TECHNOLOGY TO WATCH DISH TV CHANNELS FREE

US Supreme Court conflicted over Indian-American's breakthrough technology

Chidanand Rajghatta,TNN | Apr 23, 2014, 04.07 PM IST





WASHINGTON: Chaitanya ("Chet") Kanojia is holding his breath over a US Supreme Court ruling on his disruptive technology that he says will revolutionize broadcasting and cheer the public by lowering cost of services. For entirely different reasons, so are major broadcasters (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox etc): they see the technology gambit leading to copyright infringement, a massive loss of revenue, and the death of broadcasting as we know it.

On Tuesday, the country's apex court did not give a whiff of which way it would go — itself torn between the two sides as it began hearing the landmark case that has transfixed most people plugged into broadcast, which is pretty much everyone.

At the heart of this profound case is whether Aereo, the nifty New York start-up founded by the Bhopal-born Indian-American, has the right to pick up broadcast signals off the air with its breakthrough technology — an antenna the size of a postage stamp — that it will giving subscribers for a fraction of the cost they pay for cable services. Aereo's thumb-print sized device can capture TV signals from the airwaves and direct them to your laptop, tablet, or smartphone for as little as $ 8 compared to the up to $80 plus that people currently pay for cable services.

"Your technological model is based solely on circumventing legal prohibitions that you don't want to comply with," Chief Justice John Roberts observed sharply at the hearing, seemingly reflecting the argument of the powerful plaintiffs that mooching TV signals off the air amounts to theft of content and copyright violation. Aereo says its technology does nothing more than what subscribers have been able to do lawfully since the time the old-fashioned rabbit ear antenna — watch free broadcast if you are able to catch signals over public airways.

"There's no content being provided. There's (only) equipment that's being provided," Aereo's lawyers maintained before the court in Tuesday in a case that attracted nationwide attention.

Times have changed, technology has become niftier, and new trends have caught on — and the Supreme Court appeared to struggle with evolving a new consensus of how to protect traditional and time-tested business models while not putting a crimp on innovation. "What disturbs me on the other side is I don't understand what the decision for you or against you when I write it is going to do to all kinds of other technologies," Justice Stephen Breyer agonized.

The fear is that a ruling against Aereo will affect cloud-computing services such as Google and Apple. But Roberts seemed to voice the general skepticism of the bench saying he saw no reason for Aereo "to have 10,000 dime-sized antennas, other than to get around the copyright laws." Aereo argument that it is not "publicly" transmitting content, like the cable and satellite firms, but "privately" letting a subscriber rent its equipment and decide when to receive his very own transmissions did not seem to make much of an impression on Justice Antonin Scalia either. "Is there any reason you did it other than not to violate the copyright laws?" he asked.

A ruling on the case is expected as early as June, but both sides have lined up solid arguments before both the court and the public, warning of profound consequences if the other side won. The broadcast monopolies, which have enjoyed a stranglehold on the transmission business even with the advent of the Internet, and said Aereo should pay a transmission fee like everyone else if its lifts signals, have warned that they will have to take themselves off the air and convert to cable-only channels if Aereo's runaway technology is allowed to mooch its signals.

Kanojia is fighting back with the argument that big broadcast is simply milking the small consumer. "What is at stake in this case is much bigger than Aereo. We believe that consumers are entitled to use a modern, cloud-based, version of an antenna and DVR and that consumers should not be constrained to 1950's era technology to watch free-to-air broadcast television," he said in an email massage just before the hearing began. "The broadcasters' positions in this case, if sustained, would impair cloud innovation and threaten the myriad benefits to individuals, companies, and the economy at large of the advances in cloud computing and cloud storage."

The story goes that two years ago when Kanojia first started his company, he visited the offices of the four big broadcast television networks to tell them about his plan to upend their business and strike a deal. Their response: We'll see you in court. But the lower courts backed Aereo and the 43-year old Indian disrupter seemed ready to topple a legacy business, which he sees as predatory and having feasted on the system since the 1970s, before Big Broadcast brought the case to Washington.

None of this was remotely on the cards for the Bhopal native who lived through the Union Carbide disaster in 1984 (He was lucky to live "upwind" he said in one interview) before getting an engineering degree from the National Institute of Technology and coming to the US, where he graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in mechanical engineering — not exactly the IIT-Stanford pedigree that is the hallmark of many Indian successes in the US. But academic lineage hardly seems to matter to a man who holds more than 14 patents in fields ranging from robotics to data, whose very first company, Navic Networks, an industry leader in advanced television advertising, was acquired by Microsoft in 2008 for a reported $ 250 million.

All that pales before the epic nature of the ongoing Supreme Court battle — a face-off that will have such profound consequences on the broadcast industry in the US that organizations, from the Consumer Electronics Association to the National Football League, have filed amicus briefs. "We remain steadfast in our conviction that Aereo's cloud-based antenna and DVR technology falls squarely within the law. We have every hope and confidence that the Court will validate and preserve a consumer's right to access local over-the-air television using an individual antenna," Kanojia maintained on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court's answer? Still blowing in the wind.

imesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-Supreme-Court-conflicted-over-Indian-Americans-breakthrough-technology/articleshow/34114578.cms

PRASAR BHARATI CEO,SH.JAWHAR SIRCAR'S BREATHTAKING SPEECH ON CHARNOCK, LEFT THE AUDIENCE SPELL BOUND

Charnock stirs debates and wishes on Kolkata's 323rd 'birthday'

You can debate over Job Charnock but you can't deny his association with the city of joy. You can debate over Kolkata's date of birth as well but you can always celebrate its rich history.

