Tuesday, 22 November 2022
कै. स आ जकाते: पुण्याच्या 'संध्या' चे विलक्षण बातमीदार
सदाशिव आबाजी जकाते
म्हणजे मोठे विलक्षण व्यक्तिमत्व होते. माझ्या पन्नास- पंचावन्न वर्षांच्या
पत्रकारितेच्या कारकीर्दीत असा पत्रकार मी पाहिला नाही. त्यांचे माझे बीट
वेगवेगळे. पत्रकारितेची भाषा वेगळी. ते ‘संध्या
‘ या सायंदैनिकात काम करायचे. त्या वेळेच्या छोट्याशा
पुण्यातल्या गुन्हेगारी बातम्या ते कव्हर करीत.
मुख्यत: मंडई आणि आसपासच्या पेठा, त्यातही तेथे घडलेल्या
छोट्या मोठ्या क्राईमच्या बातम्या हा त्यांचा हातखंडा
विषय असायचा.
ससून हॉस्पिटल मधील पोलीस ठाणे, रेल्वे
स्टेशन पोलीस चौकी, फरासखाना आणि आसपासच्या पोलीस चौक्या,
तेथील कॉन्स्टेबल पासून इन्स्पेक्टर ए सी पी, डी
सी पी, सी पी अशा सगळ्या साहेब लोकांशी त्यांची गट्टी
असायची. सकाळी बहुधा खूप लवकर ते घरून बाहेर पडत असावेत. रात्री घडलेल्या
गुन्हेगारी विषयक म्हणजे क्राईम संबंधीच्या घटना प्रत्येक पोलीस चौकीवर
जाऊन किंवा फोनवरून ते मिळवायचे. दुपारी
एक दोनपर्यंत त्या कागदावर लिहून उपसंपादकाकडे आणून द्यायचे. मधे केव्हा तरी जेवायचे. परत बाहेर पडून नंतर
घडलेल्या बातम्या मिळवून द्यायचे. दोन-पानी छोटे दैनिक “भुंगा”
नंतर “भोंगा” स्वतः
कंपोज करून तो छापून झाला की पुन्हा बाहेर पडून आपल्या सायकलवर बसून विक्रीला
बाहेर पडायचे. (नंतर थोडे बरे बरे दिवस आल्यावर लुनावर बसून विक्रीसाठी बाहेर
पडायचे.) ओरडून विकण्यासाठी भोंगा (लाऊड स्पीकर ) घेऊन
ते निघायचे. मंडई परिसरात महापालिकेने त्यांना एक टपरी भाड्याने दिली होती. आपल्या
पेपर मधल्या बातम्यातून एक –दोन आकर्षक हेडिंगचा मजकूर
मोठ्याने वाचून रस्त्यावरील लोकांपर्यंत पोहोचवायचे असा त्यांचा दिनक्रम होता.
पाच-दहा पैसे, नंतर वीस पैसे किंमत
असे. किती विक्री होई, गल्ला किती होई कुणास ठाऊक. त्यांच्या
या पत्रकारितेचे अर्थशास्त्र काय असावे याचा आम्ही फारसा विचार केला नाही.
दैनिकात काम करणाऱ्या बड्या दैनिकाच्या पत्रकारांना त्यांनी
छापलेल्या बातम्यांचा उपयोग व्हायचा. शहरातल्या मोठ्या क्राईमच्या बातम्यांच्या
तपशिलाचा अपडेट घेऊन हे पत्रकार आपलं काम संध्याकाळी सुरू करायचे. जकाते यांच्या
मेहनतीचे क्रेडिट मात्र त्यांना मोठ्या दैनिकांचे बातमीदार देत नसत. तसा प्रश्नच
उद्भवत नसे. जकातेंना तशी अपेक्षाही नसायची. पोलिसांकडून मिळालेल्या घटनांच्या
तपशिलाचा वापर करताना अगदी छोट्या मोठ्या कॉन्स्टेबलचा नावाचा उल्लेख ते आवर्जून
करायचे. त्यामुळे सारे पोलीस डिपार्टमेंट
त्यांच्यावर प्रेम करायचे. स्वतःहून तपशील फोन करून सांगायचे.
