[IMC Bombay] NEws Mastheads

[nity68@vsnl.com]

hello yashodhara:
granted. my thinking is along the same lines. i think our 
predicament lies in bringing back the symbols to the democratic 
lobby. easier said than done, and what's gone remains gone unless 
much trouble is taken. we've seen this with the hijacking of rhetoric 
of protest. Sustainable development, participation and gender have 
all been rendered meaningless because it has been often repeated 
and taken over by the same forces that work against it.
ciao, nity

On 14 Feb 2003, at 9:57, yashodhara pawar wrote:

> Nity 
> Symbols get hijacked when we allow partisan groups to do so. 
> Symbols and Iconography, in general, is owned by the public not
> individuals and groups. If we feel they are "hijacking" it, the most
> graceful response is to gently bring it back into a more democratic
> lobby. I am not sure how.... And for the same reason, is an
> astrologer's suggestion more palatable than that of affiliations? I
> personally would have more problem if a media organization that should
> stand for truth and  clarity, chooses to heed the mind numbing
> exhortations of an astrologer who in turn translates the celestial
> voices into a palatable drone. Extremely personal opinions -Yashodhara
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	nity68@vsnl.com [SMTP:nity68@vsnl.com]
> Sent:	Friday, February 14, 2003 9:30 AM
> To:	imc-mumbai@lists.indymedia.org
> Subject:	Re: [IMC Bombay] NEws Mastheads
> 
> hello yashodhara/abhijeet:
> i rarely post too. but you're right. this one does get to you. i agree
> that the reporting may not change. but at a time when religion is
> willy nilly being equated to communalism, symbolism matters a hell of
> a lot. Christian Science Monitor may have named itself so in a
> completely different context. Just as saffron as a colour has been
> hijacked by the loony Hindu right, various other religious symbols --
> especially when used in public -- convey and are meant to convey
> affiliation to the loony right. that's how i see the symbols. so i'm
> not sure that it is a simple matter of whether the reporting quality
> changes or not. I would not fault the Times Group with a lack of
> understanding of these issues. Given that, I only feel that the
> decision to place a Ganesha on the masthead has more to do with
> declaring one's affiliation than anything else. Of course, i could be
> wrong, and it may be a simple matter of the astrologer advising samir
> jain to do this to improve his profits. ciao, nity
> 
> On 14 Feb 2003, at 9:06, yashodhara pawar wrote:
> 
> > I rarely post. This one gets me right on the middle with a hard
> > cabbage.
> > 
> > As someone who has lived in many parts of the world and greeted many
> > mornings with different newspapers even those whose language I could
> > not fathom, I can say this: News reporting and declaration of a
> > religious/cult/belief association COULD be delinked in the minds of
> > the reader. I see no reason how putting up a Ganesha on the M.Times
> > would alter HOW they report and their journalistic rigor. I could
> > not care less. 
> > 
> > 
> > The newspaper I respect most, Christian Science Monitor has overt
> > and proud association with the Christian Science scriptures. Their
> > attention to rigor, relevance and responsibility sets the utopic
> > standard for all! I strongly suggest you check it out:
> > www.csmonitor.com
> > 
> > As for what goes for news in the Times of India, with or without any
> > mastheads,
> >  let that question hang in the air
> > 
> > And oh yes, I am hard boiled atheistic egg, so dont shoot me.
> > -Yashodhara
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	abhijeet tamhane [SMTP:abhijeet.tamhane@timesgroup.com]
> > Sent:	Friday, February 14, 2003 2:56 AM
> > To:	imc-mumbai@lists.indymedia.org
> > Subject:	[IMC Bombay] change... (?)
> > 
> > Hi All,
> > Recently, 2 dailies of the Times of India Group have modified their
> > Mastheads. Maharashtra Times, the Marathi newspaper, has started
> > using a LORD GANESHA image (and has even invited people to send in
> > their Ganesha images, to be printed on the masthead) and Likewise,
> > Navbharat times is now using "Om", in their Masthead. both these
> > hindu symbols are right-up-there, in between "Maharashtra" (or
> > Navbharat)& "Times". As an employee of the Times of India group, I
> > will be very, very glad if a learned group like this thinks on these
> > changing Mastheads. If you want to know who I am, check my homepage
> > http://www.geocities.com/abhitamhane/index.html
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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> > IMC-Mumbai@lists.indymedia.org
> > http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/imc-mumbai
> > 
> 
> 
> 
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