20-21

STATE MANIPUR

EVENT

Manipur dance is its colorful decoration, lightness of dancing foot, delicacy of abhinaya (drama), lilting music and poetic charm. The Manipuri dance form is mostly ritualistic and draws heavily from the rich culture of the state of Manipur. Their creative minds found much support from the nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore who included this dance form in many of his dramas. About paintings, one thing that can easily be said is that it has occupied a huge space in the society so far and the women in Manipur are not only making their livelihoods by wielding paintbrushes, but have also found a means to

vent their anger against the violence in the State. An international news agency quoted one S. Seityabati Devi as saying: “I have portrayed whatever was happening around in our society; the things that have touched me or affected me.” Another artist R.K. Shangrila Devi was also similarly quoted as saying: “Presently, I am following the theme (in paintings) that human beings have limitations. I mean that the sun, moon and stars in the sky are eternal and will survive till the universe exists. But, human life is transient.” In fact, the rich history of Manipur can only be compared

to the rich heritage of Tripura, which found equal position at the national level for its rich tradition. Culture and heritage have been the foundation of the rich traditions of Northeast, which ultimately shape their people’s creative minds. Turmoil and violence is just one side of it and only right perspective can change our way of looking at things. A perfect combination of art and violence could be a new thing for the social scientists, but this is what can independently stand as a huge chapter in their research papers. Only if they try to see what goes behind these innovative minds!!!

Raymer’s Remedy I

f the IT sector has introduced a new dimension to the Indian job scenario, the media in general has taken a major leap that has ushered us into a new century of information and knowledge sharing. The Northeast is one corner of India, which saw a massive boom in media sector with the coming up of numerous newspapers, periodicals and quite a few satellite channels since the beginning of the 21st century. As such news channels and periodicals have opened the flood-gates employment of new generation journalists. Possibilities are also rife that this new lot of professionals might not realise what it takes to be a perfect journalist, its ethics and the demands of this profession. Steve Raymer, a National Geographic photographer and associate professor of Journalism at Indiana University, has a note of advice for these new generation professionals, whom he believes, should know that “the central purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the accurate and reliable information they

need to function in a free society.” He was pretty disturbed to find that the news channels and newspapers were hardly following any journalistic 20

August 08

ethic. “They seem to be in a hurry to be the first one in breaking any news. “With the media having to play a crucial role in a democratic set up, the need of the hour is to put a stop to yellow journalism by maintaining the credibility of sources of information of facts in reporting,” he asserted. Sensational journalism has become so powerful these days that true journalism has taken a back seat. Ethical journalism is often construed as journalism without aggression. Raymer reminded his professional colleagues in Shillong to refrain from sensationalising news and instead focus on credible and accurate reporting. “Ethical journalism is essential for long-term success of the media,” he said. Raymer has come to India for a work related to his book in Kolkata. He came to Shillong for a photojournalism workshop at St. Anthony’s College for more than 70 students from the mass media. Raymer was accompanied here by the American Centre, Kolkata, Director Douglas G. Kelly and the Information Assistant Rai Baruah. Before his departure from Bloomington, Raymer, in a statement to the Indiana University news section had said, “The media in India are absolutely exploding, both the broadcast media and the print media. They’re exploding in English and the national languages and even global languages.” “The Indian media are extremely healthy and just exploding in terms of

Steve Raymer reach and new publications, new channels and new networks,” he said. “It’s a great time to be a journalist in India because there is just so much growth and opportunity for students.” Starting from that cue, Raymer called upon the journalists of the Northeast to play a constructive role in building the nation. Raymer became familiar with India early in his professional career and the country has remained a focus for his work late in his career. “When I was a kid, right out of graduate school, India was one of the first places National Geographic sent me. It was in the summer of 1973 when there were no cars there, literally. It’s a place that I’ve gone to many times in my career,” he earlier had said. His visit this time, Raymer believes, would give him an opportunity to capture in his lens the new face of India that has gone through several changes during the past 35 years. Rajoo Sharma August 08

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