माझा आणि जकाते यांच्या कामाचे स्वरूप वेगळे असल्यामुळे आम्ही क्वचितच भेटायचो. भेट झालीच तर मी रस्त्यावरून चालत असताना ते आपल्या भोंग्यावरून ओरडून एखादी गमतीशीर हेडलाईन देत ग्राहकाला आकर्षित करून घ्यायचे. त्यावेळी हात दाखवून हसून आम्ही एकमेकांना ओळख देत असू.
पुणे श्रमिक पत्रकार संघाचा कार्यवाह म्हणून मी काम करायला लागलो, तेव्हा त्यांना सभासदत्व आम्ही दिले त्याचे त्यांना फार अप्रूप वाटे.
आमच्या इंडियन फेडरेशन ऑफ वर्किंग जर्नालिस्ट या राष्ट्रीय संघटनेचे अधिवेशन होई. त्याला पुण्याचे प्रतिनिधी जात असत. ओरिसा मधील जगन्नाथ पुरी जवळच्या कटक येथे त्यांना आम्ही नेले होते. मराठी
खेरीज इतर भाषा येत नसल्यामुळे संघटनेच्या कामकाजात त्यांचा सहभाग मर्यादित असे.
तरी देखील त्यांचे आणि देशभराtतून आलेल्या अनेक पत्रकारांचे चांगले सख्य जमायचे. महात्मा
गांधींचे ते एकनिष्ठ अनुयायी असल्यामुळे जाड्याभरड्या पांढऱ्या स्वच्छ खादीचा
झब्बा आणि पायघोळ पायजमा हा त्यांचा ठरलेला वेश असायचा. दाढीचे खुंट वाढलेले,
जाडा भरडा आवाज यामुळे ते अनेकांच्या लक्षात राहायचे. यापेक्षाही
आणखी एका कारणाने ते सगळ्यांच्या लक्षात राहायचे. महात्माजींच्या स्वातंत्र्यपूर्व
चळवळीत काम करीत असताना त्यांना अटक झाली होती. सुटका झाली तेव्हा तुरुंगातून
बाहेर पडताना अनवाणी चालण्याचे व्रत त्यांनी घेतले
होते. मृत्यू पर्यंत ते त्यांनी पाळले. पुण्या
बाहेरच्या रेल्वे, बस प्रवासात देखील त्यांनी कधी चप्पल
वापरली नाही. याविषयी बाहेरच्यांना कळले की त्यांच्याविषयी सगळ्यांना आदर वाटायचा. अचंबित होऊन ते पत्रकार महासंघाच्या अधिवेशन स्थळी बाहेरच्या
प्रदेशातील प्रतिनिधी त्यांना भेटायला यायचे. त्यांच्या सायंदैनिकांच्या कामाच्या पद्धतीची माहिती मिळाली की त्यांच्याविषयीचा आदर
व्दिगुणित व्हायचा.
नंतर काही वर्षांनी जकाते पत्रकारनगर येथे आमच्या कॉलनीत शेजारीच
राहायला आले. आपलं स्वतःचं घर झालं याचं त्यांना साहजिकच आमच्यासारखंच खूप कौतुक
होतं, खुश असायचे.
जकाते यांना महाराष्ट्र आणि केंद्र शासनाचे ताम्रपट मिळाले.
नियमाप्रमाणे स्वातंत्र्य सैनिकाप्रमाणे त्यांना मानधन मिळाले. त्यांची पत्रकारिता
सुरु होती तेव्हा मंडई परिसरातील हातगाडी वाले, पथारीवाले,
फुलं विकण्याऱ्या महिला, यांच्या मदतीला ते
धावून जायचे. त्यामुळे ते सगळे जकाते यांना प्रेमाने आणि आदराने वागवायचे. घर
बांधण्यासाठी त्यांना निधी कमी पडतो आहे हे कळल्यावर त्यांनी जमेल तितका फंड गोळा
करून दिला. याचा ते नंतर कृतज्ञतापूर्वक उल्लेख करीत.