On Saturday, 323 years after Charnock first landed near Nimtala Ghat on August 24, 1690, a host of luminaries got together for some intense adda - Tea With Charnock - to dwell upon the heritage of the city. Call it a 'celebration' or simply an interactive session, all controversies were put to rest and one subject took the centre stage: Kolkata.

And if it was significant enough, 'Tea With Charnock' was organized at St John's Church, where Charnock was laid to rest. The church, now stands restored by Intach, is a testimony to the British trader's bonding with Kolkata. The sprawling premises on Council House Street was the focal point in 1990 when the KMC had celebrated the city's tercentenary. A high court ruling had ended the enthusiasm then, ruling that August 24 couldn't be Kolkata's birthday. The state has stopped commemorating the day since then.

"A city can't be born on a certain day. The day is important for us because it marked a new settlement here. Perhaps it was an accident when Charnock landed here on a hot, sticky day in August, 1690. What matters is that Kolkata has such a rich past and is rearing to celebrate many more centuries," said Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar. In his speech, Sircar spun some fascinating tales around the historic, if not mythical, landing. Effortlessly, he seemed to have transported the audience to the 1670s, 1680s and 1690s, stopping only at 1757 when Robert Clive came in.

Taking the clock back to the life and times of Charnock, Sircar delineated how Kolkata got its different nooks and corners, or for that matter, its fort (Fort William), its bazaars - with a special reference to Baithakkhana bazaar, where the baniyas sat under the baniyan tree wearing loose clothing that later came to be known "banyans". Charnock had taken lease of Sutanuti and Nimtala or Mohantaghat from Sabarna Roy Chowdhury with the purpose of anchoring huge British vessels. After he leased the third village, Gobindapur, it was transformed to Fort William or the 'Gar'. "So we had the Maidan or the fields outside the 'Gar' and called it Gar-er Math," said Sircar. The audience listened in rapt attention.

Among those present on the occasion were Bishop Asok Biswas, entrepreneur Nayantara Roy Chowdhury and Intach convenor G M Kapur.

Sircar's breath-taking speech was followed by performances by Johnny Purty, St John's official organist who enthralled the audience with a pipe organ that ages back to 1830, and Anjum Katyal, who sang the "Ode to the City". Some rare paintings and lithographs - restored by Intach - were unveiled by the Bishop of Kolkata.

Click here for another article on the subject that received wide acclaim

CLICK HERE FOR TWEETS BY CEO,PRASAR BHARATI

PRASAR BHARATI CEO UNHAPPY ABOUT VACANT KEY POSITIONS

 Posted on : 19 Apr 2014 12:01 pm

Prasar Bharati’s woes on vacant key positions



NEW DELHI: The union cabinet has decided to maintain status quo in Prasar Bharati with regard to recruitment of people up to the age of 62 to allow the public broadcaster to fill key positions that have been lying vacant or are likely.
 
These include the posts of Member (Finance) who has put in his papers but whose resignation has not yet been accepted, Member (Personnel) whose tenure has ended, and Board Chairperson Mrinal Pande whose tenure is ending on 30 April.
 
The cabinet decision came on a proposal by the ministry of information and broadcasting.  
 
Interestingly, a group of ministers (GoM) had earlier recommended that the age for these positions be lowered to 55 years and that recommendation has been under the consideration of the government. However, since the tenure of this government is ending and the implementation of GoM recommendations for lowering the age requires an amendment to the Prasar Bharati Act.
 
Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar told indiantelevision.com that he was unhappy that no steps had been taken to fill important posts, which he feels should have been done before they become vacant.
 
Meanwhile, reliable Prasar Bharati sources told indiantelevision.com that a majority of the 1150 critical posts for programme executives, production assistants and duty officers recommended by the GoM had been filled. Prasar Bharati had received clearance early last year for immediately filling up 1150 posts out of the 3452 posts which had been identified as critical and approved by the GoM in June 2009.  
 
The pubcaster has not had any senior-level recruitment since it came into being in September 1997, and the sources said that those posts which could not be filled out of these were held up because there is no Prasar Bharati recruitment board.
 
The source said steps are being taken to set up the board at the earliest so that the pubcaster does not face such difficulties in future.
  
In March last year, the pubcaster had in a notice in ‘Employment News’ notified ‘combined recruitment for the post of programme executive and transmission executive examination’ for 1166 posts to be filled after interviews by the staff selection committee (SSC).
 
As of early 2013, there were 1362 vacancies in Group A, 1,584 in Group B, 4863 in Group C and 2272 in group D in All India Radio (AIR). In Doordarshan (DD), 724 posts are vacant in Group A, 1140 in Group B, 2871 in Group C, and 1451 in Group D.
 
AIR and DD had total staff strength of 33,800 against a total sanctioned strength of 48,022, leaving a gap of 14,222 posts.
 
The most critically affected areas were the programme wing and the news services division (AIR)/DD News.
 
The Committee for Information Technology in 2012 regretted that Prasar Bharati had failed to live up to the assurance given by then Prasar Bharati CEO that the recruitment boards for Prasar Bharati would be set up by 31 March 2011.
 
It is understood that the union public service commission and SSC had both refused to select for a non-governmental organization, thus creating a new problem for the ministry/Prasar Bharati.
 
The Proposal for setting up a Prasar Bharati recruitment board was approved by Prasar Bharati Board on 21 July 2010 and discussed in the ministry and a final proposal was referred to the department of personnel and training (DoPT) on 15 February 2011. DoPT concurred with the proposal in June 2011 and the comments of the department of expenditure (DOE) were also received on 28 September 2011.
 
