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Inspiration -Revathi Kulkarni Roy – the ‘force’ behind cab services for women by women in India

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If Shah Rukh Khan’s dialogue “Itni shiddat se maine tumhe paane ki koshish ki hai … ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki saazish ki hai (I have sought you with so much passion that the entire universe has conspired to bring you closer to me)” ever made sense in real life then it definitely does in Revathi Kulkarni Roy’s case.Revathi’s passion manifested in multiple ways and primary among them was ForShe (pronounced for-she), the first women taxi service in Asia, started in 2007, followed by similar initiatives such as Viira in 2010 and the most recent one being HeyDidi, a women-only platform focussed on providing delivery be it food, medical reports to even groceries, via an app.

Awarded the ‘Women Transforming India Award’ in 2016 by NITI Aayog, Revathi, at 56, still enjoys driving, and as a seasoned driver and entrepreneur has weathered heavy storms.Revathi’s life has revolved around cars. When she was a teen, very few people had cars, and if they did, it was mostly an Ambassador or a Fiat. Revathi’s father, who owned an Ambassador, allowed his daughter to drive it a month after she learnt driving. “In hindsight, I feel my dad made a very bold decision. Since I had lost my elder brother in a car crash, it must have been a tough choice for my father but he never stopped me from driving.”

Other than participating in rallies and working in the family business for seven years Revathi decided to turn to entrepreneurship. She used her driving skills to launch ForShe. In 2007 on March 8, International Women’s day, ForShe was launched in Mumbai with just three cabs. “Our aim was to empower women to become commercial drivers but also to empower them with a skill.”
Two months before ForShe was launched Revathi lost her husband. This was a tough period for Revathi, but even in the face of this loss she ploughed on.

At a time when there was no cab service at all for women, ForShe provided a 90-day course in which lessons on self-defense were taught. “The girls who enrolled were from BPL (below poverty line) families. “The only incentive that we could provide was that your life can change if you learn and skill yourself; your economic condition can improve. And they used to be very excited about this idea. Also, we actually did it. It was not just on storyboard; we executed it,” says Revathi
Over nine years, more than 1,000 girls have been trained across Mumbai and Delhi through the various ventures Revathi has started or been a part of.

According to her, maintaining mental strength is the most important aspect that one needs to possess when treading into the unknown.“If you are mentally strong and maintain a never-say-die attitude then you can weather all storms.”


Shri Laxman Paswan, Technician, DDK Muzaffarpur Retired on 30.11.2016.

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Shri Laxman Paswan, Technician, DDK Muzaffarpur has proceeded on superannuation on this, the 30th of November, 2016 after serving the department for about 37 years successfully. He was a good and industrious employee.

Prasar Bharati Parivar wish him a happy,healthy and peaceful retired life.

Contributed By:Ram Nivas Kumar,Stenographer,DDK Muzaffarpur,rnkddmuz@gmail.com

Md. Shafi Ahmed, Accountant, CBS, AIR, Patna retired on 30.11.2016

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Md. Shafi Ahmed, Accountant, CBS, AIR, Patna retired on superannuation today 30/11/2016 after putting in 35 years of service to All India Radio. Md. Shafi Ahmed joined All India Radio, Patna on 11/03/1981 and after working at different stations like Doordarshan, Patna, CCW, Patna, AIR, Darbhanga. CBS, AIR, Patna and Prasar Bharati Parivar wish him a long, healthy ​and happy retired life. 

Contributed By:Ragit Sinha,PEX,CBS,AIR,Patna,patnacbs@gmail.com

Shri Maluk Chand,UDC AIR Dharamshala Retired on 30.11.2016.

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Contributed By:Shailesh Raina,Assistant Director(E),Head of the Office,AIR, Dharamshala(H.P.)

Shri. Mukund Zarekar, AIR, Pune retired on 30th Nov. 2016.

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Shri. Mukund Zarekar, Daftari, All India Radio, Pune retired on 30th Nov. 2016 on superannuation. He joined AIR Pune on 17th Nov. 1981 as Peon. In 1987 he got promotion as Daftari. During his 35 years of service he served Tape Library section and Account section with full dedication. He was actively participating in social work. Total eight years he served as Director and Chairman in Akashvani Employees Co-Op Society.  He also served as Unit Secretary of MTS Association of Pune Unit. He will be remembered for his  humble and always ready to help attitude. On 30th Nov. his farewell party was organised in AIR Pune. All senior officers and staff members of AIR Pune appreciated  his dedication and wish him happy retired life. 

Prasar Bharati Parivar wishes him a very happy, healthy, peaceful and contended retired life.

Information about other retiring officers (of all grades and disciplines) may be added on the blog. Please mail details of retiring friends from your station to pbparivar@gmail.com. Retiring friends may also like to address their friends through this blog for which they can send their photo & write-ups to pbparivar@gmail.com for possible upload on the blog. 

KONARK FESTIVAL’2016 : 1-5 December’2016 ( 6.00 PM to 8.30 PM- Live on DD-Bharati)

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The Sun Temple in Konark, about 65 KM from Bhubaneswar, near the sacred city of Puri in Odisha better known as the “Black Pagoda” is a magnificent structure built of black granite designed as the chariot of the Sun God drawn by seven exquisitely carved horses. The temple situated on the Chandrabhaga beach of Konark is famed as a world heritage site.

An Open Air Auditorium with the temple as the backdrop is the venue of the Konark Festival, a major dance festival held annually in the first week of December which showcases a magical parade of the classical and traditional dance forms of India. The objective of Konark Festival is also to promote Konark as well as Odisha as place of tourist destination.A host of celebrated dancers from all over the country perform in the Open Air Auditorium. This year , the festival is a celebration of the much appreciated Odissi, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Bharatnatyam, Kathak and Manipuri. 