या साऱ्या गोष्टी आता विस्मरणात गेल्या होत्या. संध्या दैनिकातील
त्यांचे सहकारी असलेले मनोहर सप्रे यांनी लिहिलेल्या “होल्टा : आठव, अनुभव, अनुभूती”
या पुस्तकात मला अद्याप माहिती नसलेल्या अनेक गोष्टी आणि त्यांची
जगावेगळी पत्रकारिता त्याबद्दल जकाते यांच्या विषयी थोडे सविस्तर आणि आत्मीयतेने
लिहिले आहे. मनोहर सप्रे यांच्या अनुमतीने तो मजकूर
येथे देत आहे:
स. आ. जकाते गुन्हेगारी बातम्या द्यायचे. पाच फूट उंचीचे जाडजूड
असलेले जकाते स्वभावाने विनोदी. ते पूर्वी 'भोंगा'
नावाचं चालवायचे. नंतर त्यांनी ते बंद केल. राज्यभरातल्या
गुन्हेगारी स्वरुपाच्या बातम्या ते भोंग्यात वापरायचे.
ते ज्या बातम्या द्यायचे त्या सगळ्या आम्ही (सप्रे आणि इतर उपसंपादक) छापायचे. ते मथळे द्यायचे ते मोठे मजेदार असत. वृत्तपत्रीयदृष्ट्या ते तसे बरोबर
नसायचे
एकदा कुठेतरी घरात रात्री पेटत ठेवलेली चिमणी मांजराच्या धक्क्याने
पडली. पेटती चिमणी पडून आग लागली आणि एकजण भाजला. खरं तर ही बातमी
तशी आवश्यक नव्हती; पण जकातेंनी दिली म्हणून
छापली. त्याचा मथळा त्यांनी दिला, तो असा.
मांजरानं चिमणी पाडली
हणमंता ससूनमध्ये
असे मथळे वाचून वाचकही हसायचे, लोकांना ते
आवडायचं. अंक खपायचा. पोलीस खात्यात 'संध्या’ बद्दल फार प्रेम होतं. कारण अधिकाऱ्यांची नावं छापायचे. जकाते अनेक पोलिसांचीही नावं टाकायचे. जकाते सकाळी प्रेसवर येऊन दुपारी
बातमी समजली की, फोन करायचे. त्यांचा खास टोन असायचा. “जकाते बोलतोऽऽय; घ्या बातमी.” मग फोनवरच पॉईंट घ्यायचे आणि बातमी लिहून काढायची. बऱ्याच वेळा जकाते
छापखान्यात येतानाच हॉटेलात स्पेशल सांगून यायचे.
बातम्या लिहून झाल्या की, लूनावर बसून जायचे,
ते हातगाडी युनियनचे अध्यक्ष होते. वर्षानुवर्षे त्यांनी ते काम
केलं. त्यांची एक टपरी होती. तिथं ते दुपारपर्यंत असायचे.
हातगाडीवाल्यांसाठी त्यांनी मोर्चे काढले. त्यांचा गुन्हेगारी विषयक
कायद्याचा चांगला अभ्यास होता. कलमे पाठ असत. एकसारखं अक्षर होतं. मंडई जवळ ते
राहायचे. नंतर पत्रकार कॉलनी मध्ये घर घेतल.
दीड दोनशे पगारावर ते काम करायचे. त्यांच्या पगाराचं पाकीट संध्या कार्यालयातून न चुकता एक तारखेला यायचं. नवं घर घेण्याच्या कल्पनेने ते सुखावले होते. मोठ्या अडचणीत होते. त्यांच्या हातगाडीवाल्या बांधवांनी त्यांच्यासाठी एक कार्यक्रम आणि सत्कार घडविला. त्यातून त्यांना मदत केली
अत्यन्त सरळ स्वभावाचा हा माणूस होता. तितकाच मिश्कील. लिहिण्याची
हौस आणि अभ्यासही होता. विशेषतः पोलिसांच्या
चुकीच्या हाताळणीमुळे गुन्हेगार कसे घडतात, यावर ते लिहायचे,
'चित्रगुप्त' नावाचे सदर ते लिहायचे, वयोमानाने ते थकले आणि त्यांचं निधन झालं.
त्यांची नात पुढे पुणे श्रमिक पत्रकार संघात नोकरी करायची. निर्मळ चेहरा असलेली ही हसतमुख मुलगी, पुष्पा त्यांची नात
आहे हे समजले तेव्हा जकातेचा जीवनपट समोर आला. त्यांची दुसरी नातं छाया ही देखील
पुण्यात असते.
त्यांची सून लता हिने आयुष्याभर त्यांची खूप सेवा केली. त्यांचे २६
मार्च १९८९ रोजी प्रदीर्घ आजारपणात निधन झाले. त्याचा
वकील नातू किशोर मधुकर जकाते, पत्नी प्राची आणि आई लता
नातवंडाबरोबर पत्रकारनगर मध्ये आता राहत आहेत.
