WINTER PROJECT ON

“District Media Profile on Kamrup District (Metro)”

Submitted To: Submitted By: Dr. D. J. Pati Kulanath Kaushik (Head of the PGP-AdCoMM(09-11) Department) Roll No. 05

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Our Head of the Department Dr. D. J. Pati for giving me this opportunity to study the district media atmosphere of Kamrup District (Metro). The district came into existence in 2003 by bifurcating the erstwhile Kamrup District into Kamrup(metro) and Kamrup(rural) for better administration. While making the media profile on Kamrup I have learnt a lot about Media Industry.

I would sincerely like to thank DPRO Kamrup (metro) Mr. Chirajul Hussein and Joint Director of Directorate of information and Public Relation of the State of Mr. B. Bez under whose guidance and direction I was able to complete my project. In my journey I was well supported by many of the organization as well as personnel’s working in Media Industry in . I would like to convey my gratitude to Mr. Gautam Jha of DY365, Mr. Shahzad Hussein OSD of Assam Tourism Development Corporation Ltd., Pranjal Naag of Janambhumi Group, Ms. Firoza Ahmed Asst. Research Officer of Doordarshan Kendra Guwahati, All Radio-Guwahati, Agradut Group, NE television and Tribune Group.

DECLARATION

I do hereby solemnly declare that the report –

District Media Profile on kamrup has been entirely done by me under the guidance of Mr. Chirajul

Hussein, the District Public Relation Officer and

Mr. B. Bez, Joint Director Directorate of

Information and Public Relation for the state of

Assam. This report is entirely drafted by me and has not been submitted to any other institution and has not been published anywhere else.

INTRODUCTION

The district Kamrup Metro was created bifurcating the old Kamrup district in 3 rd February'2003. The head quarter of the district is Guwahati. Once known as Pragjyotishpur (the light of the East), Guwahati derives its name from the Assamese words “Guwa” means areca nut and “Haat” means market. Guwahati has a magical aura that still lingers over the ever – expanding city. Guwahati today is important because it is the seat of power in Assam, is a major commercial centre and is the node that connects six other North Eastern Indian States of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura.

Guwahati is situated on the southern bank of the mighty river Brahmaputra River in Assam. It is a fast growing premier city of the region and a gateway to the North-Eastern States of India and a principal centre of socio-cultural, political, industrial and a trade and commerce of the entire region. , the capital of Assam is a part of Guwahati. Reference of Guwahati could be found in ancient literature of our country. Atop Nilachal Hills, 8km. from the city centre lies the famous temple of Goddess Kamakhya, one of the 51 Shakti Peeth in the country.

Flow of the Profile:

S No.

1) History 2) Geography and Climate 3) Places of Interest 4) General Administration 5) Transportation 6) Education 7) Shopping Experience 8) Festivals 9) General Media Atmosphere 10) Cinema 11) Newspaper 12) Television 13) Radio 14) Mobile Theater 15) Advertising Scenario 16) SWOT Analysis 17) My Observation 18) Conclusion 19) Bibliography

History The district Kamrup Metro was created bifurcating the old Kamrup district during 2003. But the newly created district Kamrup Metro conducted its first election only during the 12th Assembly Election of Assam 2006. The head quarter of the district is Guwahati. Guwahati has a magical aura that still lingers over the ever – expanding city. According to a legend, the demon king Narakasura is said to have built this ancient city. Another reason for Guwahati’s charm is it’s being the ancient ‘Kamrup’, the place where the part of the body of goddess Sati falls and which is also the birthplace of Kamdeva, the God of love. Pragjyotishpur also finds frequent mention in the and other Sanskrit epics and mythology. The district once situated midway between two powerful kingdoms: the Ahoms and the Koch. Neither Mughals nor the Koch could maintain power at Guwahati however, and it is better known as the seat of the Borphukan, the civil and military authority of the region appointed by the Ahom King. Guwahati today is important because it is the seat of power in Assam, is a major commercial centre and is the node that connects six other North Eastern Indian States of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura.

Geography and Climate

Location:

Kamrup District is situated between 25.46 and 26.49 North Latitude and between 90.48 & 91.50 East Longitude.

The District is bounded by:-

North – Darrang District. South – Meghalaya State. East - Marigaon District. West – Kamrup District Rural.

CLIMATE & RAINFALL:

Climate: Sub tropical with semi -dry summer & cold in winter.

Annual Rainfall: Ranges between 1500 mm to 2600 mm.

Natural Calamity: Flood occurs generally in the low-lying areas of the district during May to August every year. Late flood during the later part of September & October also occurs. The occurrence of flood in the district is due to the river Brahmaputra and its Tributaries.

Average humidity: 75%

Max. Temperature: 38.5 C.

Min. Temperature: 7 C.