International Sand Art Festival at Chandrabhaga Beach, Konark which held simultaneously with Konark Festival is also another attraction for tourists.Doordarshan Kendra, Bhubaneswar has made elaborate arrangements to cover the event LIVE over DD-Bharati during 1-5 December’2016 between 6.00 PM and 8.30 PM each day. The Kendra will also telecast the programme from 12.30 PM to 3.00 PM on following days on DD-Odia (2-6 Dec.’2016).This annual event is organized by Odisha Tourism every year. This year , the details of performances will be as follows: 

1.12.16
Odissi
Madhavi Mudgal & Group,
New Delhi.
Kuchipudi
Kishore Musolkanti & Group,
Chennai
2.12.16
Mohiniattam
Nina Prasad & Group,
Kerala
Odissi
Meera Das & Gunjan Group ,
Cuttack
3.12.16
Odissi
Jyotsna Sahoo & Group,
Cuttack
Bharatnatyam
 A.Lakshmanaswamy, Nrithyalakshana,
Chennai
4.12.16
Kathak
 Asim Bandhu Bhattacharjee & Group,
Kolkata
Odissi
GKCM Odissi Research Centre, Bhubaneswar
5.12.16
Odissi
Pitambar Biswal, Suravi Group
 Bhubaneswar
Manipuri
Priti Patel & Group,
Kolkata
Contributed By:Pranabandhu Behera ,pbbehera60@gmail.com

Obituary - AB Mathur former Chief Engineer, AIR

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We regret to inform that Mr Anand Behari Mathur, former Chief Engineer, All India Radio left for his heavenly abode on 28th November, 2016. The prayer meeting was held on, Wednesday,  the 30th November in the Lawn of Konark Apartments, 22, I.P.Extension, Delhi-92. 

Shri AB Mathur was a very dynamic IBES officer and was very active for the welfare of the engineering fraternity. He also acted as President of IBES Association in late 90s.

PB Parivar condoles the demise of Shri Mathur and prays for the peace of the departed soul.

Spreading a musical bliss

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Playback singer Anoop G Krishnan’s rendition, on Wednesday, of the blissful number Amma Eendrazhaikaadha from Tamil movie Mannan seemed to fit in aptly in a situation where music positively intervenes with the healing process at the Government General Hospital’s weekly ‘Arts and Medicine’ show.he vocalist hailing from Tripunithura has lent his voice in fourteen films like Janapriyam, Cleopatra, Vadhyar, Breaking News, Kohinoor, Drishyam, Kammatipadam and Kismath among others. Anoop was joined by singer Sangeetha Varma, a postgraduate in music, a radio artist at All India Radio, and music director for the Malayalam film ‘Cleopatra’. Both singers regaled a crowd of patients, bystanders and hospital staff with numerous songs.“To be able to share work with legendary musicians like Raveendran master, Jerry Amaldev, Anil Johnson, Jerson Antony and a few new generation music directors is an undeniable honour. To recreate the experience I have gathered through the years and to joyously deliver it before the audience here at the hospital is soul warming,” said Anoop, who is also known for his mridhangam skills. Singers Sruthi Benny, a ninth grade student from Assissi Vidya Nikethan and Gopi, a staff with the Ernakulam Medical College also joined in with the noted singers to present before the audience a collection of fifteen songs. The show comprising melodious Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam numbers wound up with the duet, ‘Nee en Kinavo’ from the 1986 movie - Hello My Dear Wrong Number by Anoop and Sangeetha. The concert is organised every Wednesday by Kochi Biennale Foundation for the solace of the patients.

Forwarded by :- Shri. Jainendra Nigam, PB News Desk,       prasarbharati.newsdesk@gmail.com

Inspiration:How These Beautiful Nungshiba Dolls Have Become a Means of Empowerment For Naga Women

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A state defined by its lush mountainous terrain, picturesque village settlements and rich cultural heritage, Nagaland is also recognised for its finesse in fashion and handicrafts. In keeping with tradition, an all-girls entrepreneurial team in Nagaland has started a unique venture called Nungshiba Handicrafts.Not only does this initiative provide an opportunity to emerging home-grown designers to market their handicrafts, it also helps them make a decent livelihood by selling them at their outlet. Their most popular product? The beautiful handcrafted Nungshiba dolls!

In 2011, Zuboni Humtsoe had just graduated from college. With her father seriously ill and her family undergoing a severe financial crisis, Humtsoe knew that she would have start earning immediately to be able to be contribute to her family’s income. Sitting on the cold benches of the hospital, a determined Humtsoe promised herself that she would make her own destiny and not wait for anybody. While most of her relatives advised her to try for a government job, Humtsoe decided to follow her passion and set up a small business with the tiny capital of ₹ 3500 that she had saved from her college scholarship.Passionate about art, fashion and photography, Humtsoe has always wanted to do something different. Taking inspiration from beautiful Japanese dolls, she decided to use left over fabrics to make beautiful handcrafted dolls that they would marketed under their brand, ‘Precious Me Love’ or PML. The idea behind this was to up-cycle fabrics and reduce carbon footprints while simultaneously empowering more local women in the process.

Over the years, Humtsoe worked really hard, taught herself, experimented, innovated, and kept herself open to feedback and criticism. She also surrounded herself with genuine and positive people who inspired her to push herself and never give up. With time, everything started falling into place.Today, PML sells everything from vintage clothing and fashion accessories to a variety of tribal handcrafts. However, their signature products remains the traditional Nungshiba dolls. The dolls have been named Nungshiba (which means ‘love’ in Manipuri) in honour of PML’s first crafts designer, Babita Meitei, a Manipuri.