जकाते 'भोंगा ' आणि 'भुंगा' या सायदैनिकांच्या आठवणी सांगायचे, परभाणे नावाचे प्रेसवाले होते. त्यांनी 'भुंगा'
काढला होता. तर जकातेंनी 'भोंगा' काढला. स्वतः सायकलवर एक भोंगा लावायचे. या भोंग्यातून ते बातम्या
ओरडायचे. बातम्या पुण्यातल्याच असायच्या असे नाही. गडचिरोलीची बातमीही चालायची.
पतीने पत्नीच्या पोटात कात्री खुपसली वगैरे बातमी असायची.
स्वतः अंक काढायचा आणि स्वतः विकायचा; असं
उदाहरण पहिलंच असावं.
जकाते आठवण सांगायचे, ती १९५७
च्या संयुक्त महाराष्ट्राच्या आंदोलनाची. तेव्हा यशवंतराव चव्हाण महाराष्ट्राचे
मुख्यमंत्री होते. त्यांचं नाव सारखे चर्चेत असायचं, त्यांच्या
नावाचा वापर जकातेंनी 'भोंगा' खपवण्यासाठी
एकदा केला. कसा ते पाहा...
जकाते हातगाडी युनियनचे अध्यक्ष होते. त्यांच्या
युनियनमध्ये यशवंत चव्हाण नावाचा एक पदाधिकारी होता. त्याच्याकडून जकातेंनी
राजीनामा लिहून घेत भोंग्यात बातमी छापली- "यशवंतराव चव्हाण यांचा राजीनामा
" बातमी भोंग्यात हेडिंगमध्ये आली. स्वतः जकाते यांनी यशवंतराव चव्हाण यांचा
राजीनामा असा मथळा ओरडून अंक खपवत होते. ही आठवण ते
पुन्हा पुन्हा सांगायचे.
होल्टा
आठव, अनुभव, अनुभूती लेखक: मनोहर सप्रे
इमेल: manohasaprepunए@gmail.com
रुपये ३००, ISBN ९७८-८१-९५०१८८-३-३
सदामंगल पब्लिकेशन, मुंबई
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प्रा डॉ किरण ठाकूर drkiranthakur@gmail.com
Friday, 11 November 2022
Readability tests for Writing Simple and Plain: for Courts & Newspapers CJI Urged
It delighted me when Justice Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud was sworn in as the 50th Chief Justice of India on November 9, 2022. There were scores in the judiciary who were delighted like me. I had, however, a different reason to be happy. I was happy because Justice Chandrachud and brother judge BS Bopanna had very recently made a strong case for simple and plain writing in the judiciary.
As a journalism teacher, I have urged journalists and lawyers to write simple English, easy for readers to understand. I published a 172-page book Newspaper English (Vishwakarma Prakashan ISBN978-93-8842-17-2).
I have to admit that journalists and jurists have not responded to my plea for simplicity and brevity in writing. I hope they will respond to CJI’s advice because, as the CJI said, on Aug 25, 2022
“The purpose of judicial writing is not to confuse or confound the reader behind the veneer of complex language.. A judgement must make sense to those whose lives and affairs are affected by the outcomes of the case. “ (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/purpose-of-judicial-writing-not-to-confuse-reader-behind-veneer-of-complex-language-sc/articleshow/93774556.cms)
Among the journalists also, now there seems to be a good realisation in favour of simple and plain writing. For example, the Times of India (ToI) devoted its precious edit page space to stress the need for judges to write simple plain English, four times in less than ten months this year. This is part of its occasional series on legal reforms that ended on November 02, 2022 (Writing Judgements Citizens Can Read,
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/policypundit/writing-judgments-citizens-can-read-long-and-short-of-it-is-that-judges-must-exercise-brevity-and-aim-for-clarity-in-their-opinions/?source=app&frmapp=yes )
Earlier, the three-article series discussed how the jurists use long sentences, and write long and difficult words, jargon, and foreign words (Latin, French, Greek) that are not easy for newspaper readers to understand...
The latest article, authored by Bibek Debroy and Aditya Sinha, is more significant because they have pinpointed why this situation arises in the courts. One reason is that plain English and the plain Language movement have left India untouched. The authors have argued that the writers do not use the readability tests after they complete their writing.