The DoE had requested that a separate proposal be formulated for creation of posts for the secretariat of Prasar Bharati Recruitment Board and also requested for drafting of agreement containing terms and conditions of the members of the board. This had been done and the proposal sent to DoE in February 2012 and then to the law ministry.

http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/terrestrial/prasar-bharati%E2%80%99s-woes-on-vacant-key-positions-140419

Radio is the real winner in 2014 Lok Sabha polls

 Saturday, April 19, 2014 | 12:42 PM IST

Whenever there is a power cut in his area, Suresh Munda, 26, and his friends assemble under the village's banyan tree to kill time. One of their favourite pastimes is to tune into FM radio channels on their basic mobile phones and listen intently to the latest Bollywood numbers.

They are content till the time humming is not interrupted by social activists urging people to exercise their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections. Immediately afterwards follows a jingle. “Har haath shakti, har haath tarakki, Congress party kisano ke saath (Power in every hand, development in every hand, Congress is for farmers),” is very regular on one of the channels, recalls Munda.

He is a farmer and lives close to the Jindal steel factory in Patratu block of Ramgarh district, 50 km from Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi.

Munda is one of estimated 106 million people who tune into FM radio regularly. Though FM airs in 86 Indian cities, villagers of adjoining areas have the option to hear any of the 242 stations operating in the country.

Sensing an opportunity to reach out to people in far-flung areas in a very cost-effective manner, political parties have adopted the grand old medium of communication for extensive campaigning.

The cost of putting an advertisement on radio is estimated to be nearly a seventh of what it takes for a television spot. No wonder, ad spend by political parties on FM radio has seen a quantum jump from a meagre Rs 8 crore during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections to nearly Rs 50 crore this time — an increase of 525%.

What has made radio an effective medium for political communication is the ease with which messages can be tailor-made for the audience.

“Since radio ads are easy and less expensive to produce, there is the possibility of making many more creatives and thus changing the message as the campaign progresses. It is also possible for one political party to respond to the ad of another political party. This is not possible with TV. Finally, radio advertising is far cheaper than TV advertising; hence everyone can use radio,” says Prashant Pandey, CEO of Entertainment Network India Ltd (ENIL). The company operates under the brand name of Radio Mirchi and is spread across 14 states with 32 stations. It claims to have a listeners’ base of 41 million.

A 10-second spot on radio costs Rs 400-2,000, depending on the time and location. Advertising rates are the highest in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

“Radio commercials are very affordable as compared to television. In Tier-II & III markets, it is, in fact, the most effective way for reaching out to the masses because of its affordability and the limited reach of television and broadband penetration. Mobile penetration has increased manifold and now almost every Indian owns a mobile phone which has further led to high consumption of radio,” says Harrish Bhatia, CEO of My Fm Radio. Promoted by the Bhaskar Group, My Fm Radio is present in 17 cities of seven states.

Being cost effective is not the only USP of radio. “Time spent on radio is 50% higher than TV and 500% higher than print,” claims Bhatia. “The 2014 elections have seen near three times higher (radio) usage than the 2009 elections,” adds Pandey.

According to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC)  report, India Entertainment and Media Outlook 2013, India’s radio market revenues increased by about 10% to Rs 1,530 crore in 2012 from Rs 1,390 crore in 2011.

However, despite a significant cost advantage, radio’s share in overall political advertising revenue is minuscule. In fact, it has been taken over by the digital platform, which is seen to be more youth-oriented.

In terms of money spent, television has walked away with the biggest chunk of political advertising followed by the digital media. Radio is at a distant third.

Pandey, too, admits that political advertising is “a relatively small part of our overall radio revenues.” Perhaps, radio would have got a bigger share if auctions for FM radio stations had taken place in time. Auctions slated for 2013 would have enabled more stations to come up in small towns.

Analysts also say that the use of FM radio was much more extensive during the recently concluded Assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. FM radio is estimated to have got additional revenue by way of political advertising of nearly Rs 25 crore in the November 2013 Assembly elections, of which Delhi alone contributed nearly Rs 9 crore.

This is perhaps because of heavy presence of FM radio in metro cities. Delhi alone has 14 million radio listeners followed by Mumbai with 12 million. Beyond metros, FM radio listeners are sparsely populated. Hence the reluctance on the part of political parties to bet big on this medium. More FM stations in small towns could change that.

“Phase III of FM radio licensing is expected to extend services to about 227 new cities, in addition to the present 86 cities (with a total of 839 new FM radio channels across 294 cities). Successful completion of Phase III licensing is expected to result in FM radio coverage of all cities with a population of one lakh and above,” the PwC report added.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/elections-2014/radio-is-the-real-winner-in-2014-lok-sabha-polls-114041900273_1.html

आकाशवाणी के प्रसारण शीघ्र नई डिजीटल तकनीक से जुड़ेगेःइंजिनियर-इन-चीफ, आर.के. बुद्धराजा

उदयपुर, आकाशवाणी महानिदेशालय नई दिल्ली के प्रमुख अभियंता आर.के. बुद्धराजा के सान्निध्य में आकाशवाणी में तकनीकी एवं कार्यक्रम विकास के नये आयाम विषयक संगोष्ठी का आयोजन शिल्पी रिसोर्ट के सभागार में हुआ। 

जिसमें उद्बोधन देते प्रमुख अभियंता ने कहा कि आकाशवाणी उदयपुर सहित देष के अनेक केन्द्रों को शीघ्र ही प्रसारण की नई डिजीटल तकनीक के साथ जोड़ा जिससे श्रोताओं को और अधिक स्पष्ट और गुणवतापूर्ण प्रसारण सुनने को मिलेगा। इसके लिए देश के आकाषवाणी के कई केन्द्रों पर कार्य शुरू किया जा चुका है। उन्होंने आकाशवाणी कर्मियों को नई तकनीक विधा को समझ कर अपने को अपडेट करने की आवश्यकता बताई। प्रमुख अभियंता ने बाद में मोहता पार्क स्थित आकाशवाणी उदयपुर के स्टूडियो परिसर में नव स्थापित सरस्वती देवी की मूर्ति अनावरण किया तथा स्टूडियो व दूरदर्षन रिले केन्द्र का अवलोकन किया। 

