Media Scan

M e d i a Sc a n

O c c upied with S c r i pted-Reality Reality-shows: Are they a bundle of emotions?

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he only thing permanent in life is Change. Everything evolves and keeps changing. The same can be said of taste and likings of people. When the attitude and likings of the audience change, the media professionals have to tap their right brains to give them something different. It was when the viewers got bored with the sci-fi serials, horror-shows, family drama, talk-shows and mythological TV shows, that the reality–shows made a big-entry into the drawing rooms. To be honest, we should congratulate the brain that came up with the idea of capturing ‘reality’, for the amount of drama, humour and horror being thrust into such shows. Now, the audiences have been spared the difficulty of surfing the channels for different genres of shows. All the genres are well packed into these ‘reality-shows’. Ironically, the shows are named ‘realityshows’ but the content shown are anything but real. Be it western shows or Indian shows, the motto of the channels is to sensationalise the events on and off the stage. More the commotion on screen, higher the television rating points (TRP) the show gains. When a show gets shaped up in the studio, working towards the TRP and sponsors become the priority of the producer. Next comes the selection of the participants. I Wonder how these reality shows get participants who overreact to the situation. (The better they exaggerate the more votes they win). Understandably, the content and the message of the show is the last one in the order of the importance for a producer or a director.

Reality shows have degraded the audience and downplayed their taste. Scripted realities do nothing to improve their knowledge and reasoning

People still sit in front of the television and weep now, only for a different reason. Not because the heroine in their favourite serial is beaten up, but their favourite pair in the dance show is eliminated (God save our audience!). In one way reality shows are acceptable. They have saved our audience from gloomy saas-bahu serials. But in another way it makes me feel that they have degraded the audience and downplayed their taste. Scripted realities do nothing to improve their knowledge and reasoning. In India the craze for reality shows started when the Shilpa-Goody issue hit the headlines. The Indian media have adapted themselves to show ‘scripted reality’ with more enthusiasm. Be it MTV Roadies, Big Boss, Aja Nachelle, Jodi No. 1 or Super Singer, all you get to watch is participants swearing, their relatives crying and opponents complaining about each other. The episodes hardly carry anything to introduce the audience to the real cinema and television. As a matter of fact, the ed matrix MAY 2008

audiences have become immune to such shows. There are many who complain about the vulgarity of these shows, yet continue to watch them with very little qualms of conscience. The constructed realities in these shows give better work for the tear glands than what the serials had been giving. What has happened to our television industry? Even the twenty-four hour news channels run a poll on who the winner of the reality dance-show will be. What is it that our television professionals lack? Is it social awareness or responsibility towards the society? Media are to be used for information, education and entertainment. Today, entertainment takes the pride of place in media. All we can request a media professional is, not to take the audience for fools. Just because the TRPs show growth, it does not mean that people enjoy what is shown. It’s high time that the channels recognised the true reality. Manolakshmi Pandiarajan 

Media Scan

I Defining Feminism The woman is expected to excel & be a super woman, says director Mangai.

The woman was no longer treated as an object of observation, but as the subject in plays.

s there such a thing as feminist theatre? Does it mean plays directed by women? Or does it mean plays that have feminist themes? These were some of the questions posed by playwright and director A. Mangai, in her lecture at the National Folklore Support Centre, Chennai. She started by giving the audience an overview of the history of Indian theatre, and then went on to say that it was only in the 1980s that a noticeable trend emerged in Indian theatre. The woman was no longer treated as an object of observation, but as the subject in plays. The reason is that around this time a number of legislations were passed, like the Anti-Dowry Act, for example. Also of importance was the amendment to the rape law, where the onus of proving innocence was now on the man. Mangai mentioned Anuradha Kapur’s play, ‘Om Swaha,’ in the context of dowry. Anuradha would perform her play before a house where there had been a dowry death, thereby making it difficult for the police to turn a blind eye to the crime. The play was performed 300 times. A perceptible shift in the focus of plays on gender issues took place a little later. The woman was no longer seen from the perspective of victimisation, but now the focus was on how she coped with it. Powerful characters Mangai herself is cautious when it comes to portraying powerful women characters. For instance, in her play, ‘Chuvadugal,’ she carefully desists from portraying Maniamma as a heroic figure. That would only have led to a statue being erected for her on the Marina, Mangai says. Chuvadugal, written by Rajam Krishnan, is a true story. Maniamma, a Brahmin, was widowed at the age of nine. In an age when widows were considered inauspicious, Maniamma cropped her hair in the style of a man, and rode a bicycle. She questioned everything that came her way. Mangai calls her play a docu-drama. When she staged the play in Nagapattinam, an ed matrix june 2008