Inspired by the beautiful tribal women of Nagaland, each Nungshiba doll is carefully designed and takes a day to make with two expert crafts women working together tirelessly. The end result is beautiful handmade dolls that wear unique mekhlas (traditional wrap-arounds worn by the Naga women of each tribe) with intricate pattern of beads and hand-stitched designs. Humtsoe says that they take special care to ensure that each each Nungshiba handcrafted doll is special, unique and a joy that will last forever.

बंगलादेश के साथ मैत्री संबंध बढ़ाने के लिए विशेष बांग्ला चैनल

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नई दिल्ली। राष्ट्रीय लोकसेवा प्रसारक प्रसार भारती ने बंगलादेश के साथ देश के मैत्रीपूर्ण संबंधों और आपसी सहयोग को बढ़ावा देने के लिए ‘आकाशवाणी मैत्री’ नाम से विशेष बांग्ला चैनल की शुरूआत की है। सूचना एवं प्रसारण राज्यमंत्री राज्यवर्धन सिंह राठौड़ ने आज लोकसभा में लिखित प्रश्न के उत्तर में यह जानकारी दी। उन्होंने बताया कि यह बांग्ला चैनल इस साल 23 अगस्त को शुरू किया गया था, जो आकाशवाणी के विदेश सेवा प्रभाग की भाषा सेवाओं में शामिल है। राठौड़ ने बताया कि आकाशवाणी पहले से ही तमिल, तेलुगु, कन्नड़ और मलयालम भाषाओं में अपनी सेवाएं दे रहा है। यह दक्षिण भारतीय राज्यों में आकाशवाणी के केन्द्रों के व्यापक नेटवर्क के अतरिक्त है, जो उनकी मातृभाषा, संस्कृति और विरासत के अनुरूप लोगों की सेवा कर रहा है। 

Source and Credit :-http://www.samacharjagat.com/news/national/special-friendship-ties-to-enhance-with-bangladesh-bangla-channel-111560
Forwarded by :- Shri. Jainendra Nigam, PB News Desk,       prasarbharati.newsdesk@gmail.com

ABU PRIZE winner Abhinay Srivastava, Programme Executive, AIR Allahabad honoured at Prasar Bharati

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All India Radio’s (AIR’s) entry Diary of a Tiger (एक बाघ की डायरी) in October 2016 won the first prize in the Community Service Announcement category of the prestigious Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) awards for the year 2016.Dairy of a Tiger was declared the winner at an award ceremony held in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of ongoing 53rd ABU General Assembly and Associated Meetings. The award includes a trophy, certificate and cash prize of 2000 US Dollars.
Abhinay Srivastava received his award by Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) in association with RRI (Radio Republic Indonesia) & MMIT (Ministry of Communication and Informatics), Indonesia.About Diary of a Tiger (एक बाघ की डायरी)

• The programme was produced by Abhinay Srivastava, Programme Executive, AIR Allahabad.
• The selected programme is an 89 second spot in Hindi on the dwindling forests and gradually decreasing habitat of tigers.
• It reflects through the notes inscribed by the successive generations of tigers in a diary format on their gradual decreasing numbers due to apathetic behaviour of human beings.

Forwarded by :- Shri. Jainendra Nigam ,PB News Desk,       prasarbharati.newsdesk@gmail.com

Technology Updates:New Broadcast Pix Commander Systems Simplify Live Production with Intuitive Touchscreen Control

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Broadcast Pix™ today announced Broadcast Pix Commander™, a new series of live production systems featuring a streamlined touchscreen interface that allows non-technical personnel to easily execute sophisticated productions. Designed for government, corporate, education, house of worship, and live events, Commander’s intuitive control dramatically simplifies switching, robotic camera control, and the inclusion of graphics, clips and effects. Instead of a complex traditional switcher control panel, Commander is controlled through an uncomplicated touchscreen interface. As a result, operators with no experience can quickly learn to produce broadcast-quality productions. 

Commander systems are also easy to setup. Select a template for the number of cameras used, capture the robotic camera’s preset positions, enter names for lower-third graphics and any clips, and start producing. After broadcasting and streaming, finished productions can automatically upload for viewing on an included BPNet™ cloud portal. “The most rapidly growing area of multi-camera live production is in corporate, government, school, church and other organizations,” said Kevin Prince, CEO of Broadcast Pix. “Until today, the choice was between powerful systems that required an expert to run and simple systems that created boring productions. Commander is a breakthrough that simplifies the production process with a touchscreen interface, so everyone can create a great live video. This also results in dramatic savings in the cost of operation.” 

Commander systems are turnkey solutions that only require cameras, audio, and any size touchscreen monitor. All systems accept SDI, IP, and HDMI inputs, and provide switching, robotic camera control, CG, clip player, recording, streaming, and BPNet cloud integration. The Commander 4 supports up to four cameras, Commander 6 supports up to six cameras, and the Commander Portable includes an integrated touchscreen. Commander systems will be available Dec. 14 with prices starting at $9,995. While Commander is feature-rich without any modifications, Broadcast Pix offers options to enhance workflow. The BPCommand toolkit option enables users to customize the Commander layout to include more camera presets, graphics, and clips. BPNet options allow the creation of graphics from a remote office or via auto-entry from a database. 

The BPNet cloud portal system offers advantages over posting finished productions to a site like YouTube. BPNet allows branding and organization of the cloud portal, which can be open for public viewing or restricted to specific users. Videos from other content providers do not appear. Productions can automatically upload and be released for viewing with BPNet remote management. Plus, BPNet allows media to be added from mobile devices and streamlines multi-system operation. 