इस अवसर पर आर.के. बुद्धराजा का पगड़ी व माला पहनाकर, उपर्णा ओढ़ाकर कर अभिनंदन दिया गया।

संगोष्ठी के प्रारम्भ में अतिथियों का स्वागत करते हुए आकाशवाणी के उप महानिदेशक माणिक आर्य ने स्थानीय केन्द्र द्वारा प्रसारण के क्षेत्र में निर्मित एवं प्रसारित किये जा रहे कार्यक्रमों के बारे में बताया और कहा कि तकनीकी और कार्यक्रम कर्मियों के समन्वय व सहयोग से मेवाड़ के श्रोताओं को सूचना,शिक्षा और मनोरंजन के बेहतरीन प्रसारण सुनने को मिल रहे है। उन्होने ओ.बी. बेस कार्यक्रमों के कवरेज हेतु आधुनिक डिजीडल रिकार्डर की आवश्यकता प्रतिपादित की। संगोष्ठी में आकाशवाणी कार्यक्रम सलाहकार/श्रवण समिति के सदस्यों एवं क्षेत्र के आकाशवाणी केन्द्रों से आए केन्द्र अभियंताओं द्वारा जिज्ञासापूर्ण पूछे गये प्रश्नों के जवाब दिये । आकाशवाणी उदयपुर के निदेशक अभियांत्रिकी सतीश देपाल ने आकाशवाणी उदयपुर के प्राईमरी व एफ.एम. चैनलो के प्रसारणों की जानकारी प्रदान की। संगोष्ठी में केन्द्र अभियंताओं -राजेन्द्र नाहर, हेमेन्द्र सोनी, विजय ईसरानी, सहित तकनीकी कर्मियों व कार्यक्रम अधिकारियों ने भाग लिया।

अंत में आकाशवाणी कार्यक्रम सलाहकार समिति के सदस्य डॉ. प्रेम भंडारी ने सभी का आभार जताया। कार्यक्रम का संचालन वरिष्ठ उद्घोषक राजेन्द्र सेन ने किया।

MOHAN VEENA WAS NAMED BY AIR MUSICOLOGIST

  APRIL 18, 2014

He who came first

Man of many trades: Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra, 
one of the greatest sarod players of all time, 
was also an inventor of instruments

Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra needs to be acknowledged for creating an instrument that played like the sarod and had the tonal richness of a veena

If you google ‘mohan veena’, the first three pages will lead you, in one way or the other, to Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, one of the best known slide guitar players in the world. Bhatt made substantial modifications to the variant of the slide guitar that was prevalent in Hindustani music (its most famous exponent being Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra) and called it the ‘mohan veena’, derived from his middle name. He won the Grammy in 1994; since then, the mohan veena has come under global focus and has become synonymous with its inventor, Bhatt.

However, if you reach the end of the fourth page of Google results, you will find a mention of Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra, who is regarded as one of the greatest sarod players of all time. But he had another, lesser known, identity. He was an inventor, who conceptualised three new instruments: dil bahar, naba deepa and, his most extensively recorded, mohan veena. This mohan veena preceded its slide guitar namesake by at least three decades. There were regular All India Radio broadcasts of Maitra’s recitals on this instrument and a rendition of Darbari was also released by HMV.

And yet, one must wade through nearly four pages of Bhatt to find a link between the mohan veena and its original inventor.

Maitra (1917 to 1981) lived at a time when Hindustani musicians didn’t concern themselves with patents and PR outfits. And certainly not Maitra, who was a zamindar from Rajshahi (now in Bangladesh) and cared little about publicity. His grandfather, Lalita Mohan Maitra, patronised the sarod maestro Ustad Mohammad Amir Khan as a musician in his estate. One day Khan found the child Maitra tinkering with one of the many sarods in the house. The maestro sensed an interest in the boy and started teaching him. Maitra made a mark as a sarodiya at the All India Music Conference at Allahabad in 1937, where, after listening to his solo, Ustad Allauddin Khan, in spite of being from a different gharana, invited him to perform alongside him. Initially people could not reconcile his blue-blooded lineage with his mastery — music was a leisurely pursuit for zamindars, not a profession — but they were soon forced to accept Maitra as a formidable artiste.

The idea of the mohan veena was born in the mid-’40s. Apart from the sarod, Maitra was a regular performer on the sursringar. Once, after he played a duet on the sursringar with veena exponent Ustad Sadiq Ali Khan, Maitra became obsessed with the idea of creating an instrument that could be played using the same techniques of the sarod but would have the resonance and gravity of the veena (which the sursringar, to an extent, has). The sursringar belongs to the sarod family, but is much larger than the sarod and requires a different playing technique, essentially because the two instruments are held at different angles. Maitra had greater facility on the sarod than on the sursringar; he wanted an instrument that could be held and played exactly like the sarod and yet one that could match the tonal richness of a veena. His quest for these two features in a single instrument culminated in the mohan veena.

He made two principal changes to the sarod and the effect was miraculous. The resonator of a sarod (loosely called ‘the drum’) is carved out of a single piece of wood and the hollow semicircle is covered with hide. Maitra covered the hollow with a sheet of wood instead (like in the veena and the sursringar). Further, he changed the structure of the bridge, replacing the typical sarod bridge with a sitar bridge. A sitar bridge is flat, as opposed to the slightly raised sarod bridge and helps produce a richer, fuller sound. This bridge, placed on a wood-surfaced drum, produced a resonance far richer than that of the sarod. Maitra’s two aims were achieved: a tonal quality closer to that of the veena and a playing technique similar to that of the sarod. His peers reviewed it positively. Thakur Jaidev Singh, eminent musicologist who was at the helm of All India Radio at the time, gave the instrument its name: mohan veena, based on Maitra’s middle name.

