Reflections

MORE NEWS IS GOOD NEWS UNTOLD STORIES FROM 25 YEARS OF TELEVISION NEWS T he current book under review is from NDTV,  in part a chronicle of its 25 years journey so far, and in part a telling series of stories from these 25 years, ones that bring us face to face with many queries, questions, hard truths, uncomfortable realities as well as stories from under-represented genres. This book is also a management case study – albeit a rather longish one, one that I would recommend each and every person in Industry anywhere in the world read. This is, to top it all off, a standing lesson in the trendlines in the Media, as well as the how these developed over time, making it a powerful value addition to anyone in sales and marketing! The collection of stories is tastefully done, and with strategic thought; you get a lovely read, one that triggers your mind into questions, realizations, learnings, entertainment and fun all in the same volume, making it a true rarity. Th...

PAY COMMISSION AND THE ARMED FORCES This is a topic I came across when I got a Whatsapp forward of an NDTV Discussion on the 7 th Pay Commission and its impact on the Armed Forces – given in the Video clip below. This was a discussion anchored by Barkha Dutt, and featured an Ex Army Chief, A former Finance Secretary, A Senior Retired Police Officer, several other middle level Armed Forces Officers and political representatives of two parties. A very high quality discussion, this featured decently presented pros and cons form both sides of the debate very fairly, and yet, the contents were worrisome. { 7th Pay Panel Puts Police At Par With IAS, Soldiers Say 'Blatant Discrimination' } ; The debate, or dissatisfaction of the Armed Forces {as per the media video above}, is around the 7 th Pay Commission Recommendations in terms of some allowances – Hardship Allowance, for example in comparison to the other services, and parity with other services, among other ...

The past few months {and more} have seen a whirlwind of news regarding great moves by the NaMo Government; highlighting a series of developments and laudable initiatives by this Government by the Media as well as the Bhakt Brigade on Social Media. That is indeed good; a positive environment engenders a powerful impetus towards growth, and is a significant factor. Positivity engenders growth and development, problem resolution in a manner negativity can never do. In all this euphoria and positivity, one factor lies ignored; the status of the Agriculture Sector. This article isn’t about The NaMo Government, but about our {Urban India’s} response – or lack of it – regarding the Agriculture Sector, about how it has taken the back seat, and about how we just don’t respond, or are not even aware of, the status of this sector, its issues and the problems that plague it. While news regarding Farmer Suicides reaches us due to the sensationality factor, the real issues and problems this se...

The recent story of an Indian mentioned by our honourable Prime Minister reaching the headlines has kindled a series of questions in me; what were our local Media doing when this was happening? Why aren’t such local heroes and success stories given more attention by the Media and the press? Why does the NRI-PIO story, the international news, the sensational or the world affairs take precedence over important local issues? Going deeper, why are we affected by these stories, and give lesser credence to the local? Note : It is not my contention we ignore the international aspects; just that there needs to be a proper balance, which is currently absent This event came at the culmination of a series of experiences regarding Media, when I noted lesser coverage to local issues, even important ones like tragedies and floods etc in India, even on social media, where the international triggered a huge response, and you had to actually hunt to find the local Indian reference. I sl...