Media Sing-a-lore in Singapore

Media has to distance from Government in Singapore:Expert
BY: Y.Bala Murali Krishna
Panaji,Oct 27-2k6: The Singapore media,with more stringent libel aws, has to distance itself from the government so that the readers ecome main stakeholders in the multi-ethnic society to crve a roper roadmap for its bright future,says a media expert from the South East Asian country.

“Media has changed quite dramatically over the last 10 years and the process is still on.The government knows it has to deliver economic growth and is consciouis of the role of the media which has of late been attracting talented people,” Mr.P.N. Balji, former editor-in-chief and CEO of MediaCorp Press observed.

He was interacting with UNI after after delivering a talk on “Media & Democracy-The Cases of Malaysia and Singapore” as part of the public lecture series organised by the International Centre, Goa, Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Goa Union of Journalists here today.

Admitting that stringent media laws exist in Singapore and
Malaysia,particularly related to libel, Mr.Balji justified the
ongoing role of the media in supporting the government policies that had been hielding successful economic growth and prosperity to the small country.

“Why should the media assume the role of the opposition when the government is delivering goods,” he argued thus brushing aside the idealistic roles of the media as “constructive opposition and agenda setting” as had been done in highly democratic countries.

Talking about freedom of expression vis-a-vis the stringent libel and press laws,media control common in both the countries,the former CEO of one of Singapore’s leading commuter papers Today said even the top ministerial functionaries had to talk with utmost caution in even addressing public meetings lest they face music.

The end of the cold war had brought a revolution in the Internet world over and more so in the two countries with youth aspiring for electronic papers, thus bringing about a radical change in the editorials and content and formats of the newspapers in both the countries.

“Our newspapers are now engaged in narrowcasting exercise, catering particularly to specialised segments such as women,youth,blue collar workers and children unlike in the past with a business model for survival,” he said.

The Straits Time newspaper with a circulation of 400,000 copies and 1.3 million readership was now a changed lot and had become a more reader friendly by adopting different business models after the ingression of the internet in Singapore,he said.

Even the “free newspapers” like Today that emerged from the Internet impact started netting 5 million Singapore dollar profit these days even as most of the papers like the New Straits Times,Barita Haryan were run under the “sophisticated control” of government companies.

But the societies these days had been experiencing a different
situation with influx of foreigners in both the countries, particularly in pro-US Singapore and emergence of 3G
syndrome of “girls,gays and grays who find a sense of vacuum”.

In this scenario, most of the youth who left out of Singapore did not like to go back even as the economy had been growing with contribution from outside.

Girls donot like to marry and beget children while the gays with their own exclusive pubs are growing with the ainstream media not taking cognizance of them and the grays with a sense of vacuum not caring for Singapore.

These 3G’s have become a big pressure groups in Singapore causing concern for all even as the foreign comunities who constitute 3 million out of 7 million population hardly ix among themselves for various reasons, he bemoaned.

He also expressed concern that even the foreign talent (expatriates including Indians)does not like to “stay” in Singapore after serving there for long.

Another major concern was “threat of terrorism” in Singapore as it had become the biggest avowed “lackey” of the US government consistently with not hesitating to carve out a military base for the US,while the tiny nations had become global villages these days,he added.

“Though their economies had been growing in scale,can Singapore and Malaysia avoid thinking and questioning societies and decide the type of democracy in 10 years to come?” Mr.Balji asked.//EOM//

Dating on SMS in Tribal Mizoram in North-East

BY: R Satyanarayana in Mizoram   
Speed dating is passe, now silent mobile Short
Message Service (SMS) is the next ‘in’ thing among the youth in Mizoram.

According to the Mizo ‘Gen Next’, it’s one of the best ways of finding their Mr or Miss Right. And hundreds of next generation are signing up for silent parties.

These Mizo youths are too busy to use conventional ways to find their partners and find it easier to lose their inhibitions when they write their feelings down.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Airtel are the only service providers in the region, helping users, especially youngsters find dates, keep in touch with friends, share photos, and update their blogs, all via cell phone.

It (mobile dating) took off in Mizoram, especially in the capital city just a couple of years back, when the mobile made its debut in the state. The youngters were getting tired of speed dating and trying to get a glimpse of someone special trudging down the streets.

With a mobile subscriber base of just little more than 40,000,which includes both BSNL and Airtel, in the capital city alone, the mobile has succeeded in touching a chord among the love-struck teenagers.

”You might put something in a text which you wouldn’t dream of saying directly to someone”, Zodin Mawia, an ‘upwardly mobile’ cellphone user told UNI.

”My bill seems to be shooting up since I got into the habit of SMSing, he said, adding ”I spend more than than Rs 1000 per month only on SMS.” ”Mobile phone dating not only works like a normal one, but also gives us a chance to know more about our date before the real introduction takes place and that too without stepping out”, he pointed out.

