************************************************************************************************************
I was talking about my journalistic adventure in KGPian (2007) which got me a delightfully confused reco.
I then wanted to write up a one-page piece on a lamentably ignored genius, my Ph D Guide at IIT KGP, Prof SDM, and submit it to KGPian. I mentioned this to my close friend and contemporary, NP, who was a witness to my interaction with SDM all of 35 years ago. And he liked the idea and asked me to go ahead. Meanwhile I mentioned the same to Prof SK, a younger colleague of mine at KGP. And SK wrote back to me that there was then a budding Web Magazine called Ansatz brought out by the students of the physics department at IIT KGP. And he, as their adviser, wanted my proposed piece on SDM for Ansatz. That was a very satisfying offer to me since I could once again chat with new and youthful students (rather than distinguished alumni) in a friendly way. Also, since it was a web-thing, space would be no issue.
I wrote it up in a night-out and found that it came to all of 17-pages. And mailed it to the editorial team of Ansatz. Somehow it got leaked to a newly launched campus webzine called Scholar's Avenue and apparently they wanted it first in their magazine.
Ha! At last I had arrived as a freelance writer...since rivals are vying for my piece ;)
But of course I declined permission to Scholar's Avenue since my SDM homage was written for physics majors and was practically commissioned by Prof SK.
It appeared duly in Ansatz with a memorable blurb by its student editor.
But, from my experience with physics departmental magazines at IIT KGP, I knew that the mean life of a newly launched magazine (web or tub) is 4 issues. There was this 'Aperture' in the 1980s and 'Srishti' in the 1990s (both short-lived).
But Prof SK kindly preserved the piece in the archives of the physics department and here is the glorious link:
My mind still remained full of words and words (which continues). And I wanted unlimited scope for tall tales of my happy days at my school in Muthukur; and their analytic continuation as a happy youthful teacher at IIT KGP...blanked by an eminently forgettable spell of 7 years at my university in Vizagh.
And my son told me that Google had just then launched a thing called Blogger which is a personal online 'journal' for anyone crazy and lazy enough to blog. That's it! That was precisely what I wanted. And I started churning out blogs and found a handful of readers who had fond memories of IIT KGP.
One of them, a published poet, Shyamal, sent a blog of mine without my knowledge to the 'Now & Again' column of The Statesman (Shyamal had a friend in the Statesman House). I then recalled reading all those weekly columns of 'Now & Again' during my Faculty Hostel years at KGP. They were written by recognized authors. Shyamal also sent me a compilation of about 250 pieces brought out by The Statesman in 1992. So, I was sure that my blog-piece sent by Shyamal would be at once trashed.
But, to my astonishment, they did publish it in the very next issue. And also two more later on in quick succession. But I got tired of it since the editor mangled my third piece, chopped off its last para, and changed the title given by me...
That was the end of my romance with The Statesman...
Meanwhile I continued my compulsive blogging. During the last 6 years, Blogger became more user-friendly and so did I, hopefully.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Nowadays I buy Deccan Chronicle and the Times of India. I read the Edit and OP-Edit pages of DC without fail. And I just browse ToI. Once in a while I like some article in DC and, if the e-mail id of the author is available, I write a mail to him (or her).
Like this one to the Founder & Chief Executive of Moving Finger Communications:
The gentleman was nice enough to respond thus:
***********************************************************************************************************
I was talking about my journalistic adventure in KGPian (2007) which got me a delightfully confused reco.
I then wanted to write up a one-page piece on a lamentably ignored genius, my Ph D Guide at IIT KGP, Prof SDM, and submit it to KGPian. I mentioned this to my close friend and contemporary, NP, who was a witness to my interaction with SDM all of 35 years ago. And he liked the idea and asked me to go ahead. Meanwhile I mentioned the same to Prof SK, a younger colleague of mine at KGP. And SK wrote back to me that there was then a budding Web Magazine called Ansatz brought out by the students of the physics department at IIT KGP. And he, as their adviser, wanted my proposed piece on SDM for Ansatz. That was a very satisfying offer to me since I could once again chat with new and youthful students (rather than distinguished alumni) in a friendly way. Also, since it was a web-thing, space would be no issue.
I wrote it up in a night-out and found that it came to all of 17-pages. And mailed it to the editorial team of Ansatz. Somehow it got leaked to a newly launched campus webzine called Scholar's Avenue and apparently they wanted it first in their magazine.