I entirely agree with these authors who recommend the use of Flesch- Kincaid Reading Ease scores while writing English text. These tests are available for free if you use MS Word. It can be tried automatically, without wasting time. Readers of my book Newspaper English, get a very quick and clear message if the text is difficult for the readers to understand the selected language. Here is one example the authors have quoted:
“However, accepting to the fullest, the aforesaid trite expostulation of law, would beget immense hardship, and, would disempower the plaintiff, to seek partition, of the suit properties, and, of all undivided suit properties, held jointly by her with the defendants, though, not included in the plaint, (a) emphatically when, in, contradiction therewith, rather hereat the suit has not progressed, up to the stage, of, issues being framed nor evidence upon the apt framed issues, stands adduced, rather when the suit, is, at a nascent stage, (ii) thereupon the inclusion therein, of, only some of the joint properties, and, its excluding the apt joint properties, as, mentioned in the application, rather cannot coax any conclusion qua the plaint not disclosing any enforceable causes of action …”
This has taxed the reader’s patience. What has been quoted is 124 words long and the sentence is still incomplete. The incomplete quote is from a judgment of the Himachal Pradesh high court (Om Prakash & Ors. vs Smt. Saroj and Anr., August 8, 2018). The quote is in English, but that doesn’t make it comprehensible.
Readability quotient: The readability tests like Flesch Kincaid scores alert you to the problem for readers. The range is from 0 to 00 and the higher the value, the more readable a text is.
The two authors say [When we plugged in that incomplete sentence to test for its readability, the response was "Ooh, that's probably a bit too complicated. Have you thought about using smaller words and shorter sentences?]
I hope that now there are better chances for legal reforms in writing simple, brief, and plain with CJI Chandrachud at the help. Also, there are concerned veterans like Bibek Debroy, the Chairman and Aditya Sinha as Additional Supreme Private Secretary (Research) of the Economic Advisory In India, Council to the Prime Minister.
Prof Dr Kiran Thakur
Journalist -Journalism teacher, Pune
10.11.2022”
Tuesday, 27 September 2022
Introducing books for journalism teachers and students Indian Media Giants: Unveiling the Business Dynamics of Print Legacies
My post yesterday received a good response from journalism teachers from different parts of the country. Many promised me that they would buy books if I recommend some titles.
I will try, but that is not the idea behind this initiative.
Let this be a collective effort so that teachers and students across India particularly from the countryside, will benefit, as also the authors and publishers. Let this be a platform to introduce authors of academic books and their authors for mutual benefit.
I begin this experiment today with the self-introduction by Prof. (Dr) Surbhi Dahiya
Indian Media Giants: Unveiling the Business Dynamics of Print Legacies
authored by
Prof. (Dr) Surbhi Dahiya
https://www.amazon.in/INDIAN-MEDIA-GIANTS_C-Unveiling-Business/dp/0190132620
Oftentimes, the significance of a journey is lost amidst the triumph of reaching a destination. However, the path tread, despite its meandering ways, is far more heuristic than the glitter at the finishing line. In media business, this journey enables the enshrinement of doctrines that have far superior impact on the functionality of the organisation, which ultimately dictates its growth and evolution. Like any other commodity and product, Indian media too has followed a definite growth trajectory. For many media houses in the country, this course has witnessed its rise to an enviable stature, while alongside boasting many years of legacy, transitioning itself from a single edition print media organisation to a corporate behemoth covering innumerable milestones. However, not much has been written about them nor their herculean efforts to provide a distinct pathway in the annals of media industry in India.
Although previous books have dealt with the subject as journalism history in the country, they have not endeavoured specifically and elaborately to examine particular newspapers or organizations as such. Journalism historian Nadig Krishna Murthy who essayed the history of newspapers which included Times of India, The Hindu, Indian Express, and Hindustan Times ended his book in 1960s. Since then, no attempt had been made by any other newspaper historian to write the later part of the history of these newspapers in continuation to Murthy's book, Indian journalism. However, few authors made an attempt in this direction in 1980s and 1990s and their attempts remained incomplete in writing neither the history of English newspapers nor the regional newspapers. Rangaswamy Parthasarathy sketched the 100-year story of The Hindu which concluded in 1978. G N S Raghavan’s book , The Press in India too sketched the history of newspapers in bits and pieces. Moreover, two books further looked at aspects of proprietors’ view of their organizations, and in particular their growth. Only notable contribution was Robin Jeffrey’s book, India’s newspaper revolution published by Palgrave Macmillan around two decades ago could shed some light on the management aspects of ten newspapers mostly dealing with regional newspapers in 1980s and 1990s. Recently, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar published a book, Indian media business (Fourth edition) covering the revenue aspects of major media organizations in the country and also their growth associated with different media strategies. In the present manuscript, the author tried to examine the journey of select media organizations from social to economic organizations. The author discussed the management aspects and different models of management coupled with some theories which claimed to have relevance for the mass media organizations.