IMPORTANT RIVERS:

Brahmaputra Bhorolu Bashistha

IRRIGATION: The District has 58,239 ha. of irrigated land. The bifurcation as per 1999-2000 data is as under: a) By channels/surface. 18,681 ha. b) By wells (DTW) 818 ha. c) By lift irrigation. 6,841 ha. d) By other sources (STW+LLP etc.) 39,630 ha Places of Interest

Gandhi Mandap:

NON-VIOLENCE IS THE GREATEST FORCE AT THE DISPOSAL OF MANKIND.IT IS MIGHTIER THAN THE MIGHTIEST WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION DEVISED BY THE INGENUITY OF MAN...... MAHATMA GANDHI

Gandhi-mandap is a memorial dedicated to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.It is located in the very heart of the city, right at the top of the Sarania Hillock. It was built in year 1969 and was opened to the public in 1970. It is approximately 2km distance from base to the top of the hillock.

Aswaklanta:

It is a small hill lying on the North bank of the Brahmaputra River. To the particularly for the vaisnavites, this place has a lot of religious importance and to the non-believers it is a treasure of scenic beauty. It is associated with the mythical story of Srikrishna – Rukmini. The hill has two temples known as Kurmayanardan and Anantasayi-Visnu. Ideally located on the bank of the river, it is linked by regular ferry services with the south bank. It can be reached by road across the Saraighat Bridge.

Balaji Temple:

It is located at Lokhra near the National highway 37. This temple has been constructed in tune with South India temples.

Dirgheswari Temple: Located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra and linked by a motorable road, this shrine is considered as one of the supreme Tirthas of the state. Isolated and lying at the foot of a range of hills, it has several rock cut images which can be placed in the 11th to 12th century A.D. This is one of the few temples where the buffalo sacrifice is done annually during .

Nabagraha :

The temple of is situated in the southeastern part of the Guwahati town on the crest of a hill known as "Citrachala". The temple contains nine phallic emblems of covered with cloths of different colours sacred to the nine planetary gods, namely, (), (), (), Buddha (), Brihaspati (), (), (), Rahu and Ketu. It is approachable by a pitched road. Worshiping of planets to ward off evil is prevalent here.

Basistha :

Basistha temple, located in the southeast corner of Guwahati city is a mandir constructed by Ahom King Rajeswar Singha along with gift of land 835 Bighas for the ashram. The history of the Basistha Ashram where the temple is located dates back to the Vedic age. According to legends the ashram was founded by the great saint Basistha ().

Temple in the ashram stands on the bank of the mountain streams originating from the hills of Meghalaya, which becomes the rivers Basistha and Bahini/Bharalu flowing through the city. Sukreswar & Janardan:

These two temples are located at Panbazar by the side of the Brahmaputra built during the reign of Swargadev Pramatta Sinha (AD 1744-51). The temple of Lord shiva is situted on the Brahmachal or Dakini hill as mentioned in old scriptures. It is famous for the 6th Jyotirlinga of India. Quite a large number of visitiors from all over India visit this holy shrine. Just below the hill the North Brook Gate is situated which was built to welcome the Viceroy of India, North Brooke during British Raj.

Deepor Bill: A large natural wetland with an area of 4.14 sq.km., Deepor Bill is the State's first Bird Santuary. Varieties of local and migratory birds can be seen here to the great delight of visitors.

Geeta Mandir:

The Geeta Mandir is located on a hill contiguous to the New Guwahati Railway Marshalling yard. It is approachable from the Zoo-Narengi Road. The architecture of the temple is unique in itself and is in the shape of a chariot, indicating the Divine Chariot that Lord Srikrishna rode in the epic war Mahabharata.

Kamakhya Temple:

It is located on the top Nilachal hill, which is 160 metre high. This hill has a group of ancient temples; the most famous of them is the . This temple is considered as the greatest of all the saktipithas in India. Around this shrine small township of Kamakhya has sprung up. Kamakhya is known for its rare natural beauty and one can enjoy an areal view of the city of Guwahati and the mighty Brahmaputra flowing below.

MUSEUMS

Assam State Museum:

Situated on the South of the Dighali Pukhuri, this museum is the oldest institution of its kind in Northeast India. It is a multipurpose museum, but its sculptural assortment is the richest.

Cottage Industry Museum:

It is a small museum situated in the Ambari area and under the management of the Industries Department of the State Government. The objects on display cover many colorful items from the Satriya culture and indigenous art and craft. It’s only five minutes walk from the Assam State Museum.

Regional Science Centre & Museum:

Located at Khanapara this museum is the only science museum of the state. Apart from galleries full of scientific gadgets, this institution imparts science education to the student community.

Dispur:

The capital of the state, which was established in 1973, has grown into a thickly populated area and containes shops and business establishments. Jatia is another ward adjacent to Dispur and it is believed that the two wards namely Jatia and Dispur jointly perpetuate the memory of Pragjyotishpur, The ancient capital of the kingdom of Kamarupa or old Assam.

Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra :

It is a unique cultural complex situated at Panjabari named after Srimanta Sankardeva the great unifier of Assam and the greatest integrator of the India Society in the fifteen century. Kalakshetra has Sahitya and Sangeet Natak Bhawan, Lalit Kala Bhavan, Heritage Park, Cultural Museum, Open Air Theatre and an Artist’s Village. It was formally inaugurated in Feb. 1999. State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden:

Situated beside the R. G. Barua Road, this sprawling, well-maintained zoo, replicated as far as possible the natural habitats of many of its animals. The Botanical gardens are a service of interest as its herbarium.

