Random Variables

Friday, May 9, 2014

The Dan Brown of India

Random Variables May 09, 2014 0 Comments

Aah!!! its hardly three weeks for my final exams and no matter what comes next I will be an engineer after that for sure.reading was not my cup of tea though I read Chetan Bhagat,Ravindra Singh and few others long back.It was until I join engineering and with not much to do,i took up reading seriously and thus opening myself to a world of fiction,fantasy,realism and all other things.It was in june 2012 when one of my friend told me about a book called Chankaya's Chant,busy with the shiva trilogy it dint created much impact on me.Over with the secrets of the Nagas,i asked the same friend of mine if he has some good novel with him and he gave me the Chanakya's Chant and thus beginning of an epic journey with the Indian Dan Brown.Before I started with the book I did my part of research on the author Ashwin Sanghi. He graduated with a BA (Economics) from St. Xavier’s College and earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management.He was already the author of an Indian best selling book The Rozabal Line,which he wrote in 2007 under his pseudonym Shawn Haigins. But what excited me the most about him was his area of writing which was largely based on historical, theological and mythological themes and being a history buff by myself I could not asked for more.The book deals with the life of Chankya and Gangasagar Mishra,haunted by their past ,the book unfold their epic journey and how they manage to become a king-maker.The book preys on greed, venality and sexual deviance that brings out the best of both the men. The book was quick to have an impact on me and I went looking for his other book and thankfully I managed to find his latest released of the every year 2012 itself The Krishna Key. It is an anthropological thriller and his third novel after The Rozabal Line(the last of his novel that I read) and Chankya's Chant.The book follows a history professor that has to prove his innocence against a murder charge and solving the prolonging puzzle of the Krishna Key.Alongside a present day story the book portrayed Krishna in a "perfectly grey character" along with his ruling policies and treasures,the book also deals with the lost city of Dwarka,Of Taj Mahal being a Shiva temple.The book was again an Indian National best seller and finding its comparison with Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.Being a not so famous author in 2012,I was not able to find his first book The Rozabal Line with any of my friend and I could not go for the hard copy all by myself,as I am always sort of cash. Finally after some searching on Mr.Google,who has the answer for everything I managed to find an Epub version of it and what's next,I was back to business again.A thriller fiction it deals with the subject of Jesus having survived the crucifixion and having settled down in India and how in a strife-torn Kashmir, a tomb called Rozabal holds the key to a riddle that arises in Jerusalem and gets answered at Vaishno Devi.It also spoke about an ultra-elite group of twelve commandos, similar to the Deccan Mujahideen,their formation and sole purpose.The book drew lots of similarties from Da Vinci's Code and was one hell of a page turner that moved with some serious pace and takes you across every continent.

In 2013, Ashwin Sanghi and James Patterson announced that they will be co-writing an India-based thriller within Patterson's "Private" series.The novel is on the verge of completion and is slated for a release on 21 July 2014.With just three novels old and the fourth one on the line,Ashwin Sanghi has managed to become one of my favorite writers. If stuffs from Dan Brown and similar interests you then trust me with the books like The Rozabal Line and The Krishna key this Dan brown from India will not disappoint you,rather will blow you out of your mind. So if you are looking for some interesting book to read this summer,your search ends here.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

A BILLION VOTES

Random Variables April 22, 2014 1 Comments

After a busy and tedious one and half month and so.... I am back to blogging again.

The much debated and most talked event in India at this present moment i.e. the 16^th Lok Sabha elections are on.The largest democracy in the world is all geared up to elect its new government.The elections are held in 9 phases all over India and the battle of ballots commenced on 7^th of April and will end on 12^th of May.The dates on which elections were and will be held are 7^th,9^th,10^th,12^th,17^th,24^th,30^th of April and 7^th,12^th of May 2014.The total number of voters registered in this elections are 81.4 crores out of which about 9 crores are new voters.The total number of constituencies all over India is 543. .

For the first time in the history of India the elections are fought on US presidential style with the political debates and prime ministrial nominees and all.While the BJP had named their prime ministerial candidate as Narendra Modi but on the other side the Congress refrained from naming their prince Rahul Gandhi as their prime ministerial candidate.Despite of no official confirmation from the congress the media has already declared it as the RAGA vs NAMO battle.

