Rashi Shrivastava's Blog, page 4

Sexual-ization of Media Content

[image error]Source – https://www.theodysseyonline.com/how-...

Now this is something that has been on my mind since long, something that also deeply hurts my idea of the society, and perhaps my country.

How often has it been that you turn on the radio, no matter which channel it is, and all you get to hear are sleazy innuendos and cheap slapstick humour? How often have you felt that most of the times, that cheap humour was unneeded and irrelevant to not only the society but also to, say the time of the day and the company you are with. Why is sex such a huge selling point in my country? And, I’m not just dragging my country in this pool of mud, I’m certain that sexual-ization of content in media, especially the radio is a serious issue everywhere. It feels as if we’re living among perverts who find the audacity to sneer at the slightest innuendo that they may come up with, disregarding the fact that they’re speaking on a public platform.

And, the cherry on the cake comes when the same media platforms, be it the radio or television, will then suddenly become the flag bearers of protest against sexism and male chauvinism. Irony seems to be growing in population. Because no other explanation arises out of the fact that on one hand you are projecting sexist images and audio recordings on the radio while on the other hand you want to talk about some recent lad who is trending on YouTube because of his extremely derogatory and sexist song about some woman he wants to copulate without her consent. Why do we then talk about consent if these are the kinds of songs that we wish to propagate and make famous by ‘hating’ it to the level of giving it over one million views on YouTube. And not just that, we even hosts events in its name especially in the capital city of the country and sing the same song on the top of our voices. Is this one issue that even divides the youth of our nations?

Without digressing, is this the young radio culture? Propagating their radio jockeys as “kadak launde” (hard boys, whatever they imply by ‘hard’) or “bade mujhe bhi ache lagte hai, par chote ad break” (even I like them big, but shorter ad breaks) in a sensual and orgasmic voice. Honestly, when I hear all this there is just one thing that comes to my mind and that is lament. I lament the loss of dignity in society. This is the kind of freedom of expression that we need to curb. This is the kind of perverted filth that we need to stop from polluting the minds of our future generations. Why do kids these days become mature before they even acquire puberty? Or, why is puberty hitting kids at the age of eight? Lifestyle changes, perhaps. But more than that, it is this unnecessary exposure that can’t be avoided because it’s everywhere.

Well, what more can be done except avoiding it, or turning a deaf ear to it, as in literally. This won’t stop because what sells is what they will sell. I wish I could get to write radio and media scripts for a day, because I’m sure I could have created better content, if not then at least that wouldn’t have been obscene and embarrasing to the general public.

Sign out.

Printed. Delivered. Achieved.

What else is happiness if not a box of your own books?

Because I want to keep them all

Book Launches Decoded

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In my earlier post, I had invited all of you to my book launch. Ever since, I have been getting queries from my ‘not so literature loving’ friends that they have no idea what to do at a book launch. Well, here are some tips that you may keep in mind regarding what actually happens at such an event.

First, a book launch is categorically an event that is meant to introduce the Author and his/her work to the reading market. It is not a launch party and neither is it some kind of a formal conference or seminar.

Second, the kind of people who attend book launches are generally bibliophile(s) who find it intellectually raising to be a part of such events. Some of them could be present because they are friends with the author and are there to support him/her in the act of launching his/her book.

Third, any book launch may be decorated with good acoustics and refreshments,  but the actual purpose of a launch is discussing the book written by the author so that people get interested to buy and share the book. So, as interesting it may sound, it is actually a salad topped with a good whipped cream dressing.

And last, any book launch functions essentially with the purpose of attracting media attention towards itself because who else has the capacity to sell your book if not the media?

I am hoping that all the above points were helpful to my readers in some way at least. The rest can be taken care of when we meet at my launch

Sojourn – Book Launch

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Welcome,

The official launch of my debut novel, Sojourn shall be held on 2nd September, 2017. This is an official notification issued in order to invite all my WordPress readers to the launch that will be held in New Delhi, India.

Venue – Oxford Bookstore, N – 81, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001

Time – 1800 hours + GMT 5:00

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For my international connections, the launch will also be live via my Facebook and Twitter page, so that none of my friends can miss out on it.

