This is the first post for the new year 2006.
There has been a lot planned for the new year. I would like to share it with you all. First in the series is planned a blog on media. Media has been my favourite whipping boy over the past one year. Reasonably so, because the way they have dumbed down the debate.
However, media is one of the most powerful institutions in this nation. Partly because, under the garb of freedom, they have been propagating the agenda of the owners; the capitalistic class. In the high stakes, they have made the entry for the new entrants tough. It’s more than the advertising revenue and clutter. It’s about the unfettered power to influence. I really wonder whether the journalists are motivated by altruistic reasons anymore.
To blog on them, point their obvious fallacies and assumptions is indeed a challange. And humbling. Considered interests would make sure that the emerging voices of dissent are crushed. Blogs offer the “alternative” view point; it’s true in idealised scenario but a tough choice between what is articulated and what kind of an audience is intended for. Perhaps this reason that I didnt make this blog advertisement driven; invariably to attract more traffic, the posts have to be dumbed down. This wasn’t acceptable; so the blog would remain free of advertisements as long as possible.
However, what is the purpose of the blogs anyway? And what is the likely impact on the public opinion? For a straight long month, I tried to motivate public opinion to fight against BSNL’s idiotic policies; yet, there was hardly any ripple or any murmur of protest. I tried my level best to mail to the media companies, but it wasn’t worth it. Bottom line is that it ought to be a collective voice to make yourself heard.
Secondly, there is a germ of an idea to start off a Wiki on public health. Unfortunately, the present literature is too widely dispersed and fragmented to make any sense. Public health is one of the most important aspects of any nation. Sadly, this fact has been overlooked. People aren’t aware of the way the money is being misutilised in the periphery with almost nil accountability. While corruption is endemic and taken as a part of culture now, there has been a systematic failure to address the issues that are most important to public. The health care sector is slowly slipping in private hands, very powerful corporations who would lip sync the “sympathy” but end result remains profit driven.
This has to change. A strong public health needs to be scaled up and strengthened from the grass roots level. However, the wiki itself is ambitious project. I am overwhelmed with the fact that broadband reach extends almost nil to institutions, the people remain unaware of the potential to exchange information, documents or even sit back and go in for video conferencing ; thus cutting on the costs tremendously. The completed chapters then can be downloaded, free of cost to be shared under creative commons. And this can manifest not only for Public health but anything to do with academics. It would keep the information current; radical and fresh. Of course, being free would mean that the resource remains available for anyone to download. It’s a germ of an idea; as I gain fresh perspectives, I shall share it with you all.
I have personally benefitted from listening to doctors from across the world on the latest medical challanges, either through streaming video (albeit patchy) or podcasts. Though, some cases, it is premium content on some websites. Broadband (faster than dial up atleast) has helped me to reach out to others; debate and discuss. In some cases, been able to put in the theory to practise.
Personally, it is this fact that I find extremely irritating that BSNL has set up access controls, billing servers et al to limit the access. It was with this motive, I started blogging to make people aware of the dangers of big corporations to limit the freedom of choice. Be it mobile phone industry or internet access; right from the ministry to regulator and companies are inefficent and corrupt.
Let’s start of the new year with some hope though.
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