Umananda Temple:

Greater Guwahati contains three islands in the midst of the Brahmaputra known as Umananda (Peacock Island), Urvashi and Karmanasa, first one being the biggest. On the top of the Umananda Island exist three temples Umananda, Chandrsekhar and Hargauri and contain rock-cut- sculptures and carvings.

Dighali Pukhuri:

Opposite of Guwahati High Court Dighali Pukhuri is a historic tank where facilities like boating, video games parlor etc are available.

Guwahati Planetarium:

Located near Latashil field, it is a smaller version of the Birla Planetarium in Calcutta. It is open to visitors on payment to watch the different shows related to astronomy. General Administration

District Administration:

The Deputy Commissioner heads the District Administration. He also acts as the Collector in case of Revenue matters, as District Magistrate in case of maintenance of Law and Order and General Administration, as District Election Officer in case of conduct of Election and so on. The Deputy Commissioner is aided by a number of Officers like Additional Deputy Commissioner, Sub- divisional Officers, Extra Assistant Commissioners and others.

Revenue Administration:

It has historically been the primary responsibility of the District Administration. This involves collection and fixing of land revenue, registration, mutation and overall management in regard to land matters - private and public. Besides the Revenue Branch of the Deputy Commissioner's Office, which is looked after by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue), there are 6 outlying Revenue Circles in the district, supervised by Circle Officers. The Mouzadars under the Circle Officers are responsible for collecting land revenue (Khazna) from landowners (pattadars). All the Circle Officers are required to submit 'doul' (demand of revenue) to DC, and after his approval, Mouzadars are to collect revenue as per demand.

District Development:

It is one very important objective of the District Administration. As head of the District Administration, the DC is responsible for all-round developmental activities in the district under various programmes such as MP's Local Area Fund (MPLAD), MLA's fund, Untied Fund, Sub- divisional Plan Scheme Fund, Border Area Development Fund and so on. For this work, the DC assigns the A.D.C. (Development) the specific task of looking after and coordinating various developmental activities undertaken in various sectors. The A.D.C. (Development) is aided in this matter by the Decentralized Planning Cell of the DC's office. All development departments in the district, like PWD, Irrigation, Health, Education and many others work in co-ordination and a District Development Committee (DDC) headed by D.C. has been in place to ensure this coordination. Under the Government policy of rapid upliftment of rural population, a District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) is functioning in the district which has Deputy Commissioner as the Chairman and one Project Director as its functional head. All schemes for Rural Development are implemented by this agency and in this work; it is aided by the 4 (four) Development Blocks situated in outlying rural areas of the district. These Development Blocks are supervised by Block Development Officers (BDOs).

Law & Order:

It is another important aspect of the district administration and the DC, also being the D.M., is responsible for proper maintenance of the Law and Order situation. The DC is aided by Additional Deputy Magistrates (ADM), Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDM) and Executive Magistrates (EM). The Circle Officers of the Circles also function as Executive Magistrates and are responsible for maintenance of Law & Order in their respective circle areas. The DM and other magistrates take necessary assistance from the police department when such necessity arises. The Superintendent of Police heads district Police Administration. The police department has an infrastructure of 21(twenty one) police stations, outpost and other auxiliary establishments in the district.

Local Administration:

For management and Implementation of various developmental schemes, elected bodies are constituted at the level of Corporation, Municipality and Town Committees for Urban Areas and Panchayat Bodies for the rural areas. Kamrup District has 3 (three) urban local administration bodies as follows with polulation (As per 2001 Census) :

1) Guwahati Municipal Corporation = 8,09,895 2) North Guwahati Town Committee = 16,286 3) Narangi(OG) = 8,914

Transportation

Guwahati, the gateway of the Northeast can be easily accessed by road as NH-37 passes through it along the South of River Brahmaputra and the district is also at the junction of NH-31, 37 and 40. The city is well connected by Indian Railways, as there are many trains to and from Guwahati including super fast trains like Rajdhani Express. The Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport, the largest in the region linking to major cities in India is 25 KM away at Borjhar. Regular flights to and fro Guwahati are operated by Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Jet Lite, Kingfisher, Deccan Air, Indigo and Spice Jet. Helicopter services are also available between Guwahati and Shillong, Guwahati and Itanagar(Arunachal Pradesh) and Guwahati and Tawang(Arunachal Pradesh).

Railway Station Airport

< ISBT Guwahati Education

Guwahati, one of the major and bustling cities of Assam, is also a frontier to the country's North Eastern region. It is not only the largest city of the region but also an important commercial center. Guwahati is the cradle of education in the entire northeastern belt and education in Guwahati has always attracted people from different parts of the country. Schools in Guwahati are both privately operated and Government-aided public schools. The schools are affliated either to the Assam Council of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education or Indian Council of Secondary and Certifiate (ICSE/ISC) or Central Board of Education (CBSE).

PMGY:

The PMGY Scheme was also implemented through the Elementary Education Department. During 2001-02, an amount of Rs. 1.00 lakh each has been submitted against 66 schools for construction of school buildings under PMGY. During 2002-03, an amount of Rs. 1.50 lakhs each has been submitted against 48 schools for construction for school buildings under PMGY. During 2003-04, also an amount of Rs. 1.50 lakhs each has been submitted against 48 schools. No fund was provided against the schemes during 2004-05.