Notwithstanding the much hyped communication imbalance between the developed North and the developing South, India has successfully emerged as a soft power from the global south as a significant actor in the international media market. The groundwork for this was done in the years of colonization itself, with the founding of the first few media organizations in the country. Success is not treasure buried under the soil in the backyard, but the ore found deep under layers of earth, mined painstakingly with toil and sweat. Similar in vein are the trajectories of India’s print media giants, whose names today are enough to invoke a buzz of admiration world over. It is wondrous to imagine that what are now vehicles of reform in the country, were once novitiate set-ups possessed only by a vision to positively effect changes politically, socially, economically, and most importantly journalistically. Indian Media Giants: Unveiling the Business Dynamics of Print Legacies is an analytical chronicle of Indian print media conglomerates’ individual odyssey from fledgling origins to cyclonic purveyors of truth-telling. It tracks down the development of such print media conglomerates through various ages; from their humble, incipient beginnings in the pre-independence era to their transformation into powerful business empires in due course.
In this competitive world, media organisations are under constant pressure to change, innovate, draw upon new capabilities to survive and above all re-examine their existing business models. In view of the fast moving and changing external environment and the shifting of goals of media organisations, the author tries to map the changes and innovations in managing media organisations in India by identifying the factors responsible for initiation and sustenance of these changes. Apart from tracking the evolution and growth trajectory of the largest Indian media conglomerates with core competencies in Print Media, the changes and innovations that the respective managements brought in response to the external policy environment are also highlighted. Organisational structures, editorial policies, business strategies and changing business models of these organisations are also discussed. Further, the technological innovations of production, distribution and consumption, analysing the role of ‘visionary and change leadership’ in developing the competitive edge of media and entertainment- based business organisations are also studied and analysed. The author also tries to measure the role of strategic intent enunciation in the vision and mission statements in stimulating the growth, phase-wise development from pre -independence to post millennium era, in the context of product line and life cycles, product development, diversification and explore the role of product-development and diversification in strategic positioning. Furthermore, the author examines the role of market penetration and enlargement in its transformation into a multinational business organisation, printing and technological leaps forward, role of strategic alliances, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and takeovers. The author also attempts to study the distribution and market management in enhancing the market share and the consolidating revenues and revenue generating model in terms of profit maximization.
With this, and more, the book is a holistic compendium that offers multiple perspectives on how print media organizations in India have grown over the years.
Chapter one, Managing Media Organisations: Changing Paradigms offers a study on the holistic development of media and media organisations within the ambit of the mass communication industry that has positively flourished from being social to economic entities. It underlines, in detail, the causes, effects, and underlying trends behind this shift that is nothing short of monumental. This has been traced by being placed in the context of management thoughts ranging from old school theories to contemporary media models. There is a thorough focus on the extent of their application and relevance in modern India, with respect to the volatile market structures and economies, understanding them in the light of media-management perspectives that include business strategies and models.
Chapter two, Mapping Media Metamorphosis: From Humble Beginnings to Powerful Empires focuses on mapping the media’s metamorphosis in India from 1780 to 2019. No industry is immune to the transformative forces of the social, regulatory, economic and technological forces, but in media, it is profoundly changing how content is produced, distributed and consumed. This chapter talks of a journey beset by changes and development on various fronts, tracing the course and growth of Indian Journalism. The Indian press played a crucial role in the national freedom struggle voicing in propagating the nationalist zest. In the post- independence period, media horizons expanded and touched record levels for many dailies and weeklies. During this time, journalistic practices became more professional. The Indian media was revolutionised post- economic liberalisation. Not only liberalisation reforms, but other factors also added in the widening of the media sphere. The trend of media convergence has acquired a central stage in the post- millennium era. The entertainment and media industry experienced strong growth across all its segments. The sector evolved significantly with experimenting innovation and technology.