In addition to the new Commander systems, Broadcast Pix has also announced the Commander Interface Option for new and existing Broadcast Pix switchers. With it, larger installations of up to 22 cameras can take advantage of Commander’s touchscreen interface, and systems can support both non-technical operators on a touchscreen as well as traditional operators on a control panel. The Commander Interface Option will also be available for download on Dec. 14. About Broadcast Pix Founded in 2002, Broadcast Pix provides tailored solutions for any live production environment. From compact mobile units to large-scale solutions, every Broadcast Pix features patented control and automation technology and a performance toolset that make it easy to optimize and customize your workflows. With customers in more than 100 countries, Broadcast Pix is the leader in integrated production switchers for broadcast, streaming, live event, and visual radio applications. 

Source & Credit:http://www.broadcastpix.com/Press-Releases/New-Broadcast-Pix-Commander-Systems-Simplify--Live-Production-with-Intuitive-Touchscreen-Control.html

Forwarded By:D Narayana Swamy,e-mail: dns_v@yahoo.com

Inspiration:A Small Town in Madhya Pradesh Is Teaching the World How Hunger Can Be Beaten with One Small Step

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You may never have heard of Mahoba, a small town in the Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh. But the residents of this small town are doing something truly heartwarming and commendable. They make food in their homes to feed the town’s hungry and homeless. An extra portion of simple roti and sabzi is made in the kitchens of over 500 households, collected by volunteers, and distributed by shops in the town.The initiative was named Roti Bank by Tara Patkar and the small team of 10 who helped him get it off the ground; today they feed at least 1000 people every single day.“All ideologies and philosophies are of no use if there is someone near you who goes to sleep on a hungry stomach,” says Tara, who used to work as a journalist with Indian Express in Lucknow. “I became a journalist so I could contribute to society. But I felt I needed to do more work on the ground. So I left my career to devote all my time to social service,” he adds.

Tara returned to Mahoba, his home town, and together, with like-minded friends, started Roti Bank in April 2015. The team would go from door-to-door, explaining the idea behind making a little extra food for the hungry. To their pleasant surprise, over 40 households readily agreed to contribute. Next, the team approached shopkeepers in the town centre to find out if they would be willing to place distribution boxes in their shops. Even here, the team got an overwhelmingly positive response.

Roti Bank’s model is simple – households make and pack rotis and sabzi. The households decide how much they wish to give. Volunteers pick up the food in thermocol boxes from people’s homes and deliver them at various designated Roti Bank locations, which are mostly shops. Volunteers and shopkeepers distribute the food to the needy. People can have as much food as they want, for free.

Since Mahoba is a small town, news of what some households were doing spread fast. Many more people wanted to join in.Within the next three months, the number of households providing food for the hungry rose from the initial 40 to 400!

Source,Credit & Full Story at: http://www.thebetterindia.com/75987/roti-bank-hunger-mahoba-bundelkhand-tara-patkar/

AAA 2012-Best Trainer Award--Sh. Rakesh Sharma, Deputy Director (Engg),AIR Mathura

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Sh. Rakesh Sharma, Deputy Director (Engg) is presently working at AIR Mathura. He has been recently awarded with the Award of “Best Trainer” for the year 2012. The Akashvani Annual Awards were conferred for 2012 & 2013 on 15.11.2016 by All India Radio. The Awards were bestowed upon by Hon’ble Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu and Hon’ble Minister of State Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. The award ceremony was graced by the presence of Senior Most officers from I & B Ministry, Prasar Bharati Board and All India Radio. 

Sh. Sharma is a knowledgeable and hard working engineer, joined the department in 1978 at AIR Jalandhar as Engineering Assistant. In beginning he worked on High Power Transmitters at Jalandhar , Khampur and Nangli (Delhi). In 1988 he was promoted to the post of Assistant Engineer and posted in project wing as Installation Officer in North Zone. He also worked in Tape Recording Unit & Studio Design section of P & D Unit in AIR Directorate for about 10 years and got promoted to Assistant Director (Engg) in the year 2004. Later he served at AIR Itanagar station and thereafter got selected as faculty member for Staff Training Institute (Tech) Delhi. 

He joined the Institute in October 2008 and contributed in the departmental training activities, especially in the field of AIR Studio Equipment, Air Conditioning Systems and some other subjects allotted to him. The courses conducted by him and his tutorial lectures used to earn outstanding feedback from the trainees. In fact his performance was appreciated by the higher authorities of the Institute. He got promoted to the post of Deputy Director (Engg) in the year 2011 but in view of his hard work / dedication, he was retained in the Institute which is a rare phenomenon in the history of STI (T). Further in view of his devotion, Sh. Sharma was entrusted with the work of examination cell and latter he was made head-of-office. Now he is posted at AIR Mathura Station.

Contributed By: Rakesh Sharma, Deputy Director (Engg),mathura@air.org.in

Obituary : Subodh Mandal, AE(Retd.), All India Radio, is no more

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Subodh Kr. Mandal, AE(Retd), O/O ADG(E), EZ, has expired on 02.12.2016 morning. after a brief period of illness. He retired on 31-12-2008 and served various stations and kendras of AIR and DD. He is survived by wife, son and daughter. 

Sh Subodh Mandal was loved by one and all, always smiling. Just a month back he walked in to the hospital but was taken out on a stretcher after being diagnosed with metastatic carcinoma. His Lungs, brain and Vertebra were affected. Health deterioration was very rapid, lost the eyesights completely, food intake was minimal( not more than 4-6 tsp a day), apart from pain and restlessness. No marked improvement was noticed after radiation therapy began at Apollo hospital. Finally the almighty has given him eternal relief.

May his soul rest in peace.

Source :Sekhar Aich

टॉप ग्रेड तबलावादक पूर्व निदेशक कार्यक्रम पं. रामस्वरूप रतौनिया का निधन..