RAJIB GANDHI COMPUTER LITERACY PROGRAM:

In Kamrup district, already 15 schools were covered under RGCLP during 2003-2004 and 14 schools were covered during 2004-05. Another 12 schools were covered in the 3rd phase in Kamrup district for 2005-06.

There are many national level schools in Guwahati, which has so far groomed the children of Northeast. Among the school which deserves a mention are:

Cotton Collegiate HS School DAV School Carmel Convent Don Bosco High School Sarla Birla Gyan School Faculty Higher Secondary School Kendriya Vidyalaya (North Guwahati IIT Campus, Borjhar, Khanapara, Maligaon and Narengi) Maharshi Vidya Mandir Tarani Charan Choundhury Girls School Panbazar Girls High School St. Marry's Convent School Delhi Public School Little Flower School Maria Montesari Public School Assam Rly HS School

Prestigious Educational Institute in Guwahati

Among the other esteemed institutions worth mentioning are Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati an autonomous institute dedicated in the field of technical studies/Science and Ivy League of Institutes in India.

Guwahati Medical College (GMC) the oldest medical institutions Under Gauhati University, recognized by All India Medical Council.

Assam Engineering College for the Bachelor and Master Degree of different engineering branches with good reputation of out put.

Assam Ayurvedic College for Ayurvedic Health Education.

Assam Engineering Institute, Institute of Co- operative Management, Assam Institute of Management, Gauhati Institute of Management, Indian Institute for Hotel Management (IIHM) are also renown institutes for technical education.

Clockwise from upper-right corner: Cotton College, IIT Guwahati, Guwahati Medical College and Assam Engineering College.

The Cotton College is yet another century old autonomous institution consistently delivering quality education in the fields of Science and Arts. The institution is now set to become Deemed University having a PG institute independently.

Apart from these, there are Gauhati Commerce College, College of Vetrinary Science, Arya Vidyapeeth College, B. Baruah College, Handique Girls College. Gauhati University:

The university was established in 1948 and is located at Jalukbari, flanked by the National Highway 37. It is 4 km from Maligaon area in Guwahati. The university has 21 faculties along with other departments including Biotechnology, Environmental science, Folklore, Instrumentation centre etc. The university classes are closed in June and July for summer vacation and during major festivals like and Bohag . Important institutions such as the Assam Ayurvedic College, Assam Engineering College, Assam Police Radio Organisation are on the southern & eastern side of the campus. One crosses through the University campus while going to the airport.

Statistical Data of Educational Institute: Gross Enrolment Ratio - Male: 107630 Female: 89975

No. of Schools - No. of Primary School : 2121 No. of Middle School : 501 No. of High Schools : 320 Higher Secondary Schools: 49

No. of Govt. Technical Institutes /Colleges/ Universities -

Technical Institutes: I.I.T - 1 Eng. College - 1 Med. College - 1 Polytechnic College - 3 I T I - 2 Vety. College - 1 Dental College - 1 Nursing College - 1 Ayurvedic College - 1 Law College - 2 B. Ed College - 2

College: 32 University: 1

Percentage of Trained Teachers - High Schools: 48% Hr. Secondary Schools: 29%

Teacher/ Pupil Ratio -

High Schools - 1:28 Hr. Secondary Schools - 1:39

Literacy Rate -

Total: 80.59% Male: 85.51% Female: 74.16%

Shopping Experience

The era of consumerism is here and it has touched base in Guwahati as well. Shopping complexs, Super Markets, Multiplexes are all the things of today. But in Guwahati a nice balance of traditional and modern day shopping experience could be perceived. While on the one hand we have people buying there groceries at 7to9 and the same set of consumers going for ’s “Haat Bazaar” in local makeshift markets. Though Guwahatians enjoy the experience of shopping at a mall, which is ever increasing in number, but they have not yet stopped visiting the old fashion markets. The rise in the purchasing power of the masses has attracted many of the national players in the retail sector. First to venture into the retail sector in Guwahati was Vishal Mega Mart in 2004-05, amongst the national brands. Prior to that Guwahati had a few Shopping malls like Shoppers’ Point, Hub, A/C Market etc. There were many supermarkets like Orient, Tanz, Utsav etc. But once Vishal Mega Mart entered the market of Guwahati, the national marketers could see the enormous untapped potential that is Guwahati.

Now in Guwahati we can see all major brands that is available in India. Major retail players like Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Westside, Salasar, Kolkata Baazar and City Mart etc have their outlet here. Along with them there are few many local malls like Hub, Dona Planet, Rang Ghar, Sohum Shoppe, Thakuria’s Novelty etc. In addition to all this Guwahati still have maintained its old fashion bazaars. People still visit its Fancy Bazaar, Paltan Bazaar, Maligaon Bazaar, Ganeshguri Bazaar for their requirements of apparels. This diversified shopping experience is possible because of the demography of the city, which itself is really diversified.

