We live in a golden era of the Indian media, an era where the profession is booming and seemingly everybody's salary is going up leaps and bounds. My salary isn't going anywhere despite almost all my peers from other media houses thinking I get paid shitloads. I wonder what I have done to project the image of the overpaid hack bastard. Liking good booze is not exactly a crime y'know.
After finishing off Freakonomics where I discovered that Japanese Sumo Wrestlers are cheats and that legalised abortion has been the unspoken cause behind the dramatic drop in crime witnessed in the US over the past decade - controversial theory - but Steven Levitt makes it sound sensible and palusible. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, which for reasons of work related prudence I have to type at astonishing speed.
I have been noticing that there is serious competition between Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Outlook and Tehelka to be the government's main mouthpiece. Not in many years has there been such ferocious competition to be the main promoter of government thought. Lets look at motivations shall we - the IE boss wants an RS seat, HT's owner wants an RS seat, Outlook's editor wants a ambassadorship and Tehelka is well, Tehelka. Sad but true.
That said, IE finds itself in an awful position because it loves Arun Shoerie, NDA demagogue and former IE editor. The government trying to pander to the delightfully confused Commies is trying to crucify him. Something which the the Two surds and Chiddu Chodu actually agree on is that Shourie is an honourable man, and they cringe at the thought of attacking him. Nope but the commies want Shourie's blood. You know something - the former disinvestment minister has a developmentally challenged son, and he has never taken any money to even help his sons treatment. The commies on the other hand would do just about anything to send their kids to an American University.
HT, former employer of mine, and an organisation with zero HR skills (though I am seriously beginning to think that even my employers are losing it while Jain and Jain Company Limited is undertaking 40-120% mid-term salary hikes across the board in Delhi) is pretty bad. Today, they even tried to bury the Bihar story, why I have no clue whatsoever. The blasts are over get over it, and Lalu's shennanigans are the big story of the day. I know Madam wants an RS seat desperately (from Rajasthan no less, how the Congress will get a RS seat in Rajasthan however is beyond me) and HT is quick becoming Lalu's biggest promoter. It even gave the Banerjee report the whole of its front page.
Outlook is a lost case - its like handing the government a bullhorn. Tehelka is not as pro-government as it seems, but after the NDA was voted out, it seems to have lost all purpose in life. I mean the "Aishwariya is all PR hype" story was good - but they forgot to mention how fat that girl is getting. Yeah, but that was a good story. Talking about weekly's - I am still flabbergasted at this weeks IT cover photo. Well, at least it wasn't a badly done Photochop job, but weird cover nonetheless. The less said about the hundred-odd pages inside the better.
I know I have right-wing tendencies - but I'm not a BJP fan (unlike some other blood relations) either. I believe that there is a clear space in this country for a decent right-of-centre political outfit, with decently liberal social views and and a progressive economic outlook.
I should join politics soon, both coalitions are jokes in this country. One boycotts the democratic process, the other indulges in a witch-hunt. Madness.
On other notes..
My horoscope for the week has me a bit worried!
"Libra (Sept. 22-Oct. 22)
You've got the jimmy legs, nervously biting your nails and fidgeting as the week begins. Better find an outlet for all that excess energy, like jogging. Or fisting."
Kimi Raikkonen drove an amazing race down at Monte Carlo on Sunday. But, the move of the race was when Nick Heidfeld shoved his Williams past Fernando Alonso. This looks like being a great season.
And if you like seeing classy pics of naked women, this is the Hubba-Hubbaness site for you.
The 9/11 Commission said that one reason no-one could predict the attacks on the day that changed the world was a 'Lack of Imagination.' Well, lack imagination no more. See the ways that terrorists will atack next. Other than blow up movie halls showing Sunny Deol movies.
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10 comments:
Sutirtho P of HT has done a sexy piece title "Why visiting VIPs always spot a tiger...". Basically how the 'food' is planted for their visit....
I think it should be banned...just like 'hakka' was...
Sutirtho P of HT has done a sexy piece titled "Why visiting VIPs always spot a tiger...". Basically how the 'food' is planted for their visit....
I think it should be banned...just like 'hakka' was...
Visting VIPs also get to see the Taj all by themselves (Lady Di) and other even more insignificant politicians or royalty of European and South American nations. They also see tigers. No fair I agree. They should feed the politicians to the Tigers.
now that i have enuf time i'll respond to some stuff in your post:
a.. about your being poorly paid. you are an extremely spoilt wooly brained mama's boy who doesn't know what it is to earn a piddly salary! it's shameful that at your age you live with your parents (which means all your household expenses are taken care of). not just that, you have doting sets of parents who have financed a car for your comfort! how many kids your age get that?!!!
if i were your boss (thank your lucky stars i'm not!!!) i would have sent you to b'bay with a salary cut, you complaining wimp!
and don't jump about too much about toi giving out huge hikes, first look at the base salaries of those people and you will know why those hikes are required, esp when there are new products coming into the market and there is large scale poaching going on in the industry. toi salaries have been the lowest in the industry and it's time they undid that wrong! in any case there is not much that the slimeballs at toi offer journos, at least let them offer good money!
lastly, stop behaving like a rich spoilt brat with little brains and no maturity!