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आकाशवाणी भोपाल के निदेशक एवं केन्द्राध्यक्ष के रूप में सेवानिवृत्त हुए ख्यात टॉप ग्रेड तबलावादक पं. रामस्वरूप रतौनिया का आज तड़के  63 वर्ष की आयु में हदृयाघात के चलते निधन हो गया ।
वाद्य संकाय में स्वर्णपदक विजेता रहे श्री रतौनिया जी आकाशवाणी के टॉप ग्रेड तबला वादक रहे है वे मध्यप्रदेश के एकमात्र टॉप ग्रेड तबला वादक थे । आपने मध्यप्रदेश के कई आकाशवाणी केन्द्रों पर कार्य किया था । देश भर में आपके सैकड़ो शिष्य हैं जिन्हें आपने तबले की तालीम दी है ।
ब्लॉग रिपोर्ट—प्रवीण नागदिवे, आकाशवाणी मुम्बई

From TV Show To Visual Scripture: Thirty Years Of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan

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Envision Ramanand Sagar's opus Ramayan and the first thing that pops up in the collective consciousness of the masses who viewed the television series when it aired on Doordarshan in the late 1980s is the colourful arrows laboriously traversing the screen. Or, the calm face of Lord Ram played by, up until then the relatively little-known, Arun Govil, whose biggest challenge was to “emote without being too expressive”, or screen legend late Dara Singh as numan.Among the things that do not come to mind when one thinks of Ramayan is the fact that it was perhaps the most influential television series ever in the world. Today, when one believes that a global viewership of eight to 10 million, which shows such as The Game of Thrones or the season finale of Breaking Bad garner, is big, it would be startling to consider that Ramayan enjoyed an average weekly viewership of over 100 million. When the show ended its initial run, it went beyond being a successful television series, and its leads, Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhalia, who portrayed Sita, were literally revered as the very incarnation of the divinity they enacted. With the sole exception of B R Chopra's Mahabharat that followed a few years later, Ramayan would undoubtedly qualify as perhaps the world's biggest mythological show.

At the time Ramayan debuted on 25 January 1987 on Doordarshan, India's government-owned television network, the mythological genre that had been kind of evergreen in the early days of Indian cinema had nearly been done away with. The first full-length film to be made in India, Dadasaheb Phalke's Raja Harishchandra (1913), was crafted with elements brought together from Sanskrit epics and it would not be incorrect to say that Phalke’s film invented the mythological genre in the Indian context. In her book Filming the Gods: Religion and Indian Cinema, Rachel Dwyer points out that the mythological is unique to Indian cinema and was established in the initial days of silent cinema. This was also the time when “filmic ways of viewing religious symbols and practices became part of the visual culture of Indian cinema and indeed of Indian culture.” In many ways, the mythological also follows what is termed 'classical narration', where a film focuses mainly on the cognitive perceptions of the spectators and also tries to appeal to the viewers' emotions.

One of the earliest depictions of Ram was seen in Phalke's Lanka Dahan (1917), where Anna Saulanke played both Ram and Sita, as back then women were prohibited from taking part in commercial performing arts. From Lanka Dahan to Sagar's Ramayan, every major film to showcase the Ramayana has added a facet or two to the portrayal of Ram, even though it had rarely ventured beyond the mode of the classical narration. If in Lanka Dahan, the trope of Ram, though invisible to Sita, could still see her happy to receive his ring from Hanuman while imprisoned by Ravan suggested that he was omnipresent, Bharat Milap (1942) highlighted the love between Ram and Bharat as well as bhakti or the devotion among those around him and the manner in which Ram keeps his father's promise, doing what is just and preventing what needs to be prevented. It was perhaps this Vijay Bhatt-directed film that laid the cinematic foundation of Ram's righteousness, a trait that would aptly be celebrated the most in Sagar's television version. There were many more versions of the Ramayana adapted for the screen and notable among them was K Somu’s Tamil Sampoorna Ramayanam (1958) that featured N T Rama Rao as Rama and Sivaji Ganesan as Bharatha. NTR had previously played Ravana in Bhookailas (1958) and would go on to play Ram in Lava Kusha (1963) and Shri Ramanjaneya Yuddham (1974). The 1960s saw a major change in the mythological as far as Hindi cinema went. The genre had been somehow relegated to the sidelines, and while the films were successful, it was largely the second or even the third rung of stars that became associated with the genre. Actors such as Nirupa Roy, Dara Singh, Jeevan were the kinds one would see in the mythological whereas the mainstream stars concentrated on other genres. One of the major reasons for this transition could be a combination of a thrust towards urbanisation and a sense of identity crisis that grappled the middle-class. The growing disillusionment with the bourgeois nation-state and also with the deception of the Nehruvian dream that had promised the world, which Sahir expressed in his poem, ‘Chhabis Janvary’ (26 January), had now come to a pass.
Aao ke aaj ghaur kareñ is savaal par
Dekhe the hum ne jo, voh haseeñ khwaab kya hue?
Bekas barehnagi ko kafan tak nahiñ naseeb
Voh vaada-haa-e atlas-o kamkhwaab kya hue?
Jamhooriyat-navaaz, bashar-dost, amn-khwaah
Khud ko jo khud diye the, voh alqaab kya hue?
Come, and let us ponder on the question
Those beautiful dreams of ours, what became of them?
The helpless and naked cannot even afford a shroud
What happened to those promises of silk and satin?
Democrat, humanist, pacifist
What happened to all those self-conferred titles?
Coupled with the reality of two wars in quick succession, namely the Sino-Indian conflict of 1962 and the Indo-Pak war of 1965, people wanted a new identity. They could go within the deep recesses of their being and evoke the ‘Ram’ within when needed as expressed by Kaifi Azmi in his song from Haqeeqat (1964).
Khench do apne khooñ se zameeñ par lakeer, Is taraf aane paaye na Raavan koi
Tod do haath gar haath uthne lageñ, Chhoone paaye na Sita ka daaman koi
Raam ho tum, tumhiñ Lakhsman saathiyo, Ab tumhaare havaale watan saathiyo
Draw a line on the sand with your blood, May no Ravan be able to cross it
Break those hands that rise against us, May no one be able to touch Sita’s garment again
You are Ram, and you are Lakshman too, Now the nation is in your hands, comrades.
But when it came to everyday existence, people ran in the opposite direction in search of a new future. The mythological became alienated and slowly it was consigned to smaller towns and villages where it did better business. It was also around this time that television had begun to make an appearance in the lives of common people, but unlike the mid-1980s where it became a great levelling tool across the different strata of society, the early 1970s was still a period when the TV set was more of a novelty. Being a largely urban tool, much of the programming on TV was also far from something that would be conducive for the mythological. Cinematic experiments in the genre accidentally set the cash registers ringing such as Jai Santoshi Maa (1975), but to imagine a mainstream mythological extravaganza or a television series based on some such would be stretching it too far. It was only towards the end of the decade that the channel began to consider something more entertaining. While writing on the TV series Ramayan, Philp Lutgendorf, an American Indologist, attributes the advent of commercials and the commissioning serialised dramas from independent studios as the two major reasons why Doordarshan transformed enough for something like Ramayan to become a possibility.Additionally, Doordarshan also had to take on video piracy that had bestowed Bollywood with the mass appeal that has now come to be seen as an essential feature. The VCR was promising to open up a world of entertainment where Doordarshan was a non-player. Lutgendorf further articulates that this was what gave Dooordarshan the nudge to offer programmes to the viewer that "could compete with the fantasies of the cinema." The result - dharavahiks or serials such as Hum Log (1984), and later Buniyaad (1986) and Nukaad (1986) that created believable heroes whom the common men and women could not only identify with but tuned in religiously to follow their stories.