Hoping to see many of you at the launch

26.08.2017

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Sojourn, A Woman In Exile is now ready for sale globally across various online platforms. It still seems like a distant reality to me. It is still hard to acknowledge myself as a writer and all this in spite of all the hard work that went into putting this novel together, word by word.

I can’t thank my family and friends enough

Words that Paint #23

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Translation – The light of Success is something that people can see on the surface, but what about the darkness that gave rise to the struggle to succeed? 

It is the same darkness that has helped me achieve my dream, otherwise the ineffective ray of hope had already burnt my existence.

Sometimes, a ray of hope can make you lethargic, it can stop you from working hard. But, darkness will always be there to remind you of the amount of work you need to do in order to convert that darkness into the light of Success.

Sojourn – Cover Release

Hey,

Finally, the big day has arrived when I must and can reveal the cover of my debut novel – Sojourn, A Woman In Exile. 

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So, this is the official cover of my debut novel and I was so excited to share it with all my readers (I was just waiting for a confirmation from my publisher, BecomeShakespeare and also from my PR Agency, MadProMedia) It took me a while to come up with a visual that appealed to my understanding of the novel and this picture is the most apt representation of the protagonist of Sojourn.

They say, that a cover is one of the most important aspects of a book and that a reader spends approximately 6 seconds on the cover of a book, on an average, before making a decision whether to purchase that book or not. With a lot of anticipation, I shall be waiting for all kinds of comments from my readers, regarding the cover.

Thank you for your support and love

Sojourn Insight #5

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Here I am, presenting another snippet from my novel, Sojourn, A Woman In Exile and along with this I would like to share with my readers that I have hired a PR Agency that is MadProMedia which has been instrumental in aiding the book publishing process. Hopefully, I will be able to commit to a date and an extravagant Book Launch for my readers! ✌

I’m guessing that our patience will deliver fruits at the end of this struggle and all my readers, friends and family, who have supported me till now, will continue to do so in the future as well. I cannot thank you enough for being there for me, in terms of follows, likes or comments and in helping me understand that somebody out there is waiting to read my book

Words that Paint #22

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We are so full of hopes, wishes and needs that we fail to notice that what we have is enough. 

Translation – The world would have been a fulfilling place, had we not harboured wishes and prayers for us. It would have been a wholesome place, had we not harboured reasons to ask for more. 

Let’s try and be at peace with what we have, instead of running after what we don’t.

P. S. Caught by the Hindi bug! Kindly bear with me

आशाएं

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कभी जो बादल बरसे 

पिंजरे में बंद एक चिड़िया तरसे

कोई पंख देकर उसे उड़ा दे फिरसे

हर बूंद में उसकी आज़ादी बरसे।। 

वो आज़ादी नही जो देश की हो,

वो आज़ादी नही जो वेश की हो,

वो आज़ादी नही जो मोह की हो,

बस आज़ादी जो उसकी अपनी हो।। 

कहते है वो, मैं हूँ पिंजरे की रानी,

पर आज़ादी की प्यास है मेरी कहानी

मैं वो नही जो छूट के भी ना सम्बल पाऊँ

किसी पिंजरे की आदि नही, कैसे समझाओं? 

रिश्ते नाते और बंधन,

सब तभी निभा पाऊँगी

जब अपने और इन सांसों के,

रिश्ते को समझ पाऊँगी।। 

सहनशक्ति दोष है मेरा

जो अपने ही सपनो का गला घोंटने चली,

एक अन्य व्यक्ति के हट्ट के आगे,

इस चार दीवारी के अंदर ही पली।। 

बचपन में जो मेरे पंख काटे 

आज तक काटते आये है।

मेरे ही सुरक्षा के नाम पे 

मेरी आशाएं कुचलते आये हैं।। 

फिर भी सपने संजोये है

फिर भी आशाएं लगाई है 

पर इस पिंजरे से बाहर कैसे जाऊँ?

मैं छोटी सी चिड़िया, इस लोहे को कैसे हराओं? 

दिन रात पिंजरे पर चोंच मार के

इस लोहे की माया को हरा दूंगी।

तुच्छ हूं तोह कया?

इस संघर्ष में ही जान गवा दूंगी।। 

– राशि श्रीवास्तवा