Rums, hello, industry salaries are rising like mad. I cannot AFFORD to move out of my house. TWO - my parents did not finance my car, other than some money my dad put in, actually I should have bought the car off him. I have lived on next to nothing in my first two jobs. The reality of the matter is that I love my current job, but love doesn't mean I should be blind to what is happening in the industry. Love ain't blind, and I know I'm worth a hell of a lot more than I currently get paid. It is pissing off when assholes with half my experience and for that matter connections get paid twice or more what I do. Do you really think I like staying at home? No I don't, in fact if you were to ask my mother she'ld tell you I spend most of my time at Friendgirl's anyway. The base salaries of the people at ToI and ET were already higher than what this group gives that happened last year. If our marketing deprtment goes around with pom-poms saying how they are getting more ads and premiums are going through the roof and if our ad rates are hitting rates of 1.25-1.5 a page , my total salary is what two ads a year. Bull. If the publication is doing well so should the team writing for it, otherwise teams tend to move on. I don't want to leave, but the fact of the matter is yes, I'm spolit and yes, I love the good life. Anything wrong with that? I don't think so. I need more money, end of story.
i have heard that they are currently calculating your enormous value in order to fix your raise this year. i am also told that they are floored by your exquisite command over english, microscopic eye for detail, thoroughness in reportage, brilliant ideation and, above all, your exemplary work style, besides, of course, your example-setting discipline and dedication to your job, which is already inspiring legions of wannabe journos across the city and, well, the country. hail to thee.
there is plenty that is wrong with being spoilt and loving the good life if you can't afford it, but i guess to brats like yourself it doesn't matter. in fact, you wear your spoilt attitude on your sleeve as if it is something to be proud of!
and i know it is pissing off to see morons do better than you, and that is a fact of life but i suppose you haven't attained the maturity to deal with that. and remember no one, not even the best team is indispensable. let me tell you no one will miss your presence if you quit, but i can tell you that you would have missed out on learning a valuable lesson that you can look back on with pride.
i'm amazed how dense your mind is that you give me a complete asinine instance of you spending most of your time at your girlfriend's and not your home. how is spending time at her place make you more responsible, in fact, it just shows that not only are you a parasite to your parents but also hers!!!
i know i might be wasting my breath lecturing you like this, but i seriously think that you are basically a sweet kid who has been spoilt rotten and needs a good talking to. when you are older maybe you will understand what i'm trying to get across to you. and as you yourself know all bong moms think their sons are gods, but just thinking does not make them so!
No, Rums that is not the point. Please understand that I chose this career path for myself, and I know better than most that every single person is dispensible, there are a thousand more (maybe not as good as me) people who'ld have less attitude live at home, not drink and be the sweetest souls possible (why, there are people like that in my office as well). I'm not. Listen, I usually don't like bringing up the circumstances that I was raised in, but the fact remains that I had zilch adult influence when I was in my teens, and I know that I could have turned out a lot worse. Good kid, I think not, but spoilt silly - when? Things weren't easy after Dad walked out, they really weren't. I didn't have a lot of things my friends had, I mean Mom did a fantastic job, but....
Plus, my point is, if I enjoy having a good time, that IS having a life, something a majority of my colleagues evidently do not, so fucking big deal. I like good food, and I like good booze. And I can afford it. I don't lie and the last thing I am is corrupt, unless you consider being given cellular phones and cars for reviews are a roundabout bribe.
Listen, I migth have been a bit rash in the afternoon with work pressure and all, but honestly I'm getting increasingly frustrated with work - firstly I see myself right here right now doing more work than most of peers (even in newspapers) and moving nowhere desig or money wise. And that gets me frustrated. And thats when I begin to question - why the fuck am I doing this - the access? the feeling you get when some asswipe calls you up and says 'nice story'? or because I'm actually doing something that is changing the world? It certainly isn't for the money, that much I know. If I really wanted money that bad, I would have quit a long long time ago, or joined a call centre. Theonewhowathchesme, whose identity I can guess, listen - you have no clue how much flak I get at home 'Taka bade na kano?' you capiche? Don't ever get me wrong, I love my job and I love my organisations (the idiot quotient here is the lowest I'll ever get in my career I assume) but god, it is frustrating at times and honestly, I am fucking sick of being called lazy all the time, you know what if I'm so fucking lazy get me fired, lazy my fat ass. The last three months I haven't had too much time to myself - juggling family (its tough with two sets of parents, friendgirl and friends getting married plus other friends). In fact, maybe I need a break - but when and how? Add everything up, high job stress, low pay, no time and you get me. This blog is actually one of my only joys in life right now.
Plus, on-job discipline, work ethic and ideation - over the last three-four months you're going to fault me on that as well? True, the first one year, I was a rather immature and idiotic in my behaivior and even saw pRon and chatted on my machine. When was the last time you saw me doing anything illegal (or even playing a game) on my machine? Unless airliners.net is illegal.
without the prod, the cattle stray, hence the harsh words... we'll make a man out of you yet!
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