The service’s popularity is also skyrocketing as BSNL and Airtel charge a mere 90 paise for a SMS.

”Now-a-days, it looks like exam time, especially for these college students. People sit with heads bowed, lost in thought as they press the keys in the handset and formulate their text for dating”, said Malsangi, a mother of two.

”If it is decent dating, I dont mind seeing these young
generation getting hooked to this”, Malsangi pointed out, adding the newest trend has outclassed the online chating through desktops, especially in Mizoram.

Lalthangliana, a nokia dealer in the city said ”the mobile dating has something interesting and it become as a part of these folks”.

The mobile phone dating, however, has its flip side too as many youngsters here complain that the person they met on the date was not up to their mark.

Another reason was non-approval from the Church in the
predominatly Christian state. All the church authorities were unhappy with the latest trend.

According to BSNL DGM C Lalmachhuana and Airtel NE corporate incharge Anguli Chittranjan, the company officials took extra care in verifying the identity of the subscribers before alloting a mobile connection.

Providing connection to an under-aged is a big No-No.//EOM//

Posted by Dr.Y.Bala Murali Krishna.

Tattoo Tradition in Arunachal Tribes in North-East

BY: Utpal Boruah    
The girls of the Laju tribe here are tattooed with a design of a diamond on the chin between the age of four to five years and lines are drawn on the cheek and nose after they attain puberty.Besides face, other parts of the body such as the chest,  navel,thigh etc are also tattooed with lines and dots.

Tattoos quite a craze nowdays actually is quite a primitive art. Tattoos are permanent artistic patterns on the skin by pricking and inserting a dye.

Tribals in the state of Arunachal Pradesh had been practicing this art since time immemorial due to some traditional customs and demonstrate the acheivements attained by a person and the art was performed with religious rituals and ceremonies. However, with advent of modernization this form of the art is fast disappearing.

With an effort to preserve the ancient culture the youngsters in Arunachal Pradesh are promoting tattooing as a fashion.

24 year-old man Tadum Baja, when asked about the tatoos on his arm said it was ”hep and cool” and all his friends also have done it.

Tattooing is called ‘Bifa’ at Laju and ‘Khuta’ in other areas. Tattooing of women here is a social custom but with men it has always been connected with head-hunting. Girls are tattooed in a ceremony called ‘Bong Juong’ which is basically done when a girl reaches her puberty.

In the Borduria, Namsang and Laptang areas tattooing is done by a maternal uncle of the girl whereas in other areas it is done by an expert. The designs of tattoos are generally a big stars with cross lines joining the ends, said a tatoo expert. The Adi women have tattoo marks about the mouth, in the hollow of the upper lip,immediately under the nose.

The men in Arunachal generally do not tattoo their faces or bodies, however, in the Laju Tut and Dadom areas under Tirap district, some men carve tattoos on their face and chest.

The traditional tattoo patterns for females are ‘V’ shaped designs with circular ends on the face, a feather design on the chest and stomach and zigzag patterns on the neck.

Tattoos amoung Aka women has more variations with
tattoos on their faces with artistic patterns of a straight line running below the forehead to the chin where it bifurcates into two directions.

It is different amoung the Singpho men who tattoo their limbs, arm and shoulders slightly and the married women carve both legs from the ankle to the knee in broad parallel bands consisting eight bars alternatively of black and white. However, the unmarried women of this community are not permitted to tattoo.

Tattooing in Apatani tribe is called ‘Tipe’ and the designs are different in males and females. Women have perpendicular lines from the forehead to the tip of nose and five lines on lower chin which are vertically done and one horizontal line on the upper portion of the lower chin. In this tribe the male members have ‘T’shaped designs on the middle of the lower chin.

The children too are tattooed at the age of seven and are done repeatedly till the marks are clearly visible in their young age. The girls are tattooed on the forehead called ‘Tipe Tinyo’.

Tattooing in Apatani is an age-old practice but from the last few decades this has been gradually disappearing due to ouside influences.

The paint used for tattooing is prepared from soot collected from burnt earthen pot in a green bamboo tube with boiled rice water along with a few drops of oil from skin domestic boars in proportion.

Before using this paint it is stirred with the help of a bamboo stick. The tools for tattooing consists of three to four pieces of thorns known as ‘Iimo Tire’ or ‘Tipe Tare’ and are bound together in a small wooden handle just like an axe said a tatoo developer.

Tattooing is a very painful operation as the designs are drawn by pricking by thorns of cane, said a tatoo expert. Another practice involves pricking of the portion first and then smearing the paint over it, said a tribal.

As they do not apply any medicine during tattooing, after
tattooing the portion of the body swells with severe pain. Instead of medicines they apply hot fomentation for few days. The wound heals up after a week.

The youngsters here are trying hard to revive this fast vanishing tradition by inflicting needles into their skin.//EOM//

Posted BY: Dr.Y.Bala Murali Krishna

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