browsing matters : art? market? money?

how disgusting : a website that gives ranking to artists in the contemporary art world (/market??)

:

http://artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/ranking/paragraph/4/lang/1

browsing matters : indian media doesn't reflect country's social profile

"If sex, religion and caste are to be taken together, more than two-thirds of the top media professionals in the country come from less than 10 per cent of the population. Hindu upper caste men, who are barely 8 per cent of the country’s population, have a majority share of 71 per cent among top media professionals in the country. These findings are from the same survey of the social profile of key decisionmakers in the national media that had created a flutter last month.

The findings are based on a survey of the social background of 315 key decisionmakers from 37 “national” media organisations (up to 10 from each) based in Delhi. The survey was carried out by volunteers of Media Study Group between May 30 and June 3 this year. It was designed and executed by Anil Chamaria, freelance journalist, and Jitendra Kumar, independent researcher, from Media Study Group, and Yogendra Yadav, senior fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)."


read the full article : http://www.newswatch.in/?p=5255

dont we need to make an attempt to understand the sociologically informed analysis and rich evidence rather than just watch the news on television ?

a small town in india

i had an idea...but i am still surprised at how much construction/development of new buildings-shopping centres is happening in a small town like bhavnagar...

it appears all great...gives us hope of bright and better future...much stronger economy...higher standard of life...etc...

but brings about so many questions:

- the most difficult of all...what happens to the agricultural economy...the world is soon going to have more urban population than rural but india isnt reaching that as soon... (Three quarters of India's billion-plus population still live in villages.) how right is opting for free trade and embracing western model of economy?




- what is the policy towards ACTUALLY protecting the architectural assets that are being demolished to make way for such developments (i remember a few places where there used to be beautiful villas and now there are characterless shopping malls with cheap aluminium panels standing)

- in relation to that...the ugly architecture of the rapidly_built_shopping_mall_monsters... when will we start implementing any aesthetic regulations...




- and the tricky one...what about the sudden imposed change in lifestyle...and the conflicts its bringing about in indian middle class society...

- and they all talk about 'how-it-looks-like-we-are-in-america-or-something'...what about a place which has at least a feel of a locally rooted place... at least an indian place... (though...i must say, i am hopeful that indian way of appropriating everything through tactics would bring about interesting results...something to look forward to to study one day...!)