In and around the G.S. Road a mushroom growth of shopping malls could be viewed. All the major apparel brands like Levi’s, Pepe Jeans, Wrangler, Killer Jeans, Puma, Nike, Converse, Adidas, Reebok have their outlets in this area and the number is increasing by the day.

Apart from these modern day shopping culture Guwahati still embrace the old fashion Bazaar, which is a make shift market which periodically organized for one or two days a . Such markets like Beltola Bazaar, Kalangpar bazaar, Satgaon Bazaar, Kachari Bazaar is really popular amongst the masses. It also provides trade opportunities to the residents living in nearby rural areas. Festivals

Guwahati’s most popular festival is Bihu. Assam celebrates Bihu Three times a year – Rangali Bihu, Kangali Bihu and Bhogali Bihu. Amogst these in the time of Rangali Bihu the city celebrates the festival of colors with stage shows for five continuous days. In the month of Bohag, according to Assamese , which welcomes spring, there are many stage shows showcasing local talent all across the state.

Durga Puja is another popular festival celebrated here in Guwahati. There are approximately 1200 Durga Puja committee worshiping mother goddess Durga. Every locality lights up during this time. On the day of Vijaya Dashami there is big carnival organized for Devi visharjan. Due to the massive number of Puja committees this ceremony goes for two days.

Ashoka Ashtami is also celebrated in Guwahati in a big way. Mythology plays a vital role in its celebration. According to myths When Lord Parashuram was carving river Brahmaputra to rectify his sin. Near Nilachal hill mother goddess Kamakhya asked him to pay a visit to the temple. As he went in he asked the river to wait in the same posture till he returns. But due to immense current of the water Brahmaputra crumbled under pressure and it took its own course. When Lord Parashuram came back and saw that, he cursed the river not to be recognized as sacred and said it will do nothing but bare the garbage of its locals. When Brahmaputra pleaded for mercy the Lord said on the day of Ashoka Ashtami the river Ganges will flow from the north bank and the locals who do not have the fortune to travel to take bath in the holy river may take a dip in this river. Thus every year thousands of local citizen take a dip in the river Brahmaputra in this holy occasion.

The Kamakhya mandir, which is the epicenter of Tantrism in India, plays host to “Ambubachi Mela”. Devotees from India so as trans national devotees flock to the temple for a holy pilgrimage. It provides a cross-cultural exchange. These devotees attend the weeklong mela during which the temple is on a temporary hiatus. The organiztion of this mela provides a huge challenge for the district administration, but so far the district administration have conducted it’s working flawlessly. The state government understands the value of the mela and thus it provide full co- operation in organizing it. Apart from the devotees this mela also attract tourist who are always fascinated by Tantra. There have been a number of documentaries made on this annual event. Media Atmosphere

Guwahati is the epicenter of all media activity. The media industry with the arrival of new century has got a tremendous boost. Now media is the industry to be in. there has been a ascending growth in the investment in the media sector. Be it electronic, print, visual, event media all are booming, even good old folk media is also on a high. It is evident, as in the last five years there is a growth of 3 private channels from 0, FM channels growth is from 0 to 4 in last three years. There will be two more groups venturing into television industry in the region.

The print industry is also going through a big change. This is largely due to the change in the outlook of the people. The citizens are getting more aware by the day and cannot be fooled by biased opinion. Young and enthusiastic minds are attracted towards writing. Overall there is an intellectual growth in the region. People like Tanushree Hazarika have perceived the opportunity in the media in the region and thus have left their job at foreign land to start up something as noble as Eclectic Magazine. There are others who have come up with National Dailies published from Guwahati. Northeastern Chronicles is brainchild of such thoughts. Assamese movies have always been able to make an impression the national field. Award winning directors are molded here in Jyoti Chtrabon, which was established by father of Assamese film Jyoti Prashad Agarwal. Films like “Halodhiya Saraaye Baodhan Khay”, “Raag-Biraag”, “Adajya”, “Hagoroloi Bogu Duur” are films that have left their mark at the national level. But ever since 1996 a new era in Assamese film has begun, the commercial film era. Joubone Aamoni Kore was first of the many Assamese commercial film. Though with advent of commercial film the old art film has been on a dying bed but even then the people working in the industry is not complaining as the money flowing into the industry is much higher. In last three years a new form of communication has gained popularity. Commonly known as “CD Cinema” is nothing but commercial movie but with no public shows on any screens but direct made to disk format and distributed at a cheaper cost.

While discussing media industry one thing cannot be ignored is the mobile theatre groups. This is very popular in the rural areas but it has also been gaining popularity in the metro area as well. In Guwahati the stage dramas have resurfaced after a long time. Dramas are now regularly showcased at Ravindra Bhawan and Bhaskar Natya Mandir etc.

Cinema

Assamese movie started long back in the pre- independence era. Jyoti Prashad Agarwal the father of Assamese movies made his first movie in 1934 with “Joymoti”. He faced immense hardship while making the film as Assamese people had an orthodox outlook in those days. Thus he established Jyoti Chitrabon a film city at Kahilipara in Guwahati to help the upcoming filmmakers. The land of Assam has produced many good filmmakers. They have acclaimed success at the national level time and time again. Assamese filmmakers have indulged in making film concerning different issues prevalent in the society. “Adahjya” is a film, which was made addressing the sati issues. “Hagoroloi Bohu Duur” another movie made addressing the issue of generation gap. Filmmakers like Jahnu Baruah, Bidyoot Chakravarty, Shantana Bardoloi Have brought success for the region.