It was not like there had not been any mythological serials before Ramayan, but none managed to capture the imagination or be as popular as the Ramanand Sagar venture. In 1986, two miniseries – Vikram Aur Vetal and Krishna Avatar – found their inspiration in folklore and mythology, but could not create an impact like Buniyaad and Hum Log, and in that sense were not considered big. Sagar was the creator of Vikram Aur Vetal and he had previously produced Dada Dadi Ki Kahaniyan, where the age-old tradition of grandparents telling children a story was translated into a 13-episode serial. Sagar was known for his successful film career, but hits such as Arzoo (1965), Aankhen (1969), Geet (1970) and later Charas (1975) were a thing of the past by the time he ventured into television. Incidentally enough, Sagar had never produced a mythological but considered himself to be “a lifelong devotee of the Tulsi Manas” (Ramcharitmanas), and approached the officials at Doordarshan during Dada Dadi Ki Kahaniyan with a pitch for extended serialisation of the Ramayana. No one at Doordarshan thought of it as a sustainable idea. Some even believed that such a show might be seen in a communal light. Some at best believed this to be like grandparents narrating stories from the epic, a la Dada Dadi Ki Kahaniyan.

In the end, when the show was green-lit, the network tried to play it safe and shunted the show to theSunday morning slot, which per previous experiences had Doordarshan convinced that only a few viewers would be watching. Sagar was given a budget of approximately Rs 4,00,000 per episode and shot the show in ‘Vrindavan Studios’ that he created in Umbergaon on the Gujarat coast some three hours north of Bombay. Sagar cast little-known Arun Govil as Ram, and complete unknown Dipika Chikhlia, Sunil Lahiri and Arvind Trivedi as Sita, Lakshman and Ravan respectively. He got Dara Singh to reprise the character of Hanuman, a role he had portrayed on the big screen a few times, and also featured Vijay Arora, a one-time marginally popular film actor from the 1970s and the only other notable face beside Dara Singh, as Indrajit. Additionally, Sagar’s decision to cast certain ‘stereotypes’ like the known ‘evil doer’ Lalita Pawar as Manthara or Padma Khanna, a popular actress from the 1970s and someone known to play the vamp, as Kaikaeyi was also well-played.The show debuted to lukewarm response and was greeted by critics with sub-par reviews in both English as well as Hindi press. India Today’s critic felt that the show had the finesse of a high-school function; Illustrated Weekly felt that the show “destroyed the spirit and the superb literary quality of the original”, and its sluggish pace was attacked across the board. Yet popularity of the serial rose with every subsequent week. Within three months, it had an average of 32 commercials as opposed to 15 in its second month; by June, it was the second-highest grosser for Doordarshan behind Chitrahaar and by September there were 40 commercials that were paying almost Rs 40,000 each during the hour-long telecast. Originally slated to run for 52 episodes of 45 minutes each, the popularity of Ramayan compelled Doordarshan to extend it for a total of 78 episodes. Sunday mornings were now being seen as a darshan and not viewing of a TV show. Stories about how the nation came to a virtual standstill are the stuff of showbiz legend with a Jansatta report in 1988 observing that ‘bazaars, streets, and wholesale markets become so deserted they appear to be under curfew.’ There were television sets put up for public consumption every week, grandparents admonished youngsters to bathe before the show started, and many such incidents were reported from across India. Is there something truly significant that Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan achieved that goes beyond mass adulation or the mind-boggling impact that it had on the viewer? Along with detailed stories of mass devotion elevating the show to a pravachan and the actors a near god-like affirmation or the criticism of the show’s languid narrative besides the tacky special effects, some great things that the show achieved often go unnoticed. This was perhaps one of the earliest examples of a cultural event that had both Hindi as well as the English press invested, and it would not be totally incorrect to say that this, in fact, threw up interesting differences in the perception of the two. The English press referred to Ramayan as a “literary treasure” that was being butchered by Sagar’s pacing, while the Hindi press was of the opinion that it was ending too soon! A generation of convent school education, too, had somewhere made the urban viewer somewhat disconnected with the epic, which in smaller towns or villages was still a part of upbringing. Lutgendorf notes that the English press, which was used to C Rajagopalachari’s 300-page retelling or R K Narayan’s shorter synopsis or the four-hour Ramlila or the three-hour previous film versions found Sagar’s pace irksome, but the Hindi-speaking critic who was more familiar with scriptures such as the Ramcharitmanas, where the text is often seen as an outline for imaginative elaboration, and if the listener is willing, could be extended almost indefinitely, were intrigued by the ingenuity of the production.

