Dhenkanal: An anthology of Dr Mrinal Chatterjee’s weekly column ‘Window Seat’ published in 2020 was virtually released on Wednesday by Nadeem Khan, former Regional Director of IIMC Amaravati and an author.
Releasing the monograph, Mr Khan, said “This anthology can be accepted by readers from all walks of life. The author carefully observed the various events in the world and he not only warned the readers about various issues and problems but also talked about humanity”.
‘Window Seat’ is a compilation of 52 articles published regularly in the English newspaper Sikkim Express and on the website of Prameya News. The slice-of-life column covers a wide range of topics including the new education policy in India, the South Korean feminist movement, the corona epidemic, and many more. He wrote about different events of the year differently and uniquely. His writings take a deeper look at life, events, and the people around us.
As one of the speakers, author, and media educator Subir Ghosh said, “Just as journalists have observed and demonstrated the whole world, author Mrinal presents various issues and events beautifully in the form of stories”. It contains information on a variety of personalities, places of interest, and more. Some articles are relevant and acceptable despite their own opinions. This book helps to make readers aware and provide them with important information.
Everyone wants to forget the year 2020 because of the Covid-19, which had a huge impact on the world socially and economically. But the author wrote in the preface of the Window Seat that such things will remain in the minds of the common people for ages.
In his writings, Dr Chatterjee has also mentioned that “Today’s children are reading more and more textbooks.” Children are being forced to read textbooks. Besides, many parents do not pay much attention to reading various literary magazines, such as children’s entertainment. As a result, the child may not be aware of other areas of life. In addition, he has also suggested several solutions to overcome those problems. He opined that parents should not tell their children to read-only textbooks or informational books. Similarly, teachers need to encourage children to read different types of books, books on different subjects, Dr Chatterjee mentioned. In another article, he described how Over the Top (OTT) platforms, namely Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other Internet-based entertainment platforms are affecting traditional movies, audiences, and lifestyles.
In his writings, Dr Chatterjee has also mentioned that, “Today’s children are being forced to read textbooks.” Also, many parents do not pay much attention to children’s reading of various literary magazines, such as children’s entertainment. As a result, children may not be aware of other areas of life. Besides, he suggested many solutions to overcome those problems. He believes parents should not tell their children only textbooks or information books to read. Dr. Chatterjee opined that teachers need to encourage children to read different types of books, books on different topics. In another article, he explained how Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other Internet-based Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms are influencing traditional movies, audiences, and lifestyles.
Dr Chatterjee (born 10 February 1961) is a media educator, author, and trainer from Odisha, India, and works as a professor and regional director at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal. He is the author of the book ‘History of Journalism in Odisha’, which is the first major publication on the history of journalism in Odisha. The book explains the state of journalism in Odisha from its beginning in the mid-19th century till mid-2013.
The foreword to this book was written by Dr. Nadeem Khan. The cover photo used for the window seat was taken by Archana Satpathy. The cover and layout were designed by Jitendra Pati.
The book has been published by the Sephali communications to “Cherish the writings of the Chatterjee’s weekly column ‘Window seat’ with rest of the world.
The event, which took place on the Google Meet platform, was attended by the former director-general of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication K.G. Suresh, journalist Tabina Anjumha Qureshi, Dr Jyoti Prakash Mohapatra, Subrat Das, Deepak Samantarai, Prof. Ankuran Dutta, and Debilal Mishra among others. The event was moderated by Sambit Pal.
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