Guwahati has a large movie going audience. Though the tastes and preferences of the audiences have changed but what hasn’t changed is their habit to visit cinema halls. The multiplex culture has penetrated the city life, the single screen halls coping with the challenges of the multiplexes and doing good. This has improved the movie-going experience of the audience. There are 2 multiplexes and more than 15 single screen halls operating in the perimeter of Guwahati metropolitan. The multiplexes Cinemax and Gold are popular amongst the youth. These halls have their own distribution network through which they get hold of prints of the film. Many of the cinema halls like Anuradha, Pragjyoti, Apsara, Meghdoot have recently got their satellite connectivity. Because of these halls can screen any film along with its national release. They no longer have to wait for prints to reach Guwahati or dependent upon the distributors. Apart from these there are halls like Urvashi, Mayur , Kelvin, Vandana, Rupashree, Aruna etc., which cater to the need of the lower stratum of the society.

Apart from traditional art and commercial film there is a new phenomenon that is going on centering Guwahati, VCD movies. I have briefly mentioned what it is earlier. Production houses like NK production have pioneered this. It is largely done to encounter piracy movement in Assam. In Assam about five years back this was a big issue encountering the movie industry. Assamese movies, which is popular amongst the rural audience, was finding it difficult to reach its audience in time as pirated copies of the same was available in the market much earlier. Thus the filmmakers came up with this idea of making a movie which will fit into a VCD size and contain a few of the advertisement by its sponsors. It will be priced at a convenient rate; most of them cost Rs. 15 INR.

Critics are of the view that this has substantially lowered the standard of movie making. Though it has compromise on the production it has compensated by providing job opportunities to a large section of the unemployed youth. It also presents a platform for the raw talent to showcase their talent.

Print Media

The print media is a very strong medium of communication for the people of Assam. The first Newspaper of Assam “Arunudoy” was published in 1913. Most of the print medium that is circulated in Northeast India has its base in Guwahati. Renowned news groups like Tribune, Sentinel, GL Publications, Pratidin group, Agradut group all operate from Guwahati. With the arrival of new millennium the print media industry has gone through a lot of changes. The national newspapers could see the untapped market opportunity and they are gradually entering into the market. The Telegraph a national daily has a business lease with the Janambhumi group for publication of their Guwahati supplement.

Even the periodicals are improving its standard. This is largely due improvement in the general lifestyle of the masses. The brain drain has slowed down. A lot of the youth now see the opportunity in Northeast region and thus staying back. The print media has always been encouraging the intellectuals of the region. With the increasing number of print medium these intellectuals are finding it attractive to stay back and contribute to the growth of their motherland. Quality English monthly periodicals like Eclectic and Reflexion presents such platform to these intellectuals. Amongst the approved English newspapers in the state three are published and edited in Guwahati. Assam Tribune one of the oldest daily of Assam published from Guwahati and Dibrugarh is the most circulated newspaper in Kamrup District (metro) with daily circulation of 42,760 copies.

Amongst the approved dailies in other vernacular languages like Hindi and Assamese, four Hindi and eleven Assamese newspapers are published from Guwahati. The most circulated Hindi daily of Guwahati is Sentinel with over 20,000 circulations in Kamrup metro and the most circulated Assamese daily is Dainik Agradut with over 30,000 circulations in Kamrup metro area.

In the bi-weekly category no English or Hindi bulletin is published. There are three bulletin in this category published out of which two are Assamese and one is multi-lingual. Agradut enjoys the popularity in this section over all its competitors.

In the weekly segment there are nine approved publications from Guwahati out of which seven are Assamese publications and one is in English Language and the other is bi-lingual (Manipuri and Assamese). But the most popular publication in this category is a non-approved publication “Saadin”. A product of Pratidin Group, Saadin enjoys the most popularity amongst the masses of not only Kamrup Distrct Metro but all throughout Assam. Apart from these there are a number of unapproved publication from Guwahati.

There are two approved fortnightly and five approved monthly publication from Guwahati. Out of which Bikalpa is the most popular fortnightly and Girijani is the most popular Assamese monthly. Eclectic is one English publication, which is coming in and taking over the monthly section. Being an English publication Eclectic transcends the boundaries of language and has gained immense popularity in not only Guwahati but across the Northeast region. Along with Eclectic there are others who also have ventured into the space of indigenous English monthlies. Reflexion is one such magazine. There are some who has started publishing national dailies from Guwahati. Northeastern Chronicles is the brainchild of such thinking. It is gaining popularity in the region. Ever since its inception in September 2009 it has been regularly circulating more than five thousand copies in Guwahati competing with major players like Assam Tribune, The Telegraph,The Sentinel etc.

