A tale replicated

Sir ? Years ago, during the hallowed era of Pupul Jayakar and the ?festivals of India?, the famous Didarganj Yakshi came back from its tour of the world with more dents on its cheeks than the number of countries she had visited. So the Bihar government, its chief custodian, railed as much against the government of India for the sculpture?s ?unsafe keeping? as the guest countries where it had been exhibited. Today, the yakshi stands alone in the Patna museum, virtually forgotten by its protector. The yakshi?s story is no different from that of the Tagore replicas. The Visva-Bharati is so concerned about their safety that it cannot bear to have them shipped to another country to be displayed before a learned public (?Its age of replicas, monsieur?, May 9). And yet the institution cannot care enough to have them better preserved.

Yours faithfully,
J. Acharya, Calcutta

Don?t dance to their tune

Sir ? Sony Entertainment Television?s management of the audition for its new Fame Gurukul show in Calcutta was disastrous (?Turnout trouble at talent hunt?, May 7). The channel says that the turnout was beyond its estimate. But this is a lame excuse given that only four venues had been proposed in the entire country. The anger of the participating crowd was quite understandable. The entertainment channels generate massive hype around their serials and the competitions they organize just to raise their TRPs. Through advertisements and promotions, they aim at creating chaotic situations. This scene is then telecast to show how popular the programmes are.

A similar situation was intended in Science City, but things spun out of control. In this age of the ?double-click?, such singing and dance competitions promise thousands of youth an expressway to fame. Look at the way Abhijeet Sawant, a little-known youth, has been made into a star overnight. His success story is one of incessant promotion and advertisement undertaken by the channel for the programme. Maybe, Sony should start a politician-hunt contest to test the competitors? ?rioting ability?.

Yours faithfully,
Sarit Ray, Calcutta

Sir ? At Science City where were the talents Ila Arun and Javed Akhtar were talking about (?Sony?s Santiniketan?, May 5)? At the venue, the contestants had stones in their hands and the organizers were nowhere in sight. Looks like any Santiniketan in Mumbai is destined to turn out into ?Asantiniketan?.

Yours faithfully,
Kaustav Sinha, Calcutta

Sir ? ?Chase for fame ends in tears? (May 7) was a clear case of exploitation of the sentiments and ambitions of thousands of young people. The organizers themselves admitted that they expected a ?large turnout?. Then why blame the crowd for the chaos? The channel has shamelessly used footage of long queues to advertise its programmes. In the early rounds of the Indian Idol, repeated telecasts of a clipping showing an angry mother in an altercation with Sonu Nigam made it evident that sensationalism, and not talent hunt, was on the minds of the management.

Even if there had been less candidates for the audition at Science City, it would have taken close to a week to complete the task. Why wasn?t the procedure spaced out then? Even now, how is an SMS supposed to decide on the eligibility of a candidate (?Talent hunt via SMS?, May 8)?

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari, Calcutta

Sir ? The organizers for the audition at Science City should have arranged for registration of the candidates well in advance to avoid the stampede. There were glaring loopholes in the event management that provided ample scope for vandals to seize the opportunity to create trouble. The government should step in and judge the credibility of such ?talent hunts?.

Yours faithfully,
Arjun Chaudhuri, Calcutta

Sir ? Sony Entertainment?s calling off the auditions in Calcutta is a poor commentary on the city. But the city was not at fault this time. Had a clear announcement been made about the next date and venue for the auditions, the crowd would not have gone violent. Perhaps Sony should take a lesson from this episode and learn to manage the next event more professionally. We also hope that the organizers select Calcutta once again as their next venue.

Yours faithfully,
Sumant Poddar, Calcutta

Sir ? The authorities in charge of Science City should not, in future, allow such ?Hangama events? like auditions for TV contests to be held on its premises in order to save its valuable property from being vandalized.

Yours faithfully,
A. Roy Mukherjee, Calcutta

Sir ? I am appalled by the battery of talent hunts organized by various television channels. The winners of these contests may become a household name for a while, but they are never able to maintain their status for long and continue to be looked at as outsiders. What is particularly worrying is the fact that educated, and sometimes even professionals, get swayed by the promise of instant stardom. TV channels are merely cashing in on rampant unemployment among the educated young in their bid to hike their TRPs. But one doesn?t understand why the youth cannot see through the machinations of the channels.

Yours faithfully,
Sharmistha Dhar, Calcutta