The biggest achievement of the show rather unfortunately has often been undetected and even barely spoken by critics and audiences and commentators alike. It is the manner in which ‘Goswami Ramanand Sagar’, a sobriquet bequeathed in all probability by the late Arvind Narayan Das in an August 1988 Times of India editorial for the influence that the filmmaker wielded, reinterpreted Ramayan for a contemporary context. Some have dubbed Sagar as the Tulsidas of the media age for just as the latter retold the original Sanskrit epic in vernacular to make it more accessible, Sagar, too, took many versions including Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas, Valmiki’s Sanskrit original, the Tamil version by Kambam and the Bangla by Kritibas to make the narration apposite for his times. In this, Sagar took some rather big changes in the way the text flowed and infused new ideas to the epic itself. It is in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan that for the first time one saw King Janak and King Dasharath refer to each other as equals or Ram singing a lullaby to comfort his brothers in Vashishtha’s ashram, which also established Ram as someone who is extremely fond of his brothers. But the greatest ‘new’ idea that Sagar imparted in the view of Belgian Indologist and film expert Heidi R M Pauwels was the scene where Ram views Sita as his equal and how he promises not to take any other queen in the future. Sagar even showed a repentant Kaikeyi being helped by Kaushalya when her son Bharat does not allow her to accompany her to Chitrakut to ask Ram to return. Despite Sagar claiming to not add anything new, these fresh interpretations created a new telling of the legend. As Ramayan approaches its thirtieth anniversary, could there be a new way of looking at the opus that redefined television in India? Perhaps yes. Of course, the criticism of the show – tacky special effects, the slow pacing, and the lackluster production design (it is also said that Sagar hired some artists from Amar Chitra Katha to come up with imagery that would be readily acceptable to the viewer) etc. – all still seem valid, but critics have been far too harsh on the show. Sagar might not have been bothered about the technical finesse of special effects, which he believed were not crucial to maintaining the attention of the spectator. Like Lutgendorf observes, the emphasis was on seeing his characters and for most viewers, Ramayan was a feast of darshan.

There has also been a belief that Sagar’s messaging was not only religious but also political and this is something that was based on the filmmaker’s decision to blend Yoga, Hindu Vedanta philosophy, Vedic socialism as well as Gandhian nationalism. This argument got further fuelled when the then Prime Minster of India, Rajiv Gandhi, reacted to the show’s popularity and said, “Ramayan (the serial) has stirred the imaginations of millions of viewers. It has imbibed the great Indian culture, tradition and normal values especially in the young.” Sagar has even attributed his show becoming a reality to Rajiv Gandhi himself on some occasions as well. Sagar was not unaware of what his opus had achieved. He told India Today in September 1988 that he had with Ramayan achieved what Gandhi and Nehru and a host of others could not do - he had achieved “national integration” with Ramayan. But he was more than clear to not venture onto thorny political paths and in the same interview declared that he “refused to go on any political platforms.” Yet many critics continue to look into the spectacle that Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan was and come with a twist. For instance, Vasudha Dalmia-Lüderitz, a German Indologist, is of the opinion that the generous use of close-ups in Sagar’s Ramayan only further developed the notion that the viewer was in presence of the divine. But, isn’t television considered to be a ‘close-up’ medium? Chuck Klosterman, an essayist who focuses on popular culture, thinks, “television critics who obsess over the authenticity of picayune narrative details are like poetry professors consumed with penmanship”. This fits well in the context of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan. Much like the idea of Ram in itself, Sagar’s Ramayan, too, is like an unexplained natural phenomenon that clicked despite all odds and impossibilities largely because of the faith of the man behind the camera as well as the millions who were glued to the ‘idiot box’ for 43 hours and 13 minutes of its airtime. 

Source and Credit :- http://swarajyamag.com/culture/of-god-and-men-and-the-idiot-box-thirty-years-of-ramanand-sagars-ramayan

Forwarded by :- Shri. Jainendra Nigam PB News Desk prasarbharati.newsdesk@gmail.com

Do we need to revive the lost charm of Doordarshan nationalism?

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Once upon a time, not so long ago, in a small town in Maharashtra, an Andhraite boy was humming a Bengali song during the school assembly. Like thousands of Indian children, this boy, yours truly, used to participate in what was called 'regional' song ritualistically every morning. Most of us learnt Marathi, Bangla, Malayalam, Tamil and Assamese songs phonetically and even though one barely understood what the words conveyed or one knew what they meant. While this went on for five days a week, the weekends meant a different kind of ritual when a part of the regional song experience was repeated during the regional language film shown on Doordarshan (DD) on Sunday afternoons or late nights. Like the school assembly that introduced many children to different Indian languages, the regional film slot on DD initiated millions of Indians to the different cinemas of India.