Ha! At last I had arrived as a freelance writer...since rivals are vying for my piece ;)
But of course I declined permission to Scholar's Avenue since my SDM homage was written for physics majors and was practically commissioned by Prof SK.
It appeared duly in Ansatz with a memorable blurb by its student editor.
But, from my experience with physics departmental magazines at IIT KGP, I knew that the mean life of a newly launched magazine (web or tub) is 4 issues. There was this 'Aperture' in the 1980s and 'Srishti' in the 1990s (both short-lived).
But Prof SK kindly preserved the piece in the archives of the physics department and here is the glorious link:
My mind still remained full of words and words (which continues). And I wanted unlimited scope for tall tales of my happy days at my school in Muthukur; and their analytic continuation as a happy youthful teacher at IIT KGP...blanked by an eminently forgettable spell of 7 years at my university in Vizagh.
And my son told me that Google had just then launched a thing called Blogger which is a personal online 'journal' for anyone crazy and lazy enough to blog. That's it! That was precisely what I wanted. And I started churning out blogs and found a handful of readers who had fond memories of IIT KGP.
One of them, a published poet, Shyamal, sent a blog of mine without my knowledge to the 'Now & Again' column of The Statesman (Shyamal had a friend in the Statesman House). I then recalled reading all those weekly columns of 'Now & Again' during my Faculty Hostel years at KGP. They were written by recognized authors. Shyamal also sent me a compilation of about 250 pieces brought out by The Statesman in 1992. So, I was sure that my blog-piece sent by Shyamal would be at once trashed.
But, to my astonishment, they did publish it in the very next issue. And also two more later on in quick succession. But I got tired of it since the editor mangled my third piece, chopped off its last para, and changed the title given by me...
That was the end of my romance with The Statesman...
Meanwhile I continued my compulsive blogging. During the last 6 years, Blogger became more user-friendly and so did I, hopefully.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Nowadays I buy Deccan Chronicle and the Times of India. I read the Edit and OP-Edit pages of DC without fail. And I just browse ToI. Once in a while I like some article in DC and, if the e-mail id of the author is available, I write a mail to him (or her).
Like this one to the Founder & Chief Executive of Moving Finger Communications:
Dear Sir:
That was a great article in today's Deccan Chronicle.
The wisdom of the founding fathers of our republic lay in prescribing no minimum educational qualifications not only for lawmakers but also voters.
In the early 1950s my Father who was an alumnus of the Madras Christian College believed that only people with a BA degree should be allowed to vote...he was a BA BEd ;)
But what about paid news and extortion? Any way it can be prevented other than by recourse to law courts?
Regards
That was a great article in today's Deccan Chronicle.
The wisdom of the founding fathers of our republic lay in prescribing no minimum educational qualifications not only for lawmakers but also voters.
In the early 1950s my Father who was an alumnus of the Madras Christian College believed that only people with a BA degree should be allowed to vote...he was a BA BEd ;)
But what about paid news and extortion? Any way it can be prevented other than by recourse to law courts?
Regards
#########################################################################
The gentleman was nice enough to respond thus:
Dear Mr. Sastry
Thank you very much for your mail and your
comments. You have been very generous.
Yes, paid news is a cancer and needs to
be fought the way malignancies are fought. In an earlier article I had proposed that as Press
Council Chairman Justice Katju should devote his energies to fighting
aberrations like paid news. The good news is that the Election Commission is
seized of the matter and I believe it is trying to fight the menace in campaign reporting....
In any event, I am not in favour of
censoring the press or curbing its
freedom.
Kind regards
######################################################################
The issue of paid-news became topical the other day...there being no end to the comical-tragical shenanigans of our politicos:
ToI Front Page Friday November 29, 2013
"It has long been speculated that shady operators play the social media to make and tar reputations, help netas to help damage rivals during elections and even trigger riots - all for a fee. Now, a sting operation conducted by Cobrapost shows that such deadly players do exist and carry out online hit jobs for a price, ranging from a few lakhs to a couple of crores of rupees..."
Wow!
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Journalistic Syntax
ToI Front Page Headline news item, December 1, 2013:
Panaji: After days of high drama and a swirl of accusations and denials, Goa police on Saturday arrested...
gps: Sounds like Goa police, like Goa tourists, indulge in high dramas and cinemas and dancing and singing and swirling and accusations and denials...
***********************************************************************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment