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Discussion

State, Institutions and Democracy

Whether the state is an instrument of class exploitation or the outcome of a social contract is a subject for a broad-based protracted debate. However, the fact that the role of the modern State is crucial in the life of all its citizens is perhaps indisputable. The present times are witness to an extended dialogue concerning the ‘role of the State in civil society’ among intellectuals and the middle classes.

Ideally, the State uses its institutions to implement policy. The institution, then, is also the via media used to interact with people. Unfortunately in India, most pubic institutions are pre-independence and were set up to rule and not govern. These relics of our colonial legacy were not of to public scrutiny or debate. Not much has been done since our Independence to make them any more accountable or responsive. This despite the fact that one of the main concerns of the freedom struggle was the democratization and accountability of these institutions. This continuing process is an integral part of creating a civil society.

After the so called New Economic Policy and Globalization, a section of the middle classes are arguing in favour of curtailing the role of the State. They want the state to withdraw from many of its public and social institutions and hand these over to autonomous, private enterprises. They foster the idea but the opinion of the powerful classes should be overriding especially at those times when conflicts arise between the different classes. In addition, they believe that the duty of the State should be to protect and empower the powerful classes. This section does not stop at merely believing this, they also acutely advocate this stand. Through their lobbying they are mostly able to mould polices to suit their needs and interests.

Another section claims to represent the interest of common people but tends to remain indifferent or ignorant about the different activities and policies of the State. The most recent example of (his can be seen in the context of the Broadcast Bill. While the private channels are lobbying for many months the representatives of people, the media activists, have neither arrived at a consensus nor managed to  lobby. Hence, neither has their stand been publicised nor were they visible during the entire debate.

All of us, who claim to represent the interests of marginalised people, share a common feeling of self-content We believe because we are working for the people we need not be concerned with the changes in the State, State machinery and policies. This attitude is dangerous. First of all, this attitude gives a section of people a free reign to use public institutions for their own interests which necessarily is contrary to the interests of common people. But more importantly, this attitude questions our commitment, objective and role in a democratic society. We should not forget that only by continuously intervening in policies of the State institutions can we make institutions democratic and accountable to people. Similarly, only by intervening in the policies of state institutions we can ensure that the State does not become authoritarian or anti-people.

If we claim that we are engaged in the struggle to create a civil society we have to remain vigilant, continuously monitor the activities of the State and locate ways of intervening in the system collectively and more effectively.

Feedback

It was good to receive Media Mail. You seem to be eventually taking some steps towards an old, old dream! Congratulations!! With your extensive experience in making and screening films, I look forward to a series of instructive articles on why, when and how media works in communicating ideas and why, when and how it doesn’t work. The kind of reporting Roma has done on screenings at Rajaji or even Meghnath’s note on Akhra, while being morale boosting, do not really contribute to a learning process about struggles and the culture of resistance and how media contributes to (or takes away from) it. We need to know what to do, as much as what not to do. Best wishes.

Dunu Roy, 111 Uttarakhand, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110 067

Here in Audio Visual Arts Limited, as producers on TV, we are exploring television through our work. We believe in television and want to contribute to this media not with mindless entertainment, but with ‘food for thought’ programmes. Our search – what is television? – is always there. We believe television to be a media of culture, but how do we interpret it? How do we approach it. These are some of the initial questions. We look forward to initiating adialogue with other producers or organisations, to share their views and ideas about this matter. We want to be in the network with the other professionals in this field.

Anindya Ghose, Audio Visual Arts Limited, W7A, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road, Calcutta 700017

I saw a copy of your magazine at a friend’s house recently. It carries significant information and makes the reading interesting. As we publish a Kamada journal, “Ibbani”, some of the materials you publish can be translated into Kannada and carried in our journal. Ours is an activist journal which focuses on alternative models of development.

PP Baburaj, IBBANI, 1539, 4/13th Main,E & F Block, 11 Stage, Ranmakrishnanagara, Mysore, 570 023

Telecommunication is not effective, yet you will surely see telephone poles everywhere. TV networks are not available to the villagers here. Though, now people have installed satellite discs, there is no proper supply of electricity. In this situation, when the information is distributed by the state and central departments, it is very old documentary films of poor quality. It is very ineffective in the new AIDS era, even the language of them are not suitable for the views.

Now I am hoping that I will learn much from Media Mail and I will say, it is my Guide Mail. I am also hoping that Media Mail will try to be an alternative communication voice of the mountains. It should be published in Hindi as well.

Jayprakash Pawar, Sri Bhuvaneshwai Mahila Ashram, Vill. NagChaund, PO Jamnikhal, Tehri-Gaitiwal Mar Pradesh

It is needless to mention that the private channels/ cable TV along with cinema, are polluting the whole Indian scenario. Hence, I think, it is right time to raise our voice against such “narrow casting”. Hope your magazine will work in that direction.

P. Bobby Vardhan, Head of Dept., Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, Andhra University, Visakhapatanam, Andhra Pradesh 530 003

There are only a handful of development film makers in the country whose work has been publicised and appreciated. I am sure there are scores of others of whom we know nothing about. Could Media Mail think of a section which would profile such groups or individuals who have been making a contribution to development media? We are in the field of development communication and it would be interesting for us, and I am sure for others too who belong to this field, to know about the others who are doing similar work. We hope that this will lead to greater familiarity with each other’s work and concerns, and also encourage a system of “lending support and information” amongst groups and individuals in development communication.

Alina Sen, Centre for Development Communication, 2, Jabbar Bindings, Begumpet, Hyderabad – 500016

Regarding, the Telugu version of Media Mail, I can do it. I can help you with any printing job in English, if it can give you more valuable time for your work. When is the next Media Mail coming ?

M S P Rao, 17/736 Rangeen Mahal Street, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh 524001

Many thanks for sending Media Mail. Your editorial decision to include “Internet – A Threat to Humanity” in the January issue and “Surfing the Internet” in the April issue is a laudable sequencing of information. Keep it up. Perhaps it would be better to devote some space for books and audio and for serious debate on media issues.

Latheet Kshiseri, Humanistic Alternative for Radical and Integral Development, Post Box # 929, West Hill, Kozhikode, Kerala 673005

Regarding your editorial on the broadcast Bill I am wondering whether we could do something to draw the attention of those who write the Bill and people in the ministry to our questions. This is possibly an aspect where our Committee could find a reason to exist, viz. in intervening at the level of policy making. Maybe you try with other people to intervene. How do you visualize such an action? Is Media Mail sent to people in the ministry? Do you know people who are really concerned with our approach in the ministry? A sort of notice sent to those concerned in the name of our Committee might be a sort of action that we should think of.

Guy Poitevin, CCRRSS, Rairkar Bungalow, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune, E-mail: guy @giaspn01. vsnl.net. in

Only five years ago when the cable system was introduced, those who had the access were very glad to see lots of channels and for the first time they heaved a sigh of relief as DD’s boring and one sided hold was broken. But no one could visualise at that time that it would give rise to the Cable Mafia Network System.

Now these cable shops have come to a mutual understanding between themselves by marking their individual territories and started forcing viewers to see and pay whatever the cable walas want them to see. They have also escalated the rates manifold. If anyone tries to break out of their hold, either the other cable  operator won’t provide you with a new connection, they also ask for a ‘no objection’ certificate from the older cable operator. If you go back to the older supplier, he will harass you by charging double! Now, who will check this Cable mafia menace? Even MRTP has no teeth.

Vinod Verma, D4 Gulmohar Park, New Delhi 110049.

Media News

The Broadcasting bill:

An Overview

I. To set up the Broadcasting Authority of India (BAI)

II. Members of the BAI

1. Chairman

2. Eleven part time members

3. Secretary of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

4. Secretary of Department of Telecommunications

5. Secretary-General

III. Functions of BAI

1. Carry out frequency planning.

2. To grant licences for broadcasting services.

3. To ensure fair and effective competition in broadcasting services.

4. To ensure provision of services of high quality and offer a wide range of programmes.

5. To determine the programme codes and standards.

6. To receive cornplaints for violation of codes and for violation of conditions for licence.

7. BAI to appoint a committee of experts to advise on:

i) practices to be followed in connection with the avoidance of unjust and unfair treatment

any person in programmes and avoidance of infringement of privacy in such programs.

ii) practices to be followed in connection with the portrayal of violence and sexual conduct in programmes.

iii) standards of taste and decency.

IV. Licence

Licence wanted in the following categories:

1. Terrestrial Radio

2. Terrestrial TV

3. Satellite Radio

4. Satellite TV

5. Direct To Home (DTH)

6. Local Delivery Services (Cable TV)

7. Other services as may be prescribed

Licence does not apply to Public Service Broadcasters provided the Public Service Broadcasters comply with all other provisions of the Act.

Conditions for Licence:

1. Programmes of the licensee should not offend good tastes or decency and should not encourage or incite crime or lead to disorder or to be offensive to public feeling.

2. News is presented with due accuracy and impartiality.

3. Due impartiality is maintained in respect of social or political issues or matters relating to public policy.

4. Due responsibility is exercised to religious programmes.

5. Due emphasis is given to promote values of national integration, religious harmony, scientific temper and Indian culture.

6. Licensee to earmark broadcasting hours for children’s educational & developmental programmes of Indian origin as well as a range diversity of independent productions.

7. Licensee to follow the programme standards and codes set by BAI.

8. Licensee shall pay licence fee determined by BAI.

9. Licensee shall not carry out networking of local or regional broadcasting services without the approval of BAI.

10. Period of licence for each category not to exceed 10 years.

11. Licence not transferrable.

12. No person to be given licence in more than one category.

13. Licensee to carry out uplinking of satellite broadcasting services or Direct- to- Home services from India only, except for coverage of live events taking place outside the country.

14. There arc restrictions on cross-media Ownership between Newspapers and broadcasting services. No newspaper proprietor or body corporate with more than 20% share holding will be participant in the licence.

15. No licensee to carry and live broadcast of any sporting or other events of national or international interest held in India, without the consent of BAI, unless the Public Service broadcasters have also been given the rights to carry the same.

Disqualifications for holding licence:

1. Non-Indian nationals

2. Non-Indian partnership firms

3. Companies not incorporated in India

4. Companies incorporated in India but with

a) foreign equity incase of terrestrial broadcasting services, and

b) foreign equity exceeding 49% in case of other services

4. Advertising agencies and their associates

5. Government and local authorities

6. Religious bodies

7. Political bodies

8. Publicly funded bodies

V. Other features

• Terrestrial broadcasting licence will be given to the highest bidder.
• BAI may grant licence for terrestrial broadcasting service licence to certain institutions such as those providing education, community service, environmental protection or health awareness, through restricted bids or on payment of such licence fee as may be determined by regulation.
• BAI to exempt non-commercial establishments under common ownership from obtaining a licence for the purpose of providing cable television services for the exclusive use of their members.
• The Cable TV Network (Regulation) Act, 1995 repealed.
• Two licence per telecom circle will be granted for Local Delivery Services. Existing cable operators will be permitted to operate as franchisees to the two licensees in the area.
• BAI may grant permission for reception of an unlicensed foreign satellite broadcasting service, if it fulfills programme standards with respect to permitted services and:

i) is a free-to-air broadcasting service

ii) does not carry any advertisements

iii) carries ads, but the service is solely devoted to sports or international news and current affairs.

Select Committee reviews Broadcasting Bill

New Delhi, 17 June 1997. A joint parliamentary committee on the Broadcasting Bill with 30 members, 20 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha, was set up under the chairmanship of Mr.Sharad Pawar. The first meeting of the committee was held on 16th June.

An in-depth study to know the views of the cross section of society, technical consequences, feasibility of  downlinking and monitoring the reception of every channel were some of the issues that were taken up for discussion.

The focus of the meeting was that as the bill was controversial and having a direct or indirect bearing on the citizens, impact on socio-culture, the members should accord an opportunity to all sections before finalising the draft.

The committee had decided to invite reactions from people, technicians, experts and all those related directly or indirectly to the broadcasting business. The committee is thinking of publicizing the bin through TV, radio and the audio visual departments of the government to seek public reaction.

A Joint Memorandum to the Select Committee on Broadcasting Bill

The following is an extract of a memorandum that was submitted to the Select Commitee by Media  Advocacy Group, Magic Lantern Foundation and  Forum for Independent Film and Video.

• There should be clarity about how critical Sections of society that tends to get Marginalized will get fair Access and balanced Representation.
• The structure of the constitution of the regulatory body in its present form does not invoke any kind of public confidence about its appropriateness. This is a fear of it being heavily bureaucratised. We would like to emphasise that the success of a regulatory body will largely depend on our ability to effectively empower civil society to play a critical and informed role in shaping public policy and programme content.
• We are also concerned about the fact that a piece-meal legislation on broadcasting is being considered without taking into its purview the more overreaching Prasar Bharati Bill. We strongly recommend that the fate of the Prasar Bharati Bill will be clarified in no certain terms before another parallel piece of legislation is introduced, debated and legislated upon.

For details contact:
Media Advocacy Group,
49 Golf Links
New Delhi 110003

Bangalore Declaration on Radio

Excerpts from a Joint Recommendation

Promotion of community based non-profit developmental radio should be one of the responsibilities of the Authority.

Clarity of definition is required while mentioning of private institutions, non-profit institutions and community broadcasting services.

Section 2 of the bill should include a definition running thus:

2 (zt) “Private Broadcasting Service” means a broadcasting service operated for profit and controlled by an entity who is not a public broadcasting licensee.

2 (zu) “Community Broadcasting Service” means a non-profit broadcasting service catering to the needs of a geographically founded group of persons or any group of persons having a definite ascertainable common interest, subject to Section 25 (2), which is permitted to raise funds to meet operational costs through donations, grants, sponsorships, membership fees, advertising or a  combination of the aforementioned.

The provison to Section 16 (2) should be broadened in the public interest to read : Provided that no institutions shall be notifies under this sub-section unless the object of such institutions is to provide

education, community service, environment protection, health awareness, women’s empowerment or cultural expression.

Part 1, Clause 4 disqualifies publically funded bodies from obtaining licence. This brings under its purview universities and other educational institutions as well as cooperatives. These should be exempt bearing in mind the need for youth participation in media and deployment of media for promotion of education. The proviso to Clause 4 should read as :  Provided that this disqualification will not apply to universities and other educational institutions and cooperatives.

For details contact: VOICES,
PO Box 46 10, 59 Miller Road, Benson Town,
Bangalore 560046, Fax: (080) 569261, e-mail:
admin@voices.ilban.ernet.in

Award for “Dry Days in Dubbasgunta”

The International association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) gave its award for excellence to the Indian television entry Dry Days in Dubbasgunta, a film made by Nupur Basu on anti-arrack movement.

‘Ban’ on Nusrat Fateh Ali and Rehman

An appeal

The latest utterances of the Shiv Sena supreme is one of the utmost concern to all concerned about freedom of expression. Bal Thackeray has imposed a so-called ban on the two popular musicians, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and A.R. Rehman for their alleged, ”Islamic cultural invasion”. Mr.Thackeray imposed a ban on the sale and distribution of the cassettes of the sufi singer from Pakistan. He also implied that Rehman’s cassette will be boycotted by the Indian masses. This is in the wake of the two musicians’ plans to bring out a joint album.

This is an appeal to all lovers of freedom of thought and expression to protest against such incitement of fundamental elements. We should register our protests by sending letters to editors of all newspapers, Chief Ministers, the Prime Minister and the President of India.

From the Roots

A Trip to Purvanchal

As you board a bus at Benaras bound for Gazipur, if you are not familiar with the area, you will be amazed at the music playing in the bus. Even at the time where ‘Pardesi Pardesi’ reigns, you will hear only Bhojpuri songs in this region If you are familiar with the language you will find that all the songs tell a story.

If you go to Ballia from Gazipur the road continues to Buxar and then to Bhojpur which are in Bihar. Gazipur, Ballia, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur constitute the Purvanchal area of Uttar Pradesh. Purvanchal has carved out a distinctive identity through its special socio-economic relations and unique culture. This area is characterised by grinding poverty, feudal oppression, soft spoken dialect, and continuous music, folk songs and carefree ways. The Muslim population is quite high. The presence of Shia Muslim landlords has given rise to an unique composite culture. Rahi Masoom Raza has portrayed the intense feudal exploitation  of this area in his novels Adha Goon and Neern Ka Per. Both of these are written in Gazipur’s background. Azamgarh was the birth place of such stalwarts like Rahul Sankritayan and Kaifi Azmi.

While oppression by landlords is a reality this area is also witness to continuous resistance and protest Folk songs and music has helped to popularise the opposition. In turn the opposition has been immortalised through words and stories which constitute the content of the folk music. The stories which form the lyrics are in a sense more important than the music.

The most popular form of folk songs of this region is Biraha. Typically Biraha tells a story and is sung all through the night. The main singer tells the story through songs. He is also the narrator who provides continuity by adding information, moods etc. The other singers repeat the songs. Biraha embraces many different singing styles like qawwali, gazal, kirtan etc.. The unique feature of the Biraha is that very rarely does the subject deal with mvthological or historical stories. Mostly Biraha raises contemporary socio- political issues, concerns and initiatives.

The development of modern medium has increased the popularity of Biraha by making it more easily accessible to a larger number of people. Biraha cassettes are being played in each and every comer of the region and these cassettes are found at all cassette shops. Local Biraha groups are used for recording these and local recording studios with pretty basic recording facilities are used for recording. These are so popular that when the T Series has produced some Birahas.

The subject of these songs can really stagger a visitor. At a tea shop I heard a cassette describes in detail the different scams of the Narasimha Rao government. I enquired if the cassette was promoted by any political party and I found that it was simply bought at a shop.

During my travel I heard many different Biraha cassettes. One cassette called Aligarh Kand extolled Mithilesh, a Yadav woman, who saved a bus full of Muslim baratis from a rioting mob. Another called Saharanpur Kand recalled the case of Usha Dhiman who was stripped inside the court building by and  paraded naked through the streets of Saharanpur as a punishment for opposing feudal injustice. Yet another called Benares Kand told of the recent firing by the police on unarmed, peaceful protester.

Introduction to Biraha not only elated me but exhilarated me as well. The popularity of Biraha is indicative of the growing grassroots consciousness against fundamentalism and political opportunism. As social activists we have to continually locate the extent of the spread of consciousness amongst common people against fundamental forces and political opportunism. After all it is only this consciousness that can challenge and defeat fundamentalists and divisive forces.

Sujit Ghosh

Global Media

Lanka Govt. suffers setback on Broadcasting Bill

Colombo; The Supreme Court has ruled that a controversial bill that critics say will increase government control over the media is ” inconsistent with the constitution”, the parliament speaker said on 6th May.

The court ruling is considered to be a setback to the government of president Chandrika Kurnaratunga, who has a stormy relationship with the media. The court’s ruling was read out by speaker Kiribanda Ratnayake in the House. He said the court also ruled that the bill must be cleared by two-third vote in Parliament and in a nationwide referendum. The government has only a simple majority. The opposition does not support the bill. The court normally gives its ruling direct to the Parliament when objections are filed against a bill that is being considered by law-makers.

“The Supreme Court has informed me that on the whole the Broadcasting Authority Bill is inconsistent with the constitution,” Ratanayake told Parliament. Soon after his announcement, opposition lawmakers went outside and burned a copy of the bill, amid much cheering.

“We are happy that the Supreme Court has thrown out the bill,” said Waruna Karunatilleke, leader of the free media movement, an independent media watchdog.

We hope that the government will stick to its original promise and turn any new proposal for broadcasting authority into a white paper and open it for discussion”, he said.

On 5th May, dozens of journalists held a demonstration in Colombo against the government plans. Journalists say the bill will give the government unrestricted control over the broadcast media since the authority’s board of directors would consist of the top civil servants in various government ministries, including the defence ministry.

Courtesy: Times of India,
7 May 1997

Peoples’ Communication Charter

Media Access and literacy get same status as human rights

The Tactical Media Network, formed by the Society for Old and New Media, Amsterdam, has been working on the People’s Communication Charter, which seeks to give rights of media access and literacy the same status as other human or civil rights.

Across the world people face pervasive forms of censorship, distorted and misleading information, stereotyped images of gender and race, restricted access to knowledge, and insufficient channels to communicate their ideas and opinions. The People’s Communication Charter is a first step in the development of a permanent movement concerned with the quality of our communication environment. The initiators of the PCC think it is time for individual citizens and their organizations to take an active role in the shaping of the cultural environment and to focus on the production and distribution of information and culture.

The People’s Communication Charter provides the common framework for all those who share the belief that people should be active and critical participants in their social reality and should be able to communicate their ideas and opinions. The Charter is not an end in itself. It provides the basis for a permanent critical reflection on those world-wide trends that determine the quality of our lives in the third millennium. The PCC movement mobilizes support for the Charter by initiating a process of ratification by individuals and social movements.

PEOPLES’ COMMUNICATION CHARTER (excerpts)

We, the signatories of this Charter, recognize that:

Communication is basic to the life of all individuals and their communities. All people are entitled to participate in communication, and in making decisions about communication within and between societies. The majority of the world’s peoples lack minimal technological resources for survival and communication.

Over half of them have not yet made a single telephone call. Commercialization of media and concentration of media ownership erode the public sphere and fail to provide for cultural and information needs, including the plurality of opinions and the diversity of cultural expressions and languages necessary for democracy. Massive and persuasive media violence polarises societies, exacerbates conflict and cultivates fear and mistrust, making people vulnerable and dependent. Stereotypical portrayals misrepresent all of us and stigmatize those who are the most vulnerable. Therefore, we ratify this Charter defining communication rights and responsibilities to be observed in democratic countries and in international law.

Article 1. Respect-for the people

Article 2. Freedom-governmental or commercial control.

Article 3 Access-to local and global resources

Article 4. Independence of the media

Article 5 Literacy

Article 6. Protection of journalists

Article 7. Right of reply and redress

Article 8. Cutural Identity

Article 9. Diversity of Languages

Article 10. Participation n policy making

Article 11. Children’s rights

Article 12. Cyberspace-its use and access

Article 13. Privacy

Article 14. Harm-media has a right to counter incitement to hate, prejudice, violence and war.

Article 15. Justice

Article 16. Consumption – right to consumer information

Article 17. Accountability

Article 18. Implementation-of this Charter

For the complete Charter do write to Media Mail or at the following address:

Peoples’ Communication Charter,  p/a
Society for Old and New Media,
Nieuwmarkt 4,1012 CR Amsterdam
Tel: +3120 5579898
Fax: +3120 5579880
E-mail: pccmaster@waag.org

Public Internet Cabins in Peru

Students and lecturers at the University of Cusco, in Peru have hit upon an innovative way of making new information technologies available to the public. They have developed public portable Internet cabins that can be taken by anywhere and used by communities.

The technology was demonstrated at a public fair in Cusco recently. Nearly 10,000 people from all ages queued patiently to enter a public portable cabin and try out the Internet. Each user paid only 50 US cents.

The idea of creating public internet cabins was initiated by the Red Cientifica Peruana (RCP) during May 1995 and is gradually taking shape. The portable internet cabin can be taken anywhere in a wagon.

Don Mario Gongora, Dean of the University of Cuzco (Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad), is in charge of the project. Ruben Bustamante also from the university is responsible for the installation and operation of the cabin. A team of enthusiastic students supports them.

The University of Cusco has also pioneered ways to make new information technologies available to its lecturers, employees, students and the public. Being a state institution, the university is dependent on scant resources assigned by the government. There are no funds for new programmes. But, money did not become an obstacle.

Convinced about the importance of new information technologies for Peru’s future, more than 700 university employees – professors, lecturers and other staff members – contributed 12 soles (about US$6) from their monthly pay cheque to an information fund. This amount may be a pittance for some, but a lot for the staff who get meagre salaries. The funds collected were used to buy computers and set-up Internet connections.

The University now has 70 computers in three Public Cabins. Plans are underway to acquire 150 more computers.

Don de Silva

The Big Issue

Homeless in London?

No way Unbelievable. Impossible. You are joking, Are sure you mean London and not Calcutta?
These are a few typical reactions. It is difficult to believe that poverty and homelessness exist in the home grounds of the ‘empire where the sun doesn’t set’.
According to Shelter UK’s leading NGO on the homeless, I. 7 million families were accepted as homeless throughout the UK. This means approximately 5 million people, half of whom are children, are homeless in the UK.

In April this year I travelled to London after a gap of nearly 3 years. Travelling in the tubes I was immediately struck by a major change: the beggars had disappeared. Coming from the global South I always felt uncomfortable to see healthy young men (they were mostly men) beg. They would be found in the under ground tunnels especially in the mazes below central London, scattered around big stations like Waterloo and invariably on the steps outside all tube stations. Some of them would play music next to a sign that urged people to contribute. While others would be sunk down next to a similar sign. A few would also stop people and beg. Although  it was a rare occasion where they would get aggressive I have, on a few occasions, donated cigarettes as I explained my inability to make financial contributions.

This spring the feeling in the London Underground had changed completely. The prickly feeling every coloured woman feels walking past a bunch of impoverished white males had disappeared. In station after station, inside and outside, the home  less were just holding out a big, coloured magazine to sell. The magazine was called ‘The Big Issue’. I found sales were quite brisk and the sellers were not pressurising people to buy. The tense beggar of earlier times had metamorphosed into a benign seller who was as threatening as the sweet seller down the street.

Interestingly, ‘The Big Issue’ was being sold only by the homeless and it couldn’t be bought anywhere else. I had a bunch of questions about the ‘The Big Issue”. The magazine obviously had something to do with the homeless but what? Were they producing it? Was a charity trying to educate the British public about the homeless? Who funded it? How was it produced?

At 85 pence ‘The Big Issue’ didn’t pauperize me and I found it very exciting. It was addressed mainly to the youth and carried a lot of trendy stuff as well as issue based articles. Thanks to my friend Don de Silva, I got a chance to visit The Big Issue’ office and we met with Tessa Swithinbank who is the International Editor.

Tessa’s opening statement showed how wrong I had been. The Big Issue’ is programmed primarily as a business venture. Their main objective is to boost circulation The Big Issue’ started in 1991 and began functioning with a grant from the Body Shop. The idea was to do something for the homeless. The management, however, was sure that they didn’t want to create another charity. Instead they wanted to find a way to help people help themselves. The idea of a magazine came up, but the magazines they had seen in the US were addressed to the homeless and ignored the general public. This effected the circulation and also meant that discussion was limited to ‘themselves’. ’The Big Issue’  was planned differently.

The Big Issue: the inside story

A professional team of editors, journalists and designers are in charge of production The magazine is addressed to the general public and not only the homeless. It does not deal with the issue of homeless ad nauseum,but doesn’t ignore them either. Two pages per issue are exclusively kept for contributions from the homeless.

The homeless sell the magazine. The unique positioning of ‘The Big Issue’ is that it is the only magazine in the UK that is sold on the street. The organization had to take special permission for this. The vendors are encouraged to talk to and take into confidence the policemen and other shop keepers in the locality where they plan to sell the magazine.

The sellers are trained by ‘The Big Issue’ to sell. The magazine is sold to the homeless at 35 pence and they in turn can sell it for 85 pence. The difference provides them with an income which is sizeable enough to shift them from the homeless category. Although there are drop outs, the success rates of people who have begun to vend and continue to do so is enormous.

Every week the vendors come to ‘The Big Issue’ office to pick up their weekly quota of the magazine. The room has a cafeteria attached and plenty of sitting space. A typical day will find people sprawled around, playing chess or reading. Many have dogs with them and Tessa explained that intense loneliness drives people towards any kind of companionship and dogs are a good option. A young man with a dog asked me to play chess. The request was friendly and good natured. The space is a friendly break from the indifference and hostility of the real world.

As mentioned above, the primary focus of the ‘The Big Issue’ is to be a profitable business. They don’t believe in doling out charity but believe in helping people to help themselves. The magazine is successful and has carved out a niche for itself. The weekly sales of ‘The Big Issue’ is 300,000 copies in England. Now there are also Wale and Scottish editions. ‘The Big Issue’ has also gone international and is produced in collaboration with others in Holland, Germany, he and South Africa. In Europe, there are about 60 newspapers with total weekly circulation of approximately 1 million.

Some other efforts by the Big Issue

The Big Issue’ also runs some charities and gives a helping hand to the home less. A monthly creative writing class is held. Participants are the homeless. Mostly its these participants who contribute to the 2 pages kept aside for them with every issue. Another room contains computers and the homeless can use these, learn desktop publishing. The people managing these resources are encouraged to take on professional work and earn additional revenue. They also have a video unit complete with nonlinear Beta editing. My tongue hung out till I learnt that these assets were not created by the profits generated  from their sales but were provided through a grant.

All in all it was a very exciting time that I spent at The Big Issue’ office. Tessa also mentioned that they are always available with advice and assistance for initiating similar ventures elsewhere in the world. They have a video made in-house that spells out the different strategies and methodologies that were used. But they are equally approachable through mail, fax or phone.

- Gargi Sen

For more information contact :
The Big Issue,
Fleet House, 57-61 Clerkenwell Road,
Farringdon, London EClM 5NP
Fax : +44 71 4 18 0428

Some hard facts on Communications

• 70% of the world’s newspapers and 73% of books are produced in the developed  countries.
• Between 1970 and 1987, the number of radio stations increased by 250% in the world and by 600% in the countries of the South alone. Nonetheless, industrialised countries still hold two-thirds of the radio stations and to this day, operate two-thirds of the  planets’s transmitters, 90% of which are FM; they possess 77% percent of the television receivers and 84% of the transmitting stations.
• In 1993,the number of e-mail users was estimated at 30 million. Nevertheless, 95% of computers are concentrated in the countries of the North.
• There are only 17 countries in the world for which the GDP amounts to more than the total sum spent on advertising in the United States, and only 6 countries for which the GDP is larger than US communications firms’ aggregate profits.
• 50% of the world population has no access to telephone. Ten developed countries, with less than 20% of the world’s population, possess 75% of all telephone lines.
• There are more than 100 information agencies throughout the world, yet only 5 transnational news agencies control nearly 96 % of the world’s information flow.
• The USA and the CIS, with just 15% of the world’s population, use more than 50% of the geostationary orbits (transmission satellites).The developing countries use less than 10%of them. The developed countries have a monopoly on Research & Development in the new technologies (fibre optics, videophony etc.) that will completely upset the audio-visual landscape in the coming 5 to 10 years.

Courtesy: Communication and Multimedia for People – Alain His (ed.)

Seminar on

Culture, Communication and Power

La Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi and the Centre for Cooperative Research in Social Sciences, Pune, jointly organized a seminar on Culture, Communication and Power in New between April 21-23,1997 at the Convention Hall of Jamia Hamdard. The seminar attempted to respond to the inter linkages of the three concepts of culture, communication and power. It tried to address itself to the complex process of how basic social, economic, ideological and cultural forces condition communication, in turn, how communication reflects and affects our comprehension of these processes. The seminar also sought to investigate how certain communication practices and theory have evolved within a given system of social relations, and how alternate forms are emerging to activate processes of social, political and cultural  transformations. Three themes were entertained in the three day seminar:

1. The Role of Communication in Development Programmes: Issues and Challenges

2. Communication Technology : Problems and Prospects

3. Gesture, Speech and Image : Their Status Yesterday and Today

The enthusiastic response of the participants necessitated parallel sessions on the first and second days. The participants were many and were drawn from various parts of the country as well as from around the world. It was an interface between academics, dedicated people working with various NGOs, members drawn from various segments of the media – documentary and television film makers, print media people, people working in the sphere of social service and social action, communication and computer experts.

Jayati Chaturvedi
Dept. of Political Sciences
At. John’s College, Agra

New films

Kaise Jeebo Re?

(A story of Uprootment)

Anurag Singh,Jharana Jhaveri

Countless people have been uprooted under the auspices of state plans in the last fifty years of    Independence. People were forced out of their homes and lands so that a dam ,a mine, a factory or a wildlife sanctuary could be built. Their struggle against this barbarism is routinely labeled and put aside as a dispute over compensation.

The Bargi dam, the first one to built on Narmada was completed in 1990.Its reservoir drowned 162 villages in Jabalpur, Seoni and Mandala districts of Madhya Pradesh. About a million tribal and dalit inhabitants of these villages were uprooted from their traditional lands. Kaise jeebo re? records the victims’ account of this disaster. It also tells the story of people who have come together to fight a determine battle for justice.

Anurag singh & Jharana Jhaveri
Jan Madhyam Productions,
MD-4,Sah Vikas Society,
68 IP Extension, Patparganj,
Delhi 110 092
Tel/Fax :221 7084

Uttaradhikar

Ananya Chatterjee

A documentary made for TVI channel on the Uttarakhand movement seen through the eyes of five women belonging to three generations and their participation in the movement.

Ananya Chatterjee
TVI Network
New Delhi

Technology

The shadow of light

(This is the first of a series of articles on the art and craft of cinematography)

Cinema is visual story-telling. When narrative or dramatic, it is stories told visually. When documentary, it  is visual essays. For the first four decades or so cinema had no sound. Filmmakers explored the medium and used it to tell  stories and get thoughts and ideas across. Many lamented the coming of sound since, in their opinion, it made the medium impure. Whether sound diminished or embellished cinema is not of concern to this article. Suffice to say that before the advent of sound and, consequently dialogue, cinema already had a well developed and generally accepted syntax and vocabulary in place – a visual grammar and dictionary which survives to this day. Rather than change this fundamental visual structure of cinema, sound has only added newer dimensions to film making. It is the job of the cinematographer to translate the imagery of the author of the film into this visual structure. To create a look and feel, a unique visual texture to serve the story is the credo of the man behind the camera.

This series of articles will attempt to throw some light on the art and craft of cinematography. The camera person is one whose job is both aesthetic as well as technical. They have to have knowledge in myriad fields, such as:

• Light and its characteristics
• Optics and lenses
• The Camera - its components and operation
• Film stock-its structure and characteristics
• Lighting
• The difference between video and film
• Visual structure

These then, will be some of the areas covered in these articles.

Light

Film is light. Without light there would be no cinema. No video. In fact, without light, one would not be able to see. The human eye, the seeing organ, is replicated in the camera.

Light is emitted by certain objects. This light falls on and bounces off all objects. The human eye has the ability to gather this bounced light and concentrate it on a light sensitive portion of the eye called the retina. The retina then communicates with the brain which interprets what the retina has “seen.” This is the mechanism behind sight. Innovative as it is, there is one drawback to this system there is no playback!

We can never actually “see” again what we have seen once. What we do retain is a memory of the image and not the image itself. This lack is what prompted humans to invent the photographic film and the camera. Again, light is what allowed this revolution.

Light is a form of energy manifested as electromagnetic waves. It is emitted by certain bodies when another form of energy gets converted to light energy. For example, light bulbs in homes and offices convert electrical energy into heat energy which in turn gets converted to light.

Visible light is made up of electromagnetic waves within a fixed wavelength range. At one end is violet light with the smallest wavelength – around 400 nanometres [a nanometre is meters] – and at the other end is red light with a wavelength of around 700 nanometres. Light of every other colour lies between these two. The light we perceive therefore, is a continuous spectrum which is made of visible light of different wavelengths.

Light is reflected by most bodies. Even if a body is transparent, some amount of light is reflected by its surface. It is this reflected light that allows us to see the body. Each body absorbs light of its own colour and reflects light of every other colour. A perfectly white body does not absorb any light and reflects it all and conversely, a perfectly black body absorbs light of all colours and does not reflect any light. This then, is how we perceive colour.

Light is made up of the three primary colours, red, green and blue. Different coloured light is made up of different proportions of these three primaries. When red, green and blue lights are mixed together, we get white light. Red, green and blue (RGB) are known as the additive colours – i.e. when red light, green light and blue light are added together, they give white light. These can be visualised as being at three  equidistant points of the colour wheel (Fig. 1) Going around the wheel, the colour subtly changes from one to another. For example, going from blue to red, one will encounter different shades of purple and magenta.

There is also another set of primaries called the subtractive primaries. These are obtained by subtracting one of the additive primaries from white light. For example, removing green from white light leaves red and blue. A mixture of red light and blue light will give one magenta light. In the same way, subtracting red from white light gives cyan light which is a mixture of blue light and green light and finally, subtracting blue from white light gives yellow which is a mixture of red light and green light.

…(refer figure 1)

Cyan, magenta and yellow then, are the subtractive primaries. These are placed midway between the additive (Fig. 2) Each of these two sets of primaries have an profound impact on the visual medium. (For example, television screens work on the principle of additive colour whereas film-stockworks on the principle of subtractive colours – this we shall elaborate on later.)

If one looks at the colour circle (Fig. 2) one sees that a subtractive colour is positioned exactly opposite the additive primary colour it removes from white light and is equidistant from the two primaries that make this colour. This is actually true of any colour. If white light is filtered through any colour, the colour exactly opposite to it on the colour wheel will be removed from white light.

Each colour also has a colour temperature associated with it. When a black body is slowly heated it gets hotter. As the heat energy gets converted to light, the colour of the black body changes.

Also, the colour of light emitted by it changes as the body gets hotter and hotter. The colour goes from red towards the blue spectrum to white as the temperature of the body rises. Thus we say that a temperature is associated with every colour. This is known as the colour temperature of a certain kind of light. Colour temperature of light is always measured in degrees Kelvin. One Kelvin is the temperature in degrees Centigrade with 273 added to it.

For example, the colour temperature of the light from the flame of a candle is around 1500 K The colour temperature of the light from our household bulbs is around 2800 - 3000 K. The colour temperature of sunlight is around 4500 K and that of skylight (sunlight reflected by the sky) is about 6500 K Sunlight and skylight when mixed together is what we perceive as daylight. Daylight has a colour temperature around 5600K Each of these different kinds of light actually have different amounts of the three primaries in them. The lower the colour temperature, the more red and less blue and green there is in the light. Thus daylight is bluer than the light form incandescent bulbs which in turn is bluer than candle light.

Somnath Sen

(Information in this article may be used or reproduced with due acknowledgement of source.)

Using video in the field

In the previous issue we had looked into some of the limitations of video, some typical problems that we face while using it in the field, and their possible solutions. We shall now look into a very important component of video, that of sound. Unfortunately, a natural tendency is to ignore this component completely. However, it is sound that really binds the medium together and conveys most of the message .

The Importance of Sound

While organising screenings we must take sound very seriously. Especially when we organise screenings in a village, there is no control on the number of people that are likely to attend. In any case the idea is to reach out to the maximum number of people. So we have a TV with a 20 inch screen somewhere, a huge crowd of 200 plus before it, and the farthest viewer may be anywhere beyond 20 feet away from the screen. Ideally we should have a video projector but that is often beyond our reach. But, strange as it may seem, people have lesser problems concentrating on a tiny screen that far away. The problem occurs when the sound does not reach.

The sound system in most TVs is inadequate. They are designed primarily for indoor viewing where a large volume of sound is not required. Also, a good sound system increases costs. The same factors also apply to the VCRs. Audio is very poor in the VHS format that we use. The quality deteriorates further if we are not using first generation copies. The best alternatives for us in this situation are to either hire a PA system locally or carry an Ampli-speaker with a loud and dear audio. A PA system can be cumbersome to carry around. Some friends have found 2-in-ones of decent wattage equally useful.

An ampli-speaker is a box containing an amplifier and a speaker. They are quite cheap and are available everywhere, only their quality is to be checked by trial and error. A local person, electronically inclined, an even make it according to requirements. The audio out from the VCR is to be connected to the input of the ampli-speaker, or the 2-inone, with a cable: having the necessary connectors. An ampli-speaker with a “tone” control or separate controls for “treble” and “bass” is even better.

Limitations of Language

Most films are made either in English, Hindi or, at best, regional vernaculars. We may be screening films to communities who may be speaking regional dialects and may not fully comprehend any of these languages. Efforts are being made to facilitate translations but they may not be sufficient simply because of the host of dialects that we have. The process of dubbing is quite difficult and expensive. Dubbing would also require equipment that are not easily accessible in all situations. Again, there are no perfect solutions to this problem, but friends have tried innovative alternatives that are workable in local situations.

a) Stop and go translation

First a detailed introduction to the film is given to the audience to establish the context. Then, after a certain length of the film is over, one stops the film and explains what went on. This process is repeated   throughout. Sometimes one has a short discussion on the portion of the film already screened. For certain kinds of films this method is useful but repeated interruptions might defeat the purpose of films that are more evocative, with complex story telling techniques.

b) Simultaneous translation

Without playing the audio, a person simply reads out a translated script as the film goes on. This is quite a useful technique but the reading must be able to translate all the expressions as they are in the original film. One may not have the same person doing the reading all the time. Any other person may not read as well.

c) Running an audio tape simultaneously

The process is the same as in simultaneous translation, only its problems are reduced. Of course it involves some homework. After the film is translated on paper, the translated script is to be read out and recorded in an audio cassette. We can use the best orator in the group. Also, in case of any mistake that portion can be rerecorded. However, the recording has to be in the ‘real time’, ie as it appears in the film. Also there needs to be some audible sound at the beginning of our recording that signals the beginning of the film – like that of a clap stick in cinema. So, whenever we screen the film, we synchronise that sound in the audio tape with the beginning of the film Then we run both the tapes simultaneously keeping the video sound low. It will have better results if the translated voice is recorded in a low-noise environment, with an external microphone.

Ranjan De

World Wide Web

In London, brokers exchange business cards with e-mail addresses, and at parties in New York’s “Silicon Alley”, “I’ll send you the URL” has displaced ‘Let’s do lunch” as the pickup line of choice. Everyone who’s anyone is using the Internet. In the midst of all the excitement, few seem to b e able to guess where new  media will go next, and how in the long run the net will affect society. Some netizens – citizens of the net as they style themselves – argue that the changes to come will be as large as those of the industrial revolution or the contact between Europe and the Americas. Though the likely effects are probably not so great as those – only ideas will be exchanged this time, not smallpox and tobacco – it is certain that in the next few years millions of jobs will be created in some sectors and destroyed in others, billions of dollars will change hands, and there win be lots of winners and losers. Just who is who is the burning question.

What is the Internet?

At its simplest, the Internet is just a way for computers to talk to each other. Suppose that instead of taking its input just from the hands of the person sitting at it, a computer could respond to inputs sent to it from other computers. Suppose each computer had a sort of “virtual keyboard that other computers could type on. Instead of answering only the one user who types on its real keyboard, it could respond to machines anywhere on the net Now of course, there are different programs that computers run, and they are good for different things. Sometimes a spreadsheet program responds to the keyboard, sometimes’ a word processor. Similarly, a computer can run different programs in response to input from its virtual keyboard, so other computers can accomplish a variety of tasks.

For example, many machines run a program to send and receive electronic mail (e-mail). When I want to send you a letter, my computer connects up with your computer and types a message on its virtual keyboard, alerting it to receive a mail message. Then my machine types my letter on your machine’s virtual  keyboard and your machine stores the data. Whenever you next log on to your machine, it will alert you of the arrival of new mail. The machines go from being simple computational tools to a powerful communication medium because they use the Internet to converse among themselves. Sending text messages using e-mail is the “golden oldie” of the Internet, still popular after all these years. But the program that took the world by storm in the past few years is the ‘World Wide Web” (“the Web” for short, or technically, HTTP). In this case, a computer (called a server) has information to give out. A program on your machine called a Web Browser”, can be used to ask for the data from the server. The browser connects to the virtual keyboard on the server and types “GET /images/logo.gif”, and the server will send a file  alled ‘logo.gif” from the directory called “images”.

Though it is mind-numbingly simple underneath, the power of the Web is in the way the information is displayed. Here, the presentation is everything. The files that the server gives out are in hypertext “Hypertext” is just like ordinary text, except that it contains links, or references, to other documents. So, for example, when the browser displays an HTML page, some of the words are underlined or displayed in a different color. It is not done that way for aesthetic effect or for emphasis; the color indicates that if the user positions the computer’s cursor over the text and clicks the mouse, the browser program will go out and get a new document to display.

The link can be to any document on any server in the world. Every document on the Web has a cyberspace  address, called a “Uniform Resource Locator”, or URL for short, which looks like this:  http://www.jinx.com/lowdown/indext.html. One of the characteristics of the Internet is that it is saturated with slick jargon. That’s part of the appeal to many: If you’re “in”, you know what it all means. Actually, “http” indicates that the document is on the Web; “www.jinx.com” the name of the server computer;  “lowdown” is the name of the directory in which the document is stored; “indexthtml” is the actual file.

Is the Web egalitarian?

In 1994, the price of computers became so cheap that setting up a server computer with documents (known as a Web Site) became within the reach of millions. A PC that sold for about $2000 could run server software, and it had a hard disk plenty large enough to store several books. By 1994, some colleges had put wires in to their students’ hostel rooms, and when undergraduates got into the act. There were sites for chess clubs, sites for football teams, birth announcements on the Web.

The democracy of it really was revolutionary. No longer would the control of distribution channels limit freedom of speech. The high cost of printing became irrelevant. Anyone could say anything to anyone, and there were no barriers. The freewheeling atmosphere still exists, but things are different now. It took only a few months for businesses to see a tremendous opportunity to reach a new mass market. Before long, it seemed that for every high school soccer team that had a file on the Web. there were a dozen manufacturers hawking their wares.

Any page on the Web is just as accessible as any other, but that doesn’t mean that they are all equal. A  bunch of people are standing on soapboxes in the park. There are hundreds of them, and you can walk up to any and hear what’s being said. But the one who has a bullhorn is the one who’s most likely to get your attention. Acquiring a bullhorn takes money, and so it is on the Web. You get a bullhorn far your site by buying-yes, buying- links to it on other sites. You get a bullhorn by hiring artists and writers to make it slick and interesting, and making sure it is changed often. You make sure your server machine is big and quick and is hooked to the Internet with a fast connection.

The more things change, the more they stay the same: anyone can write a magazine in a garage, getting it distributed is another story, anyone can make a movie or a video with a camera at home, to get it shown in theaters takes connections; anyone can build a Web site, marketing it requires money. This is not to say that the Web changes nothing. In the long run, the same conglomerates that control newspapers, magazines, radio, movies, and television will be in the best position to get visitors to their web sites, but the other voices will not go away. There is a huge gap between those who control a television station and those who don’t – there are no stations operated out of college hostel rooms. In contrast, there will always be Web sites put out by smaller organizations, and there will be an option for everyone to read.

It is also true that the Web is harder to censor than the traditional media. It is naturally set up to make the distribution of “samizdat” materials easy. The sheer volume of data on the Internet makes it virtually impossible to keep track of what’s there. Putting a document on a server is just a matter of copying it to the hard disk, and taking it down requires nothing more than deleting it. A government that wants to suppress “subversive” political discussion will probably have to forgo building its country’s Internet altogether.

The Web in India

The boom in the use of the Internet in the developed countries had a lot to do with the steep drop in hardware costs. However, in the case of developing countries such as India, the price of the Internet services is still not low enough to make it popular. The total cost of Internet access via the telephone make it prohibitive for most people to surf the Web.

This disparity between the developed and the developing countries is also evident by the number of hosts (computers that are part of the Internet). Out of more than 6 million hosts in July 1995, more than 90% were located in North America and Western Europe! No true democratization is possible so long as the Internet does not reflect the concerns of more than  80% of the world’s population. The development of local, national and regional networks which then connect to the Internet is a definite priority for most of the South.

What then is the import of the Internet? In the developed countries experimentation will continue. Online media will probably not be the revolution that some have hoped for, though big changes in some fields are certainly in the offing. For the South, for now, the import is probably not as great. For the elite, which does bushes with Europe and North America, gaining access to modern telecommunications methods, of which the Internet is the latest example, has become a real necessity. For the vast majority of the population, low literacy levels combined with the high costs of the Internet infrastructure will mean that this new, revolutionary, and liberating technology will remain a dream. The true potential of the Internet will remain latent unless we are able to make it accessible to a far greater  number of people. Until then, it will remain the domain of the elite and academia.

Dr. Shobhit Mahajan
Dept. of Physics & Astrophysics,
Univetsity of Delhi, Delhi 1 10007.
Phone: 689-9434 (home)

The Information Dirt-Track

If the Internet – with all its hype – has become the Information Superhighway, then this could well be called the “information dirt-track”. Riding the rough and bumpy road to being better informed, an unusual electronic-mail network is trying to wrest space in cyberspace for issues and concerns from the ‘other’ India. ‘

Aptly, perhaps, it’s called Indialink. Quietly and without any blaze of publicity, this network has been going about linking up campaigners, activists and the voluntary sector to the Internet. It offers its services in many parts of the country, through a loose and decentralised structure. For as little as Rs.2000 a year, not-for profit groups can talk to the world through the Internet’s most popular facility, electronic-mail or email.

Information is power. Undeniably so. If businessmen, academicians, professionals and just about anyone else need access to the Internet, then so do campaigners. Already, the difference is being felt. Bangalore-based Equations, researching tourism concerns, can keep abreast with related issues from over the world.

Another group gets a far wider audience for its journal, by “posting” articles onto the Internet’s news-groups. Recently, when there was a dearth of information about the impact of casino-gambling elsewhere, the Internet offered information to concerned quarters in Goa, where the state government has been talking about setting up the same.

Not only does useful information pour in, but the outer world gets a down-to earth picture of the concerns in India. Cyberspace also helps groups communicate among themselves, within India. Campaigns taken out in favour of the poor and voiceless suddenly acquire a new edge, some proponents of this new technology swear.

Indialink sees its job as linking disempowered India through high-tech electronic communication. “It came up sometime in 1989, just as an idea. Since then, we’ve been trying all strategies and all tricks to get people connected (electronically),” says Leo Fernandez, the Delhi-based convenor of this network. Today, Indialink’s subscribers include aid groups, medical professionals, historians, journalists, women’s groups, academics, fishermen’s groups, and groups working with tribals in as remote locations as the hilly Wynad district of northern Kerala. Just about anybody who’s doing anything of wider social relevance, it would seem.

In its own small way, Indialink hopes to contribute to a less imbalanced global flow of information. It sees the need for strengthening local, regional inter-connection between groups and South to South and South to North flow of information. Why, for that matter, do Indians need to learn about the reality of nearby Bangladesh through, say, a Western news agency? Today, Indialink has its own hosts in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. It also offers services in Calcutta, Thiruvananthapuram, Vizag and Bhubaneswar, and has subscribers in smaller places like Goa.

So, for a change, don’t be surprised if you see khadi-clad voluntary workers spouting technical computer jargon. They’re also dealing with modems (the add on needed by computers to communicate with one another through ordinary telephone lines) and giving guidance about “initialisation strings” (the settings needed to get the modems working).

To get onto the Internet is still a costly affair in India. You need a computer, your phone-line and a modem. By lowering costs, Indialink has brought the Internet within the reach of many more. It also offers temporary accounts for those who would like to drop into its offices – like the Centre for Education and Documentation in Colaba, Mumbai -where one can use such facilities and pay by the hour. There are still many other potholes on this bumpy road to being better informed. One group from Behrampur (Orissa) complained they could only attain excruciatingly low transmission speeds on email. But despite the not-for-profit approach, serious efforts are often made to get the system working. There’s a lot of patience too. Add to this mix the strong spirit of solidarity.

“Indialink helps many diverse groups to work together. It is equal. It is neutral. It is open,” explains modem-guru of the alternate sector Aspi Mistry of Mumbai. He jokes: “When any groups sees me coming in with a modem and a pair of wires, they look at it as something nonpolitical.” In other words, this new form of communication helps to cast aside the legendary differences and ego-hassles which NGOs and other campaigning groups are well-known to build amongst themselves.

“We had to initially spend a lot of time on basic concepts. On trying to convince people working in the field and at the grassroot level about the benefits (of being part of the Internet),” says John D’Souza, another key supporter of Indialink. Indialink started at a time when even email facilities were not widely available in India. Today, a number of commercial services are available. But Indialink’s advantage is not only that it is among the lowest priced. “Our strength is that we have NGOs, activists, concerned persons, lawyers, medical persons and journalists in the same network. We can have a specialised group of people involved in social issues to communicate and share ideas through electron& conferences,” says D’Souza.

Recent discussions also focussed on how other Internet facilities could be made available to the not-for-profit community. For instance, web pages on the Internet, conferences, on-line documentation services, and so on. “I’ve seen ER-Net (India’s pioneering educational and research network) going through such a phase. But  there’s no question about whether such a network should exist,” reassures Gopikrishna “Gopi” Garge. This Bangalore-based scientist plays an important role in supporting ER-Net operations in the country. He was referring to some questions coming up about whether Indialink needed an altogether new role, in view of the easy availability of Internet connectivity now in many parts of the country.

Indialink’s current priorities include content enhancement. Much effort has gone into setting up the physical network. Now is time for the fruit to come in, by way of ideas and issues from India finding their place in cyberspace.

Recently, Indialink decided to set up nearly two dozen mailing lists which will discuss an equally wide range of subjects. One mailing list will be on women’s issues and another on labour. Other lists will discuss seemingly exotic subjects like Vasco da Gama’s legacy and the Asian colonial experience. Anyone with access to email – in any part of the globe – could sign up without charge. They would all be thus able to address the entire group of their choice through a single, inexpensive email letter.

In a way, this would probably help more Indian (and Third World) voices to get heard on the Internet. As things stand, the Western-centric nature of this medium threatens to make the Internet irrelevant to large parts of the globe.

Indialink also plans to build issue-based networks, promote local content, offer Internet access to remote and rural locations, and build up its own technical capacity.

But, in doing so, Indialink is not blind to the hype that has been created over the Internet. For instance, the mainstream media has created a “false promise” that one can find “any information you require” on the Internet. Reality is different. Often, the information is not relevant to one’s needs. There is also an overload of irrelevant information.

Indialink – together with its overseas partners like Interdoc and the Association of Progressive  Communicators – share a principal concern over information. They advocate that information should reach everyone. Freely.

This is a vital theme today. In the past, much of our vast storehouse of information resources had been in the public domain, accessible to whoever needed it. But information too has now got commodified. Exclusive “property” rights over information are, in effect, turning into information monopolies. Patents and copyrights – once society’s concession to intellectuals to encourage creative activity and to enrich the public domain – has been twisted to completely privatize information and restrict the public domain.

Indialink sees a new and uncharted role for itself in electronic networking. Networking is not an end in itself. “Information exchange for social change”, says the group’s motto.

Frederick Noronha
House # 784, Saligao ,GOA 403511
Phone 832278683,832276190
Fax 832 26 3305
Email: fred @ bom2.svsnl.net.in

Opinion

An interview with Teesta Setalvad

Teesta Setalvad has been very active in issues of social concerns since her student days. After her graduation she became a journalist, mostly covering stories of the unheard voices. She is very closely associated with the Bombay Union of Journalists, the Women and Media Committee and the Women’s Centre. The magazine, ” Communalism Combat” is an offshoot her involvement with the anticommunalism campaigns. In 1993 she made a film called, ” Bombay, A Myth Shattered” on the riots that wrecked havoc in the city.

Q: What prompted you to make “Bombay - a Myth Shattered”?

“Bombay – A Myth Shattered” (BMS) was for me personally a search for hope, a release from the sheer macabre barbarism that I had been farced to dish out on the December ’92 and January ’93 happenings in Bombay in print, on the two subsequent cover stones of Business India in December and January. Unlike other reportage of communal riots and violence (and, unfortunately, one had been witness to five or six) what was terrifying about these ounds of violence in Bombay apart from the precision, pre-planning and the connivance of authorities was that the extent of brutality had snuffed out those signs of hope that inevitably make these accounts more bearable. Resultantly, there was a seeming absence of hope during that time. And it became for me necessary, personally, to search out that other side of things, to go into those areas that added up to maybe not more than 15 or 20 per cent of Bombay, that had consciously RESISTED succumbing to the prevailing atmosphere of terror and violence. To find out from the people themselves in their own words and their own language, what had made them thus resist  when all around people were succumbing to suspicion and rabble rousing.

Q: You are a journalist, why did you use video, instead of print?

Why video and why not print? Print continues to be my medium and AV a medium  I have begun to explore. The hopelessness and trauma of the time had turned words, sentences even, into cliches. Silences and sounds spoke better than words. It seemed more important that if one was seeking out signs of hope, that I should choose a medium where the faces of people, their voices, their turns of phrase should come directly to the audience, the viewer.

Q: What were your experiences while making the film, both from the point of filmmaking as well as the situation at that time?

I realised while making such a situational film that I was almost utterly dependent on local circumstances; that often I could not visualise THE precise shot that I might want as a film maker to be contained in the film because, simply, the situation was too fraught with danger to film it. The first night of filming – despite funds being really tight – I had organised a night time shoot at Dharavi. By the time we reached, there was complete curfew. The unit can still remember the experience of sheer terror that one never expected to feel on Bombay’s streets. After trying for over three hours, incidentally, we had to abandon that night’s shoot. Sometimes I was caught in a real dilemma because capturing a certain shot meant actually in a sense capitalising on a riot victim’s vulnerability (the loss of a near one or one’s total belongings) and questions immediately arose, should one relentlessly keep the camera going or turn it away? An eloquent shot in exchange for human sensitivity? The situations were too raw not to have these questions hammering in my head all the time. More often than not I sort of compromised by filming the interviews (with victims of violence) and situations but stopping short at capturing glimpses of the most raw pain.

Q: Was this your first film? Haw did you manage its costs?

Yes this was my first film. After this, I co-produced a film for German television network (Arde) that was shown during the Vienna Human Right’s Conference in June 1993. This was a human rights’ film on the violations against innocent Bombayites and Maharashtrians by the police under the guise of capturing the alleged accused of the serial bomb blasts in Bombay. Girls, boys and women family members of varying ages were sexually, physically and mentally abused by a wide spectrum of the police force, much of the abuse had more than a distinct communal colour.

This film (BMS) was funded by loans from friends, who supported me in my idea/motivation for the film. Some part of the money was recovered from the sale of over 300 cassettes through. an informal network (mail- etc.). Had a special “Betacam” screening for Zee TV in April 1993 but was politely told by them that they did not want to touch any film on the communal question This seemed ironic especially coming from a channel that had shown detailed shots of the razing to the ground of the Babri masjid at Ayodhya but anyway.

Q: How has the film been used?

Through film screenings where I have been personally invited to be present, the efforts of NGOs, individuals and groups in India and abroad (UK and USA), I feel happy that screenings have helped to (yen frank and open discussions on the question of communal prejudice. We have had decades of tom-tomming out syncretic culture (which is vibrant and evident in more ways than one) but have denied existence of deep-seated prejudice that also exists side by side, neither less or more important. If we are to talk of reducing evidences of such prejudice, this entails admitting that it exists in the first place. Films I find have (his quality. By absorbing the viewer in the experiences of the narrators and different peoples picturised in the film, a person is compelled at some level to be candid himself or herself. Responses are frank and the discussion even if it becomes heated and agitated is frank. It does not merely skim the surface.

Apart from community centres, NGO seminars, school and college halls the more unusual venues for the screening of my film have been the National Police Academy, Hyderabad, the IAS Academy Mussourie, the board room of the ICICI and through local suburban cable operators in many parts of Bombay (before the Hindujas came in).

Q: Any problem in its use, distribution or recovery of its expenses?

The problem in distribution is the same as experienced by fellow film makers. Not as widespread an audience as I would have liked, Zee TV and Doordarshan both refusing to telecast the film.

The problem in recovery of money is that the money recovered from sales trickles in over a period of two-three years when the cassettes are eventually sold after knowledge of a certain film reaches individuals/groups then they decide to acquire it. Mainline media hardly ever gives coverage/disseminates  regular information on the existence of such films. We have, through Communalism Combat (resources section) tried to give regular coverage and mention of any/all such films and materials that can be viewed and used by groups. But the main problem remains, first, regular and consistent information, and access to video cassettes of the films themselves.

Q: Any new films you are thinking of ?

I have a couple of AV projects on the cards. The first, a film, conceptualised mentally is a full fledged exploration of a minority consciousness. (Can’t say more as its forming still …) The other two-three relate closely to my work with KHOJ, the secular education project that we are trying to formulate for regular application in schools (middle school level). I have already directed one panel discussion on “Past and Pre)udicer’ between Romila Thapar, K. N. Panikkar, Keshavan Velluthat and Anirudha Ray. This awaits editing, editing, again held up for funds but I should be doing it within the next month or so. An AV piece on Rumour is also forming mentally, again part of the multimedia kit for schools. Last year, Communalism Combat invited Riffat Hassan, a Islamic feminist theologian to speak on her 20 year-old work in Bombay. We interviewed her about her work before the public meeting. Both were filmed in the video format. That too awaits editing. We find it would do much in the anti-communal campaign, at two levels: firstly, her work and what she is saying inherently confronts patriarchy within the Muslim community; secondly it does wonders on the anti-communal front because people just cannot believe that a Muslim woman would challenge the “strangleholds of her traditions” thus.

Q: What do you feel is the potential of AV media(especially video)in campaigns and raising awareness? Where are the problems ,if any?

One of the most imp things about films and therefore the AV medium that they address issues in a seemingly simple and nondidactic style. Though the views of the filmmaker and her ideology leave an indelible mark, and of course shape the film and lead it to where it goes, this role seems more discreet than say a signed piece in print.

I have shown Garm Hawa, dips from the speeches of Sadhvi Rithambara and even L. K. Advani to explain, illustrate, enunciate what one is trying to communicate. I think it works well. The unfortunate part is that there is no systematic viewing of such films made, largely because the efforts are isolated, copies limited, distribution poor, and mere knowledge of the existence of such films being produced non- existent. Weeks before a commercial film release, the streets are plastered with posters that blare the film’s images. No such campaign precedes or follows these efforts.

Film Review

Bombay – A Myth Shattered

Teesta Setalvad

The film is dedicated to the victims of violence….  and inspired by those who, though small in number put up fight.

A film by Teesta Setalvad, produced by Ghulam Pesh-Imam, ‘Bombay A Myth Shattered’ looks at the “disintegration of community life” following the riots in Bombay in  December 1992 and January 1993. The film is primarily based on individual testimonies  and grim images of the destruction of personal space.

