Delhi Tour (7th March-14th March 2011)
Every year a study tour is held for 1st year students of Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication. Similarly, this year as well a study tour was held for us from 7th March-14th March 2011. We went to Delhi where we interacted with various government authorities, media persons and other emminent people. They gave us great insights into the functioning of the media , which is sure to help us in our journey in the media. Below is a detailed report of every interaction that we had on our trip.
8th March
Maharashtra Information Center
The tour started off with a visit to the Maharashtra Information Center, situated in the State Emporium Building at Connaught Place.
Two senior journalists, Ganesh Ramdasi and Praveen Take briefed us about the functioning of the Center. MIC is an information center on the sociocultural aspects of Maharashtra. It has a huge library that stores reference material about the State. The Center also gives scholarships to students coming from Maharashtra. They organize many cultural events, celebrate the birth anniversaries and observe the death anniversaries of saints and poets from Maharashtra.
The Center has been working to bring together the entire Marathi community across the country and the globe on a common platform.
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| Paranjoy Guha Thakurta |
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
At the Maharashtra Information Center we also got the opportunity to interact with Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, a former member of the Press Council of India. He spoke to us about the issue of 'Paid News'.
He believes that media today has become the problem and not the solution and that people are being fooled in the name of paid news. He pointed out that common people cannot make out the difference between paid news and genuine news. He is of the opinion that people in general yet have faith in journalists, hence it is essential to eliminate the corruption within the media. He emphasized on the need for transparency in the media, to reduce corruption.
He concluded by saying, "In a democracy, media has a role to play but whether they choose to play it or not is their choice."
Anuj Dayal
One of the best interactions that we had in the entire tour was with Anuj Dayal, the Chief PRO of Delhi Metro. His contribution to the success of the Delhi Metro was extremely inspiring.
Anuja Dayal, started out with the project since its conception in 98. He briefed us on how the Public Relation (PR) strategies were formulated to make people comfortable and enthusiastic about the idea of the Metro. He says,"The people of Delhi were initially apprehensive about the metro; we started grass root communication. Since the first phase started in areas with low literacy rate, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation used street plays to educate the people."
He further explained that people were kept well informed at every stage about the development of the project. Moreover, good relations were maintained with the media and this primarily helped them deal with two major metro accidents. He explains that they accepted their mistake in front of the media and tried to avoid any rumors that could ruin their reputation.
Delhi Metro’s PR strategy shows how effective brand building and disaster strategies can help build and maintain a company’s positive image.
Vijay Naik
On our first evening in Delhi we met Vijay Naik, Senior Journalist at Sakaal; we went to his residence in Mayur Vihar.
Naik Sir spoke to us about his experiences as a journalist with Sakaal. He told us about his experience covering stories for Sakaal that took hm to various countries. He gave us his candid opinion on what would it be like to be a political correspondent in Delhi. He also spoke about the numerous opportunities that Delhi has to offer to Marathi journalists. He added that the more the number of ministers from Maharashtra at the center, the more scope there is for Marathi journalists in Delhi.
It was more of a casual meeting than a serious interaction. Nevertheless, Naik Sir’s experiences were extremely inspiring.
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| Vilasrao Deshmukh |
Vilasrao DeshmukhWe got an opportunity to interact with Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences. During the time of the interaction he was the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
He briefed us a little about ministry, saying that 90,000 crores have been allocated this year for rural development. His ministry intends to connect the various Gram Panchayats in the country by internet. He further spoke about the need to strengthen NREGA.
On being asked about the issue of farmer suicides in the country he said that there are many reasons for the issue. In his opinion farmers are not willing to work in other industries, even if they are given opportunities and this is a cause of concern.
He further added that for the development of the Marathwada region it is important for the youth to come forward. He said that he believes the Gram Panchayat, Panchayat and Zilla Parishad's are the best schools for leadership development.
Speaking about politics as a game of uncertainty, he said that he did not even realize how he became a minister for Rural Development from the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He ended by saying his favourite politician of all time, continues to be Indira Gandhi.
Embassy of Arab Republic of Egypt
We met Egptian Ambassador H.E.Khaled El Bakly, who spoke to us about the revolution in Egypt and the relation between the two countries.
Talking about the revolution in Egypt that ended the reign of Hosni Mubarak he said, "The economic policy in Egypt was causing concentration of wealth; about 9 million people were unemployed. The aggression of the youth took the form of a revolution and forced the president to step down from his post." He further added that it was a peaceful revolution, the inspiration of which comes from the non-violent principals of Mahatma Gandhi.
