balagai chaalakarilla. ellaa vaahanagaloo edagai chalaneyave. Londonnaalli maatra balagai chaalaneya vaahanagalive....

Anybody can say this is Dandavati's first foreign tour or first Europe tour. Alas he hasn't visited America. Kannadigas particularly readers of Prajavani are fortunate.

Dandavati continues : Bhoomiya mele metro railannu odisabeku andare bhooswaadheenada samasye emba kaaranakkaagiyo athavaa haleya parisna anda chendakke dhakke barutadeyendo suranga maargadalli railu oduttade.....

I think, Dandavati, must have seen the metro rail first time in his life. He doesn't understand the concept of metro rail. That's why he writes childishly.In Paris metro railu bhoomiya meloo oduttade Dandavati avare..

He further writes : Illina jan swantada car ittukondiddaare. aadare chikka putta nowkari maaduvavaru pugo scooter odisuttaare. adu race bike haage mai dubbavaagi iruttade. savaara haagoo himbadi savaararibbaroo helmet dharisuttaare. scooterannu zam enduvegavaagi odisuttaare...

His feature goes like a school student's essay.

Dandavati ends his article : Paris raste badiyalli, vimaana nildaanadalli, eiffel tower nalli kaddu muchchi nadeyuva kelasagalu raajaaroshavaagi nadeyuttave. obbarannobbaru tabbi hididukondu nintaredare avarige pakkada jagattina pariveye iruvudilla.

Wah.. wah... Kyaa baath hai.. now you can come to a conclusion that this was his first foreign tour. How can Prajavani publish such stories? Does it has dearth of stories? or can't it reject stories written by its senior reporter? Next time when you send a reporter abroad send a right person. who doesn't carried away by its roads and road-side romeos.

Last year R.P.Jagadeesh, Associate Editor, Prajavani was in Paris. He visited a dance bar called - Moulin Rouge. He had written a nasty piece on it in Saptaahika Puravani.

Prajavani is known for its tradition. Its journos trying hard to continueing it.