आगराटुडे.इन : नए रंग-रूप में

इंटरनेट पर बृज मंडल को एक प्रभावशाली उपस्थिति देने के उद्देश्य से बनाई गई आगराटुडे.इन को नए रंगरूप में आपके सामने पेश करते हुए मुझे बहुत खुशी हो रही है। नया संस्करण पहले की तुलना में कहीं ज्यादा बड़ा और बेहतर है। पिछले एक साल के दौरान आपके दिए गए लगभग सभी सुझावों को हमने इस नए संस्करण में शामिल करने की कोशिश की है।

तीन साल पहले जब हमने इसी उद्देश्य के लिए आगरालाइव.इन को लॉन्च किया था तो यह अपने तरह की पहली कोशिश थी। आगराटुडे.इन के रूप में और बेहतर मंच स्थापित किए जाने के बाद हमें हमारे पाठकों का एक अच्छा प्रतिसाद मिला है।

बीते साल के दौरान, विचारों के आदान-प्रदान, रायशुमारी और सूचना मुहैया करने के अपने लक्ष्य में आगराटुडे.इन को कई सफलताएं हासिल हुईं।

आप में से कई पाठकों ने साल की शुरुआत में आयोजित किए गए सर्वश्रेष्ठ आगराइट के चयन में अपने वोटों द्वारा खास भूमिका निभाई। इस सफल आयोजन से आगराटुडे.इन ने आगरा के ऑनलाइन इतिहास में एक विशिष्ट स्थान बनाया।

ऐसी ही कई अन्य सफलताओं से उत्साहित होकर हमने आगराटुडे.इन को एक नई शक्ल देने का फैसला किया। विषय सामग्री और तकनीकी उन्नयन के साथ हम फिर नए उत्साह के साथ आपके सामने हैं। इसे बरकरार रखने के लिए हमें पहले की तरह आपके प्रोत्साहन की लगातार जरूरत रहेगी।

मेरे साथी धर्मेंद्र कुमार और उनकी टीम ने एक बार फिर से नई चुनौतियों को स्वीकार कर इसे और अधिक आकर्षक और उपयोगी बनाने का प्रयास किया है।

अब मैं जिक्र करूंगा आगराटुडे.इन में समाविष्ट उन नए तत्वों का जो पिछले संस्करण में नहीं थे।

शुरुआत करते हैं लोगो से... लोगो में बृज क्षेत्र के सांस्कृतिक और पारंपरिक तत्व को प्रमुखता से दर्शाया गया है। आगरा की पहचान ताज महल और मथुरा-वृंदावन की पहचान भगवान श्रीकृष्ण और राधा की छवियों को उभारा गया है।

पाठकों को सरल नेविगेशन मुहैया कराने के लिए तीन मीनू रखे गए हैं। पहले, मुख्य मीनू में सभी आवश्यक सेक्शन जैसे समाचार, संपादकीय, बृज के गौरव, विद्यार्थी कोना, पुस्तकें व पर्यटन आदि दिए गए हैं।

दूसरे मीनू में जाने-माने लेखकों के नियमित कॉलम रखे गए हैं। तीसरे मीनू में हमारे बारे में, विज्ञापन संबंधी सूचनाएं तथा निजता नीति आदि कानूनी पहलुओं की जानकारी दी गई है।

साइट के दायीं ओर गैलरी सेक्शन दिया गया है। इसमें फोटो गैलरी और कार्टून कॉर्नर को बारी-बारी से दिखाया जाएगा।

इसके ठीक नीचे नवीनतम समाचार, सबसे ज्यादा देखी गई विषय सामग्री, सूचनाएं और वर्गीकृत विज्ञापन रखे गए हैं।

बायीं ओर सबसे ऊपर साइट पर मौजूद सामग्री को ढूढने की व्यवस्था दी गई है।

साइट के मुख्य भाग में सबसे पहले मुख्य समाचार तथा साथ में चार अन्य समाचार रखे गए हैं। खास बात यह है कि इस बार पाठक रचना को पढ़ने के साथ-साथ उसे रेटिंग भी दे सकते हैं। इसके अलावा, रचना को पीडीएफ फॉर्मेट में देखा जा सकता है, उसका प्रिंट लिया जा सकता है, और यही नहीं इसे अपने दोस्तों को भेजा भी जा सकता है। प्रत्येक रचना के साथ उससे संबंधित अन्य रचनाओं के लिंक्स भी दिए जाएंगे। ताकि पाठक रचना से संबंधित अन्य मौजूद जानकारी हासिल कर सकें।