Apart from Publishing these News groups also perform a lot of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) work. Janambhumi group, which has been in the print media industry since 1972, has their own charitable trust naming, Janakalyan. This Trust looks after the education of the poor and needy children. They also help IAS aspirant to get good and free coaching facilities in New Delhi. The group has been sending 4 to 5 student every year for coaching. The group bears all the cost of the student. Agradut group of publication has their monthly edition for children called “Akani” and it is doing its bit for showcasing young talents. The biggest news group Assam tribune does not involve itself in any CSR activity.

A detail annual circulation data sheet of the approved publication collected from the Directorate of Information and Public Relation is being attached with this report as Annexure I.

Apart from these there are many many publications, which is circulated in the region from Guwahati. Some of them are actually more popular than those of the approved ones. In the category of monthlies we have many major publication in Assamese language like Bismoy, Prantik, Gariyashi, Nandini, Abikol etc. The popularity of the print media attracts a lot of advertisers and Space selling is an important job profile in these agencies, because of which all of them have established their base in other part of the nation. Television

Television industry in Guwahati started with the advent of Doordarshan Kendra Guwahati in 1982. But in 2004 the first private player by the name of Ne TV joined the industry to break Doordarshan’s monopoly. After which many channels both informative as well as entertainment channels joined the fray. Currently the channels, which are operating in the region from Guwahati, are DDK Guwahati, Ne TV, Newslive, and DY365 in the informative/news category and Ne Hi-Fi, Rang in the entertainment category. DDK Guwahati though telecast some of the entertainment program but by and large it deals with informative program.

DDK Guwahati:

Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati is the first and only major Doordarshan Kendra. The Kendra is celebrating its Silver Jubilee year. Despite constraint from many sector the Kendra has made contribution in the Socio-Economic and Cultural field, Health and agricultural field, Promoting awareness for Communal Harmony and National Integration, creating awareness for Animal welfare, Environment protection, consumer protection, Child Development, Women Empowerment etc. The Kendra has received the best DDK award in the year of 2008. Apart from this the Kendra has received many award for excellence in production and coverage. The Kendra has 79% coverage in terms of area and 83% coverage of the population. This well equipped Kendra telecast 66% in-house programming and 15% commissioned program.

As a public broadcaster, DDK Guwahati telecasts 54% of its program. The rest could be termed as entertainment program. Assamese is the prime language of the network, which is about 84%. Apart from this it also telecast in English, Hindi, Bodo and other dialects. It regularly telecast developmental and issue based programs. Some of which are really popular amongst the masses.

Kalyani is a health magazine programme, which has been a regular feature of DDK Guwahati since 2002. The programme basically highlights and provides detail information about water born diseases, Iodine deficiency and other illness like TB, malaria, HIV/AIDS and cancer control etc. It also focuses on mother’s health and childcare. It is telecasted four days a week at 6:30 is one of the most popular program of the network.

A report by Audience Research unit on Kalyani is attached as Annexure II.

Agricultural Program is a programme telecasted in collaboration with the Government of Assam to assess the impact as well as benefit the farmers. Telecasted five days a week from to at 6:00 pm has a great following. It provides knowledge to the farmers for better farming and answer to their various queries.

A report by Audience Research Unit on Agriculture Program is attached as Annexure III.

Programmes for different ethnic groups like Bodo, Janakristi, Tea Garden prog etc. are frequently televised in the network.

Amongst other programme Sambhawana, Rupali Dhou, Manashi, Mukha-Mukhi deserves special mention.

Apart from these prime time news, the 7 o’clock news Assamese and 7:15 pm Northeast news in English, are most popular programme of the network. This is evident from the fact that the network charges the most for ads during this time period.

Though the channel faces new challenges from other private networks but they are hopeful of continuing their stay at the top being the most popular channel of Assam. Ne TV Network:

Northeast television (Ne TV) is the first private television channel of the Northeast region. It connects the eight states under Northeast region as it telecasts news in 18 different languages of the region. This well equipped network has reached 42 thousand homes across Northeast. Ne TV today claims 90 per cent of the C & S penetration in Assam and about 80 per cent in the remaining seven states of the region. Where cable does not exist, they reach out to viewers in the hills through direct to home (DTH) services. The channel is therefore available across the country to all viewers.

The popularity of the channel is evident, as brands like Nestle, Cadbury, Johnson n Johnson, Frooti, Ranbaxy, Emami, No-marks, Henko, Hindware, TVS, Black rose mehendi, Godrej, parachute, Nutrilla, Boomer and many others have already tested the channel and became regular advertiser.

The Ne TV network in short span of five years have accomplished so much, they have their entertainment channel (Ne Hi-Fi). They have other channels like Focus TV, Hy TV, Hamar TV etc., which is being uplinked from Noida, Hydrabad, Ranchi respectively. News Live:

Product of Pride East Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., News live is primarily a news channel, which telecasts news in Assamese and English language. If one looks at TAM report of last one year they can see that this news channel has been consistently maintaining its supremacy. Now they have launched an entertainment channel namely Rang. With this they hope to gain foothold in the entertainment industry of northeast. Content of the channel is largely English, because of which they attract and encourage intellectual minds.

DY 365:

The third private player in the television industry in Northeast is DY365. This channel telecast news in four different languages – Assamese, English, Hindi, and Bengali. Content of the channel could be divided as 65% Assamese and the remaining time equally divided between other languages. Emergence of this channel makes the equation of the television channel interesting.