As the book eyes the journey, rise and management practices of major media houses in India, the author has attempted to cover both the journalistic and the managerial aspects of these print media hubs, and attempted to analyse the birth, primary products, product development and diversification alongwith the organisational structure, hierarchical charts, changing ownership of the papers and respective groups, editorial policies, HR policies, technological upgradation, market expansion, geographical spread and regional penetration, competitive strategy, edge over rivals and many more aspects. Companies under study (BCCL/Times Group, The Hindu/Kasturi & Sons, HT Media Ltd, Indian Express Group, Jagran Prakashan Ltd. and DB Corp) starting out in print media, expanded into fields like radio/ television and digital, they continued to focus on print journalism, relying on the sheer power of rhetoric and improving regional penetration with their marketing strategies.
In the chapters ( from 3-8) that follow, the book covers these six case studies on the above mentioned groups in the first edition. Chapters titled as BCCL: Moving With The Times ; Kasturi & Sons Ltd.: The Southern Surge; The Hindustan Times Limited: Marching Forward with a Mission; The Indian Express: The Crusading Scribe
Jagran Prakashan Limited: An Aspirational Awakening; DB Corp: Capturing Language Loyalties; are phase-wise analysis of their evolution, growth, business strategies adapted, management policies and journalistic abilities from one era to another, gradually orienting and re-orienting themselves to the pulse of the media market and the opportunities under various regulatory regimes. It unravels their understanding of the values of co-dependence, collaboration, and competition with their contemporaries. It is a story of how these organizations leapt over the perimeters of conventional greatness to achieve unmeasured success that spans the globe. Also mentioned are the roadblocks and untimely misfortunes that struck each of these print giants, despite which they strode on with courage towards the goals that had been envisioned for them. For getting better insights on their business dynamics, the author interviewed the media moguls, senior leadership and some editors who have taken the organization to new heights. Owners and visionary leaders like Vineet Jain from The Times Group, N Ram and N Murali from Kasturi and Sons, Shobhana Bhartia from HT Media Ltd., Viveck Goenka and Anant Goenka from The Indian Express ( P) Ltd., Sanjay Gupta from Jagran Prakashan Ltd. and Sudhir, Girish and Pawan Agarwal from DBCL spared some time to interact with me and helped me in understanding the business models of the groups.
On the other hand, media companies like NDTV, Zee and Network 18 were products of a new age where television took over as a major source of world-wide communication, and thus these hubs branched into both news and entertainment through multiple television channels across the globe. Groups having core competencies in electronic media or those that have diversified majorly into electronic media will be covered in the next edition of the book or separate editions about each group in the times to come. Some of the organisations that the author intends to study study are ZEE Group, Network 18 Group, NDTV Group, Living Media (India Today) Group, ABP Group etc.
Apart from chronologically tracking the growth of these organizations, the book is replete with the meticulous analysis of the business dynamics and models upon which their legacies are founded, the ripples they have created in the media world and how they are constantly being modified to suit the tastes of the modernizing market.
The penultimate chapter, Decoding Business Dynamics: Comparative Analysis and Theoretical Implications takes into consideration the sum of the media organisations’ business approaches and strategies, to provide a holistic view of their functions relative to communication and management. It enlists a set of parameters upon which these organisations have been comparatively analysed. The business dynamics of the six media organisations have been decoded together, with respect to each of their strategic intents; leaderships and ownerships; editors and editorial policies; product developments; business diversifications; organisational restructuring via strategic mergers, alliances, and acquisitions; market reach via measures of geographical spread, regional penetration, and international footprints; innovation and technological management; financial disciplines; and business models of growth. Further, it recalls the theoretical underpinnings that the author had initially detailed, applying them to this analytical study and realising their implications within this context. The concluding chapter lays out a recap in its entirety, reviewing the Indian media industry’s glorious past, prosperous present, changing media landscape and optimistic outlook for the future Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The book could not factor in the unprecedented health exigency COVID 19’s impact on Indian media in detail, which may have varied fallouts in the years to come.
The book will be of immense value to students, researchers, fraternity and industry professionals to gain a panoptic view and understanding of the Indian media conglomerates; their past, present and future, compressed into these pages for their pleasure and curiosity.