इसके अलावा चार और दूसरी खबरें होमपेज पर दिखाई गई हैं।

रजिस्टर्ड पाठकों को आने वाले समय में साइट के कुछ अन्य फीचर देखने को मिलेंगे। कंटेंट सिंडीकेशन के लिए RSS वर्जन 2.0 की सुविधा हमारे पाठकों को मिलेगी। इस सुविधा की मदद से आप साइट पर किसी भी अपडेट की जानकारी तुरंत अपने कंप्यूटर पर ले सकते हैं। यही नहीं, इसकी मदद से आप अपने ब्लॉग या फेसबुक प्रोफाइल पर साइट कंटेंट को तुरंत देख सकते हैं।

पाठकों द्वारा किसी खास विषय पर अपना मत देने के लिए मतदान की व्यवस्था की गई है। इसके ठीक नीचे आप देख सकते हैं कि इस समय आपके साथ कितने पाठक साइट पर मौजूद हैं।

बहुत ज्यादा संख्या में विज्ञापनों से होने वाली परेशानी से बचने के लिए इसके लिए केवल तीन मॉड्यूल रखे गए हैं। सभी विज्ञापन इन्हीं मॉड्यूलों में दिखाए जाएंगे। और हां... पॉप अप विज्ञापन बिल्कुल भी नहीं...।

साइट के नए रंग रूप को आपके सामने लाने में करीब दो महीने की अथक मेहनत में मेरे कई दोस्तों ने मेरी अविस्मरणीय मदद की है। इस टीम का कुशल नेतृत्व धर्मेंद्र कुमार ने किया। साइट की आकार रचना और डिजायनिंग में सहयोग सुनील कुमार सीरिज ने दिया है। लोगो और दूसरे बैनरों की रचना आरती वर्मा ने की है।

अंत में, मैं कहूंगा कि लोगों की विभिन्न रुचियों के विषय हम लगातार देते रहने का प्रयास हमेशा की तरह करते रहेंगे।

शुभकामनाओं सहित

बृज खंडेलवाल

संपादक

आगराटुडे.इन

Introducing The New Avatar Of Agratoday.in

By Brij Khandelwal
It is a great pleasure to present you this new version of our news website for the whole of Braj Mandal, Agratoday.in, more attractive and user- friendly than the earlier version.

When we launched Agralive.in three years ago, it became a kind of trend setter. The rechristened Agratoday.in has surprised us with a committed following and continuous feedback from our visitors, clients and patrons who have found the platform useful and unique.

Indeed in terms of sharing ideas, opinions and information Agratoday.in has scored quite a few successes. On several occasions breaking news stories much in demand these days, have been widely appreciated.

Many of you may have participated in the end of the year unique poll for the most popular personality of Agra. The tremendous response through emails and SMSs helped popularize the site, which now is poised for a make-over to attract the younger set.

Many new features are being added. We would however continue to evolve and rediscover ourselves in this process of up-gradation. So if you have any ideas please let us know.

My colleague Dharmendra Kumar and his team do not want to rest on the laurels and be easily satisfied. He is now keen to take bigger challenges and incorporate some more innovative designing. He promises this will definitely be a very interesting and useful website in days to come. Needless to say, the contents will receive our full attention and we will not shy away from calling a spade a spade where public interest is involved.

The answer to the question why this website? First there are a whole lot of people of Agra origin spread all over the world. They are keen to know what is happening back home. Two, the mainstream newspapers do not always have the time and space for views and information that affect their commercial prospects. Here our website intends filling the gap.

Let me now tell you about the new features that have been incorporated to give it a new look and prove more useful for our valuable fans and users.

Let’s start from the logo. Logo gives the prominent impression of cultural and traditional aspect of Braj region. The identity of Agra, The Taj Mahal and of Mathura-Vrindavan, Lord Krishna and Radha appear on the logo.

For smooth navigation, there are three Menus on site one by one. First is Main Menu, which have Links for various sections as ‘News’, ‘Braj Ke Gaurav’, ‘Students’ Corner’, ‘Just Books’ ‘Editorial’ and ‘Tourism’. Second, the Special Menu, has various columns of famous columnists on various contemporary issues.
The third menu is for the legal and advertisement aspects of the website. It includes ‘About Us’, ‘Advertisement Enquiry’, ‘Privacy Policy’ and ‘Legal Disclaimer’ etc. On the right panel of the site, there is a ‘Gallery’ which includes ‘Photo Gallery’ and ‘Cartoon Corner’ one by one. Below this, there are ‘Latest News’, ‘Popular’ stories, ‘Information’ and ‘Classifieds’ are given.