The film, at first glance, seems to be a breathless, wide eyed, I-cant-beleive-this-is-happening-to-my-city document of the trauma that inflicted the lives of lakhs of Bombayites. Reasons for the riot are not probed; neither are the actual events that took place alluded to. Numbers are not tossed about knowledgeably and pie-charts aren’t pulled out. Where one would expect facts figures and data that hard copy is made of,one gets gut reactions. Incisive reasoning and clinical analyses are not abundant.

Perhaps that is the saving grace of ‘Bombay …’ What one does get is a thoughtful contemplation of a city gone awry, a people gone berserk and a law enforcement authority simply gone to lunch. Rather than a dry, academic research instrument,  ‘Bombay …’ manages to be an assay into what it was like to live through the ten days of hell that Bombay turned into. ‘Bombay …’ is not images, graphics, data and music poured into a ‘documentary’ mould, baked to taste and turned out. In fact, except for the beautiful alaap by Vena Malhotra and chiming bells underlining the images of horror at the beginning , there is no music in the whole film. There is no need for it. Thee images chant laments.

One gets a knot in the stomach listening in on what the film makers encounter. From basti to chawl to high rises, the marks left by abject terror on the faces of those sharing experiences, as well as walls of what were  once homes is tangible, albeit tempered with time. The words pour out, tears flow and one is left numb at the depths of barbarism plumbed by our fellow men. Constant, paranoid allusions  to that nebulous entity, the gang – that comes looking for ‘members of a certain community’ – leaves one apprehensive about the man next door. A mother’s six day wait to find out about her son shot dead by the police while on a benign mission to buy vegetables makes one scream in anger, frustration, impotence. This was a face of Bombay during those black days.

Another face offered is that of those who fought and those who didn’t hate. Though less in number, their convictions somehow provide succour. The women of Hindu homes living around a mosque stay up nights to keep vigil. An old Muslim lady, protected and loved by her Hindu neighbours, insists that the oft invoked ‘Hindu-Muslim divide’ is a lie. Shiv Sena and Congress activists refuse to toe the line handed down by their superiors to maintain the peace in their community. That such people exist is calming enough. That they stood up to be counted is balm.

Hiroo Keshwani’s moving camera in the slums of Bombay is an intimate, fluid commentary on the scenes of devastation. One only wished that this elegance was discernible elsewhere in the film. Knowing what the crew was up against, one can suffer the many technical glitches in the film. It helps to know that a slick,glossy, investigative drama could never reach where this film reaches.

Somnath Sen

Resources

We are getting a lot of requests from film makers to carry information on their productions. Presented below is such a list. When you want films to be included in this page, please adhere to the following format as far as possible: name of the film, language, duration, year of production, brief note on the film, name of the film maker, contact address and the price per VHS copy.

Dhire dhire zamano bade

( Slowly, but surely .,.)
Hindi/English 30 mins, 1995

The film, Dhire, dhire zamano badle ..gives the story of a tribal women’s movement that evolved from a people’s struggle for control over tendu leaf production in Rajasthan. It traces how a struggle for higher wages developed into a broad-ranging movement for social change. Despite many restrictions on women’s personal freedom in a rigidly patriarchal society, the women of Kotra are seen asserting themselves in many spheres.

Film by: Chandita Mukherjee
Source: Comet Media Foundation,
Topiwala Lane School,
Lamington Road,
Bombay 400 007
Ph: 0223869052,
Fax 022 387090 1
Price: Rs. 500/-

Punarvasan: A Document on Reconstruction

English, 54mins, 1995

This video shot during the period between October 1993 and December 1994, critically examines various aspects of reconstruction programmes in Latur and Osmanabad district of Maharashtra, following the earthquake of September 30,1993.

Film bv: Aniali Monteiro &  KP Jayasankar
Source: Tata Institute of Social Sciences
(TISS), AV Department.
PB No. 8313 Deonar,
Bombay 400 088
Ph: 0225563289
Fax: 0225562912

Sona Maati

(A Very Ordinary Gold)
Hindi, 38 mins, 1995

When the waters of Indira Gandhi Canal came to Rajasthan, the ordinary gold of the deserts started turning green. All traditional land holdings were cancelled and a new dispensation took place. Sona Bai, a woman from the arid desserts of Bikaner, though illiterate, becomes the natural leader of the women. She has the confidence of dealing with the revenue officialdom, and even giving them a piece of her mind.

Film by: Sehjo Singh,
Source: D-3/3173, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi 110 070
Ph: 0116890604
Fax: 011 6898836
Price: Rs. 500/-

Identity: The Construction of Self

English, 20 mins, 1994

Questioning the notion of the self as a pregiven and primordial entity, this video explores the gamut of modes in which identities are produced, circulated and consumed within the modem urban Indian culture. Identity is both difference and relationship; identity is enmeshed in relations of power, be they of gender, race or culture. The video is an invitation to re-examine our identities as a site of resistance and change.

Film bv: Aniali Monteiro & K. P. Jayasankar
Source: Tata Institute of Social Sciences
(TISS), AV Department,
PB No.8313 Deonar,
Bombav 400 088
Price: Rs 250/-

Tatva (The Essence)

Hindi/ English, 43mins, 1995

The film reveals the various forms of psychological violences inflicted on a young woman at work. Alienated and lonely she journey to the banks of the river Jamuna which is polluted with writhing, gasping fish. Her boat sets adrift down the river and her comatose body is pulled to safety by a shaman who with his flute transposes her into a world of colour.

Film by: Sagari Chhabra
Source: TATV,
B-5/19, Safdaqung Enclave,
New Delhi 110 029
Ph: 011 6167087
Fax: 011 6160279

Now I Will Speak

English, 40 mins.1993

The film raises critical issues about rape as a tool of power. It sets on a debate about the status of women in our society and lack of justice to the victims of rape. The film is an indictment of the entire society for the trauma that rape victims have to undergo.

Film by: Sagari Chhabra
Source: TATV,
B-5/19, Safdarjung Enclave,
New Delhi 110 029

Akha Teej

(Who is Afraid of Little Girls?)
English/Hindi, 32 mins

When drought, scarcity and poverty are rampant and virginity is the sole criterion for family pride, child marriages become away of life. This documentary tries to explore the compulsions which forces the people of Rajasthan to force their little children into matrimony, in open defiance of the law of the land and also all attempts at reform.

Film by: Sehjo Singh,
Source: D-3/3 173, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi 1 I0 070
Price: Rs.500/-

Kya Mohiya ki Ma Dain Hai?

(Is Mohiya ‘s Mother a Witch ?)
30 mins

The film based on the practice of witch-hunting in Bihar, attempts to discourage people from participation in the identification and punishment of ‘Witches”. It establishes the forces behind the accusations, discusses what ought to be done by the accused, where she could look for help, the role of the administration and legal bodies and what could be done to prevent the practice.

Source: Centre for Development
Communication (CDC),
23 Jabbar Bldg,
Begumpet, Hyderabad 500 016
Ph: 040 844193
Fax: 040 811 165
Price: Rs.450/-

Behind the Facades of Sandstone

23 mins

Sandstone mining in Jodhpur, involving workers in the unorganised sector is a highly hazardous work. No labour laws are applied to these workers and this exploitation is further compounded when no compensation is made, after the worker dies of Silicosis, a dust related disease contracted at the site.

Source: CDC,
23 Jabbar Bldg,
Begumpet, Hyderabad 500 016
Price: Rs.450/-

Books

Counter Images: A Resource Guide of Films and Videos on Movements and Campaigns

An annotated listing of 139 entries on 10 areas including labour, women, indigenous people, environment, child advocacy, literacy etc.

Source: Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
PO Box # 8313, Sion-Trombay, Deonar,
Bombay 400 088

Communication and Multimedia For people: Moving Into social Empowerment over the Information Superhighway – Discussion Papers

One of the major phenomena of the twentieth century is incontestably the domination of collective communication until the seventies by mass media – radio and periodicals, then cinema and television.

The past twenty years have ushered in a complete communication upheaval with the introduction of fax, video, satellite communications, and millions of computers connected via Internet and the World Wide Web, all of which have opened the door to a radically new global dynamics bearing enormous dangers and offering enormous opportunities.

Alain His (Ed.), 306 pp, 1996 Source: La Laibraine,
FPH, 38me Saint-Sabin,
F 7501 1
Paris, France

Communication and Democracy : Ensuring Plurality

In 1994 Videazimut and Cendit brought together people from around the globe for a symposium in New Delhi on “New Communication Technologies and the Democratisation of Audiovisual Communication”. This book contains contributions from 19 internationally recognised authorities on the subject who participated in the symposium. Themes include defining the right to communicate, using the new communication technologies, and past experiences and future directions from the point of view of indegenous broadcasters, women’s media groups, and people in the so-called developing world, among others. Available from Cendit,Videazimut, or the publisher.

Brij Takha (Ed.), 213 pp, 1996
Source: Southbound Publishers, 9 College
Square, 10250 Penang, Malaysia

Documentary Profile 97

This publication includes a list of the 50 most important financiers of documentaries in Europe, e.g. film funds, film institutes and TV channels. It is a special supplement to EDN TV Guide 97.

European Documentary Network
Skindegade 29 A,
4, 1 159 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Price: 26 ECU