Vernacular press lacks quality

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Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsLamenting the lack of qualified vernacular journalists in the country, renowned journalist and historian S Muthiah said though a majority of the voting population today comprises non-English speakers, one does not get to see quality content in vernacular papers. He said this during a series of lectures on ‘Heritage and its importance’ organised for media students at the Press Institute of India. “If you want to feel the pulse , you have to read vernacular papers. They changed the concept of English language’s superiority,” Muthiah said. G Sundar, Director of the Roja Muthiah Research Library, spoke on the topic the ‘Vernacular papers and their heritage value’ and made a presentation on the archives of the vernacular press. In an engaging lecture that challenged the audience, he spoke about Tamil papers and periodicals that were started and the wealth of information that could be obtained from them. The reason for the strong presence of the vernacular press was the improvement of printing technology and the availability of paper. “Add that to the improved schooling system and there was a craving for reading materials,” said Sundar. In his presentation, he spoke about a variety of periodicals, ranging from the very early Morning Star (Utayatarakai) started in 1841 from Jaffna to today’s Ananda Vikatan and Kungumam. “These periodicals tell us about the politics in between various orders then,” he said. “The interesting thing is that even periodicals pertaining to theatre and cinema would have a tinge of politics. Poet Kannadasan’s Thendral, for example, had not just cinema, but also politics and culture. Kannadasan’s views on politics during his time see-sawed and it is fascinating to see how it went from supporting one party to criticising it.” He added that the little magazine culture, filled with writers who were dissatisfied with the material in mainstream media, was an important contribution to the society. “Magazines like Amudha Surabhi, Kalachuvadu etc, have a lot of information in them,” he said. Muthiah, who echoed Sundar’s sentiments, spoke about the heritage value these archives offered. Earlier, as part of the lecture series, he spoke about heritage and what it meant to the people of a city. He asked the students to make use of their knowledge of heritage and spread awareness. “You, as students, have the knowledge that was passed down to you. You should research and study about it,” he said, stressing that knowledge should not be sidelined. “Most of our ancient knowledge is all gone due to lack of documentation. Take the case of the Chettinad Cement. People were making it two generations ago but now, no one knows about it. It is a part of our cultural heritage and yet we have lost that knowledge. It needs to be preserved,” he said.first published:September 01, 2012, 10:25 ISTlast updated:September 01, 2012, 10:25 IST
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Lamenting the lack of qualified vernacular journalists in the country, renowned journalist and historian S Muthiah said though a majority of the voting population today comprises non-English speakers, one does not get to see quality content in vernacular papers. He said this during a series of lectures on ‘Heritage and its importance’ organised for media students at the Press Institute of India.

“If you want to feel the pulse , you have to read vernacular papers. They changed the concept of English language’s superiority,” Muthiah said.

G Sundar, Director of the Roja Muthiah Research Library, spoke on the topic the ‘Vernacular papers and their heritage value’ and made a presentation on the archives of the vernacular press.

In an engaging lecture that challenged the audience, he spoke about Tamil papers and periodicals that were started and the wealth of information that could be obtained from them.

The reason for the strong presence of the vernacular press was the improvement of printing technology and the availability of paper. “Add that to the improved schooling system and there was a craving for reading materials,” said Sundar.

In his presentation, he spoke about a variety of periodicals, ranging from the very early Morning Star (Utayatarakai) started in 1841 from Jaffna to today’s Ananda Vikatan and Kungumam. “These periodicals tell us about the politics in between various orders then,” he said.

“The interesting thing is that even periodicals pertaining to theatre and cinema would have a tinge of politics. Poet Kannadasan’s Thendral, for example, had not just cinema, but also politics and culture. Kannadasan’s views on politics during his time see-sawed and it is fascinating to see how it went from supporting one party to criticising it.”

He added that the little magazine culture, filled with writers who were dissatisfied with the material in mainstream media, was an important contribution to the society. “Magazines like Amudha Surabhi, Kalachuvadu etc, have a lot of information in them,” he said.

Muthiah, who echoed Sundar’s sentiments, spoke about the heritage value these archives offered. Earlier, as part of the lecture series, he spoke about heritage and what it meant to the people of a city.

He asked the students to make use of their knowledge of heritage and spread awareness.

“You, as students, have the knowledge that was passed down to you. You should research and study about it,” he said, stressing that knowledge should not be sidelined. “Most of our ancient knowledge is all gone due to lack of documentation. Take the case of the Chettinad Cement. People were making it two generations ago but now, no one knows about it. It is a part of our cultural heritage and yet we have lost that knowledge. It needs to be preserved,” he said.