Shikra on a Branch and Jackals on the Bund

Shikras are small birds of prey. They are raptors that hunt small rodents. In medieval times, they were used to get food for hawks. While Shikras are generally found in forests, these days they are more likely to be found in residential areas, thanks to changing ecological patterns. With forests disappearing and game disappearing, Shikras and even white-breasted Flamingos are forced to scavenge for food in urban areas.

We are all heading towards an ecological disaster because of the damage being done to the ecosystem. While birds like Shikras and Flamingoes are adapting their lifestyles to suit changing conditions, one wonders how we human beings will be able to cope with adverse environmental conditions. We are already reeling under a heat wave, Shikras will be able to fly away to other lands, but we will remain stuck within a situation that has been made worse by ourselves.

But then, Shikras are not the only victims of human developmental activities! Jackals have also learned to adapt to changing conditions. Jackals are now edging closer and closer to urban areas. A scarcity of food has led them to converge on residential areas in search of food. These, once shy mammals, are now growing bolder and bolder, and are often used to human presence.

At Mom's Memorial Service

We held a special memorial service for Mom, in which the life of Mrs Ivy Lal was celebrated. She had lived. We were honoured by the presence of many family members, relatives, friends and members of the congregation. The memorial service took place in the Church of the Epiphany, Civil Lines, Gurgaon, on the ninth of May, 2026.

Pews were occupied, and the grandchildren presented a musical rendition that was spell-binding and mesmerising. Mom would have felt proud to see her grandchildren performing so well in her honour. Blessed are those who are remembered and honoured, for they live on in minds and memories.

Rest in Peace Mainstream Journalism!

The title is indicative of this post. Mainstream Journalism is dead or gasping in its last moments. Unfortunately, mainstream journalism is on its way out. People today are turning away from mainstream journalism that aligns itself with the Government in power. It would not be wrong to state that today fewer people subscribe to mainstream journalism that subscribes to the government in power. 

It wouldn't not be wrong to claim that fewer people today subscribe to mainstream journalism because it projects the views of the Government in power. I, personally, have stopped watching popular news channels because they present a distorted view of what is happening at the grassroots level. Today's journalism is based on sentiment and popular trends, but not on actual facts.

This is the reason why Citizen Journalism is on the uptake. People have foregone watching popular news channels that provide more suspect information about things happening around the world today. The war between Russia and Ukraine is laced with one-sided information, while the war in the Middle East is based on who scored brownie points. 

The lack of trust in mainstream journalism has led to people watching reels and on-site videos of actual incidents taking place in real time. Today, more and more people are shifting from mainstream journalism to what is called as Citizen Journalism. Gone are the days when we had authentic journalists like Mark Tully or even Peter Arnett. 

Journalism today is based on subscribing to the popular view of the government in power.  The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) of Iran claims hits on ships slipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while the American News channels disclaim these claims. One wonders whom one should believe. Back home, one is forced to believe what the news channels say: that all is well in the region. The rise of the so-called Godi Media in India has given rise to an era of suspicion and doubt about the authenticity of what is being reported. Unfortunately, authentic journalism is dead because it is driven by propaganda and the need to align itself with the government in power. 

Mainstream news channels are losing on TRP ratings, and more and more citizens are shifting to reels and on-the-spot reporting of actual incidents by Citizen Journalists. The rise of Citizen Journalism is driven by the desire for authentic on-the-spot reportage of events backed by reliable evidence. Mainstream Journalism is no longer an authentic proof, and it is being sidelined by Citizen Journalism.

The power of the internet has given rise to people who drive news. As more and more people resort to the gifts of the internet, they have provided a challenge to mainstream journalism. The fact is that today there are fewer takers for mainstream journalism. Mainstream Journalism is languishing because it is driven by the need to toe the line of the Government in power. Yellow page journalism is on the rise today because it is driven by incentivisation and other inducements. Authentic journalism no longer exists as it is subverted and not in line. 

The fact of the matter is that mainstream journalism has taken a backseat today, and it has led to the rise in popularity of citizen journalism that might be "unregulated" by the so-called "ethics of journalism". Unfortunately, we are today bombarded by information that is not authenticated. The distrust with mainsteam journalism has led to people turning away from it. People are smarter than before, and they are capable of realising that the news that they are being fed is nothing but propaganda! Mainstream journalism is dead because it is fed by propaganda and not authenticity.

Journalism is believed to be the fourth pillar of Democracy, but then Democracy is dead, and when democracy is compromised, journalism too is compromised!  When Journalism no longer functions as a watchdog of democracy, it loses its authenticity! Ideally, journalism is supposed to function as a watchdog and a cornerstone of an open, transparent, and accountable society.  Unfortunately, this is not true today! True journalism is based on the following assumptions:

Informed Citizenship: A healthy democracy requires an electorate that can make educated decisions based on information provided by a free press. A free press provides facts, diverse perspectives, and a necessary context on national and global issues. A free press facilitates public discourse. Fair and effective journalism provides a forum where different opinions, grievances, and debates can be aired, discussed, and addressed. True Journalism is supposed to protect Civil Liberties. True journalism shines a light on human rights violations, gives voice to marginalised communities, and protects the fundamental rights of the people.