Talking about the new government to be formed in Egypt he said it would be a democracy, "The government will be a combination of the youth and experienced to ensure adequate representation of people."
The interaction ended with a treat of some Egyptian delicacy, wherein we got a chance to interact personally with the ambassador.
Jawaharlal Nehru University
On the second day of our trip we visited Jawaharlal Nehru University, where an interactive session with two professors in media studies was organized.
Dr Pushpesh Pant and Suhas Borkar discussed various issues related to the media with us. Borkar speaking about the commercialisation of newspapers said,”Today newspaper is being treated as a product; it’s a very sorry state of affairs. The state is backing private media houses.” He further emphasized on the critical need of a regulating body, “The Press Council of India is a useless organization; it needs to be replaced by an effective media regulatory authority.” Pant further discussed the Radia tape issue and sought our views on the same.
The discussion ended on a very interesting note, wherein Pant asked all of us what our dream story is. We were slightly caught off guard, but being journalism students all of us managed to come up with interesting answers. The session was a great success as far as I was concerned, because it made me think about things I had’nt contemplated before and my dream story is just one among the many things.
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
We visited the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, where we met K. Kamala Kumari, member of the Commission.
We were briefed on the structure and functions of the Commission. The commission was set up with effect from 19th February, 2004. It is responsible for overseeing the implementation of various safeguards provided to Scheduled Tribes. The Commission comprises a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairman and three full time members including one lady member. The present Chairperson is Dr Rameshwar Oraon.
The Commission functions from its headquarters in New Delhi and from the regional offices located in six states. There are 4 research wings along with an administration and a coordination unit. The functions of the Commission include safeguarding the economic, developmental and political interests of the 75 primitive tribal groups in India. The department also functions as an advisory body to the State and Central Government on matters related to the development of Scheduled Tribes. The Commission prepares a report on the working of the safeguards, which is directly given to the President.
The Commission also inquires into complaints with respect to the deprivation of rights of the Scheduled Tribes.
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| BJP Office |
BJP Office
Our next halt was at the BJP Office, it was a short meeting as a press conference was to begin. We met Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who is the political advisor to BJP President, Nitin Gadkari. Sahasrabuuddhe told us a little about the functioning of the functioning of the party. The core advisory team decides the party’s work and functioning.
At the BJP Office we also met Vijay Deodhar, who spoke to us about his NGO, ‘My Home India’. Started by Deodhar and B.K.Bawri, its main aim is to help relocated students from the North-Eastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim. The NGO through a strong network of volunteers, local bodies and supporters provides assistance in issues like academic admission, medication, injustice, accommodation and hospitality.
The foundation aims to strengthen the relation between people from the North East and the rest of the country.
Parliament
This is one experience that all of us will never forget in our entire lifetime. Witnessing an actual session in Rajya Sabha was an extremely exciting opportunity.
The day started off with heavy security checks. We got a chance to go to the Parliament library, which was very interesting and informative. All of us purchased souvenirs to cherish the memory of the trip. We even went to a room that somewhat resembled a house of the parliament. We were given instructions on the etiquette expected of us while in the house.
Finally, after all the instructions and security checks we actually entered the Rajya Sabha. We witnessed a session that was in progress, from the visitors gallery. The house was presided by acting Chairman Verghese. The members were discussing about the issue of farmers in Maharashtra.
Words cannot do justice to the experience that we had visiting the Parliament and watching a Rajya Sabha session with our own eyes.
11th March
Rashtrapati Bhavan
Amid heavy security we visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India. The imposing edifice of the bhavan is spectacular.
The building has a total of 360 rooms; we were given a tour around some areas of the Bhavan. It was always interesting to know that it is the largest residence of any Chief of State in the world, but seeing it I realized it’s more than just a huge residence.
We visited the Durbar Hall, Ashoka Hall, the North Drawing Room and some other areas that are open to the public. The highlight of the hall was a 2 ton chandelier which hangs from a 33-metre height. One of the most distinguishing aspects of the Bhavan is a huge dome. It is more than twice the height of the rest of the building and is visible from a great distance. It was modelled partly after the Great Sanchi at Stupa.
A visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan is incomplete without seeing the Mughal Gardens. Situated at the back of the bhavan, the enormous size and variety of flowers is a treat for visitors.
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| Press Information Bureau |
Press Information Bureau
We visited the Press Information Bureau, where we were briefed about the functioning of the department from S.M.Khan, Director General (M&C) and former CBI spokesperson.