On left panel, there is a ‘Search’ field, by which users can search older stories on the website.

In the main body of the website, the top story is being presented with four other stories. Four more stories’ links are also provided at the bottom. Visitors would now be able to rate stories according to their interests and judgments.

Besides it, the story can be seen in PDF format, print can be taken and even one can send the story to friends. Related stories links also would be provided with each story. There would be more features for registered users. If they register themselves at below left panel.

RSS 2.0 version is also available for the visitors. With this service you can get the regular updates on your desktop. Even, you can add this service to your blog or Facebook profile.

A Poll Question has also been added.

Below, you will find information on how many visitors are viewing the site with you. We have only three advertisement modules to ensure visitors don’t get irritated or inconvenienced. All the advertisements would be shown in these three modules one by one. And, strictly ‘No’ to pop ups.

Now, I would like to share with you how I have been helped by my team mates who have put in a lot of hard work and imagination. I would like to name some of my friends who helped me in launching of this new version. Dharmendra Kumar, of course, leads the team, Sunil Kumar Sirij suggested the layout, color combination and Aarti Verma designed the logo and other banners.

Finally, we are committed to only good taste and we respect the privacy of every individual who needs his own space for self-growth. Whatever is in public interest and of interest to our readers and surfers, will find space on this site.

Your comments are always a source of guidance and inspiration.

अजनबी जो हमारे घर में घुस आया...

इस बार आगरा से बृज खंडेलवाल द्वारा भेजी गई एक रहस्यमयी कहानी... एक अजनबी जो हमारे घर में घुस आया... उसे हमने गले लगाया... यही नहीं, बाद में उसके परिवार ने भी हमारे घऱ में डेरा जमा लिया... हमने उन्हें भी गले लगाया... उनकी उन सब कारिस्तानियों के साथ जिन्हें हमारे घर में पसंद नहीं किया जाता था। लेकिन अब सभी घर के लोग उनकी इन सब बुरी आदतों से बड़ा प्यार करते हैं...  ये अजनबी आप के घर में भी घुस रहा है... :)

---धर्मेंद्र कुमार

The Ubiquitous Stranger In Our Home

A while ago, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.

He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

Categorically, he destroyed all the moral values, ethics, love, time for each other and other good qualities we had in our family... whilst adding some unnoticeable quantity of positive stuff also, which any way we would have had even without him...

His name?...

We call him 'TV'

He has a wife now... We call her 'Computer.'

Their first child is "Cell Phone".

Second child is "iPod" and the third "iPad".

फिर से तैयार हो रहा है मास्टरजी का 'डंडा'!

मीडिया रेगुलेशन पर तमाम तरह की बातें चल रही हैं। टीवी न्यूज चैनलों पर प्राइम टाइम के दौरान बच्चों की परवाह किए बिना विवादास्पद स्टिंग ऑपरेशनों का प्रसारण तथा अखबारों में 'पेड न्यूज' का चलन सबसे ज्यादा चिंता का विषय बनकर उभरे हैं। चेन्नई में ऐसी अनियमितताओं पर लगाम लगाने के लिए पत्रकारिता शिक्षकों ने कमर कसी है। इस अभियान पर रोशनी डालती डी. सुरेश की एक रिपोर्ट मिली है ईमेल से... पढ़िए और देखिए जरा... कि क्या किया जा सकता है...

---धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Journalism Teachers Join Hands To Regulate Field

By D. Suresh Kumar

Concerned over the unregulated proliferation of academic courses in the field of journalism and mass communication, university and college teachers handling the subject in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have come together as a collective group to press for its regulation.

Senior professors and faculty members from leading institutions including the University of Madras, Madurai Kamaraj University, Pondicherry University, Periyar University, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and Anna University met in Chennai last month to form an Association of Communication Teachers (ACT TN & Pondy). One of the purposes of forming an association is to seek a professional regulatory body for communication education on the lines of the Medical Council of India and All India Council for Technical Education.

This body will also serve as a "media watchdog" to independently review media content in the wake of the recent controversy over private television channels beaming adult content' during prime time without cautioning viewers when disgraced godman Nithyananda was caught in a sex row.

"In Chennai alone nearly 30 institutions are offering media-related courses. Around 10-odd institutions in the districts have media programmes. However,there are no regulations to ensure that only qualified persons handle the subject. You have visual communication and electronic media courses, with little emphasis on communication, being included in the faculty of journalism. Our concern is that if under-qualified persons or those from irrelevant fields handle subjects it would jeopardise the employability of the student," said G. Ravindaran, president, ACT (TN & Pondy).