I once interviewed Bhatt and had asked him if he was aware of Maitra’s mohan veena. He said that he heard of it much after he had named his own instrument. Maitra lived in Calcutta, Bhatt in Jaipur and information didn’t travel then the way it does now, he said. He added that if he had known, he would have named his instrument vishwa veena (which, incidentally, is the name he gave to another modification of the slide guitar).

Today, Maitra’s mohan veena has been eclipsed by Bhatt’s variant. But listeners of Hindustani music should not forget Maitra’s instrument. Two of Maitra’s disciples, Jaydeep Ghosh and Somjit Dasgupta, and Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta’s son Bhabanishankar Dasgupta, perform regularly on the instrument now. Their popularity as musicians is nowhere near Bhatt’s, but hopefully their recitals will serve as occasional reminders of Maitra’s creation.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/features/blink/watch/he-who-came-first/article5922667.ece

Love of Music

For over three decades Nisar Ahmad Dar enthralled audiences with western musical in one of radio Kashmir’s most loved programme. An ardent music lover he is all set to launch his first solo album that will see mix of sufian and western country music.

It took Nisar Ahmad Dar more than a dozen auditions to finally reserve some air time for himself at Radio Kashmir. Thirty three years and countless programmes, at the radio station, later Dar an ardent music lover is all set to release his solo music album.

It was 1980 and Dar back then studied Engineering at the then Regional Engineering College, Hazratbal, which now is known to be as the National Institute of Technology. It was during this time that Dar discovered music and radio anchoring back then seemed to be the only viable option to be close to what he loved the most.

The memory of the first cheque of 15 Rupees that he received after anchoring his first Western Music Programme at Radio Kashmir remains etched in his memory, “It was a thrill to earn, to feel independent,” says Dar, who presently works as an Executive Engineer at the I&FC department, apart from anchoring at Radio Kashmir.

Dar attributes his love for music to the time when he discovered western music.

Groups like Beatles, Bee Jees, Eagles and solo singers like Elvis Presley, Dar says, caught his imagination and influenced him greatly.

“I would listen to their numbers over and again. That fascination with music was instrumental in instilling a better understanding of music in me,” says Dar.

He credits his closest friends Syed Parvez Qaisar and Syed Humauyn Qaisar for keeping him abreast with the regular supply of latest western music; they managed to get imported from abroad.

His love for music however did not remain limited to playing tracks for the listeners at the radio station. He took his love for music a notch further and started learning it, beginning with violin under the guidance of Prof Arjumand Durrani.

“Learning music from notations and playing simultaneously was a great experience. It would take long painstaking hours to get a piece straight,” recalls Dar, who later on learned guitar from valley’s only exponent of guitar Irfan Nabi. He admits that learning this time was easier as the basics were already clear.

He terms music as a form of solace for himself. “I might not play the instruments that often, it surely is a medium to keep myself connected with life.”

 He says that music helps him to fill the vacuum that is created as a result of the mundane and monotonous routine of the daily life, “It is only music that helps him to unwind and de-stress.”

For Dar the idea of a music album seemed to be just another logical step towards his love for the art form and that’s what he is up to now. He is all set to launch his maiden album ‘wooden heart’ in the month of May/June this year.

The album, based on Sufi poetry of Kashmir and some country as well as pop music, has nine solo songs sung by Dar. Quite optimistic about the launch of the album, Dar makes no effort to conceal his excitement while announcing that the mixing and recording part has already been completed.

“This album will for sure be a refreshing experience for the music lovers of Kashmir,” says Dar, adding that the contemporary music these days has become more commercialised and is devoid of melody.

He is quite optimistic that this album will bring back the melody that is missing in today’s commercialised music industry. Dar however maintains that the venture will not be a money minting one.

“I am doing this for the love of music and I hope this could bring some solace to the music lovers in Kashmir,” adds Dar.

His colleagues at Radio Kashmir, who describe him as a humble energetic man, are equally enthusiastic about his new venture. Some seniors he has learnt from and some junior, who have learnt from him all hoe the best for him.

Syed Humayun Qaiser, the famed producer at Radio Kashmir, describes him as a hard working disciplined man, who takes his work very seriously.

During his 33 years of service at the radio station Dar has worked with almost every big name at the station including Syed Humyun Qasier, Gurmeet kour, Dr Tahaa, and Jasbeer.

“For me he is like a teacher who has taught me a lot as for as the presentation is concerned. He has always been very humble and cordial even to new comers,” says Gurmeet Kour.

http://www.kashmirlife.net/love-of-music0606/

आकाशवाणी द्वारा मतदान जागरूकता चौपाल का आयोजन

अधिक मतदान कर अच्छे प्रतिनिधि का करें चुनाव

Wed, 16 Apr 2014 06:53 PM (IST)

ओबरा (सोनभद्र) : बिल्ली-मारकुंडी में मौजूद ब्लाक संसाधन केंद्र पर मतदाता जागरुकता चौपाल का आयोजन आकाशवाणी व जिला निर्वाचन अधिकारी के संयोजन में हुआ, जिसमें 12 मई को वोट डालने की मतदाताओं से गुजारिश की गई। स्वीप एंवेस्डर कवित्री रचना तिवारी ने आए मतदाताओं से कहा कि लोकतंत्र को मजबूत करने के लिए वोट जरूर करें। वोट देकर देश के विकास में योगदान दें। आकाशवाणी के कार्यक्रम प्रमुख जीपी निराला ने कहा कि अच्छा मौका है। इसे न गंवाए। वोट देकर अच्छे प्रतिनिधि का चुनाव करें, जिससे विकास में गति आ सके। वोट आपका का अधिकारी है, जिसका प्रयोग जरूर करें। मतदाता जागरुकता अभियान में स्वीप कोआर्डिनेटर डॉ. प्रमोद कुमार, सहायक नोडल अधिकारी ओम प्रकाश, सुरेश तिवारी शामिल थे। मतदाता जागरुकता में आश्चर्य तो तब हुआ जब कई ने कहा कि अभी तक वोट तक मांगने नहीं आए हैं।