PIB is an interface between the Government and the Media. It is the authorized agency for information on government policies and programme. It has 2000 accredited correspondents in its 8 regional and 34 branch offices. It works for all ministries except the External Affairs ministry, which has its own body for press releases. The Press Releases by PIB are in Hindi, English, Urdu and 16 other Indian languages.
PIB has many modern facilities such as an updated website that has press releases in various regiional languages. They also have a system of SMS alerts and a control room that works round the clock during special occasions, such as the Ayodha verdict. PIB works to track rumours and give inputs to the media in disaster management.
Along with coordinating the Central Government publicity, it also lends support to international events that are held within the country.
National Sahitya Academy
The National Sahitya Academy is an autonomous body that works with grants received from the government. We interacted with an authority from the academy who gave us some information on the working of the body.
The National Sahitya Academy is an academy to promote literature, music and art. It works in a purely Democratic setup. The head of the academy is a president, followed by a vice-president, who are elected by a General Council for a 5 year term.
The Acedmy basically publishes books, of various genres such as fiction, children’s books and translation work. Whichever book wins the Sahitya Academy Award is translated to all other Indian languages. In addition, the academy publishes 2 journals every year. Seminars are conducted on literature, music and other art forms. Special programmes like ‘Meet the Author’ are hosted to get better understanding of literature.
The Academy also sends cultural delegations to Berlin and Frankfurt in an effort to promote Indian Art.
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| L.K.Advani |
We got an opportunity to interact with veteran Indian politician and former president of BJP, L.K.Advani. Ironically the man whom a lot of people associate with the Rath yatra and the ensuing demolition of the Babri Masjid, started his interaction by saying, "Religious tolerance is the most important quality of Indians."
He told us a little about his early days in Karachi, and how he left the country in 1947 to settle in India. Getting a tad nostalgic Advani said, "Someone asked me if it was not difficult to leave Pakistan. When I ponder about the question, in context of Pakistan many people there have become mujaheddin unlike India."
He further added, "Democracy in India has succeeded because people have immense tolerance towards diametrically opposite views. Tolerance to different views is the true essence of democracy."
Speaking about his interest in IT he said, "I first saw a casio digital diary in 1985, since then my interest in technology has been high." He further added that he was impressed about the fact that more than 25% of the people working in Microsoft are Indians.
He concluded by giving us a message, "Complete your studies, prove your worth in your chosen field and then think of politics."
Also at Advani’s residence was his daughter Pratibha Advani, who spoke to us for a couple of minutes and showed us a patriotic documentary film made by her.
Narendra Jadhav
We had a candid interaction with economist and presently the member of the Planning Commission, Narendra jadhav, at his residence. As a member of the Commission, Jadhav’s portfolios are Education, Labour Employment-Skill Development, Sports & Youth Affairs and Social Welfare and Development. He looks after the states- Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Goa and the union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli.
Explaining the functions of the Commission Jadhav said, "The Planning Commission is responsible for the effective allocation of available resources among various states, in light of social development." He further explained that while the Finance Minister prepares the annual budget, it is the Planning Commission that decides the planned expenditure for every state, which is then approved by the Cabinet.
On being asked about the issue of inflation faced by the country he said, "Single digit inflation is not a matter of concern. It is only when it goes to double digits that it is a matter of worry." He added that the reason for inflation is not always marred government policies, but also factors that cannot be controlled such as rise in oil prices and natural calamities.
Speaking about the media today he said, "Media should not give what they think people want, they should give what ought to be consumed by society." He emphasized on the need for media to realize what needs to be prioritized.
He also spoke about his opinion on the need to eradicate middle men, "There is a need to reform the public distribution system, by introducing smart cards."He concluded by saying that he was completely sold out on Manmohan Singh and admired his simplicity and ability.
Press Trust of India
The last day of our educational trip we visited the largest news agency in India, the Press Trust of India (PTI). We were briefed on the functioning of the agency by Vijay Satokar.
PTI is not a government organization; it’s an independent agency, with no editorial policy, that provides news coverage and information to various news organizations. The major subscribers of PTI include, Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Doordarshan and All India Radio.
The agency has a tie up with 2 international news agencies, Associated Press and Agency France Press. It has a separate feature desk. Speaking about journalists working for an agency and newspapers, we were told there is a great difference between the two. Reporters working in newspapers get more time to file their stories unlike people working in agencies.
Interaction with Marathi Journalists
Our last interaction was with some Marathi Journalists working in Delhi. They spoke to us about the opportunities for Marathi speaking journalists in Delhi. They advised people on how they can go about if they intend to work as journalists in Delhi. The session was informative and interesting with some pragmatic advice.
