20 years of creadibility

“Creadibility has many faces…” is what NDTV use the tagline for its channel. And I think yes credibility has many faces and one of its faces is NDTV. This is what I feel at the 20th anniversary of NDTV (New Delhi TeleVision) which was founded in 1988 and is India’s largest private television production house.
For last 20 years, it have felt the news and presented the news in the manner in which it should be। Be it Babri demolition or Kargil war, Godhra riot or Aarushi murder case, it has always tried to show the truth, without being biased.

NDTV is the outcome of Radhika Roy’s dream which she fulfilled with the support of Pranoy Roy. NDTV started in 1988 as a television production house with two journalists--Radhika's former colleagues--three producers and a finance person. "It was a lean, mean, Indian team," laughs Prannoy. They began lobbying for a slot on the state broadcaster, Doordarshan, and their persistence paid off. NDTV debuted with The World This Week, an international news program.
Afterwards NDTV's coverage of Tiananmen Square and the fall of the Berlin Wall was pathbreaking in Indian television reporting and gave it brand recognition. And later on they inked a five year contract with Star news channel. It was proved as the biggest moment for NDTV.

But at the end of contract, Star wants to renew it but don’t want to give Pranoy the full control on editorial। So Pranoy with his team walked off।

In April 2003, Indian media takes a new birth with NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India going on the air. Now it is having its own 24 hrs news channel in both the major language i.e. English and hindi.

NDTV’s team is supposed to be the best, that’s why the experience such perfection in their work. Besides Pranoy, Barkha Dutt, Vinod Dua, Vikram Chandra, Nagma Saraf, Vishnu Som are among the top media person backs the NDTV. Rajdeep Sardesai and Karan Thapar wre also among the NDTV’s editorial strength till some time ago.
For me, NDTV is not merely a news channel whose work is to give the news but it is the name upon every Indian can bank upon. It is simply a name that spells credibility. For any nautanki or tamasha like stuff you can have many options but when there is question of Khabar, I only believe NDTV. Hat’s off to NDTV.

Trivia

• NDTV is the only Indian channel which broadcasts in Pakistan.
• The red dot in NDTV logo, suggested by Radhika Roy, depicts a Bindi.
• It is India's oldest private production house which has produced a news program.
  
• The signature tune of NDTV 24x7 has been composed by David Lowe and the tune for NDTV India has been composed by A.R. Rahman.

झारखण्ड; Hope for the Best

‘Ho’ (a phrase used for Jharkhand in SRK starring Chak de India), is no more the identity of Jharkhand. Nor it is known as Land of forest, rich in minerals, year’s old prosperous culture and future industrial hub. But now ‘Functional anarchy,’ ‘Governance breakdown,’ ‘Corruption’, ‘Political instability,’ and ‘Naxalism,’ is what Jharkhand all about.
First of all, Happy Statehood Day to all who belong to Jharkhand. Today, on 15th November our Jharkhand has completed its eight year after it has been carved out from Bihar in 2000. But if I’ve to point out a single reason for which I can proud of being Jharkhandi, then it should be none other than but to belong to ‘Dhoni’s village’ sorry Dhoni’s state.
MSD is the single reason for what we have our heads up otherwise there is no need to feel proud on our state.
Joy SenGupta, a journalist with Khaleez Times, Dubai, finds no reason to return to a state which had not fulfilled its any promise. There is no scope of employment opportunities or development. In fact even after eight years, the state has failed to solve the Chiria Mines problem, which acts as blockage for Arcelor Mittals proposed investment.
The case studies of other proposals are no different. Out of 100+ MoU’s (memorandum of Understanding) signed by Govt. of Jharkhand, with companies including Mittal, Jindal, Essar, Tata and likewise big brand, but only 4-6 projects have been worked out.
In eight years of small history, Jharkhand has witnessed six governments and four Chief Ministers. When the state govt. seems making it stable and executing their development plan, if they have any, then there is change of government.
When Jharkhand had been created, four out of 18 districts were naxal affected but within eight years, 24 out of 24 districts have been naxal affected. Now Naxals have marked their presence even in the state headquarter. It had created such an environment where everyone lives with fear.
Now its turn for ‘corruption,’ the word that has been dissolved in our culture. That’s why it is often said in our context that ‘bhrastachar ab ban gaya hai sistachar.’ The condition in the state is so pathetic that many times the ministers of state government were framed under the corruption charges.
So, it is the brief description of what Jharkhand has gained in its eight years. The times in which journalists and philosophers have pen down hundred of similar articles, concerning the present and for making a sound future of the state. And this year too I’m doing the same thing just with a magic sentence “Hope for the Best.”