At the moment the most significant question is wheter the present 10 year old Manmohan Singh cum Sonia gandhi led Congress government which is drowned in corruption,price rise and scams would be able to retain power or whether the rejunaveted BJP under the Modi wave can roll the dice in its favour.Come Elections and every one is ready with their opinion polls from your parents to your uncle aunties,friends,arstrologers and on the big scale the media every one has the secret to that magic 272 no.If we go by the opinion polls it seems BJP is the clear favourite to sweep the elections while the Congress without its allies will be down to mere double digits.

As there is a twist to every hit stories,this one is no exceptions.One man who can ruin BJP chances of getting a clear majority is the Aam Aadmi Party supremo and ex Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal,fondly called AK by his followers.Hence for BJP to form government they have to virtually sweep the northern and western part of India as they have little presence at the southern and eastern part of the country . No this is no the end of the story another major problem the BJP will face to form government, is to find allies who are willing to support a NAMO led government if the BJP themselves do not get the clear majority since Narendra Modi is hugely criticised by other parties for his role on the 2002 Gujarat riots.And to add to the misery of both the congress and the bjp is the virtual third front i.e. the cluster of the regional parties like DMK,AIDMK,SP,RJD,NCP,JDU,BSP,TMC,etc. that will have an impact on the 2014 Lok Sabha elections .

Also this time the fate of parties will depend upon the politically sane young voters of India as there are about nine crores new voters registerd for this years Lok Sabha elections.

Will it be ABKI BAAR MODI SARKAR or the CONGRESS KA HAATH will represent its bid for the 3rd consecutive term and with much going around the RISE OF A DARK KNIGHT can be taken into account.The results will be out on 16^th of May and till then “THE BILLION VOTERS” will have to wait to see which party comes to power.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

The effects of Mass Media on Society.

Random Variables February 25, 2014 0 Comments

In the past, mostly people interacted in groups having face-to- face relationships. Today, they are continuously exposed to messages generated from the centre.The history of mass media is comparatively recent. The oldest form is the press which was set up first by William Caxon at Westminster in 1476. The first wireless communication was made between the Isle of Wight and the English mainland in 1882, the phonograph was patented in 1877. The first cinema film was made in Paris in 1895.

In India, after the independence, new horizons were seen by the country in all the aspects of five year plans stressing the need to solve some of the national problems, such as, lack of cultural identity, absence of economic policy and so on, the development of mass media was boosted.The need for communicating with the masses and influencing them was felt in order to have the impact of the independence. This led to tremendous progress in the fields of print and the broadcast media.Freedom of speech and expression along with freedom of press was provided by the constitution as a fundamental right. Over and above, constitution also granted freedom of movement, right to profession and property, right to hold meetings and cultural gatherings.All these led to the unabated progress of mass media in the country.With the extending impact of media of mass communication on individuals and groups, the Indian society overall is reacting swiftly. The pervasive effects of the various media on the various spheres of the Indian life- economic, social, cultural, intellectual, religious and even moral values are transforming rapidly.Mass media are capable of creating various kinds of impact on mankind. They play a crucial role in the function and change of any society. A study of social change cannot be done without studying mass media. Therefore, in the present times when technology has brought about changes in the society, mass media studies have become important.

Mcluham, the Canadian writer perceives mass media in a very broad perspective. It is his thesis that, the medium is the message; he says that the content of a mass medium cannot be divorced from its context and from its technology.A statement made on television will be very different from a statement made through the press, the form and nature of the message's dissemination actually modifies the material.The visual image of television news involves us directly as compared to the news reported in the newspaper. Whether or not we discuss the wheel in the context of mass communication is a moot point, but it is obviously true that the wheel has changed many human societies in a way which is quite as radical as television or the press.He says that we have been too much pre occupied with the messages, or content, of mass media, and too little concerned with the media themselves, as they function within human society.The mass media constitute a powerful and pervading force in our lives. We are exposed daily to a bombardment of media messages. Most of the information we receive about our community, our state, the nation and the world comes to us through newspapers, magazines, television and radio.

The information and views communicated through these media have great impact on our attitudes toward people, events and problems. Mass media expose people to a flood of information almost narcotic sing reader, listener or viewer. Due to mass media the range and amount of information available to the people has vastly increased.Media confer a certain social status or people's position in society is enhanced when they appear upon television or are mentioned in the press. Mass media like films, television and press have particular glamour, which is enjoyed by those who are in them.Thus, mass media tend to enforce and corroborate social norms and bring personal attitudes and public morality closer.Mass media are common denominators. They serve the interest of the larger groups.