Since the media industry looks up to university departments as "suppliers of input" for its editorial department, the need for a tighter framework is felt. "We are not against encouraging more players in the field but we favour a strong regulatory framework since deterioration in quality of teaching has a bearing on the employability of the student," Ravindran, who also heads the department of journalism and communication, University of Madras, said.

A section of the journalism faculty is concerned about "rank outsiders" heading communication departments. For instance, a mechanical engineering professor heads the media sciences department at the Anna University (Chennai). "Communication field can benefit from a sociologist or anthropologist as a teacher but certainly not a mechanical engineer," quipped a journalism professor.

The ACT is also against launching fancy courses like BTech in Electronic Media and MBA in Journalism, which a couple of deemed universities are offering.

पत्रकारिता में करियर बनाना है... कैसे बनेगा!

पत्रकारिता में अपना करियर शुरू करने के इच्छुक कई लड़के, लड़कियां अक्सर ये सवाल पूछते रहते हैं कि कैसे शुरू करें... कब से शुरू करें... कहां से जरूरी पढ़ाई करें... कौनसा संस्थान बढ़िया है? कई बार, कहीं पर, मैं निरुत्तर हो जाता हूं कि इन्हें कौनसा संस्थान सुझाऊं। क्या पत्रकारिता पूरी तरह संस्थानों में ही सीखने का विषय है... या क्या व्यक्तित्व में कुछ मूलभूत गुण हों तो करियर में फायदा मिल सकता है?

जब मैंने अपने करियर की शुरुआत की थी तब ज्यादातर स्थापित पत्रकार बिना किसी संस्थान में पत्रकारिता पढ़े ही नौकरियां कर रहे थे। तब हम जैसे संस्थानों से आए छात्रों को 'पढ़ा लिखा पत्रकार'  होने का ताना मारा जाता था। हालांकि बाद में उन्हीं तथाकथित 'अनपढ़' पत्रकारों ने पत्रकारिता संस्थानों में दाखिला भी लिया। अब पिछले 10 साल में कई चीजें बदल गई हैं। अब ऐसे 'अनपढ़' पत्रकार कम ही दिखते हैं।

खैर, पत्रकारिता के क्षेत्र में प्रवेश करने के संबंध में उठने वाले कई सवालों के जवाब मुझे चेन्नई से निर्मल दासन के इस लेख में मिले। पत्रकारिता में करियर बनाने के इच्छुक जनों के लिए फायदेमंद हो सकता है। एक नजर डाल लीजिए... शुभकामनाएं

---धर्मेंद्र कुमार

Journalism After Plus Two

By Nirmaldasan

A seasoned journalist says that journalism can be taught in six months. Yet another experienced editor opines that it is premature to do journalism after +2. A professor of journalism asserts that a basic degree in the arts or sciences followed by Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism is the ideal mix for those who wish to choose journalism for a career. And my views are in complete agreement with theirs.

However, for those who are eager to straight away join B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication, I think some guidance is necessary on some key factors.

First, choose the right educational institution. Any institute worth its salt will have a navigation-friendly website that is updated at regular intervals. The older the institution, the better it is; and if journalism is the only course taught there, it must be really good. Check the website for accreditation details, especially its validity period.

According to newspaper reports, many top institutions have not applied to NAAC for re-accreditation and have been advertising their courses with an expired accreditation certificate.

Parents and prospective students of journalism have a right to know the curriculum and syllabus before they join the course. Therefore, these documents must be on the website; if not, it is better for the applicants to go elsewhere. Equally important is infrastructure. Is there a television studio? A campus newspaper? A campus radio? A multimedia laboratory?

If you find that all these are fine, then you need to look at the faculty. Do they have industry experience? What are their qualifications? They may even have a doctoral degree. One must be cautious here because the Ph.D may not be in journalism. Since the media industry pays very well, it is quite difficult to get staff having both industry and academic experience. Find out whether the staff members have a masters degree in journalism. A newspaper report in the Times of India has revealed that the Department of Media Sciences is strangely headed by a mechanical engineer.

Today's world is driven by a media economy; therefore, it is not surprising if the candidates are carried away by the glossy promotional material. Think and think again. And ask this most important question: "Is this an academic institution or a business organization?" It may be a hard fact that privatized education is a business, yet you must insist on getting every rupee's worth. I hope you get high marks in +2 so that you do not have to bargain for a seat in any institution.

An institution may fail many of these tests and yet be Number One because of its illustrious alumni.

If the alumni of an institution have won recognition in journalism, then that institution is certainly the right place for you to do journalism after +2.