It is a matter of great disappointment that today, Journalism has taken a backseat and it no longer functions as a watchdog to prevent infractions in society.  Mainstream journalism has taken up the role of forwarding the agenda of the government, and it does not really protect the rights of the citizens. Mainstream journalism has lost its credibility and has become overshadowed by citizen journalism that is led by actual citizens reporting on the ground, backed by technology, smartphones, and the fruits of the internet. Citizen journalists are the true firebrand journalists, citizens who are increasingly disgruntled by the system, aware of their rights, and ready to use technology to its best, often bypassing censorship, gagging by governments, and other controls. 

The reader might also like to read an article on journalism published by me a few years ago:

https://rodrickwrites.blogspot.com/2020/05/challenges-before-journalism-in-2020.html

Memories-A Poem

The Past whispers, softly scratching

Through layers of time, waiting to be

Heard. Remembered scents, tunes, sights

Voices, waiting, wanting to be heard. You

Don't ignore them, whispers, softly wafting.

The sounds of his spool tape recorder

Silenced forever, the records spinning on the 

Turnable, static hisses passing into the vacuum

Elvis and Nancy crooning into the unknown.

Voices of the past waiting to be heard.

Russian friends projecting films from the war 

Patriotic songs of heroism and sacrifice, slogans

Of a revolution that overthrew an Emperor, 

Exhorting young and old to unite and make the

Motherland strong. A little boy listens to voices.

Memories are strong and will never fade away!

Strains of music waft in the air, voices-spoken

Scratch through layers of time. Parents, speaking

Words of encouragement and advice reprimand-

Old music wafting through the ether, gone.

Born in a land one wishes to visit to look at the

Places one lived in, meet childhood friends, and

Know that they were for real. Alas! That time 

Has passed, and memories are all that remain!

Often, one wonders if they were mere dreams.

And all this while the spool  rolls, vinyl spins

The cassette rolls, songs drift down memory

Lane, reminding us of another world where

Time was spent in nature's lap, watching 

Lions in the cotton field, crocodiles basking.

The patriotic songs of victory float from the

Celluloid projected by Russians, stirring a

Sense of pride, wonder where Vera and Stephen

Might be, or even that despot who visited us in

School, even as armed soldiers faced us.

Creating Safe Classrooms, Challenges Before All Educationists

If one child is terrorising a class, that is not a teacher's fault! It is a failure of the system. He or she might be showing aggressive behaviour, cross-talking, challenging the teacher's authority, or preventing other students from learning. The staff is on edge, and learning has stopped. In such a situation, the teacher is not overreacting, and this is because it is not alright. Unfortunately, some of these kids are dealing with relationship problems, but safety is a major issue in classrooms today. We educationists cannot control what happens at home, but in school, administrators must hold children accountable for their disruptive behaviour. In most cases, administrators hold back the child, give them some extra work, a conversation takes place, but then the student returns to class bolder than ever, disruptive as ever!

You try as a teacher to build up a relationship, but it does not work with this behaviour. This happens regularly. What needs to happen is that the student needs an immediate removal because his or her disruptive behaviour is causing a problem in class. In many cases, the student's behaviour might be violent in nature or it might cause a threat to the class. In such cases, administrators need to follow up with this problem seriously lest this problem lead to serious consequences. They need to follow up with such cases daily. Check up with them today, what are you going to do today,  and at the end of the day, what is the plan they have for tomorrow? What are we not going to see tomorrow?

We need to have intervention, counselling and positive time-bound plans to deal with such problems in class. In most cases, the blame for such problems is laid on the teacher. But then, understand that a teacher has to look after a class of thirty or more students and in most cases, the teacher is already overburdened with clerical duties, cultural duties and sundry other responsibilities.  In addition to this, there is the issue of providing protection for the class because the rest of the class needs to feel protected and supported, too. So, how do we create a safe environment of learning in classes? One of my mentors, Kaye Jacob, advised me not to get into a situation of confrontation with disruptive students, but then the issue is that if you don't address the situation on the spot, it might spiral into an uncontrollable situation! 

Accountability and support in such situations are not opposite, and teachers need to understand this. Do teachers need more support, accounting, resources, strategies, and rules to pull them out of such situations? When support is lacking, such disruptive behaviour in classes cannot be swept under the carpet. Every child deserves support, including those who are affected by the disruptive behaviour of one or two children who aim to disrupt the teaching in the class. Each child in school needs to feel safe and secure. If one person's behaviour is hurting everyone else, then it is a major issue that needs to be tackled proactively. If nothing is being done to solve it, then it is a systemic failure!

In many cases, infractions in classes are ignored. Administrators believe that such incidents will wear off in time. The fact of the matter is that such incidents lead to cases of bullying and the creation of toxicity in classrooms. We all know that a toxic environment is not conducive to ideal learning. Some of the most vulnerable students are affected by toxic learning environments in class. They are the most affected. Teachers, unfortunately, are taken for granted, but then they are human beings too and vulnerable in most cases.

Some teachers spend more time in controlling the class. But then, teachers have not signed for this. If more time is spent on addressing discipline-related problems, then how is the course content to be delivered? The advice of not confronting problem-making children is not practical in nature. The teacher is not a referee of behaviour, and if this does happen, then the entire class falls back in studies. Poor behaviour snowballs, allowing one student to curse the teacher opens up the floodgates for others to do the same! To handle this, we need administrators to step in. Administrators need to get out of their offices and address the problem in real time. Teachers need administrators who have their back! To address such issues, we need consequences, and a metaphorical rap on the knuckles will not be enough! Threaten the class, you don't get to stay in class! The real world has consequences, so why don't schools have them?