How does media influence my life?
“What is this life if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare,
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.”
How do I describe the influence of the two great loves of my life? It is akin to the stirring I felt when I truly comprehended my first poem — ‘Leisure’ by the Welsh poet WH Davies.
Suddenly I could smell the wet grass, feel the texture of those wooden boughs and actually feel life slipping by. Davies’ idea struck me like the gong of a school bell that shatters the studious silence of midday. I feel that only poetry can aptly capture the effect ‘Television’ and the magic of words had on a mere child that I was.
Television gave me my first ever real ambition in life. I aspired, as only a little girl can, to become a police inspector, like the little village girl in red-ribboned plaits in the Doordarshan serial titled ‘Udaan’, the first of many successful serials to come in Indian television. Television, which was in its infancy in India in the 90’s, had me mesmerised and spell-bound. The vibrant film songs in exotic locales, the myriad expressions that matched the dance steps of the actors, the mythological serials held me captive.
Could anything be more magical? That people could have such interesting lives and audiences around the world could get a peek into their lives through a 21 inch frame.
Before television made an idiot out of me, I encountered the magical world of books. I started with ‘Chandamama’, followed it with Enid Blyton and moved to the super sleuths Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys adventures, later graduating to newspapers. The thrill in grabbing that familiar scroll persists even today.
For me however, the transition of newspapers from then to now went something like this:
THEN- uncrushed, smelling of fresh print, cartoons, quote of the day, contests, pretending to be reading seriously sometimes, posters of actors, photos of celebrities and sportspersons and invariably my dog’s paw prints and sometimes teeth marks.
NOW- The Ambani brothers conflict, Uncle Sam’s politics, Page 3, the ever elusive Laden, scam unfolding Bihar, Bangalorization, interviews of personalities I looked upto, a new budget(still deciphering how it relates to me), Tehelka, new movies and their ratings by critics, paw prints et all…
These two mediums exerted tumultuous influences and shaped my choice of Media as the subject for my graduation. The three years with internships at The New Indian Express, an ad agency and being part of a documentary film, have given me a taste of the industry and I can say with conviction, has left me wanting more!
The rawness and brilliance of capturing life through a lens on the one hand and the transformation of a concept with the aid of research, production and editing — into a visual experience, made me a humbler and a patient person. I now believe that if the newspaper speaks of reality, then advertising is virtual reality. My true calling lies with words, images and creativity. Finding a foothold in the pulsating system of a newspaper or a magazine, is my ultimate salvation. I have come far from being the impressionable girl, having seen the world through the perspectives of other people and the sensibilities of a media student; I believe that my sojourn has only just begun!
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