There are two new private operator is said to enter the competitive market. This will provide the youth with new job opportunities as well as the advertisers more options to choose from. Radio

Radio in Guwahati started with the launch of All India Radio Guwahati station on July 1st 1948. Ever since then it has been playing a vital role in the communication of the state. It has been brining direct information to people across the length and breath of the state. The FM Radio boom hit the region in 2007 and since then 4 such networks have been established in Guwahati.

AIR Guwahati: AIR Guwahati station was established in 1948. It has been an instrument for the rural folk to reach the outer world and cope up with the globalization. AIR Guwahati has work extensively for upliftment of the rural sector of the region. It has been presenting a platform for the local talent to display their talent. They have a well-defined grade system through which they grade the artists. Listeners switch on both for entertainment so as informational purpose. In the urban area its most popular programme is the regional news programme, and then there are those who listens to the film song programmes.

A detail report by the Audience Research Unit of the AIR Guwahati is submitted with this report as Annexure IV.

Radio Ooo La La: Ne TV networks in 2007 ventured into the FM Radio space with a peppy and youthful radio station Radio Ooo La La. This radio network is available on 91.9 frequency. The network has four stations across Northeast – Guwahati, Shillong, Agartala and Itanagar. They have Zubin Garg the face of Assam in music industry as their brand ambassador.

Gup-Shup FM: Another indigenous FM radio station is Gup-Shup FM. Gup-Shup is available on the frequency 94.3.

RED FM: A product of the SUN network RED FM has a station operating from Guwahati. It is available on frequency 94.5.

Big FM: Owned by Anil Ambani one of the major business tycoon of India, Big FM has its Guwahati Station and it is Available on 92.7 frequency.

Mobile Theater

Assamese cultures another unique feature is its mobile theatre groups. These groups move from town-to-town performing dramas with great production values. The production set or the stage in layman’s term is quite breathtaking at times. There are theatre groups who have remade popular movies both Hindi as well as English. Kahinoor Theatre has remade James Cameroon directed Titanic, which was a production nightmare but to their credit they pulled it off and it was a huge success in all across Assam.

Amongst the theatre groups which deserves a mention are: Abahan Theatre Kohinoor Theatre Hengul Theatre Rajtilak Theatre Saraighat Theatre

These theatre groups are a learning school of acting craft for many of the local artist. Renowned artist like Jatin Bora, Tapan Das, Mahananda Sharma are product of Theatre. Along with the rural areas in the urban zones these theatre are really popular. In Guwahati several shows are conducted during the winters. Advertising Atmosphere

Advertising in Guwahati is at its infancy. The advertising requirements of the national players are fulfilled by the agencies located outside Northeast. And the local advertisers are not great in numbers. Thus Audio Visual Ads are not produced frequently in the region. The Ad agencies like Sangeeta Advertising used to make ads for different groups but now the Audio Visual advertisement requirements have dried up.

The agencies like Delta, Dallas, Leo Advertising and Rang-Tuli provide for requirements of hoardings and occasional banners and posters etc. Space selling is a job, which is more in demand in the region. Instead of delegating this to the agencies; it is handled by the news organization internally.

If well organized the advertising has potential in the northeastern region. There are ample creative minds here. Moreover with more industries establishing in the region and number of TV channels increasing every year, the advertising requirement are bound to go up. Thus with the introduction of little professionalism the Advertising could be molded as a flourishing industry. S.W.O.T. Analysis

My Observation

In the two I was making the District Media Profile I was exposed to the complete district media scenario. After the advent of the Private TV Channels the enthusiasm level of the people of the region about media is really high. What these channels have done is to introduce professional working in the work culture of Assam. Now other organizations have imbibed the professionalism introduced by these media houses.

Media being a glamorous industry have certainly improved the glamour quotient of the place. Now musical nights, fashion shows, beauty pageants are organized on a regular basis. The fashion industry has certainly got a boost after the recent media boom. Designers like Dipankar Kashyap and Kaushik Baruah have been able to fill the gap between the modern day fashion requirements and traditional Assamese folk dressings.

Advertising industry has a long way to go. The current agencies needs to compete with the agencies in other parts of the country and provide internationally executed product to the advertisers.

Conclusion

0 The city of Guwahati has great potential. It is on a rise. The State Government of Assam projects the city as the prime destination of Northeast. The increasing trend of tourists is a testimony to that fact. It is booming and investors see it as an untapped proposition. Tough it is at its infancy, media industry is adopting the professionalism in a big way. From here there is only one way to go for the media industry and that way is upwards direction.

Bibliography

• Inputs from DPRO Mr. Chirajul Hussain and Joint Director of Directorate of Information and Public Relation Mr. B. Bez. • Inputs from Audience Research Unit of AIR Guwahati and Audience Research Unit of DDK Guwahati. • Inputs from personnel working in news agencies like Tribune Group, Agradut Group, Janambhumi Group and TV channels like DY365, Ne TV and News live. • Inputs from web sites… o www.kamrup.gov.in o www.kamrupmetro.nic.in o www.netvindia.com o www.radio-ooolala.com