Prof. ( Dr.) Surbhi Dahiya née Bhalla
Professor and Course Director
Department of English Journalism
Former Editor, Communicator
Indian Institute of Mass Communication
Aruna Asaf Ali Marg
JNU New Campus, New Delhi
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Author Prof Dr Surbhi DahiyaWednesday, 21 September 2022
NAAC expects colleges, departments, and universities to buy books, and also publish books, chapters
Dear Colleagues,
In my post of Jun 7, 2019, I urged our colleagues to make it a point to buy their own copies now that the teachers get better salaries as compared to pay packets until in the recent past.
21092022
I did a quick reality check and realised that many heads of departments have not purchased several important books although there are no budgetary constraints in private or public universities and colleges. I spoke to several full-time, confirmed assistant, associate or senior professors drawing pay-commission approved salaries. There are adjuncts, part-time, and visiting teachers who have not purchased any new books for the last several years. They did not have a list of books that could be useful to their students and colleagues.
I wish to draw your attention to some good books as follows:
One such book is Harvesting hope in the Suicide Zone authored by Award Winning Pune-based Journalist Dr Radheshyam Jadhav and published recently by Bloomsbury (Price Rs. 399.00) in December 2018. I inquired with a dozen journalists and journalism faculty in Pune. They have not heard about this book. I strongly recommend this to print journalism and development communication teachers and students.
I have found Prof Sanjay Ranade’s Marathi books माध्यम अभ्यासातील प्रमुख संकल्पना (Terms and Concepts in Medi, Rs. 200.00) and माध्यम अभ्यास व माध्यम समीक्षा (Both published by Diamond Publications, Rs. 200.00) very important for Marathi students who find it difficult to understand the theories.
Dr Hema Herlekar’s The Essential Art of Communication (Unicorn Books, Rs. 196) is another interesting book about modern communication principles with practical, down-to-earth tips’
I have refrained from recommending my own book, Newspaper English, (Vishwakarma Publications, for obvious reasons).
More books later.
Do you have books to recommend?
Please write to me for publishing in this blogpost: drkiranthakur@gmail.com)
Monday, 16 May 2022
Fundamentals of Digital Journalism: A Comprehensive Book Launched in Pune
This 247-page book deals with the topics belonging to the new era, such as Integrated Newsroom, Power of Digital Media, News Websites, Data Journalism, Digital Storytelling, Data Science, Podcast, and Twitter.
The authors are confident that the book will be useful to students and teachers of not only print, broadcast, web, and digital journalism but also the related areas such as Content Writing, Advertising, Public Relations, Management Science, and Social Sciences.
The authors have conceptualized the book for students already trained in the basics of print journalism. This is meant for them if they wish to move ahead to take up digital journalism beyond the 5Ws and 1 H, the inverted pyramid, sub-editing, feature writing, writing for media and beats.
The authors have strong credentials as journalists and media teachers in reputed schools in Pune, such as Savitribai Phule Pune University, FLAME University, and Vishwakarma University.
They are: Dr Kiran Thakur (Print Journalist for 50 years), Professor Emeritus, Vishwakarma University, Dr Yogesh Joshi, (Print and Digital Journalist for 17 years), now Pune bureau chief of Hindustan Times and Dr Makarand Pandit (Honorary Doctorate in Education and Technical Communication) Managing Director of Technowrites Pvt Ltd.
The book, Fundamentals of Digital Journalism, is published by Vishwakarma Publications.
Price: Rs.325.00 and is available online at the following link: Amazon.com
Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Invitation to join research project on Communication Models
I invite senior faculty and media professionals to join a research project on Communication Models for agriculturists, farm producer companies, and other stakeholders. This project has been up taken up jointly by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Vishwakarma University, Pune, and Sahyadri Farms Ltd, Nashik, Maharashtra. A memorandum of association between these two organisations was signed on December 24, 2021.
Vishwakarma University
vupune.ac.in/centres-of-
Sahyadri Farms Ltd
Professor Emeritus
Vishwakarma University
Invitation to join research project on Communication Models
I invite senior faculty and media professionals to join a research project on Communication Models for agriculturists, farm producer companies, and other stakeholders. This project has been up taken up jointly by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Vishwakarma University, Pune, and Sahyadri Farms Ltd, Nashik, Maharashtra. A memorandum of association between these two organisations was signed on December 24, 2021.
Vishwakarma University
vupune.ac.in/centres-of-
Sahyadri Farms Ltd
Professor Emeritus
Vishwakarma University
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