old woman in the audience said, “I’ve been on the bicycle with Maniamma!” Mangai says, “Saying that one or another male bastion has been breached by a woman is to obscure feminist issues.” She has no use for such tokenisms. It’s like saying, ‘Take any field, there are women who excel in it.’ The presence of women in a field is hardly proof that questions of gender have been addressed. Too simplistic, argues Mangai. Besides, this puts a big burden on the woman. She has to excel in some field, be artistically inclined, be an excellent wife, and a good mother. In other words, she is expected to be a superwoman, she says. This writer later caught up with Mangai for answers to some questions. Mangai says women look at women’s issues from a different perspective vis-a-vis male directors. Take rape for example. You can look at a rape from two angles. You can show the gloating male, or the traumatised woman. Invariably it is the gloating male who is shown by men directors. Since 1986, she has done plays on female infanticide and female foeticide. Mangai points out that iconic figures are often interpreted in ‘status quo’ terms. Mangai has revisited mythological and historical characters. She says the filmi version of ‘Avvaiyaar’ makes Avvai didactic from the word ‘go’. In the play written by Inquilab and directed by Mangai, Avvai is a young, sensuous woman who lives life on her own terms. In ‘Manimekalai,’ also directed by Mangai, Manimekalai’s dilemmas are shown. In Mangai’s play ‘Kaala Kanavu,’ you have many voices from the past talking about the choices women made in the public domain and in their personal lives, their ideas on marriage, caste, sexual love, contraception, male chauvinism, the devadasi system. It is a loosely structured history of feminism in Tamil Nadu from the mid 19th to the mid 20th century. Suganthy Krishnamachari Courtesy: The Hindu.



Media Scan

“CHAINED PAST INTO AN EMPOWERED FUTURE”

Agaram Foundation Agaram foundation is committed to discharge its duties to people who have been denied basic and quality education.

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he society has shifted from the traditional way of sympathizing with the downtrodden people to a new path of empathizing with the people who are suppressed in every aspect. The proof for this change is the Agaram foundation. It was founded to form an alternative society rather than to mourn on the present day evils. The trustees are none other than film actors Suriya and Vijay, T.J. Gnanavel and Prakash Babu. They have a view that the foundation’s efforts to bring about a change in the society is not a mere service but a big responsibility of the foundation. This foundation aims to execute well planned activities, which will give a long term solution rather than a temporary one. As a prime means of helping society at large, Agaram has come forward to present “Herovaa Zerovaa,” a short film to spread awareness on school dropouts. The common idea that the government will handle everything and we have no role to play, will only ruin the society, said the founders expressing their basic belief in social work. The motivation and encouragement of Mr.Thangam Thennarasu, Minister of School Education to bring back the school dropouts has prompted Agaram to make this film. Going by a statistical report, they had found out that the main reason for the dropouts are child labour, lack of women education, ignorance of parents and disinterest among kids. So this film emphasises on these factors and on the whole encourage to students take education seriously. The chairman of the foundation Mr. Suriya said that, “Education has the power to make a human civilized and face the challenges of life. Education can destroy the poverty of an individual, suppress religion and caste division that prevails in the society and could be an important factor that can change the life of the next generation. Help extended in any other form to an individual benefits only that individual ed matrix july 2008

