Celebrating Will Power

By: Sheeba Naaz and Sumiran Preet Kaur

Ruby was a child born with multiple disabilities. Her parents had given up hope a long time back. She had a stunted growth. She joined Prabhat, a school for children with disabilities. Now she is considered as the most brilliant and hardworking student of her class. She cooks and helps her mother in shopping.

Prabhat is a school under Society for Child Development, an NGO. For Ms Punita Buch, principal of Prabhat, the school aims to provide students with educational and vocational training.

“Students across various age groups come to our school. The syllabus differs from person to person as the level of IQ and disability varies with each person. After they cross the age of 16, we involve them in pre-vocational activities to train them before going to any vocational centre. The activities include flower cutting. Flowers are cut, dried and powdered to make skin friendly colors. These are then sold in the market at the time of Holi.”

At the age of 18, many of them are sent to Vocational Centre at Rajpur Road, Delhi. The idea is to make them self reliant partially, if not fully.

Mrs Sarla Goel, incharge of the Raghudev Vocational Centre, says that the place serves as the transition point between education and occupation. “We have activities like weaving, cooking, tailoring and paper making. I tell them that the centre is like their office and they eagerly report for the duty daily .Our products get sold at Archies and Fab India. The centre hopes to become a self sustaining unit by selling these products. We either receive orders or we sell our products at colleges and fairs like the one at Dilli Haat.”

The centre also carries a project called ‘Trash to Cash’ where items like coasters are made from discarded floppies. Magnetic strips of audio tapes fabric are utilized to manufacture fabric and purses.

For Dr Madhumita Puri, a clinical psychologist , inclusion of these disabled people into the mainstream society is the correct way to deal with the problem. “We not only have to outreach but also increase our own awareness about the people suffering from such disabilities.”

Dilli Haat is celebrating disabilities with a difference. ARUNIM (Association for Rehabilitation Under National Trust Initiative of Marketing) is offering people a variety of products made by persons with developmental disabilities. The fair started on 23rd September and will go on till 6th October.

NGOs working with disabled people are here from all over India. The main aim of the fair is to market the products made by disabled people. They try to provide them inclusion into the mainstream society and to increase the awareness among people. ARUNIM is a federation under the National Trust of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. ARUNIM is an initiative to promote products made by persons with disabilities in a supported environment. All the products sold in this fare tell a story of hardwork, perseverance and patience on part of the disabled individuals and the NGOs.

Mrs. Bela Tyagi , a customer at the fair feels that such fairs should be held more frequently. “Some of the NGOs genuinely work towards the cause. And these disabled people have such a great will power and creativity that they make us feel small. Many of them have come to their stalls to sell the products. It’s lovely to interact with them.”

Cremation goes online

Antim Niwas, a crematorium at Noida Sector-94 now has the technology for people to watch the cremation of their loved ones online. CCTV-s have been installed here to record funeral and the rituals. Those who are unable to attend the funeral can even get the copy of a DVD. Here is a report…

Does the media care?

By: Sheeba Naaz and Kinley Tshering

Photo:Gargi



“I am not optimistic about the Indian media...Today the type of journalism that is practiced is sticking the mic on someone’s face and getting the byte,” declared Tarun Tejpal in his keynote statement during a one-day seminar on “Does the media care?” held at Jamia Millia Islamia on August 28. The seminar was organized by AJK MCRC in collaboration with the BBC World Trust Services.

Having worked with several national and international media organizations, Tarun Tejpal is currently associated with Tehelka. In 2001 Asiaweek listed Tejpal as one of Asia’s 50 most powerful communicators, and Businessweek declared him among 50 leaders at the forefront of change in Asia.

Addressing the seminar, Tarun Tejpal gave an overview of the grim media scenario in India that bordered on pessimism. He talked at length about the numerous issues that were haunting the national media, supposedly decreed as the fourth estate.

According to Tejpal, media in India is failing in its journalistic duties and is reluctant to take up real issues. Driven by economic and commercial interests, the Indian media has lost its ‘cause and crusade’, he stated. “The economic metabolism of the Indian media is badly skewed.”

He further added: “None of who consumes media actually pays for it. The person who pays for the media is the advertiser and the media you get is the media the advertiser wants.”

Supporting his argument, he said no media has ever done any expose on the corporate sector as they are the ones who are providing the funds to these media organizations. More than half a dozen media organisations in India are involved in private treaties with the corporate world, he added.

“The media is getting narrower and narrower in India. Rural bureaus and reportage have all died,” he opined, adding that media is no more the voice of voiceless. “Media in India flex their muscles. They run with the rabbits but hunt with the wolves.”

Tarun Tejpal also said that the national media cares very less about the issues concerning common man. “All of Dalits get less attention than Kareena Kapoor,” he said.

According to Mr. Tejpal, Indian media is losing its ground especially the Hindi news channels. “See the Hindi news channels, they are embracing humbug and superstition and turning their back on the grand ideas of modernity that were in some sense the founding principles of this country.”

The second session was commenced by the veteran journalist Prem Shankar Jha who is a an author of several books and a columnist with publications like The Hindu, The Hindustan Times, The Business Standard and Outlook.“

Journalism was not a celebrity profession or glamorous profession in the 60’s. Those people who joined journalism were from rural background and rural issues were addressed in plenty,” he said. Those were the times when newspapers had different pages for development, social and gender issues, he recalled.

But today, because of the change in the nature of society, there has been a shift in the emphasis laid by the media, he added. “The intensity of coverage is more in big cities and even the advertisements are urban centric. This society has become more aspirational and has less time to empathize with those who are affected.”

Predatory pricing, a deliberate outcome of pressure of competition for circulation, has also affected how the media works today. The increasing focus on advertisement and circulation has forced the marketing departments to dictate editorial content, he opined.

“Media today cares a very less deal. Does it really not care is the question?”Mr. Jha stated.

At the end of each session, both the keynote speakers agreed that the Indian media has somewhere shifted its focus from developmental issues to cinema, crime, and cricket. They also emphasized that the young journalists should have depth and proper understanding of social and political issues.