Bringing out the stories behind the stories

BANGALORE: “Dedication and devotion with social responsibility — that’s a necessity to be a true journalist”, says Umesh S S, producer and anchor of Karta Patrakarta, a series of live shows which will be completing its 100th episode on July 19. FM-Rainbow of All India Radio, Bangalore, broadcasts this weekly programme on Tuesdays from 8 am to 9 am. This show profiles veterans and working journalists who have contributed to the field of journalism through their works upholding the fourth estate. The show brings out the stories behind the ‘stories’ by documenting the socio-political and socio-economic scenario of the current society through journalists.The programme is broadcast in Kannada and its success lies in documenting the untold experiences of reputed journalists from the fields of politics, sports, cinema, desks apart from cartoonists and artists. The content of the series serves as reference material to the students of journalism.The word karta means  ‘the one who creates.’ A journalist is the one who creates the news — this is the reason behind the title, says Umesh. The idea was conceptualised by Umesh and director Chetan Naik. “The idea was to introduce journalists, but we improvised on the idea. The concept of the talk-show is to introduce journalism through journalists. At least 20 years of experience is required in the field of journalism to be featured in this programme, with a few exceptions who have had 17 to 18 years of experience. There are no questions asked pertaining to their personal lives, unless that personal experience might have influenced their professional lives. The criterion of 20 years of work experience was kept as it’s the best way to sustain the programme. The rich and varied stories about the works of these veterans is the soul of Karta Patrakarta,” he notes. “The impact of journalism is tremendous, the good journalism and the bad ones, all combined form the crux of the discussion. This programme is unique, no other print or electronic media has devoted such an exclusive and exhaustive slot for journalists to unveil the ‘Journalist and the Journalism within’,” he adds. According to Umesh, no job offers such a wide range of opportunities. “We are opinion makers. Dedication and devotion with social responsibility is what’s needed here.”