Media consumers are selective in their consumption of media output. They accept the messages which are easy for them to understand and they do not have to exert themselves in watching a programme or reading a newspaper. They also accept messages which reinforce their beliefs and reject or ignore those which have contrary views.Another criticism about the impact of mass media is that they do not keep pace with the changes that are taking place in society and usually maintain stereotyped roles and values. For example, widow woman in today's society wear dresses of all types and colors but films and television serials show them in their stereotyped white dress with no jwellery.Thus, mass communication process is more likely to sustain rather than challenge the existing political and social power structure in society.As a result, mass media look for supportive Communication and avoid that communication which projects alternative opinions. Mass media play a significant role in the socialization of the young. An extensive exposure necessarily influences young, who are always believed to be passive respondents.

Watz and Hoffman note that: "the social potential of mass communication has hardly been tapped". Effective use of the mass media has the potential for increasing the public's understanding of the goals of development programs and activities of development workers.It can increase public support for development programs and it can have a significant impact on the decisions of development planners, policy makers, and legislators that affect these programmes.It can help people function better in the community, by providing information that can support the coping capacities of persons under stress and consequently, it can significantly expand the impact of the development programmes in any community.A much wider range of target groups can be reached, not only those who might benefit from the programmes but also persons and groups that may be willing to provide tangible and intangible support for these development efforts, as a result of being better informed about them .Mass media in India are actively involved in the tasks related to different aspects of national development and they are assisting government and the masses in social, economic and political development. Thus, mass media have contributed to the mobilization of human resources for national development.The mobilizing of human resources requires a great deal of attention of what the population knows and thinks of national development, and especially to the encouragement of the attitudes and social customs and the provision of knowledge, which will be favourable to the development, the mass media have undertaken the job quite competently.It is evident from the tremendous changes that have taken place in the entire range of human activity in the country. Research studies by communication scholars also have proved that mass media have immensely aided and assisted the rate and score of development.

The studies conducted by Shramm, Rao and others have shown that the interaction between the media and the society from development point of view is 'constant and cumulative.'This helps people to set common goals of development and arrive at sound consensus. Media have communicated to the people about country's five year plans, development programmes, education system etc. and this has motivated people to become partners in the progress of the country.

The farm technology was communicated to the rural masses through mass communication media such as radio and films which became link between university laboratories and farmers.

This contributed to tremendous agricultural progress and ushered in green revolution in the country. There have been problems and constraints in the process of development but, on the whole, mass media in India have immensely contributed to bringing about change and development in India.

It has been realized that no significant development can take place without using mass media.

In other words, the mass media can have impact on a variety of important development programmes, relations, public education, and prevention functions of the development programmes.

It has also been observed that as the time devoted to media increases, people's participation in an organized action decreases. As a result, they remain away from the decision making and action for any personal or national development activities.

Mass media do not involve the individual directly. They bring changes largely in the psychological domain. They capture the audience by changing their opinions, attitudes, beliefs, knowledge and value systems.Psychological changes are considered to be more effective as compared to the change which is introduced directly into the social structure by means of law and government policies to which individuals are forced to adjust.The new media have brought about changes in the old media for example, due to the impact of television, newspapers and magazines have become more illustrative, radio has been trying to become more innovative in attracting the listeners, advertising has become part of every mass medium and so on.Moreover, due to the review of the programmes offered by every medium, competition to offer more and more interesting programmes of common taste has increased among the mass media.What about education? Mass media in India such as television, radio, newspaper, try to offer educational and enrichment messages for farmers, school children, youth, woman, and other groups. This again may be due to the competition among and within the media.Folk media have been very effective in promoting the message of literacy, mobilizing women and bringing them together to discuss issues related to their everyday lives. Street plays have proved very effective in integrating and mobilizing women for anti-arrack movement in Andhra Pradesh.

Sometimes too much of exposure to information leads people to saturation. For example, if we are exposed to the events of terrorism in Kashmir or Punjab for a very long period, we become less sensitive to the sufferings of people due to terrorism. Here the immediacy of visual image is lost and media ceases to be an informant.Mass medium like television has made great impact on the families by changing the way of life. In the last ten years Indian family has under gone drastic changes as far as family relations standard of living, style of living and buying habits are concerned.

To sum up, mass media create impact by playing their role as change agent, reflector and reinforcer of dominant values and attitudes in society which can have a significant impact on the decisions of development planners, policy makers and legislators that affect development programmes.

Article courtsey:www.studymode.com