Aditi Tandon<\/strong><\/p>\n Tribune News Service<\/span><\/p>\n New Delhi, January 27<\/p>\n Even today as the news came in that she had been appointed to lead the world\u2019s largest public broadcasting corporation, Mrinal was busy today lending final touches to the collected works of her mother Shivani, a celebrated author, an inspiration to many. She will take charge of the Prasar Bharati shortly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were lucky to have parents who allowed us the right to our opinion. We could always take our own decisions,\u201d Mrinal told The Tribune, in an exclusive interview at her South Delhi residence, which still wears an old world charm, enhanced by the works of Tagore, Ram Kumar and Raza. \u201cThis one was Rabindra Nath Tagore\u2019s gift to my mother, who was his student at Shantiniketan,\u201d says the first woman chief of Prasar Bharati, pointing to a Tagore sketch and a photograph of his Shantiniketan class.<\/p>\n \u201cPrasar Bharati is something we had the deepest faith in. Its first chairperson Nikhil Chakravarty was my ideal. We must restore the faith,\u201d she says, describing the institution as a sleeping giant waiting to be aroused. \u201cIt has tremendous potential to be India\u2019s own BBC, which caters to people by defying the rat race and commercial pressures and being what its creators wanted it to be,\u201d Mrinal adds, calling herself the \u201cfirst among equals\u201d at the institution.<\/p>\n It is this legacy of wisdom that would set Mrinal apart in her new role as chairperson of the Doordarshan-All India Radio (AIR) combine. \u201cI am happy, humbled, and touched,\u201d she says as a first formal reaction to the move that brings in its fold both challenges and expectations.<\/p>\n And Mrinal is conscious of the tasks ahead, especially in times when private satellite TV channels are airing into homes content that is often profit-driven. To steer an ailing Prasar Bharati in such difficult times and steer it well may not be easy, but Mrinal has her priorities listed out. Trustworthiness of the brand, she says, would be her top concern, and trustworthiness is always above gender and politics. \u201cMine is a non-executive post. We also have great visionaries like Muzaffar Ali, Shyam Benegal, and Suman Dubey on the board. Hopefully, something good will come out of this,\u201d says the journalist, who published her first short story way back in 1967, when women\u2019s writing was still a virgin area. She, however, went on to become the editor of \u201cSaptahik Hindustan\u201d and then \u201cHindustan\u201d, HT\u2019s Hindi daily. In between, Mrinal continued to author books, bringing to her works a broad intellectual base she inherited from her parents. Mrinal\u2019s father opened several schools in Uttaranchal after the Indo-China war. She herself went on to study English and Sanskrit literature, ancient Indian history, archeology, classical music and the visual arts.<\/p>\n That makes her profile at the Prasar Bharati enviable, and also raises hopes of fulfillment of the objectives of the Prasar Bharati Bill, 1989, which the Parliament passed in 1990. The Bill\u2019s objectives were: \u201cPrasar Bharati will be a genuinely autonomous body – innovative, dynamic and flexible – with a huge degree of credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Mrinal\u2019s goals sound one with the Bill\u2019s charter of giving a voice to India: \u201cPrasar Bharati will give healthy competition to private channels but won\u2019t succumb to market pressures. Service ethic must never be overshadowed by the money ethic,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will work to live up to the Indian expectations and be the true national broadcasters of information and entertainment,\u201d she says, priding in the institution\u2019s assets — its cadre of editors, engineers and newscasters.<\/p>\n But AIR, it seems, would command more of Mrinal\u2019s attention. \u201cRadio has, on several occasions, offered seminal service to the nation. It was our own sole living contact with the world when we were growing up in the hills. Access to radio is a wonderful thing. It brings people together. The medium\u2019s potential will be harnessed to the best service of people,\u201d says the new Prasar Bharati chief, waking up to the onerous responsibilities of overseeing a massive public broadcasting network in times of cut-throat competition.