साहब! कुछ काम कराएंगे।

जागरुकता के दौरान वोटरों ने कहा कि शौचालय, पानी, सड़क, बिजली नहीं है। वोट तो हम देंगे पर साहब! कुछ काम कराएंगे। बता दें कि पिछले दिनों खैरटिया और बिल्ली गांव में बड़ी संख्या में लोगों ने समस्याओं के समर्थन में मतदान बहिष्कार का फैसला लिया है।

http://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/sonbhadra-11238872.html

आकाशवाणी पटना के उर्दू बुलेटिन ‘‘इलाकाई खबरें’’ ने पूरे किये 25 साल

16 अप्रैल, 1989 समय.......अपराह्न 3 बजकर 15 मिनट.....बिहार में रेडियो सेट पर एक आवाज गूंजती है।........ये आकाशावाणी पटना है.....अब आप शानू रहमान से......इलाकाई खबरें.....सुनिये......।

यह दिन,समय, क्षण बिहार की मीडिया के लिए एक यादगार दिन बन गया। इतिहास के पन्नों में यह दिन दर्ज हुआ, बिहार में उर्दू समाचार बुलेटिन का आकाशवाणी से प्रसारण को लेकर। आकाशवाणी पटना के प्रादेशिक समाचार की शुरूआत यों तो 28 दिसम्बर, 1959 को ही शुरू हो गया था। हालांकि 26 जनवरी, 1948 को आकाशवाणी, पटना केन्द्र का उद्घाटन हुआ था। जहां तक रेडियों पर समाचार प्रसारण का बिहार से संबंध की बात है तो हिन्दी के बाद सबसे ज्यादा बोली जाने वाली उर्दू भाषा को तरजीह दी गयी। केन्द्र सरकार ने बिहार को भी उर्दू बुलेटिन के लिए चुना। बिहार में उर्दू बुलेटिन की शुरूआत 16 अप्रैल, 1989 को हुआ। इसके बाद ‘‘इलाकाई खबरें’’ बिना रूके-थके लगातार प्रसारित होते हुए 25 साल का सफर तय कर लिया है। इलाकाई खबरें, उर्दू बुलेटिन ने कई उतार-चढ़ाव को पार किया।

पहला समाचार बुलेटिन आकाशवाणी के कार्यक्रम अधिशासी शानू रहमान ने पढ़ा। उर्दू बुलेटिन को पत्रकार तारिक फातमी ने तैयार किया। हालांकि मुख्य बुलेटिन हिन्दी में बना, जिसे श्री फातमी ने अनुवाद किया। अनुवाद की यह परिपाटी आज भी बरकरार है। हालांकि उर्दू डेस्क को अलग किये जाने की जरूरत है ताकि उसे अपना अस्तित्व मिल सकें। उर्दू समाचार बुलेटिन ‘‘इलाकाई खबरें’’ कहने के लिए पांच मिनट का है, लेकिन इसके एक-एक शब्द अपने-आप में महत्वपूर्ण होते हैं। हिन्दी से भले ही अनुवाद होता हो लेकिन इसमें उर्दू भाषा की गरिमा कूट-कूट कर भरी रहती है। ऐसा नहीं लगता कि यह अनुवादित है। असकी वजह है जो पत्रकार इसे बनाते हैं वे उर्दू पत्रकारिता के क्षे़त्र में अपनी पहुंच रखते है।

इलाकाई खबरें, को पढ़ने वालों में शुरू से लेकर अब तक उर्दू पत्रकारिता से जुड़े पत्रकारों ने किया है। इनमें उर्दू के वरिष्ठ पत्रकार रेहान गनी, रशीद अहमद, सरफुल होदा आदि प्रमुख हैं। लगभग नौ वर्षों से मेरा पाला उर्दू समाचार बुलेटिन से पड़ता आ रहा है। दोपहर तीन बजकर दस मिनट पर आकाशवाणी, पटना से प्रसारित होने वाले हिन्दी समाचार बुलेटिन को तैयार करता आ रहा हूँ। हिन्दी बुलेटिन की एक प्रति उर्दू डेस्क पर जाती है, जहां उर्दू के पत्रकार उसका अनुवाद उर्दू में करते हैं। यह केवल अनुवाद नहीं होता, बल्कि उसमें उर्दू पत्रकारिता की जान फूंकी जाती है। भाषायी, शब्दों के चयन सहित अन्य पत्रकारिता के अन्य पहलूओं पर बारिकी से नजर रखी जाती है। ऐसा नहीं कि जो हिन्दी की कापी जाती है, उसका एक-एक लाईन, एक-एक शब्द का अनुवाद कर दिया जाय, बल्कि उर्दू डेस्क को यह पूरी छूट रहती है कि वे इलाकाई खबरें, को वे हिन्दी भाषा के तर्ज पर न देकर उर्दू भाषा के मापदंडों के तहत तैयार करें। बुलेटिन में गड़बड़ियां न जायें उस पर उनकी एक सजग पत्रकार की तरह नजर रहती है। अक्सर तकनीकी गड़बड़ियों को ज्यादातर उर्दू डेस्क पकड़ता मिला। इसकी वजह साफ है कि उर्दू डेस्क पर काम करने वाले अनुवादक-सह-वाचक एक तो लंबे समय से आकाशवाणी के उर्दू डेस्क से जुड़े रहें। दूसरा, वे एक मीडियामैन की तरह कार्य करते रहें। तीसरा उनके अंदर उर्दू भाषा को लेकर एक समर्पण दिखा, एक जज्बा दिखा और भाषा को एक मुकाम देने की ललक दिखी।