but when it’s helpful for the individual’s education it benefits the whole family”. Agaram foundation is committed to discharge its duties to people who have been denied basic and quality education. Their objective is to form an educational institution in the future for the students who are below poverty line and are marginalized. Their aim is to train youth with every skill, which is needed to become an empowered people in the society. They also have a future plan of training girls and boys, to get through the examination, which is the entry for the government jobs, to have collaboration with the government schools to elevate the standard of the education in the government schools and to create awareness about the importance of sports among students. This foundation has planned to join hands with the social service organisations which are ready to help the students in education and to give a helping hand for the downtrodden. For the education of the students the foundation has allocated Rs.25 lakhs. Schools near Chennai which are run by the government for the Adi –Dravida students will be the main beneficiaries. Thus they hope that through their training programes for English and personality development programes at least hundred students will benefit. This foundation is to be appreciated for its vision in training the oppressed and poor students to emerge as skilled personalities in the society. They strongly believe that this step will change the society from a “CHAINED PAST INTO AN EMPOWERED FUTURE.” Talitha 

Media Scan

Let’s March to Teach

a difference to someone’s life and as a result of that, your own.

Teach India is a nationbuilding initiative (or social initiative) from the Times of India that brings together children in need of education and people who can contribute a little time towards teaching them.

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hat if today was the last day for you to change the destiny of our nation?

The Teach India Initiative started as an idea with committed individuals who were always keen on doing something for the society and came forward to become the catalyst of social change. Nothing however ,could prepare us for the breathless response that actually greeted our call . Doctors and lawyers, business and housewives, in fact even students and retired people trooped in to become teachers. All we can muster in response to this extraordinary outpouring of sincerity is simple, heartfelt thanks. As for those equally dedicated individuals still trying to make up their minds on those two hours every week, the Teach India team says the time is now. And there isn’t a moment to waste. Because today is the last and final chance to make

Sixty of India’s committed NGOs, schools and other social organization have already pledged their support to the Teach India movement and it is counting on the participation people who can teach willingly. If you are truly possessed by a desire to get involved you can register and begin teaching. To register, just log on to www.teach.timesofindia.com to discover how two hours a week can make the difference to a child’s life. WE’VE JUST IDENTIFIED THE PERFECT SOLUTION TO ILLITERACY. : YOU’ Teach India is a nation-building initiative (or social initiative) from the Times of India that brings together children in need of education and people who can contribute a little time towards teaching them. It is based on one simple principle: If you have the desire to teach, we will put you in touch with underprivileged children who are willing to learn. With over sixty of India’s committed NGOs, corporate, schools and social organizations already supporting our cause, we now look for selfless individuals to come forward and help change the future of a child forever, by giving just a few hours a week to Teach India

How do I apply?

As part of the Teach India movement, The Times of India has established partnerships with several NGOs in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Anyone interested in participating can visit the Teach India website at www. teach.timesofindia.com and join us. Alternatively you can also fill out the Volunteer Registration form submit it to ed matrix august 2008

The Times of India office in your city. To receive the form on email, SMS TEACH to 58888.

How does Teach India work?

As soon as your completed form reaches the Teach India office, you will receive a confirmation message. You will then be mapped to one of our NGOs based on your area preference and time commitment, and asked to contact a NGO coordinator assigned to you and meet him/her. Once selected, you will be placed in one of the programmes, and after a basic orientation, your teaching sessions will begin.

What kind of education will I be providing?

Teach India aims to help undereducated children through a variety of programmes, including basic education, support classes and even story-telling. These are all very easy to teach programmes in which simple topics have to be taught to children mostly at primary school level the teaching would be one-on-one or to small groups of children. The type of programme a volunteer is assigned to, will be decided after assessment by the NGO, keeping your location and time preference in mind.

How long will my teaching commitment last?

Teach India is looking for volunteers who can participate in the programme for 3 months. If you wish to continue teaching, the same may be made possible by the NGO you are working with through mutual discussion. Many corporates, schools and colleges have already agreed to join the Teach India movement, and many volunteers from these institutions have expressed their intent to volunteer for Teach India, but still the team is looking for people like you to come forward, in your individual capacity or as part of a partnering corporate, school, college or any other institution or organization. You can opt to teach according to your convenience and satisfaction. Kalpana. E