<\/p>\n For the record – DD\u2019s terrestrial signals reach 90 per cent of the Indians (119 million have TV sets) and AIR\u2019s productions still have the power to lead you back to times you wished you had never lost. With Mrinal Pande at the helm of affairs, good, old times might be here again. \u0938\u093e\u092d\u093e\u0930 : \u091f\u094d\u0930\u093f\u092c\u094d\u092f\u0942\u0928 <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u092c\u0922\u093c\u093f\u092f\u093e \u092c\u093e\u0924 \u0939\u0948. \u0939\u092e \u0938\u092c \u092d\u0940 \u092f\u0939\u0940 \u091a\u093e\u0939\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902. \u0905\u0917\u0930 \u0906\u092a \u092f\u0947 \u0915\u0930 \u092a\u093e\u0924\u0940 \u0939\u0948\u0902 \u0924\u094b \u0928\u093f\u0936\u094d\u091a\u093f\u0924 \u0930\u0942\u092a \u0938\u0947 \u0907\u0924\u093f\u0939\u093e\u0938 \u092c\u0926\u0932 \u0926\u0947\u0902\u0917\u0940. \u0906\u092a\u0915\u0947 \u092a\u0941\u0930\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0938\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u0905\u092a\u0930\u093e\u0927 \u0932\u094b\u0917 \u092d\u0942\u0932\u0915\u0930 \u0906\u092a\u0915\u0940 \u091c\u092f \u091c\u092f \u0915\u0930\u0928\u0947 \u0932\u0917\u0947\u0902\u0917\u0947. \u0939\u094b\u0928\u093e \u092d\u0940 \u092f\u0939\u0940 \u091a\u093e\u0939\u093f\u090f. \u0915\u094b\u0908 \u0905\u0917\u0930 \u092c\u0921\u093c\u0947 \u092a\u0926 \u092a\u0930 \u091c\u093e\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948 \u0924\u094b \u0909\u0938\u0947 \u092e\u0941\u0902\u0936\u0940 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0947\u092e\u091a\u0902\u0926 \u0915\u0940 \u092a\u0902\u091a \u092a\u0930\u092e\u0947\u0936\u094d\u0935\u0930 \u0935\u093e\u0932\u0940 \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u0915\u0947 \u0939\u093f\u0938\u093e\u092c \u0938\u0947 \u0938\u0939\u0940 \u0915\u094b \u0938\u0939\u0940 \u0914\u0930 \u0917\u0932\u0924 \u0915\u094b \u0917\u0932\u0924 \u0915\u0939\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u093e \u091c\u091c\u094d\u092c\u093e \u092a\u0948\u0926\u093e \u0915\u0930 \u0932\u0947\u0928\u093e \u091a\u093e\u0939\u093f\u090f, \u092d\u0932\u0947 \u0939\u0940 \u0935\u094b \u0905\u0924\u0940\u0924 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0910\u0938\u093e \u0928 \u0915\u0930 \u092a\u093e\u092f\u093e \u0939\u094b. \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u0926\u0947\u0936 \u0914\u0930 \u0916\u093e\u0938\u0915\u0930 \u092e\u0940\u0921\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0915\u0947 \u0932\u094b\u0917 \u0906\u092a\u0915\u0940 \u0924\u0930\u092b \u0906\u0936\u093e \u092d\u0930\u0940 \u0928\u093f\u0917\u093e\u0939 \u0938\u0947 \u0926\u0947\u0916 \u0930\u0939\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902. ‘\u0926\u0942\u0930\u0926\u0930\u094d\u0936\u0928’ \u0914\u0930 ‘\u0906\u0915\u093e\u0936\u0935\u093e\u0923\u0940’ \u0915\u094b \u0930\u094b\u0932 \u092e\u093e\u0921\u0932 \u0915\u0940 \u0924\u0930\u0939 \u0939\u094b\u0928\u093e \u091a\u093e\u0939\u093f\u090f. \u0905\u092c \u0924\u0915 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0939\u0941\u0906. \u092a\u0930 \u0906\u092a\u0915\u0947 \u0935\u093f\u091a\u093e\u0930 \u092c\u0939\u0941\u0924 \u0909\u092e\u094d\u0926\u093e \u0939\u0948\u0902. \u0909\u092e\u094d\u092e\u0940\u0926 \u0915\u0930\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902 \u0915\u093f \u0906\u092a \u0907\u0938 \u092a\u0930 \u0916\u0930\u0940 \u0909\u0924\u0930\u0947\u0902\u0917\u0940. \u0938\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u092e\u0940\u0921\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0935\u093e\u0932\u0947 \u0906\u092a\u0915\u0947 \u0928\u090f \u091a\u0948\u0932\u0947\u0902\u091c \u0914\u0930 \u0928\u090f \u0915\u093e\u092e \u0915\u0940 \u0924\u0930\u092b \u0906\u0936\u093e \u092d\u0930\u0940 \u0928\u093f\u0917\u093e\u0939 \u0938\u0947 \u0926\u0947\u0916 \u0930\u0939\u0947 \u0939\u0948\u0902.<\/p>\n -\u092f\u0936\u0935\u0902\u0924, \u090f\u0921\u093f\u091f\u0930, \u092d\u0921\u093c\u093e\u09384\u092e\u0940\u0921\u093f\u092f\u093e<\/p>\n![\"\u092e\u0943\u0923\u093e\u0932](\"http:\/\/www.bhadas4media.com\/old\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2009\/09\/images_new_mrinal1.jpg\" "\\"\u092e\u0943\u0923\u093e\u0932")
If Prasar Bharati were to be Mrinal Pande\u2019s home, emancipation would be its loudest streak. Having limped a while along the path of freedom, country\u2019s national broadcaster may finally find its feet, with reins resting firmly in safe hands – those of writer Mrinal Pande, whose powerful works and frank opinions have captured the Indian imagination for over four decades now.<\/p>\n
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