इलाकाई खबरें, पच्चीस साल का हो गया है। यह आकाशवाणी पटना के लिए गौरव की बात है। महत्वपूर्ण बात यह भी है कि इलाकाई खबरें बुलेटिन को लेकर कभी भी किसी स्तर पर शिकायत सुनने को नहीं मिली। यही नहीं उर्दू ने कभी भी, हिन्दी बुलेटिन से दावेदारी नहीं की और न हिन्दी ने ही उर्दू बुलेटिन को कमजोर करने का प्रयास किया। बिहार जहां उर्दू भाषा को दूसरे राज्य भाषा का दर्जा प्राप्त है। ऐसे में इसे बोलने वालों की संख्या भी ज्यादा है। मीडिया के बदलते पैमानों में उर्दू बुलेटिन में भी थोड़ा बदलता स्वरूप दिखा। खासकर पदनाम को लेकर उर्दू में अंग्रेजी शब्दों का इस्तेमाल का होना, मुझे अक्सर खटकता रहा, कई बार उर्दू डेस्क से इस संदर्भ में चर्चा भी हुईं, लेकिन हिन्दी का उसका उर्दू शब्द नहीं मिलना और फिर हिन्दी की जगह उर्दू शब्दों को स्वीकार करना इलाकाई खबरें बुलेटिन के लिए एक जरूरी हिस्सा बन गया, हालांकि मैं, अपने संपादन काल में उर्दू डेस्क को सलाह देता रहा कि वे ज्यादा-से-ज्यादा उर्दू शब्दों का ही प्रयोग करें।

उर्दू बुलेटिन इलाकाई खबरें, हिन्दी बुलेटिन के अनुवाद पर ही टिका नहीं है। कई ऐसे मौके आयें, जहां उर्दू डेस्क से हिन्दी डेस्क पर खबरें ली गयी। खासतौर से ईद, बकरीद, या फिर मुसलमानों के पर्व-त्योहारों की खबरों  या फिर उर्दू भाषा से संबंधित खबरों को उर्दू डेस्क से ही बनवाया जाता रहा। इस वजह से हिन्दी बुलेटिन में उर्दू शब्दों का समावेश होता रहा, हालांकि आकाशवाणी के प्रादेशिक समाचार के हिन्दी बुलेटिन में हिन्दी, उर्दू में उर्दू और मैथिली शब्दों को ही प्राथमिकता दी जाती रही। अंग्रेजी शब्दों के प्रचलन को हावी नहीं होने दिया गया। आधुनिक मीडिया के दौर में भले ही लोग यह कहें कि रेडियो कौन सुनता हैं, लेकिन सच्चाई यह है कि बिहार में रेडियों की पकड़-पहुंच बहुत मजबूत है। दूर-दराज क्षेत्रों में इसकी गूंज सुनायी पड़ती है और हिन्दी, मैथिली के साथ-साथ उर्दू बुलेटिन को भी जोश-खरोस के साथ सुना जाता है।

http://bhadas4media.com/article-comment/19060-silver-jublie-patna-urdu-bulletin.html

Remembering Father Gilson-By Jawhar Sircar

Jawhar Sircar

The year was 1967. I joined the Pre-Senior Cambridge class, 

which was equivalent to Class X, in the Humanities Section, with an 

enviable track record of standing last or second last in every class 

from VI onward. The crowning glory was my failure to pass Class VIII, 

followed by my close shaves in my second year in the same class as 

well as in the next class, when I studied Science in the ‘Higher 

Secondary’ stream. Till date, I have never been able to figure out how 

I landed up in the ‘Senior Cambridge’ group in Class X, after my 

abysmally-poor performance in Class IX of the ‘Higher Secondary’ 

group. The other feathers in my cap were the several warnings 

received for ‘poor conduct’, mischief and misbehaviour. In other 

words, I was an ideal bad student when I joined, not without 

trepidation, the first day in my new class. 

Everything was strange: the room, the boys, the subjects – 

no physics, chemistry or maths, only silly subjects like history, 

geography and literature. But the strangest was the class teacher, 

Father P.Y. Gilson. I had seen this strange padre in the corridors and 

had always wondered how this placid Belgian missionary, with such a 

peculiar accent and without any noticeable chin, survived the heat of 

India and the turmoil of unruly boys. I would like to flatter myself into 

believing that he had heard of me as the quintessential problem child. 

Even if he did, he seemed to take no notice of it in spite of my 

fight with an overgrown Parsi boy right on the first day and its 

evidence so prominent all over my dress. He asked me to move up to 

the first bench, which was outrageous. And he proceeded straight into 

the lessons, little realising that I could hardly understand anything, as 

I had not studied the basics of these subjects in Class IX. Be that as it 

may, I was unconsciously drawn into the stories(which child can resist 

a good story?) that this Father seemed to weave with his magical 

voice.

His narrative was so life-like that I listened spell-bound, and gently 

stepped on a magic carpet which carried me over fantasy-lands. His 

quips had a rare touch of Gallic humour and, for the first time in my 

life, I was not bored in the class-room. When the period ended, I 

could not believe myself I had actually enjoyed literature! 