Nostalgia 
In a strange combination of limited access to cinema and an impressionable age for the ones who grew up in the 1980s and perhaps up until the mid-1990s the regional cinema slot on DD was an unparalleled portal that opened up new worlds. Curiously enough this was also one of the very few outlets that parents would never feel the need to chaperone as the films were shown at particular time slots depending on their content. The ones that were slightly violent or were perhaps thematically more suited for a grown up audience were telecast at night on the weekends. Usually, the films shown would be the ones that won National Awards and this was perhaps one of the first platforms where the brilliance of a Mani Ratnam, an Adoor Gopalakrishnan, a Satyajit Ray, and a Jahnu Barua to name a few was revealed beyond their usual audience. Shown with English subtitles, the films, intriguingly enough were at times also devoid of any breaks, which was a departure from the Hindi films telecast on Saturday evenings made them appear more, for the want of a better expression, artistic. If you ever wondered why the 1980's generation hailed Mani Ratnam as a genius or found Mohanlal and Mammootty far better actors than the rest then you could credit DD's regional cinema slot to a great extent. One of the biggest reasons why DD managed to have an impact on the young ones in the 1980s was the abject lack of alternatives when it came to television.
Barring the towns that were geographically closer to Pakistan or Bangladesh border where they the antiquated television antennas would catch their signals and one could enjoy Dhoop Kinare or Bakhra Kishton Pe or a Runa Laila performance depending on where you were based, DD was the only source of entertainment. In the absence of any other platform, DD became the common carrier and as a result viewers from across India ended up becoming a part of a shared national experience. 

Boyhood 
The foundation that DD laid was much like the impact that TV signals had in the 1950's US where 'the last vestiges of isolation' were shattered. Yet today hundreds of regional channels beaming thousands of hours of local fare have no takers beyond those who understand the language. What could be the reason for this? Could it as simple as the missing English subtitles that made you understand what the images meant? Growing up in Agra in the 1980s and 1990s filmmaker Atul Sabharwal (Aurangzeb, 2013) might not have experienced seminal classics like Nayakan (1987), Agni Natchathiram (1988) and Thevar Magan (1992) at an young age had it not been for Doordarshan and its Sunday afternoon or late night slot. These were the films that shaped the then aspiring filmmaker's consciousness and Sabharwal believes that in this day and age films like Thithi (2015) or Court (2014) would have the same impact on some young boy or girl watching them in far-flung hinterlands of India provided they understood what was happening. The big-ticket releases now come subtitled to cinemas in metros but what about places that are not fashionable or commercially viable to theatrically release a Thithi or Court or Sairat (2016), the Nagraj Manjule directed Marathi blockbuster that has been critically acclaimed as well. 

Umbrella 
Dubbed versions of regional films especially Tamil and Telugu first appeared following the successful Hindi debuts of southern stars such as Kamal Haasan and Nagarjuna in the 1980s and then finally become a viable business proposition post-Roja (1992). Now, they are a staple when it comes to some movie channels on television but it is this writer's opinion that much of the magic is lost in translation.

Source and Credit :- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3995156/Do-need-revive-lost-charm-Doordarshan-nationalism.html
Forwarded by :- Shri. Jainendra Nigam PB News Desk prasarbharati.newsdesk@gmail.com

Concert with a difference

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Vidwan Modumudi Sudhakar gave an enlightening lecture-demonstration on vaggeyakaras, in chronological order.Vidwan Modumudi Sudhakar, a senior composer of Akashvani,Vijayawada is a reputed vocalist and is a traditionalist to the core. Through Swarajhari sangeeta sabha for which he is the founder secretary, he regularly organises monthly music concerts by inviting many talented musicians and also occasionally arranges interesting lecture-demonstration programmes. These programmes have earned much appreciation from the audience.

This week, the A.P. Bhasha Samskritika Sangham conducted one such concert by Modumudi Sudhakar at the Government Music College with much success. Sudhakar’s programme was enlightening, resulting in admiration and appreciation from the large gathering of audience which included several local vidwans. Sudhakar selected the vaggeyakaras in chronological order starting with Jayadeva (adi kavi) who wrote Geeta Govindam in which he has written the famous Ashtapadis in chaste Sanskrit. After explaining briefly about Geeta Govindam, the vidwan sang an ashtapadi Nijagadhasa Yadunandane in Sindubhairavi. Likewise Sudhakar rendered one composition of each Vaggeyakara explaining its technical and lyrical beauties embedded in the compositions. He followed with other vaggeyakaras like Annamacharya ( Annita Tane Kadave ’ in Bindumalini), Purandaradas ( Yare Rangana in Hindola), Kshetrayya (the Padam Aligite in Husseini), Ramadas ( Sriramula Divyanama in Saveri), Narayanateertha (the Tarangam Kalaya Yasode in Surati), Munipalle Subramanya kavi ( Namassivayate in Dhanyasi), Sadasiva Bramhendra ( Smara varam varam in Bahudari), Syama Sastri ( Himadri Suthe in Kalyani), Thyagaraju ( Endaro Mahanubhavulu in Sri ragam), Muthuswami Dikshitar ( Meenakshe Me Mudan Dehi in Poorvikalyani), Swathi Thirunal ( Mamava Sada Janani ’ in Kanada), Mysore Vasudevachar ( Brochevarevarura in Khamas) and Mangalampalli Balamuralikrisha ( Thillana in Behag). Sudhakar was superbly supported by Peravali Nandakumar on violin, K. Sadgurucharan on mridangam and M. Haribabu on ghatam.

Source and Credit :- http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/Concert-with-a-difference/article16740480.ece
Forwarded by :- Shri. Jainendra Nigam, PB News Desk,       prasarbharati.newsdesk@gmail.com 

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