More wonders were to follow as more stories came out of this 

magician's hat and very soon, I actually started looking forward to his 

classes. Perhaps the greatest transformation that Fr. Gilson induced in 

me was not only a friendly attitude to his subjects but towards studies 

per se. And that was only the beginning. As class teacher, he was in 

overall charge of my scholastic welfare. Between classes and after 

classes, he would encourage me to meet him for extra lessons to 

make up for the whole year's study that I had missed at the class IX 

stage. The special care that he seemed to heap upon me had a 

soothing influence not only upon my attitude to studies, but to the 

world at large. No more was it a hostile jungle where only bookworms 

studied and sissies came first in class. 

But, my reverie was soon shattered by the reality of the class 

tests. The dread and horror with which I had viewed this ‘Inquisition’ 

was reinforced by the sinking feeling that I was condemned to stand 

last in this class as well, in spite of my brief flirtation with academics. 

“English Essay” was the first test and I distinctly remember the 

choking voice with which I told Fr. Gilson that I had never scored well 

and that I was always at a loss with words. His encouragement could 

hardly stop the streams of sweat that flowed endlessly during the exam,

 as I groped for the right expression and the appropriate word. 

But when the results came out you could have knocked me 

down with a feather. I had stood fourth in class! My parents were 

overjoyed, my friends pinched me but nobody realised what it did to 

my confidence. The next surprise was a ‘first’ in Arithmetic. Coming 

from the Science stream to Humanities it was not so difficult to score 

and I had learnt to dream. History, Geography and others followed, 

but there was no way I could stop this new-found excitement of 

‘topping’. 

The rest was just crazy – success followed success, of course 

with a lot of toil under the constant guidance of Father, dear Father. A 

few months later, we learnt that Fr. Gilson was to leave for another 

school and in a day or two he just left! I wept openly. Nobody had 

ever treated me like this before. Nobody else could turn around a sad 

case like mine into a fairy-tale. And thanks to him, I am where I am 

today: no doubt about that.

Many years later, I was posted as Additional District Magistrate 

of Asansol and Durgapur in the Burdwan district of West Bengal. I was 

overjoyed to hear from a friend that Fr. Gilson was the Headmaster of 

St. Xavier's, Durgapur. I sought for an immediate appointment. How 

could I tell him all that I wanted to say? Here was the teacher who 

had turned my life around. After so many years, would he recognize 

me? He was the man I had referred to in all my Teachers’ Day 

speeches in all the stations where I had served as a Magistrate, at the 

dozens of school-committees on which I served as President, ex officio.

 I could hardly wait.

The day finally arrived. A strange feeling of nostalgia 

overpowered me, as my official car drove into the school with red 

lights, policemen and other unavoidable trappings of authority. I was 

ushered in from the staircase and as I walked into Father's room a 

familiar scent greeted me. He was not there, for he had to take a class 

as some teacher was absent. But he came in soon and shook my 

hands warmly. "I am proud of you", he said. He was just the same, a 

trifle older. But, I was transformed, from a picture of confidence to a 

quivering, nervous ‘student’ groping for words. Even before I could 

frame my gratitude into proper sentences, the bell rang and Fr. Gilson 

sprang up from his chair exclaiming: “Oh my God, there's another 

class to attend. And the little boys are waiting. Naughty, you know, 

like you were. I must go. God bless you, my son. Do well. But I must 

leave.” 

The good Jesuit had no time for my praises and my ever-lasting 

gratitude. He had others to tend to, to improve, to reform. 

****** 

http://jawharsircar.org/assets/pdf/Remembering%20Father%20Gilson%20(1968)_Jawhar%20Sircar.pdf

Radio keeps them Updated while Away from Shore By Unnikrishnan S - KOLLAM Published: 12th April 2014 10:59 AM

The radio, which entertains and informs fishermen while in the sea, hanging on the light post

Fishermen in Pallithottam are amused to see the black and blue box which M Ambrose is carrying these days to the fishing boat and back. The former district president of Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation proudly displays his new toy, an FM radio set, to the people.

By tuning into the radio frequency of 107.8 FM by Community Radio Benziger, he can listen to music and more importantly, get to know the weather information between Thanni and Azheekkal even while he is 30 km away from the land.

There was another reason for him to be proud of as he got to know about the elections, road shows in his area while in the sea.

He was given the set by the Rotary Club of Tangasseri to get his feed back. Soon around 100 fishermen in Pallithottam-Tangasseri hamlet will be able to enjoy the FM service, thanks to the FM sets to be distributed in partnership with the community radio service by the club. The handsets would be distributed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Lalji on April 12 at St Stephen’s Parish Hall.

“As of now, Kollam’s fisherfolk are fortunate to be the only fishermen in India to receive a regular marine weather forecast by the radio,” said John Shibu, president, RC Tangasseri.

A club member and former Merchant Navy officer John Thekkayam transcribes the weather data received from an Ocean State Forecast issued from the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and feeds it to the community RJ.

The weather forecast is broadcast three times daily- at 8 am, 12 noon and 6 pm- to over 4 lakh listeners of the radio station.

The club started sharing weather forecasts in 2012 but for want of FM radio sets, the fishermen could not carry it while fishing.

Now the FM broadcast can be received 30 to 40 km into the sea, fishermen are encouraged to carry these radio sets to sea while on fishing trips.

“The radio set with a special box to recharge the batteries and the mix of music and information would help its popularity among fishermen,” Shibu said.

The club is also planning to change the weather bulletin to suit the requirements of the fishermen.

Ambrose’s fishing partner Kurushayya Solomon is also a fan of the new entertainment.

He keeps the set fastened on the lamp post of their boat and occasionally switches station to listen to his favourite Tamil songs.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Keeping-Updated-while-Away-from-Shore/2014/04/12/article2164152.ece#.U0lb0FWSxQg